50 APPENDIX. 



Referring again to this point in his vindicatory letter, Mr. 

 Lyell observes. — 



No. 30. 



" It is impossible, that during my intercourse with Mr. Owen in 

 August and September, when conversing on this subject, I should bave 

 remained ignorant of any doubts entertained by him, of the marsupial 

 nature of the tooth. No. 1, which he allowed me to announce on his 

 authority, at Binningham. It was six weeks after you wrote your pa- 

 per, that the suspicion entered Mr. Owen's mind for the first time, and 

 he immediately came to tell me that he felt some annoyance at having, 

 after his first cursory comparison, misled me." 



The intimation here distinctly conveyed by Mr. Lyell's 

 statement, is nothing more or less than that Prof. Owen had 

 a month or more at his disposal, during which there was no 

 reason to prevent his testing his suspicion, if any doubt had 

 existed in his mind as to the possibility of his having made 

 a mistake in the matter of the supposed opossum's tooth. 

 Mr. Lyell, moreover, making it appear that during this interval 

 (that is, the month of September), he (Mr. Lyell), was in per- 

 sonal communication at the College of Surgeons with Prof. 

 Owen. The real fact, however, is, that during the month of 

 September, Prof. Owen was not within a hundred miles of the 

 College of Surgeons ; and during the previous month (August), 

 Mr. Lyell not having been within a hundred miles of the same 

 building, —it was not until the month of October that Prof. 

 Owen could put his doubts to the test. The "September" con- 

 versations which Mr. Lyell calls in to bear against me, are 

 therefore altogether imaginary. 



Feeling how serious an imputation would be thrown upon 

 Mr. Lyell by what I have just stated, and the great importance 

 to myself of verifying the absence of Prof. Owen, 1 thought 

 it as well to address the following letter to the Secretary of 

 the College of Surgeons : 



No. 31. 



103, Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, 

 May 23rd, 1840. 

 Sir, 



I am under the necessity of addressing you as the 

 Secretary of the College of Surgeons, for the purpose of obtaining 

 (if it can be granted me) a document, which shall put it in my power 

 to state, on more definite authority than my own personal knowledge, 

 that the Assistant Conservator of the Museum, Prof. Owen, was 

 absent from the College during the month of September last. 



The grounds upon which I hope this request will be acceded to are 

 these :^- 



