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
CHAPTER XVSIR CHARLES LYELL AND CHARLES DARWIN(1863-1881)Among the eminent men of science with whom Ibecame more or less intimate during the period ofmy residence in London, I give the first place to SirCharles Lyell, not only on account of his great abilitiesand his position as one of the brightest ornamentsof the nineteenth century, but because I saw more ofhim than of any other man at all approaching him asa thinker and leader in the world of science, whilemy correspondence with him was more varied in thesubjects touched upon, and in some respects of moregeneral interest, than my more extensive correspondencewith Darwin.I do not remember when I first saw Sir Charlesprobably met him at some of the eveningLyell, but Imeetings of the scientific societies. I first lunchedwith him in the summer of 1863, and then met, forthe first time, Lady Lyell and Miss Arabella B.Buckley. Miss Buckley had become Sir Charles'sprivate secretary early in that year, and she informsme that she remembers this visit because Lady Lyellgave her impressions of me afterwards— I am afraidnot very favourable ones, as I was shy, awkward, andquite unused to good society. With Sir Charles Isoon felt at home, owing to his refined and gentle
LYELL AND DARWIN 221manners, his fund of quiet humour, and his intenselove and extensive knowledge of natural science.His great liberality of thought and wide generalinterests were also attractive to me ; and althoughwhen he had once arrived at a definite conclusion heheld by it very tenaciously until a considerable bodyof well-ascertained facts could be adduced against it,yet he was always willing to listen to the argumentsof his opponents, and to give them careful andrepeated consideration.In 1867, when a new edition of the "Principlesof Geology" was in progress, I had much correspondenceand many talks with Sir Charles, chieflyon questions relating to distribution and dispersal, inwhich he, like myself, was greatly interested. Hewas by nature so exceedingly cautious and conservative,and always gave such great weight to difficultiesthat occurred to himself or that were put forth byothers, that it was not easy to satisfy him on anynovel view upon which two opinions existed or werepossible. We used often to discuss these variouspoints, but in any case that seemed to him importanthe usually preferred to write to me, stating his objections,sometimes at great length, and asking me togive my views.In the following year, when I was living at Hurstpierpoint,I wrote a letter to Sir Charles on Darwin'snew theory of "Pangenesis," a passage from whichI will quote, because the disproof of it, which Ithought would not be given, was not long in coming,and, with the more satisfactory theory of Weismann,led me to change my opinion entirely. I wrote(February 20, 1868): "I am reading Darwin's book('Animals and Plants under Domestication'), andhave read the ' Pangenesis ' chapter first, for I could
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- Page 271 and 272: LYELL AND DARWIN 225Sir Charles quo
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CHAPTER XVSIR CHARLES LYELL AND CHARLES DARWIN(1863-1881)Among the eminent men <strong>of</strong> science with whom Ibecame more or less intimate during the period <strong>of</strong>my residence in London, I give the first place to SirCharles Lyell, not only on account <strong>of</strong> his great abilities<strong>and</strong> his position as one <strong>of</strong> the brightest ornaments<strong>of</strong> the nineteenth century, but because I saw more <strong>of</strong>him than <strong>of</strong> any other man at all approaching him asa thinker <strong>and</strong> leader in the world <strong>of</strong> science, whilemy correspondence with him was more varied in thesubjects touched upon, <strong>and</strong> in some respects <strong>of</strong> moregeneral interest, than my more extensive correspondencewith Darwin.I do not remember when I first saw Sir Charlesprobably met him at some <strong>of</strong> the eveningLyell, but Imeetings <strong>of</strong> the scientific societies. I first lunchedwith him in the summer <strong>of</strong> 1863, <strong>and</strong> then met, forthe first time, Lady Lyell <strong>and</strong> Miss Arabella B.Buckley. Miss Buckley had become Sir Charles'sprivate secretary early in that year, <strong>and</strong> she informsme that she remembers this visit because Lady Lyellgave her impressions <strong>of</strong> me afterwards— I am afraidnot very favourable ones, as I was shy, awkward, <strong>and</strong>quite unused to good society. With Sir Charles Isoon felt at home, owing to his refined <strong>and</strong> gentle
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