344 



Proceedings of the Asiatic Society, 



variation, which was treated as specific until a thorough investigation 

 with ample materials had been undertaken. 



The theory of common descent of animals and of plants must 

 require centuries of investigation to establish it, but reviewing the 

 whole history of Biology hitherto, Mr. Blanford could not but arrive 

 at a conclusion similar to that of the veteran Schleiden. '" Wonderfully 

 strange and even absurd as the thought may appear to-day to many, 

 that all organisms on the earth, vegetable as well as animal, extinct 

 as well as living forms, are connected with one another as a single 

 great family by natural descent, a man need not be a great prophet 

 to tell, that before long, this doctrine will be the currently accepted 

 and unquestioned property of every man of Science. Though at 

 present many intelligent and many unintelligent voices are making 

 themselves heard against Darwin, he has already a large number of 

 powerful allies on his side, and the result cannot be doubtful." 



The chairman then read an extract from a letter from General 

 Cunningham to the address of Mr. Grote on the subject of the 

 Pehewa inscription, which extract appears as a postscript to General 

 Cunningham's paper on that subject in the present number of the 

 Journal, p. 229. 



