282 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HTJXLEY CHAP. XI 



The rest of this correspondence has to do with a 

 plan of Darwin's, generous as ever, to obtain a Civil 

 List pension for the veteran naturalist, Wallace, 

 whose magnificent work for science had brought him 

 but little material return. He wrote to consult 

 Huxley as to what steps had best be taken; the 

 latter replied in the letter of November 14 : 



The papers in re Wallace have arrived, and I lose no 

 time in assuring you that all my "might, amity, and 

 authority," as Essex said when that sneak Bacon asked 

 him for a favour, shall be exercised as you wish. 



On December 11 he sends Darwin the draft of a 

 memorial on the subject, and on the 28th suggests 

 that the best way of moving the official world would 

 be for Darwin himself to send the memorial, with a 

 note of his own, to Mr. Gladstone, who was then 

 Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury : 



Mr. G. can do a thing gracefully when he is so 

 minded, and unless I greatly mistake, he will be so 

 minded if you write to him. 



The result was all that could be hoped. On 

 January 7 Darwin writes: "Hurrah! hurrah! 

 read the enclosed. "Was it not extraordinarily kind 

 of Mr. Gladstone to write himself at the present 

 time ? . . . I have written to Wallace. He owes 

 much to you. Had it not been for your advice and 

 assistance, I should never have had courage to go on." 



The rest of the letter to Darwin of December 28 

 is characteristic of his own view of life. As he 



