84 CHARLES DARWIN. 



" You must know that I look at it, as very important, for 

 the reception of the view of species not being immutable, the 

 fact of the greatest Geologist and Botanist in England taking 

 any sort of interest in the subject : I am sure it will do much 

 to break down prejudices." 



In the following January Darwin received a letter 

 from Wallace, and his reply (on the 25th) shows how 

 much relieved and pleased he was at its generous 

 spirit. Alluding to Lyell's and Hooker's action in his 

 " Autobiography " Darwin says : — " I was at first very 

 unwilling to consent, as I thought Mr. Wallace 

 might consider my doing so unjustifiable, for I did 

 not then know how generous and noble was his 

 disposition." It was this letter which conveyed the 

 knowledge to him and set his mind at rest on the 

 subject. 



Thus ended one of the most interesting and 

 memorable episodes in the history of science. It was 

 sufficiently remarkable that two naturalists in widely- 

 separated lands should have independently arrived 

 at the theory which was to be the turning-point in 

 the history of biology and of many other sciences — 

 although such simultaneous discoveries have been 

 known before ; it was still more remarkable that one 

 of the two should unknowingly have chosen the 

 other to advise him upon the theory which was to 

 be for ever associated with both their names. It 

 was a magnificent answer to those who believed that 

 the progress of scientific discovery implies continual 

 jealousy and bitterness, that the conditions attending 



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