in 1842 that he never saw a
more striking coincidence: had Mr. Wallace seen his sketch he
could not have made a better short abstract, even his terms
standing "as heads of chapters." He goes on to say that he would
at once write to Mr. Wallace offering to send his MS. to any
journal; and concludes: "So my originality is smashed, though my
book [the forthcoming 'Origin of Species'], if it will have any
value will not be deteriorated, as all know the labour consists in
the application of the theory."
After writing to Sir Charles Lyell, Mr. Darwin informed me of Mr.
Wallace's letter and its enclosure, in a similar strain, only more
explicitly announcing his resolve to abandon all claim to priority
for his own sketch. I could not but protest against such a course,
no doubt reminding him that I had read it and that Sir Charles
knew its contents some years before the arrival of Mr. Wallace's
letter; and that our withholding our knowledge of its priority
would be unjustifiable. I further suggested the simultaneous
publication of the two, and offered--should he agree to such a
compromise--to write to Mr.
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