Characteristics 



— could eat nothing, etc. — and was going to decline posi- 

 tively, having nothing more to say ! But while lying down, 

 vaguely thinking about it, an idea flashed upon me of a 

 new treatment of the whole subject of Darwinism, Just 

 suitable for a lecture to a R.I. audience. I felt at once 

 there was something that ought to be said, and that I 

 should like to say — so I actually wrote and accepted, pro- 

 visionally. My voice has so broken that unless I can 

 improve it I fear not being heard, but Crookes promised 

 to read it either wholly, or leaving to me the opening 

 and concluding paragraphs. I was very weak — almost a 

 skeleton — but I am now getting much better. But finish- 

 ing up the " Spruce •' book, and now all these honours and 

 congratulations and letters, etc., are giving me much work, 

 yet I am getting strong again, and really hope to do this 

 " lecture " as my last stroke for Darwinism against the 

 Mutationists and Mendelians, but much more effective, I 

 hope, than my article in the August Contemporary Review, 

 though that was pretty strong. — Yours very sincerely, 



Alfred R. Wallace. 



How more than true "Sunlight's''^ words have come, 

 '* You will come out of the hole I You will be more in the 

 world. You will have satisfaction, retrospection, and 

 work " ! Literally fulfilled !— A. R. W. 



And to Mr. F. Birch : 



De^mber 30, 1908. 



Dear Fred, — ... I received a letter from Lord 

 KnoUys — the King's Private Secretary — informing me that 

 His Majesty proposed to offer me the Order of Merit, 

 among the Birthday honours! This is an "Order" estab- 

 lished by the present King about eight years ago, solely 

 for " merit " — whether civil or military — it is a pity it 

 was not civil only, as the military have so many distinc- 

 tions already. So I had to compose a very polite letter 

 of acceptance and thanks, and then later I had to beg to 

 'be excused (on the ground of age and delicate health) 

 frwn attending the investiture at Buckingham Palace (on 



^ A medium. 

 223 



