166 ERYTHEA. 
rational theory of the geographical distribution of plants 
which may, I think, be claimed fairly as of purely English 
origin. 
HENSLow. 
There is one name written in the annals of our old Section 
which I cannot pass over—that of Henslow. Isuppose there 
are few men of this century who have indirectly more 
influenced the current of human thought. For in a great 
measure I think it will not be contested that we owe Darwin 
to him. As Romanes has told us:’ ‘His letters written to 
Professor Henslow during his voyage round the world over- 
flow with feelings of affection, veneration, and obligation to 
his accomplished master and dearest friend—feelings which 
throughout his life he retained with no diminished intensity. 
As he used himself to say, before he knew Professor Henslow 
the only objects he cared for were foxes and partridges.’ I 
do not wish to overstate the facts. The possession of ‘the 
collector’s instinct, strong in Darwin from his childhood, as 
is usually the case in great naturalists, to use Huxley’s ® 
words, would have borne its usual fruit in after life, in some 
shape or other, even if Darwin had not fallen into Henslow’s 
hands. But then the particular train of events which 
culminated in the great work of his life would never have 
been started. It appeared to me, then, that it would not be an 
altogether uninteresting investigation to ascertain something 
about Henslow himself. The result has been to provide me 
with several texts, which I think it may be not unprofitable to 
dwell upon on the present occasion. 
In the first place, what was the secret of his influence over 
Darwin? ‘My dear old master in Natural History’ (‘ Life,’ ii, 
317) he calls him; and to have stood in this relation to 
Darwin ° is no small matter. Again, he speaks of his friend- 
7 Memorial Notices, 13. 8 Proc. R. 8., xliv. vi. 9 As I shall 
have frequent eet to quote the Life and Letiers, I shall insert the 
references in the tex 
