80 EVOLUTION [Chap. II 



letter 39 To T. II. Huxley. 



The following letter shows Darwin's interest in the adjudication of the 

 Royal medals. The year 1855 was the last during which he served on 

 the Council of the Society. He had previously served in 1849-50. 



Down, March 31st, 1855. 



I have thought and enquired much about Wcstwood, 1 

 and I really think he amply deserves the gold medal. But 

 should you think of some one with higher claim I am quite 

 ready to give up. Indeed, I suppose without I get some one 

 to second it, I cannot propose him. 



Will you be so kind as to read the enclosed, and return it 

 to me ? Should I send it to Bell ? That is, without you demur 

 or convince me. I had thought of Hancock, 2 a higher class 

 of labourer ; but, as far as I can weigh, he has not, as yet, 

 done so much as Westwood. I may state that I read the 

 whole " Classification " 3 before I was on the Council, and ever 

 thought on the subject of medals. I fear my remarks are 

 rather lengthy, but to do him justice I could not well shorten 

 them. Pray tell me frankly whether the enclosed is the right 

 sort of thing, for though I was once on the Council of the 

 Royal, I never attended any meeting-, owing to bad health. 



With respect to the Copley medal,' I have a strong feeling 

 that Lycll has a high claim, but as he has had the Royal Medal 

 I presume that it would be thought objectionable to propose 



1 The late J. O. Westwood (1805-93), Professor of Entomology at 

 Oxford. The Royal medal was awarded to him in 1855. He was 

 educated at a Friends' School at Sheffield, and subsequently articled to a 

 solicitor in London ; he was for a short time a partner in the firm, but he 

 never really practised, and devoted himself to science. He is the author 

 of between 350 and 400 papers, chiefly on entomological and archaeo- 

 logical subjects, besides some twenty books. To naturalists he is known 

 by his writings on insects, but he was also "one of the greatest living 

 authorities on Anglo-Saxon and mediaeval manuscripts" (Dictionary of 

 National Biography). 



* The late Albany Hancock (1806-73), author of many zoological 

 and pakeontological papers. His best-known work, written in con- 

 junction with Joshua Alder, and published by the Ray Society is on 

 the Hritish Nudibranchiate Mollusca. The Royal Medal was awarded 

 to him in 1858. 



3 Probably Westwood's Introduction to the Modern Classification of 

 Insects ( 1 839). 



4 The Copley Medal was given to Lyell in 1858. 



