tics that, as far as I know, its great merits have not been properly
recognised.

I have been so fully occupied with road-making, well-digging, garden-
and house-planning, planting, etc., that I have given up all other work.

Do you not admire our friend Miss Buckley's admirable article in
_Macmillan_? It seems to me the best and most original that has been
written on your book.

Hoping you are well, and are not working too hard, I remain yours very
faithfully,

ALFRED R. WALLACE.

* * * * *

_Down, Beckenham, Kent. July 9, 1871._

My dear Wallace,--I send by this post a review by Chauncey Wright, as I
much want your opinion of it, as soon as you can send it. I consider you
an incomparably better critic than I am. The article, though not very
clearly written, and poor in parts for want of knowledge, seems to me
admirable.

Mivart's book is producing a great effect against Natural Selection, and
more especially against me. Therefore, if you think the article even
somewhat good, I will write and get permission to publish it as a
shilling pamphlet, together with the MS. addition (enclosed), for which
there was not room at the end of the review. I do not suppose I should
lose more than L20 or L30.

I am now at work at a new and cheap edition of the "Origin," and shall
answer several points in Mivart's book and introduce a new chapter for
this purpose; but I treat the subject so much more concretely, and I
daresay less philosophically, than Wright, that we shall not interfere
with each other. You will think me a bigot when I say, after studying
Mivart, I was never before in my life so convinced of the _general_
(i.e. not in detail) truth of the views in the "Origin." I grieve to see
the omission of the words by Mivart, detected by Wright.[88] I complained
to M. that in two cases he quotes only the commencement of sentences by
me and thus modifies my meaning; but I never supposed he would have
omitted words. There are other cases of what I consider unfair
treatment. I conclude with sorrow that though he means to be honourable,
he is so bigoted that he cannot act fairly.

I was glad to see your letter in _Nature_, though I think you were a
little hard on the silly and presumptuous man.

I hope that your house and grounds are progressing well, and that you
are in all ways flourishing.

I have been rather seedy, but a few days in London did me much good; and
my dear good wife is goi