464 



NATURE 



{Sept. 15, 1887 



bestial or human, of nearly every group of islands in the Pacific 

 Ocean were the result of innumerable special acts of creation 

 entirely performed within the limits of almost each cluster of 

 coral reefs. The natural consequence of this was that most 

 people, and even most biologists, remained in an apathetic if 

 not an unthinking condition on this subject, and went on as 

 their fathers had done, not caring to trouble themselves in this 

 matter. It was only a few — an extremely few — among them 

 who ever gave the question any consideration at all, and these 

 few were not so much the men who had confined their labours 

 to museums, libraries, or laboratories, but they were, with 

 scarcely an exception, men who had studied Nature in the field, 

 and had seen her works under varied aspects in the most distant 

 and diverse climes. They were men who had personally 

 compared the geological formations of the Old World and the 

 New, men who had circumnavigated the globe, who had sur- 

 veyed Antarctic volcanoes or Himalayan snows, who had 

 dredged the depths of Australian oceans or had explored Amaz- 

 onian forests. Out of the abundance of their observation and 

 reflection these men — to this audience I need not name them — 

 in due time delivered their verdict, and when it was delivered 

 its effect was crushing. The position of the supporters of the 

 doctrine of " Centres of Creation," logical as it had seemed, was 

 swept away — not of course without a gallant struggle on the 

 part of its defenders — and the theory of the " Tramsmutation of 

 Species," fanciful and unreasonable as it had been thought, was 

 under a new name established, the very fact of its success being 

 an additional proof of, to use Mr. Herbert Spencer's happy 

 phrase, the " Survival of the Fittest." 



But perhaps some of you have been thinking or whispering to 

 your neighbours, " Why should our President be taking up our 

 time by making us listen to all these platitudes, this old story 

 with which we are all familiar?" and if you have been so doing 

 you will have some excuse, but I trust you will think that I also 

 have some excuse in thus recurring to what may be almost 

 deemed a portion of ancient history when I state that in my 

 belief this year 1887 will in future be remembered as that in 

 which "The Life and Letters" of our great biologist, Charles 

 Darwin, appeared ; and I hope that in a few minutes you will 

 admit that in accordance with the fitness of things it is meet 

 and right that this should be so. There can be little doubt that 

 before the end of this year that work which all naturalists have 

 been expecting with so much anxiety will be published, and 

 published, moreover, in three languages. It can hardly fail to 

 be accounted by biologists as the chief event of the year. By 

 favour of its author, Mr. Francis Darwin, I have been allowed 

 to see some of his proof-sheets, and I am sanguine that it will 

 not disappoint the expectations of its readers. On one point I 

 venture to speak with some certainty. The noble character of 

 the man will be made manifest to the world in words and deeds 

 that cannot be spoken against, and we may feel assured that in 

 future 



" Whatever record leap to light. 

 He never shall be shamed." 



He is unsparing of his own mistakes or shortcomings ; and, 

 while admitting with the utmost generosity the assistance he 

 received from others, the dignified way in which he thought of and 

 expressed himself toward the many who attacked him, often 

 unscrupulously and in a manner which he could not but deeply 

 feel, will ever redound to his credit, and prove him to have been 

 that great philosopher which all his friends and adherents would 

 wish to believe him. Do not mistake me, however, in one 

 respect; there where times when he "did well to be angry" ; 

 but his anger was slowly excited, and his occasional vehemence 

 soon subsided into his wonted calm. More than all this, you 

 will find that the childlike simphcity of his mind and the single- 

 heartedness of his devotion to the study of Nature which charac- 

 terized the beginning of his scientific career endured unto the 

 end. His admission at the outset of "utter ignorance whether 

 I note the right facts " ; his confession that he was "nothing 

 niore than a lions' provider " ; his unfeigned astonishment at 

 discovering that his early observations were of any worth — are 

 all of a piece with the humility he subsequently displayed when 

 his success was declared. As he found, one after another, many 

 of his contemporaries and still more of the younger generation of 

 naturalists adopting his views, his joy was great ; but that joy 

 was not alloyed by any feeling of pride. He did not care for 

 making a convert to " Darwinism" — his exultation was that the 

 strength of truth, of reason, and of observation had prevailed. 

