Darwin- Wallace Celebration. 3 



Dr. Wallace, one of the two creators of the theory, and of 

 'Sir Joseph Hooker, who brought it into the world, is in itself 

 -enough to render our meeting memorable, and to ensure its 

 success. Among the other Medallists to whom we render due 

 honour to-day, while we regret the absence of Prof. Haeckel 

 and Prof. Weismann, those valiant champions of evolution, 

 we rejoice to have with us Prof. Strasburger, representing 

 in our own day the great school of Hofmeister, who, by his 

 unequalled morphological researches in the field of Botany, 

 made ready the way for the ' Origin of Species.' 



The two great schools of evolution in this country, the 

 School of Genetics (to use the modern term) and that of 

 Morphology, are represented by their distinguished leaders, 

 Dr. Galton and Sir Ray Laukester. 



The President then read the following telegram received 

 that morning from Prof. Engler, F.M.L.S. : 



" STEGLITZ, Isten Juli, 1908. 

 " LINNEAN SOCIETY, Burlington [House], London, "W. 



" Zur heutigen Feier der Erinnerung an die hervorra- 

 _genden Verdienste von Darwin imd Wallace sendet seine 

 herzlichen Glueckwuensche A. ENGLER, Berlin." 



We have a long programme before us, and I think it would 

 be best that we should now proceed at once to what is the main 

 business of our meeting, the presentation of the medals to 

 those distinguished gentlemen whom we are asking to receive 

 them. 



The presentation of the Darwin- Wallace Medals was then 

 proceeded with, the first to come forward, at the request of 

 the President, being Dr. Alfred Russel Wallace, F.R.S., 

 F.L.S., who was received with great enthusiasm. In pre- 

 senting the gold medal the President said : 



Dr. ALFRED RUSSEL WALLACE, We rejoice that we are 

 so happy as to have with us to-day the survivor of the 

 two great naturalists whose crowning work we are here to 

 commemorate. 



Your brilliant work, in Natural History and Geography, 



