xxvii] DR. RICHARD SPRUCE 63 



shape and properly argued by the clear- minded Wallace, no 

 doubt.' 



"My inquisitiveness, however, did not prevent my begin- 

 ning at the beginning of the chapter, and I now write 

 before I have come to the question of force and matter. 

 I am delighted and most agreeably surprised to discover 

 that Wallace, whom I least expected to agree with me, 

 confirms what I said to you in a previous letter about 

 Darwin's theory being one truth in conjunction with another 

 (and perhaps higher) truth ; not the only truth in reference 

 to created entities. 



" Well, if Wallace has nothing more contrarient than the 

 contents of this chapter are likely to present to me, I shall 

 not fear to read the rest of the book despondent of coming 

 into complete harmony with him, neither need you fear that 

 I shall remain sceptical on those points where already I am 

 willing to receive them in hypothesis for all really useful or 

 practical purposes in reference to classification. I have as 

 yet to assure myself that chapter x. is not a delusive phan- 

 tasmal addition written or dreamed by myself, and which I 

 shall soon find, on waking, to be unreal and imaginary. 



"As it is, all my apprehensions of a soporific, such as I 

 found Darwin's book to be, are dispelled. The book is a 

 very readable one, at any rate, and no one need go to sleep 

 over it ... (a long passage here on origin of sense of justice). 



" Many, many thanks for the loan of this book. Even 

 the little I have read would demand a most grateful return, 

 and I would not have missed it for a good deal. I now 

 anticipate an intellectual feast over the whole of the book, and 

 shall carry it with me joyfully and hopefully to Southport. 



" I am glad to learn that Terrington Carr is not entirely 

 obsolete and abolished. I do hope to see it again with my 

 own eyes, and to gather the sphagnum. 



"Ever affectionately and truly yours, 



"W. Wilson." 



It is curious that this chapter x., which was so grievous 

 a falling-off to Darwin that he scored it with "No! No!" 



