I go 



LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY chap, xiv 



of giving the book a fair chance with the multitudinous readers 

 of the Tunes, to make any difficulty about conditions ; and being 

 then very full of the subject, I wrote the article faster, I think, 

 than I ever wrote anything in my life, and sent it to Mr. Lucas, 

 who duly prefixed his opening sentences. 



When the article appeared, there was much speculation as 

 to its authorship. The secret leaked out in time, as all secrets 

 will, but not by my aid ; and then I used to derive a good deal of 

 innocent amusement from the vehement assertions of some of 

 my more acute friends, that they knew it was mine from the first 

 paragraph ! 



As the Times some years since, referred to my connection 

 with the review, I suppose there will be no breach of confidence 

 in the publication of this little history, if you think it worth the 

 space it will occupy. 



The article appeared on December 26. Only Hooker 

 was admitted into the secret. In an undated note Huxley 

 writes to him : — 



I have written the other review you wot of, and have handed 

 it over to my friend to deal as he likes with it. . . . Darwin will 

 laugh over a letter that I sent him this morning with a vignette 

 of the Jermyn Street " pet " ready to fight his battle, and the 

 " judicious Hooker " holding the bottle. 



And on December 31 he writes again : — 



Jermyn Street, December 31, 1859. 



My dear Hooker — I have not the least objection to my 

 share in the Times article being known, only I should not like to 

 have anything stated on my authority. The fact is, that the first 

 quarter of the first column (down to " what is a species," etc.) is 

 not mine, but belongs to the man who is the official reviewer for 

 the Times (my " Temporal " godfather I might call him). 



The rest is in my ipsissima verba, and I only wonder that it 

 turns out as well as it does — for I wrote it faster than ever I 

 wrote anything in my life. The last column nearly as fast as 

 my wife could read the sheets. But I was thoroughly in the 

 humour and full of the subject. Of course as a scientific review 

 the tiling is worth nothing, but I earnestly hope it may have 

 made some of the educated mob, who derive their ideas from 

 the Times, reflect. And whatever they do, they shall respect 

 Darwin. 



Pray give my kindest regards and best wishes for the New 



