40 THE MEANING OF EVOLUTION 
question of the origin of the animals of the Malay 
Archipelago. He had not the faintest knowledge of 
what Darwin was doing, but was influenced, of course, 
like Darwin, by what he read in Malthus. Interesting 
to relate, he had come to exactly the same conclu- 
sions, writing his opinions in the form of an essay. 
By the strangest sort of coincidence, he sent this essay 
to Charles Darwin, asking him to read it, and, if he 
thought it was not altogether too foolish, to send it 
to Lyell for publication by the Linnzean Society. Dar- 
win read with utter astonishment this essay containing 
views so absolutely like those that had come to him 
from his own long series of observations and reflec- 
tions. With uncommon magnanimity his first impulse 
was to withhold his own publication entirely, but to 
this Lyell and Hooker would not for a moment con- 
sent. They were determined that Darwin should give 
them his long series of notebooks as evidence of the 
independence of his work and that he present to the 
Linnzan Society, simultaneously with Wallace’s pa- 
per, one of his own upon the same subject. In 
this manly form both essays were read at the next 
meeting of the society. The joint papers pro- 
voked instant discussion and prompt opposition. 
The world at large scarcely admitted a_ possi- 
ble doubt of the fixity of species. Men gener- 
ally believed the-idea to be absolutely irreconcilable 
‘ ee: 
