Home Life 



impressions and recollections of one who was then a boy of 

 eight years old." — R. B. R. 



The year 1908 wa« very auspicious to Dr. Wallace. To 

 begin with, it was the fiftieth anniversary of the reading of 

 the Darwin and Wallace joint papers on the Origin of 

 Species before the Linnean Society, an event which was com- 

 memorated in the way described elsewhere. 



In the autumn, and just as he was beginning to recover 

 from a spell of bad health, he was invited to give a lecture 

 at the Royal Institution, the prospect of which seemed to 

 have upon him a most stimulating effect ; he at once began to 

 think about a suitable subject. 



Following closely on this came the news that the Order of 

 Merit was to be conferred upon him. His letters to his son 

 give the details of this eventful period : * 



To Mb. W. G. Wallace 



Old Orchard, Broadst<yne, Wimbome. October 28, 1908. 



My dear Will, — ... I have a rather surprising bit of 

 news for you. When I was almost at my worst, feeling very 

 bad, I had a letter inviting me to give an evening lecture at 

 the Royal Institution, for their Jubilee of the " Origin of 

 Species "I Of course I decided at once to decline as im- 

 possible, etc., having nothing new to say, etc. But a few 

 hours afterwards an idea suddenly came to me for a very- 

 fine lecture, if I can work it out as I hope — and the more 

 I thought over it the better it seemed. So, two days back, 

 I wrote to Sir W. Crookes — ^the Honorary Secretary, who 

 had written to me — accepting provisionally ! . . . Here is 

 another " crowning honour " — the most unexpected of 

 all ! . . . 



^ For letters from Wallace describing Col. Legge's \isii with the Order, see 

 pp. 128 and 224. 



127 



