HISTORICAL SKETCH 19 



This Address was delivered after the papers by Mr. 

 Wallace and myself on the Origin of Species, presently 

 to be referred to, had been read before the Linnean So- 

 ciety. When the first edition of this work was published, 

 I was so completly deceived, as were many others, by 

 such expressions as "the continuous operation of creative 

 power," that I included Professor Owen with other pale- 

 ontologists as being firmly convinced of the immutability 

 of species; but it appears ("Anat. of Vertebrates," vol, 

 iii. page 796) that this was on my part a preposterous 

 error. In the last edition of this work I inferred, and 

 the inference still seems to me perfectly just, from a pas- 

 sage beginning with the words "no doubt the type-form," 

 etc. (Ibid. vol. i. page xxxv.), that Professor Owen ad- 

 mitted that natural selection may have done something in 

 the formation of a new species; but this it appears (Ibid, 

 vol. iii. page 798) is inaccurate and without evidence. I 

 also gave some extracts from a correspondence between 

 Professor Owen and the editor of the "London Review," 

 from which it appeared manifest to the editor as well as 

 to myself that Professor Owen claimed to have promul- 

 gated the theory of natural selection before I had done 

 so; and I expressed my surprise and satisfaction at this 

 announcement; but as far as it is possible to understand 

 certain recently published passages (Ibid. vol. iii. page 

 798) I have either partially or wholly again fallen into 

 error. It is consolatory to me that others find Professor 

 Owen's controversial writings as difficult to understand 

 and to reconcile with each other, as I do. As far as the 

 mere enunciation of the principle of natural selection is 

 concerned, it is quite immaterial whether or not Professor 

 Owen preceded me, for both of us, as shown in this his- 



