SS EVOLUTION [Chap. II 



Letter 43 From this I conclude, whether there be many or few 

 genera in an order, the number of species in a genus is not 

 much affected ; hut perhaps when [there is] only one genus 

 in an order it will be affected, and this will depend whether 

 the [genus] Eiythroxylon be made a family of. 



Letter 44 To J. D. Hooker. 



Down, April 8th [1856]. 

 I have been particularly glad to get your splendid e/oge of 

 Lindlcy. His name has been lately passing through my head, 

 and I had hoped that Miers would have proposed him for the 

 Royal medal. I most entirely agree that the Copley l is more 

 appropriate, and 1 daresay he would not have valued the 

 Royal. From skimming through many botanical books, and 

 from often consulting the Vegetable Kingdom^ I had (ignorant 

 as I am) formed the highest opinion of his claims as a botanist. 

 If Sharpey will stick up strong for him, we should have some 

 chance ; but the natural sciences arc but feebly represented 

 in the Council. Sir P. Egerton, 2 I daresay, would be strong 

 for him. You know Bell is out. Now, my only doubt is, and 

 I hope that you will consider this, that the natural sciences 

 being weak on the Council, and (I fancy) the most powerful 

 man in the Council, Col. S [abine], being strong against 

 Lindley, whether we should have any chance of succeeding. 

 It would be so easy to name some eminent man whose name 

 would be well known to all the physicists. Would Lindley 

 hear of and dislike being proposed for the Copley and not 

 succeeding? Would it not be better on this view to propose 

 him for the Royal? Do think of this. Moreover, if Lindley 

 is not proposed for the Royal, I fear both Royal medals 

 would go [to] physicists ; for I, for one, should not like to 

 propose another zoologist, though Hancock would be a very 

 good man, and I fancy there would be a feeling against medals 

 to two botanists. But for whatever Lindley is proposed, I will 

 do my best. We will talk this over here. 



1 The late Professor Lindley never attained the honour of the Copley 

 medal. The Royal medal was awarded to him in 1857. 



' Sir Philip de Malpas Grey-Egerton (1806-81) devoted himself to 

 the study of fossil fishes, and published several memoirs on his collection, 

 which was acquired by the British Museum. 



