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There has just passed away from us, at Downe House, Downe, Professor Charles Robert Darwin, L.L.D., F.R.S., a man well known in the scientific world, but better known in his own immediate neighbourhood, where he resided for upwards of forty years. Mr. Darwin was in his 73rd year, and although he had been ill for some days, he had, it was thought improved, and he had hardly, if at all, released those studies, on which he had spent so many years.

However on the 18th April he had a relapse from which he did not rally, and he expired on the following day (Wednesday).

Although spending so much time in his deep researches, Mr. Darwin still found numerous opportunities to relieve the wants of the needy, and exercise his benevolent nature, till the news of his death caused great sorrow in Downe, and throughout the country. His loss to the scientific world is also very great, and expressions of sympathy with the members of the deceased gentleman's family were sent from all parts of the world.

Mr. Darwin was born at Shrewsbury, being the son of Dr. Robert Waring Darwin, F.R.S., the poetical philanthropic, and scientific physician of Litchfield, whose "Botanic Garden," "The Temple of Nature," "Zoonomia," and "Origin of Society," were once extensively read and admired. Mr. Darwin's mother was a daughter of Josiah Wedgwood, the modern founder of the English pottery manufacture. He was educated first at Shrewsbury Grammar School, under Dr. Butler, afterwards Bishop of Lichfield; he went to the University of Edinburgh in 1825, remained there two years, and next entered Christ's College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1832, and M.A. in 1837.

His hereditary aptitude for the study of natural science caused the Rev. Mr. Henslow, Professor at Botany at Cambridge, to recommend him to Captain Fitzroy and the Lords of the Admiralty, in 1831, when a naturalist was to be chosen to accompany the second surveying expedition of her Majesty's ship Beagle in the Southern Seas. The first expedition, that of the Adventure and Beagle (1826-30) had explored the coasts of Patagonia; the Beagle which sailed again Dec. 27, 1831, and returned to England Oct. 22, 1836 [Oct. 2, 1836], made a scientific circumnavigation of the globe. Mr. Darwin served without salary, and partly paid his own expenses on condition that he should have the entire disposal of his zoological, botanical, and geological collections.

On returning to England he published a "Journal of Researches into the Geology and Natural History" of the various countries he had visited. This originally appeared with a general account of the voyage by Captain Fitzroy, but was afterwards published separately. Since that time Mr. Darwin has prosecuted his scientific investigations in England; and for many

years resided near Farnborough, Kent, having married in 1831 [1839] his cousin, Miss Emma Wedgwood, by whom he has a large family. In addition to numerous papers on various scientific subjects, Mr. Darwin edited the "Zoology of the Voyage of the Beagle," and wrote three separate volumes on geology; viz., "The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs," 1842, second edition 1874; "Geological Observations on Volcanic Islands," 1844; "Geological Observations on South America," 1846. The most important of Mr. Darwin's subsequent works are a "Monograph of the Family Cirrhipedia," published by the Ray Society in 1851-3, [1] and on the "Fossil Species," by the Palæontological Society. His "Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection," published in 1859, which has gone through several editions at home, and has been translated into French, German, Italian, Spanish, and other European languages, gave rise to much controversy. In this bold and ingenious essay he propounded his famous philosophical theory, the main proposition being that all the various forms of vegetable and animal life, past or present, have been produced by a series of gradual changes in natural descent from parents to offspring.

According to him all the animals, beasts, birds, reptiles, insects, fishes, and zoophytes, have descended from at most four or five progenitors; all the plants from a greater number. But analogy would lead to the belief that all animals and plants have together descended from some one prototype. Mr. Darwin's subsequent works have had their object the supplying the data on which he founded his conclusions. A treatise on the "Fertilization of Orchids," published in 1862, was followed by "Domesticated Animals and Cultivated Plants; or the Principles of Variation, Inheritance, Reversion, Crossing, Inter-breeding, and Selection, under Domestication," in 1867 [1868].

In 1871 he published the "Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex," two volumes, a new edition of which was published in 1874 [1875], in one volume [in two volumes], with large additions. In this work the author infers that "man is descended from a hairy quadruped, furnished with a tail and pointed ears, probably arboreal in its habits." His more recent publications are "The Expression of the Emotions of Man and Animals," 1872; "Movements and habits of Climbing Plants," [1865], second edition, 1875; "Insectivorous Plants," 1875; "Cross and Self Fertilization in the Vegetable Kingdom," 1876; and "Different Form of Flowers in Plants of the same species," 1877. Mr. Darwin, who has been elected a member of various Foreign and English scientific bodies, received from the Royal Society the Royal and Copley medals for his various scientific works, and from the Geological Society the Wollaston Palladian medal. He has been created a Knight of the Order Pour le Mérite by the Prussian Government; and in June, 1871, he was elected a corresponding member of the Academy of Vienna. The University of Leyden conferred upon him the honorary degree of M.D., in Feb., 1875, the University of Cambridge gave him the honorary degree of LL.D., Nov. 17, 1877, and he was elected a corresponding member of the French Academy of Sciences in August, 1878.

