68 HUXLEY 



Lyell, and concludes with an inquiry into the geo- 

 logical speculations of the tlien Sir William Thomson. 

 A good deal in this address is in somewhat technical 

 geological terms, and it must be read in detail to be 

 appreciated. 



Then follows Huxley's great review of the Origin 

 of Species, written, as he himself explains, in the 

 heat of the first battle which was fought around 

 Darwin's opinions. Huxley's summary of Darwin's 

 great work is that it does not so far satisfy all the 

 requirements of scientific logic, but he had no hesi- 

 tation in asserting that it is as superior as any pre- 

 ceding or contemporary hypothesis in its power of 

 explaining biological phenomenon, as was the hypo- 

 thesis of Copernicus to the speculations of Ptolemy. 



He returns to the same subject of the origin of 

 species in an article in the Natural History Eeview, 

 1864, in which he deals with criticisms which had ap- 

 peared on the Continent in connection with Darwin's 

 work, particularly one by Professor KoUiker, the 

 other by M. Flom-ens. Huxley champions Darwin 

 against the criticisms of these t^o formidable op- 

 ponents. He deals with the Professor with marked 

 courtesy and moderation of language, but when he 

 comes to M. Flour ens his indignation at the weak- 

 nass of logic and the shallo^vness of information dis- 

 played by the critic impels him to describe the 

 writer as assuming a " tone of authority which alwaj's 

 touches upon the ludicrous, and sometimes passes the 

 limits of good breeding." M. Flourens, says Huxley, 

 utterly failed to comprehend the first principles of 

 the doctrine which he assails so rudely ; and he cer- 

 tainly receives very severe treatment at the hands 

 of Huxley. 



