Alfred Russel Wallace 



did not order it, as I felt sure from Dr. B.'s former book 

 that he could write nothing of value. But assuredly I did 

 not suppose that anyone would have written such a mass 

 of inaccuracies and rubbish. How rich is everything which 

 he says and quotes from Herbert Spencer ! 



By the way, I suppose that you read H. Spencer's answer 

 to Martineau : it struck me as quite wonderfully good, and 

 I felt even more strongly inclined than before to bow 

 in reverence before him. Nothing has amused me more 

 in your review than Dr. B.'s extraordinary presumption in 

 deciding that such men as Lyell, Owen, H. Spencer, 

 Mivart, Gaudry, etc. etc., are all wrong. I daresay it 

 would be very delightful to feel such overwhelming confi- 

 dence in oneself. 



I have had a poor time of it of late, rarely having an 

 hour of comfort, except when asleep or immersed in work; 

 and then when that is over I feel dead with fatigue. I am 

 now correcting my little book on Expression; but it will 

 not be published till November, when of course a copy will 

 be sent to you. I shall now try whether I can occupy 

 myself without writing anything more on so difficult a 

 subject as Evolution. 



I hope you are now comfortably settled in your new 

 house, and have more leisure than you have had for some 

 time. I have looked out in the papers for any notice about 

 the curatorship of the new Museum, but have seen nothing. 

 If anything is decided in your favour, I I) eg you to inform 

 me. — My dear Wallace, very truly yours, q Darwin. 



How grandly the public has taken up Hooker's case. 



Dovm. August 3, [1872]. 



My dear Wallace, — I hate controversy, chiefly perhaps 

 because I do it badly; but as Dr. Bree accuses you of 

 "blundering," I have thought myself bound to send th< 



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