43Q MY LIFE 



read it and tell us if there is a positive fallacy which destroys 

 its whole value or no." 



Some weeks later Sir Charles thanked me for recommend- 

 ing the book to him, which he had read with great pleasure, 

 adding, " It is as interesting as any novel I ever read." The 

 fundamental idea of the book is that the sun in its motion 

 through space comes into contact with an excessively diffused 

 space-atmosphere, which it collects and condenses by its gravi- 

 tative force, thus forming the sun's photosphere. Then, on 

 cooling, the outer portion of this gaseous envelope is left 

 behind or expelled, so that the mass of the sun does not 

 increase. The value of the explanation will of course depend 

 upon whether this later part of the theory, which the author 

 explains at considerable length, is dynamically possible. In 

 view of modern discoveries as to the nature of matter, it 

 might be well for some competent physicist to re-examine 

 this work, which is largely founded on the author's own obser- 

 vations and experiments as a metallurgical chemist. 



In the latter part of 1872 I was assisting Sir Charles by 

 reading over the completed MS. and afterwards the proofs 

 of Part III. of " The Antiquity of Man," dealing with " The 

 Origin of Species as bearing on Man's Place in Nature." In 

 one of the letters I wrote I made a suggestion (which he did 

 not adopt, nor did I expect him to do so), but which I will 

 here give, as it is a subject on which I wrote afterwards, and 

 which I still consider to be of very great importance. Readers 

 of the " Antiquity " will see that part of his own MS. has 

 been omitted. 



" November 10, 1872. 

 " Dear Sir Charles, 



" I have read the MS. with very great interest. 

 Two points of importance are, Milton's advocacy of scientific 

 as against classical education (which I should think would be 

 new to most persons), and freedom of thought as essential to 

 intellectual progress. The latter point (occupying pp. 13-23 

 of your MS.) is of such immense importance, and your 

 opinion on it, clearly expressed, would have so much weight, 



