<Dl> <Dd> This article covers the time period from November 1859 to April 1861 . </Dd> </Dl> <Dd> This article covers the time period from November 1859 to April 1861 . </Dd> <P> The immediate reactions to On the Origin of Species, the book in which Charles Darwin described evolution by natural selection, included international debate, though the heat of controversy was less than that over earlier works such as Vestiges of Creation . Darwin monitored the debate closely, cheering on Thomas Henry Huxley's battles with Richard Owen to remove clerical domination of the scientific establishment . While Darwin's illness kept him away from the public debates, he read eagerly about them and mustered support through correspondence . </P> <P> Religious views were mixed, with the Church of England's scientific establishment reacting against the book, while liberal Anglicans strongly supported Darwin's natural selection as an instrument of God's design . Religious controversy was soon diverted by the publication of Essays and Reviews and debate over the higher criticism . </P>

When was on the origin of species published and what public reaction did it elicit