"I was too anxious to seize on the opportunity thus offered of
giving the book a fair chance with the multitudinous readers of
the _Times_ to make any difficulty about conditions; and being
then very full of the subject, I wrote the article faster, I
think, than I ever wrote anything in my life, and sent it to Mr.
Lucas, who duly prefixed his opening sentences. When the article
appeared, there was much speculation as to its authorship. The
secret leaked out in time, as all secrets will, but not by my
aid; and then I used to derive a good deal of innocent amusement
from the vehement assertions of some of my more acute friends,
that they knew it was mine from the first paragraph." "As the
_Times_ some years since referred to my connection with the
review, I suppose there will be no breach of confidence in the
publication of this little history."

This review was one of the few favourable notices, and naturally it
delighted Darwin greatly. He wrote to Hooker about it: "Have you seen
the splendid essay and notice of my book in the _Times_? I cannot
avoid a strong suspicion that it is by Huxley; but I have never heard
that he wrote in the _Times_. It will do grand service." On the same
day, writing to Huxley himself, he said of the review:

"It included an eulogium of me which quite touched me, although I
am not vain enough to think it all deserved. The author is a
literary man and a German scholar. He has read my book
attentively; but, what is very remarkable, it seems that he is a
profound naturalist. He knows my barnacle book and appreciates it
too highly. Lastly, he writes and thinks with quite uncommon
force and clearness; and, what is even still rarer, his writing
is seasoned with most pleasant wit. We all laughed heartily over
some of the sentences.... Who can it be? Certainly I should have
said that there was only one man in England who could have
written this essay, and that you were the man; but I suppose that
I am wrong, and that there is some hidden genius of great
calibre; for how could you influence Jupiter Olympus and make him
give you three and a half columns to pure science? The old fogies
will think the world will come to an end. Well, whoever the man
is, he has done great service to the cause."

The essay in the _Times_ was followed shortly afterwards by a "Fr