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important a question. In bis admirable address to tbe Belfast 

 meeting of tbe Britisb Association, Tyndall observes, " If you ask 

 me wbetbev tbere exists tbe least evidence to prove tbat any one 

 form of life can be developed out of matter, witbont demonstratable 

 antecedent life, my I'eply is tbat evidence, considered perfectly con- 

 clusive by many, bas been adduced, but tbere is in 



tbe true man of science a wisb sti'onger tban tbe wisb to bare bis 

 beliefs upbeld — namely, tbe wish to bave tbem true ;" and be adds 

 furtber on, " tbat tbese observers will frankly admit tbeir inability 

 to point to any satisfactory experimental proof tbat life can be 

 developed save from demonstratable antecedent life," and tbat tbe 

 wbole process of evolution is tbe manifestation of a jjower absolutely 

 inscrutable to tbe intellect of mau. 



Darwin's tempting and beautiful tbeoryof descent witb modifi- 

 cation bore a cbarm tbat appeared to be almost irresistible, and be 

 would be tbe last person to assert tbat it migbt not represent tbe 

 actual mode of specific development. It was a far more exalted con- 

 ception tban tbe idea of constant independent ci-eations, but we were 

 stopped by a number of questions tbat seemed to plunge tbe concep- 

 tion into a maze of inexplicable, nay mystei-ious, difficulties ; nor bad 

 Darwin, as far as be was aware, said bow be supposed tbe first pri- 

 mordial form to bave been introduced. Tbe tbeory was at best, as 

 far as we could at present perceive, witb our imperfect state of know- 

 ledge, but balf tbe trutb, being well enougb in many cases between 

 species and species ; for it was evident tbat many so-termed species 

 migbt be notbing more tban modifications produced by descent. It 

 applied likewise to accidental variations, as between closely allied 

 genera, yet tbere was mucb moi-e tban tbis witb respect to wbicb the 

 Tbeory seemed insufficient. Tbe sti'ange geological persistency of 

 certain types sucb as of Lingulo, Discina, Nautilus, &c., seemed also 

 to bar tbe, at present, tborougb acceptance of sucb a tbeory of 

 general descent witb modification. 



Wbat did tbe Bracbiopoda tell us upon tbis question. Taking 

 tbe present state of our knowledge as a guide, but admittiug at 

 tbe same time tbat any day our conclusions and inductions migbt 

 require to be modified from fi-esb discoveries, let tbem ascertain 

 wbether tbey revealed anj^tbiug to suppoi't tbe Darwinian ideas. 

 Tbey found tbat by far tbe larger number of genera made tbeir 

 first appearance during tbe Palaeozoic period, and, since tben, bad 



