x] OF EVOLUTION 127 



a friendly letter from Darwin commenced that re- 

 markable correspondence, which will always afford 

 the best means of judging of the development of 

 ideas in Darwin's mind. Hooker's wide knowledge 

 of plants especially of all questions concerning 

 their distribution was of invaluable assistance to 

 Darwin, at a time when his attention was more 

 particularly absorbed by geology and zoology, while 

 botany had not as yet received much attention from 

 him. Hooker's experience, gained in travel, his 

 sound judgment and balanced mind made him a 

 judicious adviser, while his caution and candour 

 fitted him to become a trenchant critic of new sugges- 

 tions, scarcely inferior in that respect to LyelL 



Darwin does not appear to have made the 

 acquaintance of Huxley till a considerably later date ; 

 but we find the great comparative anatomist had in 

 1851 already become so deeply impressed by Darwin, 

 that he said in writing to a friend he 'might be 

 anything if he had good health 130 .' Huxley used to 

 visit Darwin at Down occasionally, and I have often 

 heard the latter speak of the instruction and pleasure 

 he enjoyed from their intercourse. 



For many years of his life, Darwin used to come 

 to London and stay with his brother or daughter for 

 about a week at a time, and on these occasions 

 which usually occurred about twice in the year I 

 believe he would meet Lyell to 'talk Geology/ 



