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CHAPTER YIII. 



DARWIN AND WALLACE (1858). 



The history of Darwin's friendship with Alfred 

 Russel Wallace is of quite unique interest, being 

 brought about by the fact that both naturalists saw 

 in evolution and its causes the great questions of the 

 immediate future, and by the agreement in the 

 interpretations which they independently offered. 

 Wallace was collecting and observing in the Malay 

 Archipelago, and wrote to Darwin as the one man 

 most likely to sympathise with and understand his 

 views and to offer valuable criticism. 



In the " Annals and Magazine of Natural History " 

 for 1855, Wallace published a paper " On the Law 

 that has Regulated the Introduction of New 

 Species," and in this and a letter written from the 

 Malay Archipelago Darwin recognised the similarity 

 of their views, although the completeness of this 

 agreement was to be brought before him with 

 startling force a year after his sympathetic reply, 

 written May 1st, 1857. He then wrote : — 



" By your letter and even still more by your paper in the 

 Annals, a year or more ago, I can plainly see that we have 

 thought much alike and to a certain extent have come to 

 similar conclusions. In regard to the Paper in the Annals, 

 I agree to the truth of almost every word of your paper ; and 

 I dare say that you will agree with me that it is very rare to 



