ACCESSION OF LYELL. 109 



would connect the various classes of facts equally 

 well. To this Darwin replied in a characteristic 

 letter. It was evident that he was most reluctant 

 to continue the controversy, but thought it fair to 

 admit publicly the force of his opponent's arguments. 



In 1864 the Copley Medal of the Royal Society 

 was given to Darwin. At the anniversary dinner of 

 the Society, after the meeting at which the medals 

 are presented by the President, Sir Charles Lyell in 

 his speech made a " confession of faith " as to the 

 " Origin." Darwin was prevented by illness from 

 receiving the medal in person and from being present 

 at the dinner. 



The tenth edition of the " Principles " was pub- 

 lished in 1867 and 1868, and in it Lyell clearly stated 

 his belief in evolution. Sir Joseph Hooker, in his 

 presidential address to the British Association at 

 Norwich in 1868, eloquently spoke of the "new 

 foundation " with which Lyell had under-pinned 

 the edifice he had raised, and had thus rendered it 

 " not only more secure, but more harmonious in its 

 proportion than it was before." Wallace, too, in an 

 article in the Quarterly Review (April, 1869), spoke 

 with equal eloquence and force of the significance 

 of Lyell's change of opinion. 



Ly ell's death took place in 1875, eleven years 

 after his definite acceptance of Darwin's views. 

 Darwin, in writing to Miss Arabella Buckley (now 

 Mrs. Fisher, formerly secretary to Sir Charles Lyell), 

 fully acknowledged the deep debt which he owed to 



