1 8/2.] 



TROUBLES AT KEW. 



167 



beloved for his courtesy and kindliness of heart ; and who has 

 spent in the public service not only a stainless but an 

 illustrious life." 



Happily this misfortune was averted, and Sir Joseph was 

 freed from further molestation.] 



C. Darwin to A. R. Wallace. 



Down, August 3 [1872]. 



My DEAR WALLACE, — I hate controversy, chiefly perhaps 

 because I do it badly ; but as Dr. Bree accuses you * of "blund- 

 ering," I have thought myself bound to send the enclosed 

 letter f to ' Nature,' that is, if you in the least desire it. In this 

 case please post it. If you do not at all wish it, I should 

 rather prefer not sending it, and in this case please to tear it 

 up. And I beg you to do the same, if you intend answering 

 Dr. Bree yourself, as you will do it incomparably better 

 than I should. Also please tear it up if you don't like the 

 letter. 



My dear Wallace, yours very sincerely, 



Ch. Darwin. 



* Mr. Wallace had reviewed Dr. 

 Bree's book, 'An Exposition of 

 Fallacies in the Hypothesis of Mr. 

 Darwin,' in ' Nature,' July 25, 1872. 



f " Bree on Darwinism." ' Na- 

 ture,' Aug. 8, 1872. The letter is 

 as follows : — " Permit me to state 

 — though the statement is almost 

 superfluous — that Mr. Wallace, in 

 his review of Dr. Bree's work, gives 

 with perfect correctness what I 

 intended to express, and what I 

 believe was expressed clearly, with 

 respect to the probable position of 



man in the early part of his pedi- 

 gree. As I have not seen Dr. 

 Bree's recent work, and as his letter 

 is unintelligible to me, I cannot 

 even conjecture how he has so 

 completely mistaken my meaning : 

 but, perhaps, no one who has read 

 Mr. Wallace's article, or who has 

 read a work formerly published by 

 Dr. Bree on the same subject as 

 his recent one, will be surprised at 

 any amount of misunderstanding on 

 his part. — Charles Darwin." 

 Aug. 3. 



