404 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



After writing to Sir Charles Lyell, "Sh: Darwin informed me of ^Iv. 

 Wallace's letter and its enclosnre, in a similar strain, only more 

 explicitly announcing his resolve to abandon all claim to priority for 

 his own sketch. I could not but protest against such a course, no doubt 

 reminding him that I had read it, and that Sir Charles knew its con- 

 tents, some years before the arrival of Mr. AVallace's letter: and that 

 our withholding our knowledge of its priority would be unjustifiable. 

 I further suggested the simultaneous publication of the two, and offered 

 —should he agree to such a compromise — to write to Mr. Wallace fully 

 informing him of the motives of the course adopted. 



In answer, Mr. Darwin thanked me warmly for my offer to explain 

 all to Mr. Wallace, and in a later letter he informed me that he was 

 disposed to look favorably on my suggested compromise, but that before 

 making up his mind he desired a second opinion as to whether he could 

 honorably claim priority, and that he proposed applying to Sir Charles 

 Lyell for this. I need not say that this was a relief to me, knowing 

 as I did what Sir Charles's answer must be. 



At Vol. II., pp. 117, 118 of the "Life and Letters," Mr. Darwin's 

 application to Sir Charles Lyell is given, dated June 26, with a post- 

 script dated June 27. In it he requests that the answer shall be sent 

 to me to be forwarded to himself. I have no recollection of receiving 

 the answer, which is not to be found either in Darwin's or my own 

 correspondence; it was no doubt satisfactory. 



Further action was now left in the hands of Sir Charles and myself, 

 Ave all agreeing that, whatever action was taken, the result should be 

 offered for publication to the Linnean Society. 



On June 29, Mr. Darwin wrote to me in acute distress, being him- 

 self very ill, and scarlet fever raging in his family, to which an infant 

 son had succumbed on the previous day, and a daughter was ill with 

 diphtheria. He acknowledged the receipt of letters from me, adding, 

 " I can not think now of the subject, but soon will : you shall hear as 

 soon as I can think " : and on the night of the same day he writes again, 

 telling me that he is quite prostrated and can do nothing but send 

 certain papers for which I had asked as essential for completing the 

 prefatory statement to the communication to the Linnean Society of 

 his and Wallace's " Essays." This was only forty-eight hours before 

 the reading of the paper laid before the society by Sir Charles and my- 

 self on July 1. It may be interesting to recall that the last ordinarv 

 meeting of the session of this society is held in the middle of June 

 The occasion of the meeting on July 1 was exceptional, and was duo 

 to the death of the eminent botanist, Robert Brown. As a mark of 

 respect to that great past president, the ordinary meeting of June 17 

 was adjourned, and a special meeting called in order to elect a suc- 

 cessor to the vacancy on the council, caused by his decease, George 



