1845 'VESTIGES OF CREATION' 249 



Coombe, Sir Richard Vyvyan, and even Prince 

 Albert, but one of the depositories of the secret, 

 Mr. Alexander Ireland, in a lecture delivered 

 before the Manchester Literary Club in April 

 1884, stated that it was entirely from the pen of 

 Robert Chambers. The most extraordinary pre- 

 cautions had been taken to preserve the anony- 

 mity of the author, who states in one of his 

 letters : ' To escape, strife at the expense of 

 losing any honour which may arise from 

 my work is to me a most advantageous ex- 

 change.' What Owen thought of this book 

 may be gathered from the following letter 

 which he addressed to the 'Author of ''Ves- 

 tiges," &c. : ' — 



' Sir, — I beg to offer you my best thanks for 

 the copy of your work entitled " Vestiges of the 

 Natural History of Creation," which I have perused 

 with the pleasure and profit that could not fail to 

 be imparted by a summary of the evidences from 

 all the Natural Sciences bearing upon the origin 

 of all Nature, by one who is evidently familiar 

 with the principles of so extensive a range of 

 human knowledge. It is to be presumed that no 

 true searcher after truth can have a prejudiced 

 dislike to conclusions based upon adequate evi- 

 dence, and the discovery of the general secondary 

 causes concerned in the production of organised 

 beings upon this planet would not only be 

 received with pleasure, but is probably the chief 



