My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org
My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org
i68MY LIFEgroups illustrating the life histories of the othermammalia ; but ample space and a very carefulattention to details must be given in order to ensurea successful and attractive representation.It was at this time that I first saw Huxley. Atone of the evening meetings of the Zoological Society(in December, 1852) he gave an account of someEchinococci found in the liver of a zebra which diedin the gardens. He did not read the paper, but,with the help of diagrams and sketches on the blackboard,showed us clearly its main points of structure,its mode of development, and the strange transformationsit underwent when the parent worm migratedfrom the intestine to other parts of the body of theanimal. I was particularly struck with his wonderfulpower of making a difficult and rather complexsubject perfectly intelligible and extremely interestingto persons who, like myself, were absolutelyignorant of the whole group. Although he was twoyears younger than myself, Huxley had alreadymade a considerable reputation as a comparativeanatomist, was a Fellow of the Royal Society, anda few months later was appointed Professor ofNatural History and Palaeontology at the RoyalSchool of Mines. I was amazed, too, at his completemastery of the subject, and his great amountof technical knowledge of a kind to which I havenever given any attention, the structure and developmentof the lower forms of animal life. From thattime I always looked up to Huxley as being immeasurablysuperior to myself in scientific knowledge,and supposed him to be much older than I was.Many years afterwards I was surprised to find thathe was really younger.
LONDON, AND VOYAGE tO THE EAST 169During my constant attendance at the meetingsof the Zoological and Entomological Societies, andvisits to the insect and bird departments of theBritish Museum, I had obtained sufficient informationto satisfy me that the very finest field for anexploring and collecting naturalist was to be foundin the great Malayan Archipelago, of which justsufficient was known to prove its wonderful richness,while no part of it, with the one exception of theisland of Java, has been well explored as regardsits natural history. Sir James Brooke had recentlybecome Rajah of Sarawak, while the numerousDutch settlements in Celebes and the Moluccasoffered great facilities for a traveller. So far asknown also, the country was generally healthy, andI determined that it would be much better for meto go to such a new country than to return to theAmazon, where Bates had already been successfullycollecting for five years, and where I knew there wasa good bird-collector who had been long at work inthe upper part of the river towards the Andes.As the journey to the East was an expensive one,I was advised to try to get a free passage in someGovernment ship. Through my paper on the RioNegro, I had made the acquaintance of Sir RoderickMurchison, then President of the Royal GeographicalSociety, and one of the most accessible and kindlyof men of science. On calling upon him and statingmy wishes, he at once agreed to make an applicationon my behalf for a passage to some Malayan port,and as he was personally known to many membersof the Government and had great influence withthem, a passage was promised me on the first shipgoing to those seas. This was, I think, near the endof the year 1853, when I had published my two
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- Page 206 and 207: i64MY LIFEable to begin the work wh
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i68MY LIFEgroups illustrating the <strong>life</strong> histories <strong>of</strong> the othermammalia ; but ample space <strong>and</strong> a very carefulattention to details must be given in order to ensurea successful <strong>and</strong> attractive representation.It was at this time that I first saw Huxley. Atone <strong>of</strong> the evening meetings <strong>of</strong> the Zoological Society(in December, 1852) he gave an account <strong>of</strong> someEchinococci found in the liver <strong>of</strong> a zebra which diedin the gardens. He did not read the paper, but,with the help <strong>of</strong> diagrams <strong>and</strong> sketches on the blackboard,showed us clearly its main points <strong>of</strong> structure,its mode <strong>of</strong> development, <strong>and</strong> the strange transformationsit underwent when the parent worm migratedfrom the intestine to other parts <strong>of</strong> the body <strong>of</strong> theanimal. I was particularly struck with his wonderfulpower <strong>of</strong> making a difficult <strong>and</strong> rather complexsubject perfectly intelligible <strong>and</strong> extremely interestingto persons who, like myself, were absolutelyignorant <strong>of</strong> the whole group. Although he was twoyears younger than myself, Huxley had alreadymade a considerable reputation as a comparativeanatomist, was a Fellow <strong>of</strong> the Royal Society, <strong>and</strong>a few months later was appointed Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong>Natural History <strong>and</strong> Palaeontology at the RoyalSchool <strong>of</strong> Mines. I was amazed, too, at his completemastery <strong>of</strong> the subject, <strong>and</strong> his great amount<strong>of</strong> technical knowledge <strong>of</strong> a kind to which I havenever given any attention, the structure <strong>and</strong> development<strong>of</strong> the lower forms <strong>of</strong> animal <strong>life</strong>. From thattime I always looked up to Huxley as being immeasurablysuperior to myself in scientific knowledge,<strong>and</strong> supposed him to be much older than I was.Many years afterwards I was surprised to find thathe was really younger.
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