"In the course of some weeks, you unfortunate wretch, you will have my MS. on one point of Geographical Distribution. I will however, never ask such a favour again; but in regard to this one piece of MS., it is of infinite importance to me for you to see it; for never in my life have I felt such difficulty what to do, and I heartily wish I could slur the whole subject over."
In a letter to Sir J.D. Hooker (June, 1856), the following characteristic passage occurs, suggested, no doubt, by the kind of work which his chapter on Geographical Distribution entailed:
"There is wonderful ill logic in his [E. Forbes'] famous and admirable memoir on distribution, as it appears to me, now that I have got it up so as to give the heads in a page. Depend on it, my saying is a true one, viz., that a compiler is a GREAT man, and an original man a commonplace man. Any fool can generalise and speculate; but, oh, my heavens! To get up AT SECOND HAND a New Zealand Flora, that is work."
CHARLES DARWIN TO W.D. FOX. October 3 [1856].
...I remember you protested against Lyell's advice of