The Wallace-Darwin Correspondence 



Doum, Beckenham, Rents January 10, 1881. 



My dear Wallace, — I am heartily glad that you are 

 pleased about the memorial. 



I do not feel that my opinion is worth much on the point 

 which you mention. A relation who is in a Government office 

 and whose judgment, I think, may be fully trusted, felt sure 

 that if you received an official announcement without any 

 private note, it ought to be answered officially, but if the 

 case were mine, I would express whatever I thought and 

 felt in an official document. His reason was that Glad- 

 stone gives or recommends the pension on public grounds 

 alone. 



If the case were mine I would not write to signers of 

 the memorial, because I believe that they acted like so many 

 jurymen in a claim against the Government. Nevertheless, 

 if I met any of them or was writing to them on any other 

 subject, I should take the opportunity of expressing my feel- 

 ings. I think you might with propriety write to Huxley, as 

 he entered so heartily into the scheme and aided in the most 

 important manner in many ways. 



Sir J. Lubbock called here yesterday and Mr. F. Balfour 

 came here with one of my sons, and it would have pleased 

 you to see how unfeignedly delighted they were at my news 

 of the success of the memorial. 



I wrote also to tell the Duke of Argyll of the success, 

 and he in answer expressed very sincere pleasure. — My dear 

 Wallace, yours very sincerely, Ch. Darwin. 



Pen-y-hryn, St. Peter's Road, Croydon. January 29, 1881. 



My dear Darwin, — Yours just received was very wel- 

 come, and the delay in its reaching me is of no importance 

 whatever, as, having seen the announcement of the Queen's 

 approval of the pension, of course I felt it was safe. The 



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