_AS the following dialogue embodies the earliest fruits of Butler’s study
of the works of Charles Darwin_, _with whose name his own was destined in
later years to be so closely connected_, _and thus possesses an interest
apart from its intrinsic merit_, _a few words as to the circumstances in
which it was published will not be out of place_.
_Butler arrived in New Zealand in October_, 1859, _and about the same
time Charles Darwin’s_ ORIGIN OF SPECIES _was published_. _Shortly
afterwards the book came into Butler’s hands_. _He seems to have read it
carefully_, _and meditated upon it_. _The result of his meditations took
the shape of the following dialogue_, _which was published on_ 20
_December_, 1862, _in the_ PRESS _which had been started in the town of
Christ Church in May_, 1861. _The dialogue did not by any means pass
unnoticed_. _On the_ 17_th of January_, 1863, _a leading article_ (_of
course unsigned_) _appeared in the_ PRESS, _under the title_
“_Barrel-Organs_,” _discussing Darwin’s theories_, _and incidentally
referring to Butler’s dialogue_. _A reply to this article_, _signed
A.M._, _appeared on the_ 21_st of February_, _and the correspondence was
continued until the_ 22_nd of June_, 1863. _The dialogue itself_, _which
was unearthed from the early files of the_ PRESS, _mainly owing to the
exertions of Mr. Henry Festing Jones_, _was reprinted_, _together with
the correspondence that followed its publication_, _in the_ PRESS _of
June_ 8 _and_ 15, 1912. _Soon after the original appearance of Butler’s
dialogue a copy of it fell into the hands of Charles Darwin_, _possibly
sent to him by a friend in New Zealand_. _Darwin was sufficiently struck
by it to forward it to the editor of some magazine_, _which has not been
identified_, _with the following letter_:—
_Down_, _Bromley_, _Kent_, _S.E._
_March_ 24 [1863].
(Private).
_Mr. Darwin takes the liberty to send by this post to the Editor a
New Zealand newspaper for the very improbable chance of the Editor
having some spare space to reprint a Dialogue on Species_. _This
Dialogue_, _written by some_ [_sic_] _quite unknown to Mr. Darwin_,
_is remarkable from its spirit and from giving so clear and accurate
a view of Mr. D._ [_sic_] _theory_. _It is also remarkable from
being published in a colony exactly_ 12 _years old_, _in which it
might have_ [_sic_] _thought only material interests would have been
regarded_.
_The autograph of this letter was purchased from Mr. Tregaskis by Mr.
Festing Jones_, _and subsequently presented by him to the Museum at
Christ Church_. _The letter cannot be dated with certainty_, _but since
Butler’s dialogue was published in December_, 1862, _and it is at least
probable that the copy of the_ PRESS _which contained it was sent to
Darwin shortly after it appeared_, _we may conclude with tolerable
certainty that the letter was written in March_, 1863. _Further light is
thrown on the controversy by a correspondence which took place between
Butler and Darwin in_ 1865, _shortly after Butler’s return to England_.
_During that year Butler had published a pamphlet entitled_ THE EVIDENCE
FOR THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST AS GIVEN BY THE FOUR EVANGELISTS
CRITICALLY EXAMINED, _of which he afterwards incorporated the substance
into_ THE FAIR HAVEN. _Butler sent a copy of this pamphlet to Darwin_,
_and in due course received the following reply_:—
_Down_, _Bromley_, _Kent_.
_September_ 30 [1865].
_My dear Sir_,—_I am much obliged to you for so kindly sending me
your Evidences_, _etc._ _We have read it with much interest_. _It
seems to me written with much force_, _vigour_, _and clearness_; _and
the main argument to me is quite new_. _I particularly agree with
all you say in your preface_.
_I do not know whether you intend to return to New Zealand_, _and_,
_if you are inclined to write_, _I should much like to know what your
future plans are_.
_My health has been so bad during the last five months that I have
been confined to my bedroom_. _Had it been otherwise I would have
asked you if you could have spared the time to have paid us a visit_;
_but this at present is impossible_, _and I fear will be so for some
time_.
_With my best thanks for your present_,
_I remain_,
_My dear Sir_,
_Yours very faithfully_,
_Charles Darwin_.
_To this letter Butler replied as follows_:—
15 _Clifford’s Inn_, _E.C._
_October_ 1_st_, 1865.
