174 



The Malay Archipelago. 



[AprU, 



and that it is He who, in ages long past, provided thus bonntifiilly 

 for the wants of His children still uncreated ! We hope, notwith- 

 standing the author's remark wliich has led to these reflections, that 

 we have his assent to our views and inference. 



E T not our readers, however, for an 

 instant suppose that because we have 

 grouped the two works before us under 

 one heading, we therefore consider them 

 to possess equal merit or scientific value. 

 It haj)pens that they have appeared 

 ^ about the same time, and treat of the 

 same region of which little is known in 

 civilized Em'ope ; but Mr. Bickmore, 

 who is an American Professor of Na- 

 tural History, sj^ent only twelve months 

 in the Malay Archipelago, confining his 

 visits and observations to the Dutch possessions there, and occupied 

 himself chiefly in purchasing valuable shells from the natives ; 

 whilst our OAvn countrymen, to whose work we now propose 

 to direct special attention, resided in the Archipelago about eight 

 years, during which period he visited and studied the physical 

 geography and natural history of all the most important islands, 

 including Borneo, Sumatra, Java, Bali, Lombok, Celebes, the 

 Moluccas, New Guinea, with the surrounding islands, and the Malay 

 Peninsula. Indeed, Mr. Wallace's book, which has long been 

 expected by naturalists, is likely to be the standard work on those 

 regions. The author, as most people are aware, is, so to speak, 

 the originator of that view which Mr. Darwin (to whom his book is 

 dedicated) has developed into a well-defined theory — the theory of 

 Natural Selection ; and although, in his published works, Mr. 

 Darwin has traversed a wider range of Physical Science, and deals 

 with more extended areas of the earth's surface than the author, yet 

 we believe that the present work will be found to exercise a more 

 potent influence, in the promulgation of the advanced theory, than 

 the well-known treatises which have been published fi-om time to 

 time by the able writer whose name it bears. 



For Mr. Wallace himself observed the phenomena which sug- 

 gested to his mind the theory of natural selection ; and although he 

 seldom refers to that theory, and then only as though he were a 

 modest disciple of Mr. Darwin, he brings those phenomena vividly 

 before his readers ; and the previous works of the last-named 

 author having borne down prejudices and removed obstructions, the 

 readers of the present treatise will be better prepared to accept the 



