1894 SPEECH AT THE ROYAL SOCIETY DINNER 343 



I was extremely astonished — I honestly also say that I 

 was extremely pleased to receive the announcement that 

 you had been good enough to award to me the Darwin 

 MedaL But you know the Royal Society, like all things 

 in this world, is subject to criticism. I confess that with 

 the ingrained instincts of an old official that which arose 

 in my mind after the reception of the information that I 

 had been thus distinguished was to start an inquiry which 

 I suppose suggests itself to every old official — How can 

 my Government be justified ? In reflecting upon what 

 had been my own share in what are now very largely 

 ancient transactions, it was perfectly obvious to me that 

 I had no such claims as those of Mr. Wallace. It was 

 perfectly clear to me that I had no such claims as those 

 of my lifelong friend Sir Joseph Hooker, who for 25 

 years placed all his great sources of knowledge, his sagacity, 

 his industry, at the disposition of his friend Darwin. 

 And really, I begin to despair of what possible answer 

 could be given to the critics whom the Royal Society, 

 meeting as it does on November 30, has lately been very 

 apt to hear about on December 1. Naturally there 

 occurred to my mind that famous and comfortable line, 

 which I suppose has helped so many people under like 

 circumstances, " They also serve who only stand and wait." 

 I am bound to confess that the standing and waiting, so 

 far as I am concerned, to which I refer, has been of a 

 somewhat peculiar character. I can only explain it, if 

 you will permit me to narrate a story which came to 

 me in my old nautical days, and which, I believe, has just 

 as much foundation as a good deal of other information 

 which I derived at the same period from the same source. 

 There was a merchant ship in which a member of the 

 Society of Friends had taken passage, and that ship was 

 attacked by a pirate, and the captain thereupon put into 

 the hands of the member of the Society of Friends a pike, 

 and desired him to take part in the subsequent action, to 

 which, as you may imagine, the reply was that he would 



