6 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



These gentlemen having, independently and unknown to one an- 

 other, conceived the same very ingenious theory to account for the ap- 

 pearance and perpetuation of varieties and of specific forms on our 

 planet, may both fairly claim the merit of being original thinkers in 

 this important line of inquiry; but neither of them having published 

 his views, though Mr. Darwin has for many years past been repeatedly 

 urged by us to do so, and both authors having now unreservedly placed 

 their papers in our hands, we think it would best promote the interests 

 of science that a selection from them should be laid before the Linnean 

 Society. 



Taken in the. order of their dates, they consist of: 



1. Extracts from a MS. work on Species,* by Mr. Darwin, which 

 was sketched in 1839, and copied in 1844, when the copy was read by 

 Dr. Hooker, and its contents afterwards communicated to Sir Charles 

 Lyell. The first Part is devoted to 'The Variation of Organic Beings 

 under Domestication and in their Xatural State'; and the second 

 chapter of that Part, from which we propose to read to the Society the 

 extracts referred to, is headed, *0n the Variation of Organic Beings 

 in a state of Nature ; on the Natural Means of Selection ; on the Com- 

 parison of Domestic Races and true Species.' 



3. An abstract of a private letter addressed to Professor Asa Gray, 

 of Boston, U. S., in October, 1857, by Mr. Darwin, in which he repeats 

 his views, and which shows that these remained unaltered from 1839 

 to 1857. 



3. An Essay by Mr. Wallace, entitled 'On the Tendency of Varieties 

 to depart indefinitely from the Original Type.' This was written at 

 Ternate in Eebruary, 1858, for the perusal of his friend and corre- 

 spondent Mr. Darwin, and sent to him with the expressed wish that it 

 should be forwarded to Sir Charles Lyell, if Mr. Darwin thought it 

 sufficiently novel and interesting. So highly did Mr. Darwin appre- 

 ciate the value of the views therein set forth, that he proposed, in a 

 letter to Sir Charles Lyell, to obtain Mr. Wallace's consent to allow 

 the Essay to be published as soon as possible. Of this step we highly 

 approved, provided Mr. Darwin did not witlihold from the public, as 



or any other man should think that I had behaved in a paltry spirit. Do you 

 not think his having sent me this sketch ties my hands? * * * If I could 

 honourably publish, I would state that I was now induced to publish 

 a sketch (and I should be very glad to be permitted to say, to follow 

 your advice long ago given) from Wallace having sent me an outline of 

 my general conclusions. We differ only, [in] that I was led to my views 

 from what artificial selection has done for domestic animals. I would send 

 Wallace a copy of my letter to Asa Gray, to show him that I had not stolen 

 his doctrine. But I cannot tell whether to publish now would not be base and 

 paltry. This was my first impression, and I should have certainly have acted 

 on it had it not been for your letter. 



* This MS. work was never intended for publication, and therefore was not 

 written with care. — C. D., 1858. 



