14 



Darwin- Wallace Celebration. 



a second opinion as to whether he could honourably claim 

 priority, and that he proposed applying to Sir Charles Lyell 

 for this. I need not say that this was a relief to me, knowing 

 as I did what Sir Charles's answer must be. 



At Vol. ii. pp. 117, 118 o the 'Life and Letters/ Mr. 

 Darwin's application to Sir Charles Lyell is given, dated 

 June 26th, with a postscript dated June 27th. In it he re- 

 quests that the answer shall be sent to me to be forwarded to 

 himself. I have no recollection o receiving the answer, 

 which is not to be found either in Darwin's or my own corre- 

 spondence ; it was no doubt satisfactory. 



Further action was now left in the hands of Sir Charles 

 and myself, we all agreeing that, whatever action was taken, 

 the result should be offered for publication to the Linnean 

 Society. 



On the 29th June Mr. Darwin wrote to me in acute distress, 

 being himself very ill, and scarlet fever raging in his family, 

 to which an infant son had succumbed on the previous day, 

 and a daughter was ill with diphtheria. He acknowledged 

 the receipt of letters from me, adding, " I cannot think now 

 of the subject, but soon will: you shall hear as soon as I can 

 think " ; and on the night of the same day he writes again, 

 telling me that he is quite prostrated and can do nothing but 

 send certain papers for which I had asked as essential for com- 

 pleting the prefatory statement to the communication to the 

 Linnean Society of his and Wallace's Essays. This was only 

 48 hours before the reading of the Paper laid before the 

 Society by Sir Charles and myself on July the 1st. It may 

 be interesting to recall that the last ordinary meeting of the 

 session of this Society is held in the middle of June. The 

 occasion of the meeting on the 1st July was exceptional, and 

 was due to the death of the eminent botanist, Robert Brown. 

 As a mark of respect to that great Past President, the 

 ordinary meeting of June the 17th was adjourned, and a 

 special meeting called in order to elect a successor to the 

 vacancy on the Council, caused by his decease, George 

 Bentham being nominated in his place. The usual election 

 of council and officers had taken place at the Anniversary 



