Alfred Russel Wallace 



begun to make the strongest appeal to him, stronger, per- 

 haps, than he was really aware. 



Early in 1844 another break occurred, due to the sudden 

 falling off of land surveying as a profitable business. His 

 brother could no longer afford to keep him as assistant, find- 

 ing it indeed difficult to obtain sufficient employment for 

 himself. As Wallace knew no other trade or profession, 

 the only course which occurred to his mind as possible 

 by which to earn a living was to get a post as school 

 teacher. 



After one or two rather amusing experiences, he even- 

 tually found himself in very congenial surroundings under 

 the Eev. Abraham Hill, headmaster of the Collegiate School 

 at Leicester. Here he stayed for a little more than a year, 

 during which time — in addition to his school work and a 

 considerable amount of hard reading on subjects to which 

 he had not hitherto been able to devote himself — he was led 

 to become greatly interested in phrenology and mesmerism, 

 and before long found himself something of an expert in 

 giving mesmeric demonstrations before small audiences. 

 Phrenology, he believed, proved of much value in deter- 

 mining his own chara€te;;istics, good and bad, and in guid- 

 ing him to a wise use of the faculties which made for his 

 ultimate success; while his introduction to mesmerism had 

 not a little to do with his becoming interested and finally 

 convinced of the part played by spiritualistic forces and 

 agencies in human life. 



The most important event, however, during this year 

 at Leicester was his meeting with H. W. Bates, through 

 whom he was introduced to the absorbing study of beetles 

 and butterflies, the link which culminated in their mutual 

 exploration of the Amazon. It is curious that Wallace 

 retained no distinct recollection of how or when he met 

 Bates for the first time, but thought that ^^ he heard 



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