16 Darwin-Wallace Celebration. 



some of them ; and, most surprising of all, Mr. Wallace's- 

 letter and its enclosure have disappeared. Such is my 

 recollection of the day the 50th Anniversary of which we 

 are now celebrating, and of the fortnight that immediately 

 preceded it. 



It remains for me to ask your forgiveness for intruding 

 upon your time and attention with the half-century old, real 

 or fancied memories of a nonagenarian as contributions to 

 the history of the most notable event in the Annals of Biology 

 that had followed the appearance in 1735 of the ' Systema 

 Naturae ' of Linnseus. 



THE PRESIDENT : We much regret that our distinguished 

 Foreign Member and Linnean Medallist, Professor HAECKEL, 

 is prevented by his academic duties from being present 

 to-day, but Herr von Bethmann-Hollweg, of the Grerman 

 Embassy, has kindly attended to receive the medal on his 

 behalf. 



Prof. Haeckel, a personal friend of Mr. Darwin's, who paid 

 more than one visit to him at Down, has been the great 

 apostle of the Darwin-Wallace theory in Germany. His 

 advocacy of the doctrine of Evolution in his Monograph of 

 the Radiolaria (1862), first brought it before the attention of 

 Grerman men of Science ; his enthusiastic and gallant 

 advocacy ever since has chiefly contributed to its success in 

 that country. 



Mr. Darwin, in 1873, wrote to Prof. Haeckel, " You will do 

 a wonderful amount of good in spreading the doctrine of 

 Evolution, supporting it as you do, by so many original 

 observations." 



A brilliant writer and investigator, author of a number of 

 classical Zoological Monographs, Prof. Haeckel has become 

 especially distinguished for his writings on Phylogeny, above 

 all the great 'Generelle Morphologic,' and for his popular 

 works, such as the ' Schopfungsgeschichte,' which have 

 exercised a great and wide influence on the present 

 generation. 



The stimulating vigour of his style roused a keen and 

 general interest in evolution in the early days of Darwinism. 



