DR. R. SPRUCE 63 



" My inquisitiveness, however, did not prevent my begin- 

 ning at the beginning of the chapter, and I now write before 

 I have come to the question of force and matter. I am de- 

 lighted and most agreeably surprised to discover that Wallace, 

 whom I least expected to agree with me, confirms what I said 

 to you in a previous letter about Darwin's theory being one 

 truth in conjunction with another (and perhaps higher) truth ; 

 not the only truth in reference to created entities. 



" Well, if Wallace has nothing more contrarient than the 

 contents of this chapter are likely to present to me, I shall 

 not fear to read the rest of the book, despondent of coming 

 into complete harmony with him, neither need you fear that 

 I shall remain sceptical on those points where already I am 

 willing to receive them in hypothesis for all really useful or 

 practical purposes in reference to classification. I have as 

 yet to assure myself that chapter x. is not a delusive phan- 

 tasmal addition written or dreamed by myself, and which I 

 shall soon find, on waking, to be unreal and imaginary. 



" As it is, all my apprehensions of a soporific, such as I 

 found Darwin's book to be, are dispelled. The book is a 

 very readable one, at any rate, and no one need go to sleep 

 over it . . . (a long passage here on origin of sense of 

 justice). 



" Many, many thanks for the loan of this book. Even 

 the little I have read would demand a most grateful return, 

 and I would not have missed it for a good deal. I now 

 anticipate an intellectual feast over the whole of the book, 

 and shall carry it with me joyfully and hopefully to South- 

 port. 



" I am glad to learn that Terrington Carr is not entirely 

 obsolete and abolished. I do hope to see it again with my 

 own eyes, and to gather the sphagnum. 



" Ever affectionately and truly yours, 



" W. Wilson/' 



It is curious that this chapter x., which was so grievous 

 a falling-off to Darwin that he scored it with " No ! No ! " 

 and could hardly believe I wrote it, should have been the 



