Correspondence on Biology, etc. 



To Prof. Poulton 

 Old Orchard, Broadstone, Wimborne. November 2, 1908. 



My dear Poulton, — . . . You may perhaps have heard 

 that I have been invited by the Koyal Institution (through 

 Sir W. Crookes) to give them a lecture on the jubilee of the 

 " Origin of Species " in January. After some consideration 

 I accepted, because I think I can give a broad and general 

 view of Darwinism, that will finally squash up the Muta- 

 tionists and Mendelians, and be both generally intelligible 

 and interesting. So far as I know this has never yet been 

 done, and the Royal Institution audience is just the intelli- 

 gent and non-specialist one I shall be glad to give it to if 

 I can. 



I have been very poorly the last three weeks, but am 

 now recovering my health and strength slowly. It will 

 take me all my time the next two months to get this 

 ready, and now I must write a letter in reply to the 

 absurd and gross misrepresentation of Prof. Hubrecht, as 

 to imaginary differences between Darwin and myself, in the 

 last Contemporary! — Yours very truly, 



Alfred R. Wallace. 



The next letter relates to Wallace's Friday evening Dis- 

 course at the Royal Institution. His friends were afraid 

 whether his voice could be sustained throughout the hour 

 —fears which were abundantly dispelled by the actual per- 

 formance. This was his last public lecture. 



To Prof. Meldola 



Old Orchard, Broadstone, Wimborne. December 20, 1908. 



My dear Meldola,— Thanks for your kind offer to read 

 for me if necessary. But when Sir Wm. Crookes first wrote 

 to me about it, he offered to read all, or any parts of the 



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