before stated, one of us had
perused in 1844, and the contents of which we had both of us been privy
to for many years. On representing this to Mr. Darwin, he gave us
permission to make what use we thought proper of his memoir, &c.; and in
adopting our present course, of presenting it to the Linnean Society, we
have explained to him that we are not solely considering the relative
claims to priority of himself and his friend, but the interests of
science generally; for we feel it to be desirable that views founded on
a wide deduction from facts, and matured by years of reflection, should
constitute at once a goal from which others may start, and that, while
the scientific world is waiting for the appearance of Mr. Darwin's
complete work, some of the leading results of his labours, as well as
those of his able correspondent, should together be laid before the
public.

We have the honour to be yours very obediently,

CHARLES LYELL.
JOS. D. HOOKER.

_J. J. Bennett, Esq.,_
_Secretary of the Linnean Society._

I. _Extract from an unpublished Work on Species, by_ C. DARWIN, Esq.,
_consisting of a portion of a Chapter entitled, "On the Variation of
Organic Beings in a state of Nature; on the Natural Means of Selection;
on the Comparison of Domestic Races and true Species._"

De Candolle, in an eloquent passage, has declared that all nature is at
war, one organism with another, or with external nature. Seeing the
contented face of nature, this may at first well be doubted; but
reflection will inevitably prove it to be true. The war, however, is not
constant, but recurrent in a slight degree at short periods, and more
severely at occasional more distant periods; and hence its effects are
easily overlooked. It is the doctrine of Malthus applied in most cases
with tenfold force. As in every climate there are seasons, for each of
its inhabitants, of greater and less abundance, so all annually breed;
and the moral restraint which in some small degree checks the increase
of mankind is entirely lost. Even slow-breeding mankind has doubled in
twenty-five years; and if he could increase his food with greater ease,
he would double in less time. But for animals without artificial means,
the amount of food for each species must, _on an average_, be constant,
whereas the increase of all organisms tends to be geometrical, and in a
vast majority of cas