1860 BISHOP WILBERFORCE'S SPEECH 265 



Then there were calls for the Bishop, but he rose and 

 said he understood his friend Professor Beale had some- 

 thing to say first. Beale, who was an excellent histologist, 

 spoke to the effect that the new theory ought to meet 

 with fair discussion, but added, with great modesty, that 

 he himself had not sufficient knowledge to discuss the 

 subject adequately. Then the Bishop spoke the speech 

 that you know, and the question about his mother being 

 an ape, or his grandmother. 



From the scientific point of view, the speech was 

 of small value. It was evident from his mode of 

 handling the subject that he had been " crammed up 

 to the throat," and knew nothing at first hand ; he 

 used no argument beyond those to be found in his 

 Quarterly article, which appeared a few days later, 

 and is now admitted to have been inspired by Owen. 

 " He ridiculed Darwin badly and Huxley savagely ; 

 but," confesses one of his strongest opponents, "all 

 in such dulcet tones, so persuasive a manner, and in 

 such well-turned periods, that I who had been inclined 

 to blame the President for allowing a discussion that 

 could serve no scientific purpose, now forgave him 

 from the bottom of my heart." * 



The Bishop spoke thus " for full half an hour with 

 inimitable spirit, emptiness and unfairness." "In a 

 light, scoffing tone, florid and fluent, he assured us 

 there was nothing in the idea of evolution ; rock- 

 pigeons were what rock -pigeons had always been. 

 Then, turning to his antagonist with a smiling 

 insolence, he begged to know, was it through his 



1 L\fe of Darwin, I.e. 