 In the same lowly spirit he, when at the height of his fame, 



expressed his gratitude to those, whosoever they might be, that 

 helped him in his labours ; and, if I might be critical on this 

 point, I should say that his inherent goodness of heart often 

 caused him to exaggerate the importance of the help they gave. 

 Not a spark of jealousy was kindled in his mind ; and at what 

 may be considered the most trying moment of all, when the 

 theory he had for twenty years been testing by every means in 

 his power, the theory on which he built all his hopes of future 

 recognition, the theory which he not unnaturally believed to be 

 his peculiar possession — when this theory, I say, was inde- 

 pendently conceived by another naturalist, his conduct was 

 emphatically that of a man of honour. It pained him acutely 

 to think that this naturalist, a trusted correspondent, an esteemed 

 philosophical observer, and at the very time a wanderer far from 

 home, should be deprived of the full glory of his ingenuity ; 

 and, but for the counsel of judicious friends (whose good advice 

 on this occasion is indisputable), Mr. Darwin would have with- 

 drawn every claim of his own to this great discovery, and left it 

 entirely to Mr. Wallace ! In the history of science and inven- 

 tion I think there are few cases like this. When you come to 

 read the book you will find that though he unreservedly placed 

 the matter in the hands of Sir Charles Lyell and of Sir Joseph 

 Hooker, it was some time before he could reconcile himself to 

 the notion that they were not unduly favouring him at the 

 expense of his competitor. Such was the man! Though you 

 are doubtless all aware of the fact, it would be wrong in me if I 

 omitted to remind you that Mr. Wallace's conduct under these 

 circumstances — sufficiently disappointing, as all must admit, to 

 him — was in every way worthy of Mr. Darwin's. If in future 

 you should meet with any cynic who may point the finger of scorn 

 at the petty quarrels in which naturalists unfortunately at times 

 engage, particularly in regard to the priority of their discoveries, 

 you can always refer him to this greatest of all cases, where 

 scientific rivalry not only did not interfere with, but even 

 strengthened, the good-feeling which existed between two of 

 the most original investigators. 



I said but a few' minutes since that it was fitting that the 

 Memoir of Mr. Darwin should appear this year — this year of 

 jubilee — and a very remarkable anniversary I now have to point 

 out to you. I learn from the Memoir that Mr. Darwin's pocket- 

 book for 1837 — ^just fifty years ago — has this entry : — 



" In July opened first note-book on transmutation of species. 

 Had been greatly struck from about the month of previous 

 March on character of South American fossils, and species on 

 Galapagos Archipelago. These facts (especially latter), origin 

 of all my views." 



Other passages in his already published works confirm this 

 memorandum ; but we had not hitherto known with certainty 

 when the views originated. We may now, therefore, celebrate 

 among other jubilees that of Mr. Darwin's adopting the theory 

 of the Origin of Species by Natural Selection, though I am 

 bound to tell you that it was not until a few months later — about 

 the beginning of 1838 — that, after reading Malthus's work, the 

 full conviction of the truth and sure ground of his speculative 

 views came upon him. 



I would not have my audience disperse with the impression 

 that my business here is merely to point out what has been done 

 by the genius of the great man of whose character and labours I 

 have just been speaking. Enormous as are the strides which he 

 has enabled us to make, you will all admit that it behoves us to 

 follow in the paths he has indicated. We may depend upon it 

 that what we know bears a very small proportion to that which 

 we do not know, and I venture to recall your attention to that 

 subject, which, as I have just said, was the origin of all his 

 views. That subject is the Geographical Distribution of Animals 

 and Plants, not only at the present time, but in bygone ages. 

 As regards botany, I do not dare in the presence of so many 

 distinguished authorities to say more than this — that I believe 

 the greatest and most important results of their labours in this 

 direction are inadequately known to zoologists, while in 

 zoology I am certain that there are many large groups of whose 

 distribution we are almost entirely ignorant.^ That excellent 

 work has been done in some groups all will admit, and in regard 

 to the difficulties which have precluded the investigation of the 

 subject in other groups I am well aware. But not only do we 



' I say this after having studied Prof. Heilprin's recent work, " The Geo- 

 graphical and Geological Distribution of Animals " (International Scientific 

 Series, 1887) — in many respects the fullest on the subject — and also Mr. 

 Hemsley's admirable Introduction to the Botany of the " Biologia Centrali- 

 Americana," which will shortly appear. The opportunity of reading the 

 latter I owe to the kindness of Mr. Salvin. 



