FRIENDS AND ACQUAINTANCES 85 



result. The wishes or actions of individuals may be one of 

 the causes of variability, but only one out of myriads. Now 

 to say that such an universal fact as this cannot be taken as 

 a basis of reasoning because the exact causes of it are 

 unknown in each case, is utterly illogical. The causes of 

 gravitation, of electricity, of heat, of all the forces of nature 

 are unknown. Can we not, then, reason on them, and explain 

 other phenomena by them, without having the words ' un- 

 known causes' substituted, and thus making nonsense? 



" I am no blind admirer of Mr. Darwin, as my works 

 show ; but I must say your criticism of him in your present 

 work completely fails to reach him. 



"The mere fact that Lamarck's views, though well put 

 before the world for many years by Sir Charles Lyell (and 

 other writers) converted no one, while Darwin has converted 

 almost all the best naturalists in Europe, is a pretty good 

 proof that the one theory is more complete than the other. 



" Yours very faithfully, 



" Alfred R. Wallace." 



In Nature (June 12) I reviewed this book more fully, 

 showing by numerous quotations how completely Mr. Butler 

 has failed to grasp the essential features of natural selection, 

 while a large portion of his criticism of Mr. Darwin's work 

 is purely verbal and altogether erroneous and misleading. 

 I received no reply either to my letter or to the review. 



When I was at Montreal in 1887, Mr. lies, the manager 

 of the Windsor Hotel in that city, called my attention to a 

 most humorous critical rhapsody which Mr. Butler had 

 written after his recent visit to Canada and sent to the 

 Spectator. As I do not think it has appeared elsewhere, 

 and is a good example of his fantastic genius, I here give 

 it from a copy furnished me by Mr. lies. 



A Psalm of Montreal. 



[The city of Montreal is one of the most rising and, in many- 

 respects, most agreeable on the American continent, but its inhab- 

 itants are as yet too busy with commerce to care greatly about the 



