AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPT DRAFT LEAF FROM DARWIN'S DESCENT OF MAN, SIGNED BY DARWIN AT THE FOOT
DARWIN, CHARLES. 1809-1882. Autograph Manuscript Signed ('Charles Darwin') from Descent of Man, a draft outline of the subjects covered in Chapter II titled 'Comparison of the Mental Powers of Man & the Lower Animals,' 1 p, 4to (250 x 205 mm), ink on thin blue paper, c.1867-1868, with numerous deletions, additions and emendations in his hand, signed 'Charles Darwin / Down Kent,' likely a later presentation, additional words added in ink in a second hand above Darwin's autograph in two places, light smudge, paper repair to upper left corner.
Provenance: Sold Sotheby's London, December 18, 1986, lot 332.

Darwin spent early 1870 working on chapters 2 & 3 of Descent of Man, particularly on the thorny issue of his theory of 'moral sense,' that the moral sense of human beings had its origins in the animal instinct. The present leaf reflects the original structure of the section, before he split the chapter into multiple chapters in order to give the his moral theory more space. On March 15, 1870, he had written to Asa Gray, 'I find the man-essay very interesting but very difficult; & the difficulties of the Moral sense has caused me much labour.'

The manuscripts reflects this labor in the changes made into the published version. Most importantly, Darwin moved the final three lines herein, 'Moral Sense—Conscience—Conclusion,' into chapter III, where he elaborates and extends his arguments.

Leaves from the original manuscript of Descent are rare, and this one illuminates the efforts behind one of the most important chapters of the work.