CHAPTER XIII 

 1859 



IN November 1859 the Origin oj\ Spedes was 

 published, and a new direction \\ as given to 

 Huxley's activities. Ever since Darwin and Wallace 

 had made their joint communication to the Linnean 

 Society in July 1858, expectation had been rife 

 as to the forthcoming book Huxley was one 

 of the few privileged to learn Darwin's argument 

 before it was given to the world ; but the greatness 

 of the book, mere instalment as it was of the long 

 accumulated mass of notes, almost took him by 

 surprise. Before this time, he had taken up a 

 thoroughly agnostic attitude with regard to the 

 species question, for he could not accept the 

 creational theory, yet sought in vain among the 

 transmutationists for any cause adequate to produce 

 transmutation. He had had many talks with Darwin, 

 and though ready enough to accept the main point, 

 maintained such a critical attitude on many others, 

 that Darwin was not by any means certain of the 

 effect the published book would produce upon him. 

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