Oft have we follow'd with sincere acclaim
To mark thee unfold Nature's mystery.
For this we thank thee, yet one thing remains
Shall shrine thee deeper in the heart of man,
In ages yet to be when we are dust;
Thou hast put forth thy hand to rend our chains,
Our birthright to restore from feudal ban;
O righteous soul, magnanimous and just!
W. BRAUNSTON JONES.
Sir William Barrett, one of Wallace's oldest friends, visited him during
the last year of his life, and thus describes the visit:
In the early summer of 1913, some six months before his death, I
had the pleasure of paying another visit and spending a delightful
afternoon with my old friend. His health was failing, and he sat
wrapped up before a fire in his study, though it was a warm day.
He could not walk round his garden with me as before, but pointed
to the little plot of ground in front of the French windows of his
study--where he had moved some of his rarer primulas and other
plants he was engaged in hybridising--and which he could just
manage to visit. His eyesight and hearing seemed as good as ever,
and his intellectual power was undimmed....
Dr. Wallace then, pointing to the beautiful expanse of garden,
woodland and sea which was visible from the large study windows,
burst forth with vigorous gesticulation and flashing eyes: "Just
think! All this wonderful beauty and diversity of nature results
from the operation of a few simple laws.
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