Alfred Russel Wallace 



among. I think Catholics and Protestants are equally 

 wrong, but as missionaries I think Catholics are the best, 

 and I would gladly see none others rather than have, as 

 in New Zealand, sects of native Dissenters more rancorous 

 against each other than in England. The unity of the 

 Catholics is their strength, and an unmarried clergy can 

 do as missionaries what married men never can under- 

 take. *' 



As a sidelight on these contradictory estimates of the 

 same work, it should be borne in mind that Darwin had 

 but recently given up the idea of becoming a clergyman, 

 and doubtless retained some of the instinctive regard 

 for sincere Christian Protestantism (whether represented 

 by the Church of England or by Nonconformists), while 

 Wallace had long since relinquished all doctrinal ideas on 

 religion and all belief in the beneficial effect produced by 

 .forms of worship on the individual. 



Among the regions Wallace visited was Sarawak. Of 

 one of his sojourns here some interesting reminiscences 

 have been sent to me by Mr. L. V. Helmes. He says : 



It was in 1854 that Wallace came to Sarawak. I was 

 there then, sent by a private firm, which later became the 

 Borneo Company, to open up, by mining, manufacture and 

 trade, the resources of the country, and amongst these enter- 

 prises was coal -mining on the west. Wallace came in search 

 of new specimens of animal and especially insect life. The 

 clearing of ancient forests at these mines offered a naturalist 

 great opportunities, and I gave Wallace an introduction to 

 our engineer in charge there. His collections of beetles and 

 butterflies there were phenomenal ; but the district was also 

 the special home of the great ape, the orang-utan, or meias, 

 as the natives called them, of which he obtained so many 

 valuable specimens. Many notes must at that time have 

 passed between us, for I took much interest in his work. 

 We had put up a temporary hut for him at the mines, and 



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