Alfred Russel Wallace 



will avoid a possible repetition of these if we take a long 

 leap forward and give the notable speeches made by Wallace, 

 Sir Joseph Hooker, Sir E. Eay Lankester, and others at this 

 historical ceremony, which have not been published except in 

 the Proceedings of the Society, now out of print. 



The gathering was held on July 1, 1908, at the Insti- 

 tute of Civil Engineers, Great George Street, to celebrate 

 the fiftieth anniversary of the joint communication made 

 by Charles Darwin and Alfred Kussel Wallace to the 

 Linnean Society, ^^ On the Tendency of Species to form 

 Varieties; and on the Perpetuation of Varieties and 

 Species by Natural Means of Selection/' The large 

 gathering included the President, Dr. Dukinfield H. Scott, 

 distinguished representatives of many scientific Societies 

 and Universities, the Danish and Swedish Ministers, and 

 a representative from the German Embassy. Most of 

 the members of Dr. Wallace's and Mr. Darwin- s family 

 were also present.* The President opened with some ex- 

 plana.tory observations, and then invited Wallace to come 

 forward in order to receive the first Darwin- Wallace Medal. 

 In presenting it he said : 



Dr. Alfred Russel Wallace, — We rejoice that we are so 

 happy as to have with us to-day the survivor of the two 

 great naturalists whose crowning work we are here to 

 commemorate. 



Your brilliant work in natural history and geography, 

 and as one of the founders of the theory of Evolution by 

 Natural Selection, is universally honoured and has often 

 received public recognition, as in the awards of the Da^rwin 

 and Royal Medals of the Royal Society, and of our Medal 

 in 1892. 



To-day, in asking you to accept the first Darwin- 

 Wallace Medal, we are offering you of your own, for it is 



1 It will be remembered, that Darwin died in April, 1882, twenty-six years 

 previously. 



110 



