PREFACE 



A T a meeting of the Council of the Senate held on Monday, December 2, 

 *- 1907, a Committee was appointed to consider what steps should be 

 taken to celebrate the Centenary of the birth of Charles Darwin. On 

 February 13, 1908, it was agreed by Grace of the Senate to hold a Darwin 

 Celebration in the course of the year 1909, and in the following month 

 the Committee was increased in size and constituted as follows : The Vice- 

 Chancellor (Rev. E. S. Roberts, Master of Gonville and Caius College), the 

 Master of Pembroke College (Rev. Dr A. J. Mason), the Master of Christ's 

 College (Dr Peile), the Registrary of the University (Mr J. W. Clark), 

 Professor Sir Robert Ball, Professor Bateson, Dr Bonney, Mr Durnford, 

 Dr Fletcher, Professor Forsyth, Dr Gaskell, Professor M c Kenny Hughes, 

 Mr A. Hutchinson, Professor Langley, Professor Larmor, Professor Liveing, 

 Dr Marr, Mr Punnett, Professor Sedgwick, Professor Seward, Mr Shipley. 



By Grace of the Senate, March 4, 1909, it was agreed to contribute 

 the sum of ^500 from the University Chest towards the expense of the 

 Celebration ; and at a subsequent date the Vice-Chancellor (Rev. A. J. Mason, 

 Master of Pembroke College) announced to the Senate that an anonymous 

 benefactor had generously offered to contribute an additional ^"500. 



In the preparation of the Sketch of Mr Darwin's life, which follows the 

 lines of the Epitome included in the Memorial volume of essays, Darwin and 

 Modern Science, recently published by the Syndics of the University Press, we 



