May I ask—­as a very great favour—­to be allowed to call on you some day in London, and to see your insects?  I and my daughter are soon, I hope, going to the West Indies, for plants and insects, among other things; and the young lady might learn much of typical forms from one glance at your treasures.

I send this letter by our friend Bates—­being ignorant of your address.—­Believe me, my dear Sir, ever yours faithfully,

C. KINGSLEY.

* * * * *

TO MISS A. BUCKLEY[11]

Holly House, Barking, E. February 2, 1871.

Dear Miss Buckley,—­I have read Darwin’s first volume,[12] and like it very much.  It is overwhelming as proving the origin of man from some lower form, but that, I rather think, hardly anyone doubts now.

He is very weak, as yet, on my objection about the “hair,” but promises a better solution in the second volume.

Have you seen Mivart’s book, “Genesis of Species”?  It is exceedingly clever, and well worth reading.  The arguments against Natural Selection as the exclusive mode of development are some of them exceedingly strong, and very well put, and it is altogether a most readable and interesting book.

Though he uses some weak and bad arguments, and underrates the power of Natural Selection, yet I think I agree with his conclusion in the main, and am inclined to think it is more philosophical than my own.  It is a book that I think will please Sir Charles Lyell.—­Believe me, yours very truly,

ALFRED R. WALLACE.

* * * * *

TO MISS A. BUCKLEY

Holly House, Barking, E. March 3, 1871.

Dear Miss Buckley,—­Thanks for your note.  I am hard at work criticising Darwin.  I admire his Moral Sense chapter as much as anything in the book.  It is both original and the most satisfactory of all the theories, if not quite satisfactory....—­Believe me yours very faithfully,

ALFRED R. WALLACE.

P.S.—­Darwin’s book on the whole is wonderful!  There are plenty of points open to criticism, but it is a marvellous contribution to the history of the development of the forms of life.

* * * * *

SIR C. LYELL TO A.R.  WALLACE

February 15, 1876.

Dear Wallace,—­I have read the Preface,[13] and like and approve of it much.  I do not believe there is a word which Darwin would wish altered.  It is high time this modest assertion of your claims as an independent originator of Natural Selection should be published.—­Ever most truly,

CHA.  LYELL.

* * * * *

SIR J. HOOKER TO A.R.  WALLACE

Royal Gardens, Kew.  August 2, 1880.

My dear Wallace,—­I think you have made an immense advance to our knowledge of the ways and means of distribution, and bridged many great gaps.[14] Your reasoning seems to me to be sound throughout, though I am not prepared to receive it in all its details.