126 



MY LIFE 



[Chap. 



in a sleigh to the college. In the evening I lectured on 

 " Darwinism " to a good and attentive audience. 



After the lecture some friends of Principal Grant came in, 

 and we had much conversation. A lady who was interested 

 in spiritualism spoke to me, and asked me if I knew that 

 Romanes was a spiritualist, and had tried to convert Darwin. 

 I told lier that I knew he was interested in the phenomena 

 of spiritualism, but that I thought it most improbable that he 

 had said anything to Darwin. But," said she, " Professor 

 Romanes's brother is a great friend of mine, and he gave me 

 the drafts of the letters they jointly wrote to Darwin. Would 

 you like to see them ? " I said I certainly should, and she 

 promised to bring them the next morning. She did so, and 



I read them with great interest and surprise, as he had never 

 mentioned them to me when he had come to see me expressly 

 to discuss spiritualism. On asking, she said I might take notes 

 of the contents, as they were given to her without any restric- 

 tion, and the Canadian Romanes was a thorough spiritualist. 

 This curious episode, and what it led to, will be explained in 

 a future chapter. 



In the afternoon I left for Toronto, where I arrived about 



I I p.m., and drove to Professor Wright's house. We lunched 

 next day with Dr. Wilson, and met Mr. Hale, the well-known 

 anthropologist. In the afternoon there was a reception at 

 Professor Wright's, and in the evening I gave my lecture on 

 the Darwinian theory, which gave the argument as afterwards 

 developed in the first five and the last chapters of my book 

 on " Darwinism." When I had finished, the Bishop of Toronto 

 made a few remarks, and expressed his relief when he heard 

 my concluding observations. The next day I gave a combined 

 lecture on " Animal Colours and Mimicry," which occupied an 

 hour and three-quarters ; but the crowded audience seemed 

 much interested, and the lantern was an excellent one, and 

 showed the coloured slides to perfection. A Mr. Smith, the 

 head of a veterinary college, who had heard my first lecture, 

 wished me to repeat it to his pupils, which I did the next 

 day to a very attentive audience of three hundred young 

 men. 



