eH.x.] NATURAL SELECTION. 5 



it to the public. And it is an equally interesting illustration 

 of his thorougUy scientific temperament that, after so many 

 years of solitary labour, he should have been so little carried 

 away by the fascinations of his own hypothesis as to foresee 

 clearly all the more valid objections which might be urged 

 against it. After a careful perusal of the recent literature of 

 the subject, and especially of the skilful work of Mr. St. 

 George Mivart, it still seems to me that the weightiest 

 objections which have yet been brought to bear on the Dar- 

 winian theory are to be found in Chapters VI. — IX. of Mr. 

 Darwin's own work, where they are elaborately and in most 

 cases conclusively answered. To such a marvellous instance 

 of candour, patience, and sobriety, united with the utmost 

 boldness of speculation, the history of science can show but 

 few parallels. 



In 1858, a fortunate circumstance caused Mr. Darwin to 

 break his long silence, and to give to the public an exposition 

 of the results of his researches. Mr. Wallace, who had been 

 for several years engaged in studying the natural history of 

 the Malay Archipelago, had arrived at views concerning the 

 origin of species quite similar to Mr. Darwin's, and in 1858 he 

 sent Mr. Darwin an essay on the subject, which in August of 

 the same year was published in the Journal of the Linnaean 

 Society. Sir Charles Lyell and Dr. Hooker now earnestly 

 advised Mr. Darwin to publish his own views ; and in 1859 

 the memorable treatise on the " Origin of Species " was 

 given to the world. 



It would, however, be incorrect to rate Mr. Wallace's merits, 

 in the discovery of the law of natural selection, so high as 

 Mr. Darwin's. They do not stand on precisely the same 

 level, like Adams and Leverrier with reference to the disco- 

 very of the planet Neptune. Mr. Wallace, indeed, thought 

 out independently all the essential points of the theory, and 

 stated it in a way which showed that he understood its 

 wide-reaching importance; but being a much younger man 



