A PARABLE 103 



all countries), some of them sided with the missionaries — 

 many from spite to the priests, but a few, I could see, from 

 conviction — and putting my trust in the latter, I never 

 doubted what the upshot would be. 



Upwards of six years elapsed before I was again present 

 at a similar gathering of these tribes ; and I then found the 

 presiding Sachem treating the missionaries' theory of the 

 moon's motions as an accepted fact, and the people applaud- 

 ing the new creed ! 



Do you ask what tribes these were, and where their 

 annual gatherings took place, and when ? I will tell you. 

 The first was in 1860, when the Derivative doctrine of species 

 was first brought before the bar of a scientific assembly, 

 and that the British Association at Oxford ; and I need not 

 tell those who heard our presiding Sachem's x address last 

 Wednesday evening, that the last was at Nottingham. 



Hooker's qualms about lecturing happily came to nothing. 



Nottingham : Tuesday, August 28, 1866. 



Dear old Darwin, — The whole thing went off last night 

 in very good style. The audience were well fed and con- 

 formable, they followed the whole lecture with admirable 

 good nature, and were sent into fits by the conclusion. I 

 made myself well and easily heard without unreasonable 

 effort, and have all the more reason to bless my stars that I 

 have not earlier given way to popular lecturing, for which I 

 am already besought ! I never was so glad to get a thing out 

 of hand and mind, and now I must in the course of the winter 

 cast it into scientific form for publication. 



I am awfully busy as you may suppose, and only just 

 beginning to enjoy the fun. 



Huxley is getting on splendidly in Section D. He re- 

 turned thanks for my Lecture in the most skilful, graceful 

 and perfect way. I never heard anything so hearty and 

 thoroughly good — no coarse flattery or fulsome praise — 

 but an earnest, thoughtful and, I believe, truthful eulogy 

 of what he thought good and happy in the treatment of the 

 subject, with a really affectionate tribute to myself. 

 Ever your affectionate, 



Jos. D. Hooker. 



1 Sir W. R. Grove. 



