WCP3762

[1]

48 Manor Place

Edinburgh

Dec^r 1st 1893l

Dear Professor Huxley.

Yesterday I had the honour of receiving at the rooms of the Society of Antiquaries your letter and its accompanying volume, for which I pray you to accept my best thanks. I need not assure you that any opinion you would give on my humble production would be valued more highly that that of any other living authority. Accordingly I cherish your letter as a most gratifying mark of distinction, the more so indeed that it was unexpected.

The "tripod" business was an old anatomical idea which floated in my mind since the days of my teacher Prof^r Goodsin. The point being merely incidental to my argument I did not [2] look very critically into it; and I have no doubt whatever that your are absolutely correct in the remarks you have made. It has just recently occurred to me that there are a few sporadic essays on the borderland of science contributed to various societies which might be worth republishing in a collected form: and I am now going to ask you the favour, should this intention be carried out, to allow me to print the portion of your letter leaning on the above point as an explanatory note.

The idea of discussing Mr Wallace's theory occurred to me after reading some recent notes appended to his "Natural Selection" 1891 p.215 which brought "the spiritualistic lace[?]" more into shape than the actual text; but I really did not know that that you had so thoroughly "picked the bone" as to leave nothing for any one else to pick. It was in one way fortunate that I had not seen your production , because , in face of it, I certainly would not have the cheek to go over the grounds again. Shortly after my return from Nottingham I saw the announcement of the publication of your essays in a collected series so I at once gave a standing order to my bookseller to send the volumes as published believing this form to be more convenient for reference. I therefore had "Darwiniana" early in November and when I came upon the passages to which you now direct my attention I got a great start. Ultimately my agitation was somewhat appeased when I found that my line of attack was slightly different — I hope sufficiently so to let me have at least the credit of independent thought in the matter.

Let me just say what a pleasure it is, now [3] that I have leisure to do so without the harassing cares of medical practice, to follow the workings of your mind in these marvellous essays, so fresh vigorous and appropriate, as if they had been written yesterday.

That you may be long spared to wield your pen, scalping-knife or tomahawk in the fields of Science & Common Sense is the earnest wish of

Yours very sincerely

Robert Munro [signature]

The Right Hon. Thomas Henry Huxley F.R.S

Hodeslea, Bournemouth

1. Munro, Robert (1835-1920). Scottish physician and archaeologist.