The interment took place at Westminster Abbey on Wednesday the 26th, with marks of respect due to one

[1] The dates of publication of Darwin's volumes on the Fossil Cirripedia and Living Cirripedia, by the Palaeontographical and Ray Societies, were long considered to be 1851a, 1851b, 1854a and 1854b, or Fossil Cirripedia 1, Living Cirripedia 1, Living Cirripedia 2 & Fossil Cirripedia 2, respectively. It is the purpose of this note to call attention to the fact that the actual publication dates for 1851b and 1854b were found to be 1852 and 1855 (Withers 1928, Newman 1993) as opposed to the dates on their title pages. Dates of publications can be important should matters of priority arise.  

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who name has been for many years familiar as a household word to his countrymen. The coffin containing the body was brought to the Abbey late on the previous evening and borne through the cloisters, Mr. Darwin's five sons following, into the Chapel of St. Faith. This is a portion of the Abbey little known; it is a long, narrow apartment, with a groined and vaulted roof, situate between the end of the south transcept and the vestibule of the Chapter House, and was until a few years ago used as a store room, and for some time was mistakenly called the Chapel of St. Blaize. Sir Gilbert Scott, however, discovered at the east end, where traces of an altar were found, a mural painting of a female figure, evidently a saint, holding in her hands a book and an iron rod- the emblems of St. Faith. The western portion of the room formed of old a revestry. Into this chapel, which, to the eyes of the great architect, seemed "a most picturesque and beautiful room," the coffin was carried on Tuesday. Soon after 11 in the morning those who were to follow the body as mourners began to assemble in the Chapter House. The Embassies of France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, were represented.

About 20 minutes to twelve the body was brought out of the Chapel of St. Faith, through the Chapter House vestibule, into the west cloister. The coffin was covered with a black velvet pall edged with white silk. On it were laid many wreaths of beautiful white flowers, one of the wreaths having been sent by some members of scientific societies in Liverpool, represented by Mr. Isaac C. Thompson, F.R.M.S., honorary secretary of the Microscopical Society of Liverpool. The pall-bearers were the Duke of Devonshire, the Duke of Argyll, the Earl of Derby, Mr. J. Russell Lowell, the American Minister; Mr. W. Spottiwoode, LL.D., President of the Royal Society; Sir Joseph Hooker, Mr. A. R. Wallace, Professor Huxley, Sir John Lubbock, and the Rev. Canon Farrar. Proceeding through the south cloister the procession was met by members of the family and others, as follows:-

Mr. William Erasmus Darwin, chief mourner; Mr George Darwin, F.R.S., Mrs. William Darwin, Miss Darwin, Mrs. Litchfield, Mr. Francis Darwin, Mr. R. B. Litchfield, Mr. Horace Darwin, Mr Leonard Darwin, R.E., Mr Darwin, of Elston Hall, Mr. F. Alvey Darwin, Captain Charles Darwin, Mr. Reginald Darwin, of Buxton, Mrs. Vaughan Williams, Miss Wedgwood, the Rev. Charles Parker, Mr. Robert Parker, Mr. H. F. Bristowe, Q.C., Mr. Francis Galton, F.R.S., Mr Ernest Wedgwood, Mr Hensleigh Wedgwood, Mr. T. H. Farrar, Secretary of the Board of Trade, Mrs. Farrar, Mr Godfrey Wedgwood, Miss A. Wedgwood, Mrs Ruck, the Rev. Arthur Wedgwood, Mr. J. C. Hawkshaw, Mrs Hawkshaw, Mr. George Allen, Mr Henry Allen, M.P.; Mr. William Jackson and Mr Joseph Parslow.

Within the Abbey a large congregation was assembled filling the seats on the south side of the nave, the seats in the choir, and such as were not reserved for the mourners in the

transcepts, while a large number admitted without tickets stood on the north side of the nave. At the West Cloister door the mourners were met by the Rev. Canon Prothero, who read the opening sentence of the Service for the Burial of the Dead, the choir chanting the other processional sentences as they moved down the south aisle to the west end of the church, and then up the nave into the choir. The body was placed in front of the Communion rails during the first portion of the service. The Psalms were chanted to Purcell's music, and after the Lesson, which was read by Canon Duckworth, an anthem composed for the occasion, by Dr. Bridge, was sung to the words from the Book of Proverbs, "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and getteth understanding. She is more precious than rubies, and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left hand riches and honour. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace."

The soft and subdued ending of the composition, prepared the mind for the last sad duty that remained to be performed. The body was now moved to the grave, which is at the north-east corner of the nave, next to that of Sir John Herschell, and then a more plaintive march, by Frans Schubert, in B minor, the rest of the service was impressively read by Canon Prothero. Just beneath the monument to Sir Isaac Newton, stood a remarkable crowd, such as only an occasion of deep and general interest would bring together. The anthem, by Handel, "His body is buried in peace, but his name liveth evermore," was sung, and the senior Canon, having pronounced the benediction, the mourners left, and the public were then allowed to pass round the grave. The inscription on the plate of the white, unpolished oak coffin, read, "Charles Robert Darwin. Born February 12, 1809. Died April 19th, 1882."