The Wallace-Darwin Correspondence 



best British botanist, and perhaps the best in the world, is 

 a full convert, and is now going immediately to publish his 

 confession of faith ; and I expect daily to see the proof-sheets. 

 Huxley is changed and believes in mutation of species : 

 whether a convert to us, I do not quite know. We shall 

 live to see all the younger men converts. My neighbour and 

 excellent naturalist, J. Lubbock, is an enthusiastic convert. 

 I see by Natural History notices that you are doing great 

 work in the Archipelago ; and most heartily do I sympathise 

 with you. For God's sake take care of your health. There 

 have been few such noble labourers in the cause of natural 

 science as you are. Farewell, with every good wish. — Yours 

 sincerely, C. Darwin. 



P.S. — You cannot tell how I admire your spirit, in the 

 manner in which you have taken all that was done about 

 publishing our papers. I had actually written a letter to 

 you, stating that I would not publish anything before you 

 had published. I had not sent that letter to the post when 

 I received one from Lyell and Hooker, urging me to send 

 some MS. to them, and allow them to act as they thought 

 fair and honourably to both of us. I did so. 



Letter V 

 C. Darwin to A. R. Wallace 



Down, Bromley, Kent. August 9, 1859. 



My dear Mr. Wallace, — I received your letter and memoir^ 

 on the 7th, and will forward it to-morrow to the Linnean 

 Society. But you will be aware that there is no meeting 

 till beginning of November. Your paper seems to me admir- 

 able in matter, style and reasoning; and I thank you for 



* This seems to refer to Wallace's paper on *' The Zoological Geography 

 of the Malay Archipelago," Journ, Linn. Soc, 1860. 



137 



