鈥淢y Dear Darwin, you have such a way of putting things, and write in such a captivating way. Almost thou persuadest me to have been 鈥榓 hairy quadruped, of arboreal habits, furnished with a tail and pointed ears鈥欌�︹��
So wrote Asa Gray (pictured, right) in 1871. Gray was the most important US botanist of the 19th century, Darwin鈥檚 champion in America, and a devout Christian. His letter is one of hundreds of previously unpublished letters that will soon be available to the public for the first time as part of the Darwin Correspondence Project () run by the University of Cambridge. The Darwin and Religion site will host the complete texts of letters relevant to the debate between science and religion. Gray wrote the letter quoted above after receiving a copy of Darwin鈥檚 The Descent of Man. Darwin had written, 鈥淚f I hear from you, I shall probably receive a few stabs from your polished stiletto of a pen.鈥�
The letters reveal a wide ranging 鈥渇rank and respectful鈥� debate between many participants, says Paul White of the Darwin Correspondence Project. 鈥淚n contrast to much of the current debate, Darwin and his circle of correspondents seem more tolerant and more humble.鈥�
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RE: Design, a play based on the correspondence between Darwin and Gray, opens in Cambridge, UK, on Sunday.
