1 868.] BRITISH ASSOCIATION. IOI 



appears to me most striking and excellent. How you must 

 rejoice at all your bothering labour and anxiety having had 

 so grand an end. I must say a word about myself ; never 

 has such a eulogium been passed on me, and it makes me 

 very proud. I cannot get over my amazement at what you 

 say about my botanical work. By Jove, as far as my 

 memory goes, you have strengthened instead of weakened 

 some of the expressions. What is far more important than 

 anything personal, is the conviction which I feel, that you 

 will have immensely advanced the belief in the evolution of 

 species. This will follow from the publicity of the occasion, 

 your position, so responsible, as President, and your own high 

 reputation. It will make a great step in public opinion, I feel 

 sure, and I had not thought of this before. The A thenceum 

 takes your snubbing * with the utmost mildness, I certainly 

 do rejoice over the snubbing, and hope [the reviewer] will 

 feel it a little. Whenever you have spare time to write again, 

 tell me whether any astronomers j took your remarks in ill 

 part ; as they now stand they do not seem at all too harsh 

 and presumptuous. Many of your sentences strike me as 

 extremely felicitous and eloquent. That of Lyell's " under- 

 pinning," \ is capital. Tell me, was Lyell pleased ? I am so 

 glad that you remembered my old dedication. Was Wallace 

 pleased ? 



* Sir Joseph Hooker made some Lyell's heroic renunciation of his 



reference to the review of ' Animals old views in accepting Evolution, 



and Plants' in the Athmceum of Sir J. D. Hooker continued, "Well 



Feb. 15, 1 868. may he be proud of a superstructure, 



f In discussing the astronomer's raised on the foundations of an in- 



objection to Evolution, namely that secure doctrine, when he finds that 



our globe has not existed for a long he can underpin it and substitute 



enough period to give time for the a new foundation ; and after all is 



assumed transmutation of living be- finished, survey his edifice, not only 



ings, Hooker challenged Whewell's more secure but more harmonious 



dictum, that astronomy is the queen in its proportion than it was before." 



of sciences the only perfect science. The * Naturalist's Voyage ' was 



\ After a eulogium on Sir Charles dedicated to Lyell. 



