[Chap. XXXIII] LITERARY WORK, ETC., 1887-1905 201 



flamed again ; both overcoat, trousers, and cushion were 

 burning. Then he got down, took off his overcoat, trampled 

 on it, and beat out the rest. We went on. A third time it 

 burst out in smoke and flame. Again I shouted, and passers- 

 by called out and stopped to look. And then at last, with 

 their help, he finally extinguished the conflagration. A cab- 

 man on fire ! No more curious incident occurred during my 

 six thousand miles of travel in America. It originated, no 

 doubt, from his having put a lighted pipe in his pocket, or 

 perhaps from a loose phosphorous match. But he did not 

 seem to mind it much, even when in a blaze. 



The rest of the year 1887 was occupied at home in over- 

 taking my correspondence, looking after my garden, and 

 making up for lost time in scientific and literary reading, and 

 in considering what work I should next occupy myself with. 

 Many of my correspondents, as well as persons I met in 

 America, told me that they could not understand Darwin's 

 " Origin of Species," but they did understand my lecture on 

 " Darwinism ; " and it therefore occurred to me that a popular 

 exposition of the subject might be useful, not only as en- 

 abling the general reader to understand Darwin, but also 

 to serve as an answer to the many articles and books pro- 

 fessing to disprove the theory of natural selection. During 

 the whole of the year 1888 I was engaged in writing this 

 book, which, though largely following the lines of Darwin's 

 work, contained a great many new features, and dwelt 

 especially with those parts of the subject which had been 

 most generally misunderstood. 



The spring of 1889 was occupied in passing it through the 

 press, and it was published in May, while a few corrections 

 were made for a second edition in the following October. 

 During this time, however, I gave several of my American 

 lectures in various parts of the country — at Newcastle and 

 Darlington in the spring of 1888; in the autumn at 

 Altrincham and Darwen ; and in 1889 at Newcastle, York, 

 Darlington, and Liverpool. 



In the autumn of this year the University of Oxford did 



