MODERN EVOLUTION. 



169 



tion of Vegetable Mould through the Action of 

 Worms. It embodied the results of experiments 

 which had been carried on for more than forty years, 

 since, as far back as 1837, Darwin read a paper on 

 the subject before the Geological Society. Reference 

 to it recalls a story, characteristic of Darwin's innate 

 modesty, told to the writer by the present John 

 Murray. Darwin called on the elder Murray (pre- 

 sumably some time in 1880), and after fumbling 

 in his coat-tail pocket, drew out a packet, which 

 he handed to Murray with the timidity of an un- 

 fledged author submitting his first manuscript. " I 

 have brought you," he said, " a little thing of mine 

 on the action of worms on soil," and then paused as 

 if in doubt whether Murray would care to run the 

 risk of bringing out the book! One story leads to 

 another, and our second relates to the burial of 

 Darwin in Westminster Abbey. Among the signa- 

 tures of members of Parliament, requesting Dean 

 Bradley's consent to Darwin's interment there, was 

 that of Mr. Richard B. Martin, partner in the well- 

 known bank of that name, trading under the sign of 

 the " Grasshopper." In his history of this old institu- 

 tion Mr. John B. Martin prints the following letter, 

 which was received on the 27th of April, 1882, the 

 day after Darwin's funeral: — 



Sirs — We have this day drawn a check for the 

 sum of £280, which closes our account with your 

 firm. Our reasons for thus closing an account 