_Dear Sir_,—_I knew you were ill and I never meant to give you the
fatigue of writing to me_. _Please do not trouble yourself to do so
again_. _As you kindly ask my plans I may say that_, _though I very
probably may return to New Zealand in three or four years_, _I have
no intention of doing so before that time_. _My study is art_, _and
anything else I may indulge in is only by-play_; _it may cause you
some little wonder that at my age I should have started as an art
student_, _and I may perhaps be permitted to explain that this was
always my wish for years_, _that I had begun six years ago_, _as soon
as ever I found that I could not conscientiously take orders_; _my
father so strongly disapproved of the idea that I gave it up and went
out to New Zealand_, _stayed there for five years_, _worked like a
common servant_, _though on a run of my own_, _and sold out little
more than a year ago_, _thinking that prices were going to
fall_—_which they have since done_. _Being then rather at a loss
what to do and my capital being all locked up_, _I took the
opportunity to return to my old plan_, _and have been studying for
the last ten years unremittingly_. _I hope that in three or four
years more I shall be able to go on very well by myself_, _and then I
may go back to New Zealand or no as circumstances shall seem to
render advisable_. _I must apologise for so much detail_, _but
hardly knew how to explain myself without it_.
_I always delighted in your_ ORIGIN OF SPECIES _as soon as I saw it
out in New Zealand_—_not as knowing anything whatsoever of natural
history_, _but it enters into so many deeply interesting questions_,
_or rather it suggests so many_, _that it thoroughly fascinated me_.
_I therefore feel all the greater pleasure that my pamphlet should
please you_, _however full of errors_.
_The first dialogue on the_ ORIGIN _which I wrote in the_ PRESS
_called forth a contemptuous rejoinder from_ (_I believe_) _the
Bishop of Wellington_—(_please do not mention the name_, _though I
think that at this distance of space and time I might mention it to
yourself_) _I answered it with the enclosed_, _which may amuse you_.
_I assumed another character because my dialogue was in my hearing
very severely criticised by two or three whose opinion I thought
worth having_, _and I deferred to their judgment in my next_. _I do
not think I should do so now_. _I fear you will be shocked at an
appeal to the periodicals mentioned in my letter_, _but they form a
very staple article of bush diet_, _and we used to get a good deal of
superficial knowledge out of them_. _I feared to go in too heavy on
the side of the_ ORIGIN, _because I thought that_, _having said my
say as well as I could_, _I had better now take a less impassioned
tone_; _but I was really exceedingly angry_.
_Please do not trouble yourself to answer this_, _and believe me_,
_Yours most sincerely_,
_S. Butler_.
_This elicited a second letter from Darwin_:—
_Down_, _Bromley_, _Kent_.
_October_ 6.
_My dear Sir_,—_I thank you sincerely for your kind and frank
letter_, _which has interested me greatly_. _What a singular and
varied career you have already run_. _Did you keep any journal or
notes in New Zealand_? _For it strikes me that with your rare powers
of writing you might make a very interesting work descriptive of a
colonist’s life in New Zealand_.
_I return your printed letter_, _which you might like to keep_. _It
has amused me_, _especially the part in which you criticise
yourself_. _To appreciate the letter fully I ought to have read the
bishop’s letter_, _which seems to have been very rich_.
_You tell me not to answer your note_, _but I could not resist the
wish to thank you for your letter_.
_With every good wish_, _believe me_, _my dear Sir_,
_Yours sincerely_,
_Ch. Darwin_.
_It is curious that in this correspondence Darwin makes no reference to
the fact that he had already had in his possession a copy of Butler’s
dialogue and had endeavoured to induce the editor of an English
periodical to reprint it_. _It is possible that we have not here the
whole of the correspondence which passed between Darwin and Butler at
this period_, _and this theory is supported by the fact that Butler seems
to take for granted that Darwin knew all about the appearance of the
original dialogue on the_ ORIGIN OF SPECIES _in the_ PRESS. _Enough_,
_however_, _has been given to explain the correspondence which the
publication of the dialogue occasioned_. _I do not know what authority
Butler had for supposing that Charles John Abraham_, _Bishop of
Wellington_, _was the author of the article entitled_ “_Barrel-Organs_,”
_and the_ “_Savoyard_” _of the subsequent controversy_. _However_, _at
that time Butler was deep in the __counsels of the_ PRESS, _and he may
have received private information on the subject_. _Butler’s own
reappearance over the initials A.M. is sufficiently explained in his
letter to Darwin_.
_It is worth observing that Butler appears in the dialogue and ensuing
correspondence in a character very different from that which he was later
to assume_. _Here we have him as an ardent supporter of Charles Darwin_,
_and adopting a contemptuous tone with regard to the claims of Erasmus
Darwin to have sown the seed which was afterwards raised to maturity by
his grandson_. _It would be interesting to know if it was this
correspondence that first turned Butler’s attention seriously to the
works of the older evolutionists and ultimately led to the production of_
EVOLUTION, OLD AND NEW, _in which the indebtedness of Charles Darwin to
Erasmus Darwin_, _Buffon and Lamarck is demonstrated with such compelling
force_.