18641869] N. BRITISH REVIEW 315 



even terrestrial quadrupeds had time formerly to spread to Letter 230 

 very distant regions. At each epoch the world tends to get 

 peopled pretty uniformly, which is a blessing for Geology. 



The article in N. British Review 1 is well worth reading 

 scientifically ; George D. and Erasmus were delighted with 

 it. How the author does hit ! It was a euphuism to speak 

 of a fling at you : it was a kick. He is very unfair to Huxley, 

 and accuses him of " quibbling," etc. ; yet the author cannot 

 help admiring him extremely. I know I felt very small when 

 I finished the article. You will be amused to observe that 

 geologists have all been misled by Playfair, who was misled 

 by two of the greatest mathematicians ! And there are other 

 such cases ; so we could turn round and show your reviewer 

 how cautious geologists ought to be in trusting mathema- 

 ticians. 



There is another excellent original article, I feel sure by 

 McClennan, on Primeval Man, well worth reading. 



I do not quite agree about Sabine : he is unlike every 

 other soldier or sailor I ever heard of if he would not put his 

 second leg into the tomb with more satisfaction as K.C.B. 

 than as a simple man. I quite agree that the Government 

 ought to have made him long ago, but what does the Govern- 

 ment know or care for Science ? So much for your splenditious 

 letter. 



To J. D. Hooker. Letter 231 



Down, Aug. I4th [1869?] 



I write one line to tell you that you are a real good man 

 to propose coming here for a Sunday after Exeter. Do keep 



to this good intention I am sure Exeter and your other 



visit will do you good. I often wonder how you stand all 

 your multifarious work. 



I quite agree about the folly of the endless subscriptions 

 for dead men ; but Faraday is an exception, and if you will 

 pay three guineas for me, it will save me some trouble ; but 

 it will be best to enclose a cheque, which, as you will see, 

 must be endorsed. If you read the North British Review, 

 you will like to know that George has convinced me, from 



American Eocene formation : it is one of the points in which the fauna 

 of S. America resembles Europe rather than N. America. (See Wallace 

 Geographical Distribution, I., p. 148.) 

 1 See Letter 229. 



