The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1878-01-17

the elegant well-kAoN cprfon
lamp ofshe Romans.
There are upmardsof goQ9 distiact
species of these creature ioundin a
fossil state, and onlyAk nt one bun
dred species amongst the present
life of the globe, There sre l9s gen,
era, known, of which. tytnty-tk on:
ly are recent. The species now iliy:
ing are foundin all Min,ates and.sat
Sli depths of thesea s cal Ssteg..
lion to. this attempt to .pf6Ya DAP
wins theoryo detelop since
it was the fairest ,ony AS flinids
could'possibl3 %! I lsrSsip'
himself selected PrQfsssss pa Idsoni
las the nio5 com elsh sientiss a.
his opinion, 10 iscoyef Tho pl0es; C2J
the class Of animals sele ed E the
one. which ,seis9tistg Is ss
most likely ot:auy ID tbs wol!a: q 10
afford The proof lS3 Professor David
sop is. .hihsel kpsefid I'd in favor
EDarwin's theory ssdmiripg It as a
,5eaqtitut ooacSgtSau or hSsfg ok the
origin of:sspectes; q aft@ fifteen years
Of careful tidn, hs declares
that be cannot produce Single aet.
ual fact in. support of she tESrS
we eondense,th the :slbst1 Ice d dis
report, as well astflat Of 4r. Carssth,
erS, from, Tie leisure rs, =
Mr.. Davidson, of bid glton, Cas
temporary na,ffiaqtl & ID lh:
says i.
,s5p .a.lctter ghicltst eln
Mr.! DARWIN as ftt bac K as Ole 26tfbF
of April, 1861, this. eminent and adj
miraBle observer writes, + Do not
know whether you haye. read my
"origin of Species" In. that book l
have made the remark, which 1 ap-
prehend will be universally admit
ted, that asa whole, the faunRofany
information is intermediate ihchar-
acter between that of the. formation
above and below. But several really
good judges have remarked to me-
how desirable it would be. that this
should.bo exemplifed and worked
out in some detail, and with some
single group of beings Now, every
one will admit that no one in the
world could do this better than you
with Branchiopods. The result
might turn. out very unfavorable to
the views which l hold; ifso, somuch
che better for those that are opposed
to mic.
YIN several subsequently, written
letters, Darwin reiterates his stigges-
tions. l can assure. you that l have
not neglected a request coming from
so eminent a quarter, bptI am bound
to state that l have found the sub
joct besot with SO many apparently
inexplicable difficulties, that year
after year has passed away without
my being able to trace the descent
with modification among the Branch
iopoda which the Darwinian doc
trine requires"
eDarwin's tempting and beautiful
theory of descent is q far more
exalted conception than the idea Of
constant independent creations but
we are stopped by q number of qucs-
tions that seem to plunge the con-
coption in maze of inexplicable,
nay mysterious difficulties nor mas
Darwin, as far as l am aware, said
how he supposqs the first primordial
form TO havo been introduced. The
theory is at best, as far as We can at
present perceive, with our imperfect
state Of knowledge, but half the
truth.
"'.We have no positive evidence Of
those notifications which the theory
involves, for types appear on the
whole to be permanent as long as
they continue, and when a genus
disappears that is no modification,
that I can 500, Ofany Of the forms
that continue, Therefore. although
far from denying the possibility OF
probability of tho correctness Of the
Darwinian theory, could not con
sCiontiously affirm that the brachio.
poda, as far as | am at present ac'
quainted with thOni, would bo Of
much service in proving ii"
This is u courteous but complete
"not proven"
II tho Darwinis!s are thus driven