WALLACE'S ESSAY. 61 



find oneself agreeing pretty closely with any theoretical paper ; 

 for it is lamentable how each man draws his own different 

 conclusions from the very same facts." 



On December 22nd he replied to another letter 

 from Wallace, again expressing agreement with all 

 his conclusions except that upon the supposed con- 

 tinental extension to oceanic islands, on which, 

 alluding to his previous discussion, he says : — 



" You will be glad to hear that neither Lyell nor Hooker 

 thought much of my arguments. Nevertheless, for once in my 

 life, I dare withstand the almost preternatural sagacity of 

 Lyell." 



And he concludes with the wish — 



"May all your theories succeed, except that on Oceanic 

 Islands, on which subject I will do battle to the death." 



He also said, as regards Wallace's conclusions : " I 

 believe I go much further than you ; but it is too 

 long a subject to enter on my speculative notions." 



Finally, on June 18th, 1858, Darwin received from 

 Wallace a manuscript essay bearing the title " On the 

 Tendency of Varieties to depart indefinitely from the 

 Original Type." Upon this essay he wanted Darwin's 

 opinion, and asked him, if he thought well of it, to 

 forward it to Lyell. Darwin was startled to find in 

 the essay a complete account of his own views. That 

 very day he wrote to Lyell, enclosing the essay. In 

 the letter he said : — 



"Your words have come true with a vengeance — that I 

 should be forestalled. You said this, when I explained to you 

 here very briefly my views of ' Natural Selection ' depending 



