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was a friend。
2darwin鈥檚 manuscript might have remained locked away till his death but for an alarmingblow that arrived from the far east in the early summer of 1858 in the form of a packetcontaining a friendly letter from a young naturalist named alfred russel wallace and the draftof a paper； on the tendency of varieties to depart indefinitely from the original type；outlining a theory of natural selection that was uncannily similar to darwin鈥檚 secret jottings。
even some of the phrasing echoed darwin鈥檚 own。 鈥渋 never saw a more striking coincidence；鈥�
darwin reflected in dismay。 鈥渋f wallace had my manuscript sketch written out in 1842； hecould not have made a better short abstract。鈥�
wallace didn鈥檛 drop into darwin鈥檚 life quite as unexpectedly as is sometimes suggested。
the two were already corresponding； and wallace had more than once generously sentdarwin specimens that he thought might be of interest。 in the process of these exchangesdarwin had discreetly warned wallace that he regarded the subject of species creation as hisown territory。 鈥渢his summer will make the 20th year （！） since i opened my first note…book； onthe question of how & in what way do species & varieties differ from each other；鈥潯e hadwritten to wallace some time earlier。 鈥渋 am now preparing my work for publication；鈥潯eadded； even though he wasn鈥檛 really。
in any case； wallace failed to grasp what darwin was trying to tell him； and of course hecould have no idea that his own theory was so nearly identical to one that darwin had beenevolving； as it were； for two decades。
darwin was placed in an agonizing quandary。 if he rushed into print to preserve his priority；he would be taking advantage of an innocent tip…off from a distant admirer。 but if he steppedaside； as gentlemanly conduct arguably required； he would lose credit for a theory that he hadindependently propounded。 wallace鈥檚 theory was； by wallace鈥檚 own admission； the result of aflash of insight； darwin鈥檚 was the product of years of careful； plodding； methodical thought。 itwas all crushingly unfair。
to pound his misery； darwin鈥檚 youngest son； also named charles； had contracted scarletfever and was critically ill。 at the height of the crisis； on june 28； the child died。 despite thedistraction of his son鈥檚 illness； darwin found time to dash off letters to his friends charleslyell and joseph hooker； offering to step aside but noting that to do so would mean that allhis work； 鈥渨hatever it may amount to； will be smashed。鈥潯yell and hooker came up with thepromise solution of presenting a summary of darwin鈥檚 and wallace鈥檚 ideas together。 thevenue they settled on was a meeting of the linnaean society； which at the time was strugglingto find its way back into fashion as a seat of scientific eminence。 on july 1； 1858； darwin鈥檚2darwin was one of the few to guess correctly。 he happened to be visiting chambers one day when an advancecopy of the sixth edition of vestiges was delivered。 the keenness with which chambers checked the revisionswas something of a giveaway； though it appears the two men did not discuss it。
and wallace鈥檚 theory was unveiled to the world。 darwin himself was not present。 on the dayof the meeting； he and his wife were burying their son。
the darwin鈥搘allace presentation was one of seven that evening鈥攐ne of the others was onthe flora of angola鈥攁nd if the thirty or so people in the audience had any idea that they werewitnessing the scientific highlight of the century； they showed no sign of it。 no discussionfollowed。 nor did the event attract much notice elsewhere。 darwin cheerfully later noted thatonly one person； a professor haughton of dublin； mentioned the two papers in print and hisconclusion was 鈥渢hat all that was new in them was false； and what was true was old。鈥�
wallace； still in the distant east； learned of these maneuverings long after the event； butwas remarkably equable and seemed pleased to have been included at all。 he even referred tothe theory forever after as 鈥渄arwinism。鈥潯uch less amenable to darwin鈥檚 claim of prioritywas a scottish gardener named patrick matthew who had； rather remarkably； also e upwith the principles of natural selection鈥攊n fact； in the very year that darwin had set sail inthebeagle。 unfortunately； matthew had published these views in a book called naval timberand arboriculture； which had been missed not just by darwin； but by the entire world。
matthew kicked up in a lively manner； with a letter to gardener鈥檚 chronicle； when he sawdarwin gaining credit everywhere for an idea that really was his。 darwin apologized withouthesitation； though he did note for the record： 鈥渋 think that no one will feel surprised thatneither i； nor apparently any other naturalist； has heard of mr。 matthew鈥檚 views； consideringhow briefly they are given； and they appeared in the appendix to a work on naval timberand arboriculture。鈥�
wallace continued for another fifty years as a naturalist and thinker； occasionally a verygood one； but increasingly fell from scientific favor by taking up dubious interests such asspiritualism and the possibility of life existing elsewhere in the universe。 so the theorybecame； essentially by default； darwin鈥檚 alone。
darwin never ceased being tormented by his ideas。 he referred to himself as 鈥渢he devil鈥檚chaplain鈥潯nd said that revealing the theory felt 鈥渓ike confessing a murder。鈥潯part from allelse； he knew it deeply pained his beloved and pious wife。 even so； he set to work at onceexpanding his manuscript into a book…length work。 provisionally he called it an abstract ofan essay on the origin of species and varieties through natural selection 鈥攁 title so tepidand tentative that his publisher； john murray； decided to issue just five hundred copies。 butonce presented with the manuscript； and a slightly more arresting title； murray reconsideredand increased the initial print run to 1；250。
on the origin of species was an immediate mercial success； but rather less of a criticalone。 darwin鈥檚 theory presented two intractable difficulties。 it needed far more time than lordkelvin was willing to concede； and it was scarcely supported by fossil evidence。 where；asked darwin鈥檚 more thoughtful critics； were the transitional forms that his theory so clearlycalled for？ if new species were continuously evolving； then there ought to be lots ofintermediate forms scattered across the fossil record； but there were not。
3in fact； the record asit existed then （and for a long time afterward） showed no life at all right up to the moment ofthe famous cambrian explosion。
3by coincidence； in 1861； at the height of the controversy； just such evidence turned up when workers inbavaria found the bones of an ancient archaeopteryx； a creature halfway between a bird and a dinosaur。 （it hadfeathers； but it also had teeth。） it was an impressive and helpful find； and its significance much debated； but asingle discovery could hardly be considered conclusive。
but now here was darwin； without any evidence； insisting that the earlier seas must havehad abundant life and that we just hadn鈥檛 found it yet because； for whatever reason； it hadn鈥檛been preserved。 it simply could not be otherwise； darwin maintained。 鈥渢he case at presentmust remain inexplicable； and may be truly urged as a valid argument against the views hereentertained；鈥潯e allowed most candidly； but he refused to entertain an alternative possibility。
by way of explanation he speculated鈥攊nventively but incorrectly鈥攖hat perhaps theprecambrian seas had been too clear to lay down sediments and thus had preserved no fossils。
even darwin鈥檚 closest friends were troubled by the blitheness of some of his assertions。
adam sedgwick； who had taught darwin at cambridge and taken him on a geological tour ofwales in 1831； said the book gave him 鈥渕ore pain than pleasure。鈥潯ouis agassiz dismissed itas poor conjecture。 even lyell concluded gloomily： 鈥渄arwin goes too far。鈥�
t。 h。 huxley disliked darwin鈥檚 insistence on huge amounts of geological time because hewas a saltationist； which is to say a believer in the idea that evolutionary changes happen notgradually but suddenly。 saltationists