Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia, 92: 369-372, 2009 Alfred Russel Wallace, co-author of the Darwin-Wallace Theory of Evolution Stefan A. Revets University of Western Australia, School of Earth and Environment, 35 Stirling Highway M004, Crawley WA 6008 Manuscript received January 2010; accepted February 2010 Abstract The intellectual effort, insight and courage to formulate a theory of evolution driven by natural selection was as great for Wallace as it was for Darwin. The neglect, to the point of oblivion, in the last decades of Wallace as Darwin's equal is not acceptable. To help and attempt to redress the balance, a sympathetic sketch of Wallace is called for. Through his publications, correspondence and life history, we gain a picture of Wallace which should encourage us to extend to him the credit to which he is very much due. Keywords: evolutionary theory; Wallace; Darwin Introduction repeatedly to more affordable accommodation, first out of Marylebone, then out of Southwark, then out of Usk, and Alfred Russel Wallace is an intriguing figure. With the on to Hertford. At Usk, where the last two children were explosive growth of a Darwin Industry, Wallace has born (Alfred and Herbert), he managed to keep just one receded to the point where today all too few are aware of servant, cultivating the land himself and providing his his important place in the development of the theory of family with fruit and vegetables, teaching the children evolution through natural selection. himself. It seems that life there was rather a happy one. It is hardly possible to talk about Wallace and not By 1835, he was swindled out of what property he had bring Darwin into the discussion. Of course, it is more left, making life very difficult indeed for the family. They often the case that Wallace is mentioned, in passing or had to make do on the small marriage settlement of his even not at all, in the multitude of works on Darwin and wife, and what income he could make by taking on pupils evolutionary theory. and by acting as librarian to a subscription library. One of In order to get a better idea of who the man Wallace Alfred's older sisters set up a small boarding school for was, it is enlightening to look into the circumstances of young ladies in Hoddleston, which helped as well. At any his family and to how he grew up. rate, those of the children who reached their majority had nothing to start them on in life with exception of a very ordinary education, and had to fend for themselves. Biography Alfred's eldest brother, William, was articled to a firm of surveyors, then spent time with an architect and Alfred Russel Wallace was born to Thomas Vere moved on to work for a large building company involved Wallace and Mary Ann Greenell at Usk, Monmouthshire, in the construction of King's College. He managed to get on 8 January 1823, the eighth of nine children, and the a good professional education and one from which third of four boys. Alfred was soon to profit. Thomas Vere Wallace, hailed from Hanworth in Alfred remembered his childhood at Usk and Hertford Middelsex, and was the only son of an inn-keeper. After as a very happy one, and was largely unaware of the his schooling, he was articled to a firm of solicitors in lack of money in the house. In his youth he had ample London, and from where he became an attorney-at-law opportunity to play along the river and in the in 1792. He never practised as he came into some surrounding woods and fields. He thoroughly enjoyed property which provided him with a modest but good helping out his elder brothers with making the things income. It allowed him to live a quiet life, without any there was no money for. The Boy's Own Book was a most systematic occupation. He just enjoyed himself within his valuable guide to them. It taught him self reliance and means, as a fairly well-to-do middle-class gentleman. ability to improvise, something that would stand him in In 1807, he married Mary Ann Greenell and soon the very good stead later in life. family began to grow. They eventually had nine children When Alfred was 5, the family moved to Hertford and father Wallace had to try to improve his income. As where he attended the local grammar school. He he was not very business minded, nor very energetic, these "suffered" Latin grammar and geography as two most attempts were at first unsuccessful and ultimately painful subjects. In his last year at school, he acted as disastrous. It meant that the family had to move assistant which served instead of paying the fee. He disliked this special position and it reinforced his shyness © Royal Society of Western Australia 2009 even further. 369 Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia, 92(4), December 2009 Books were a major influence on Alfred. His father In the autumn of 1843, Alfred began to write. One of belonged to a book club and a constant stream of books the earliest manuscripts was a sketch for a popular came through the house. Later on, when his father took lecture on botany. He wrote it, partly because of the up the position of librarian, Alfred would spend time in difficulties he himself experienced in getting the library and read. information but largely because of a lecture he had attended. What a local botanist had given was such a When the finances of the family collapsed, Alfred had meagre, uninteresting and so utterly unlike what a to leave his schooling (at the age of not yet 14), and was lecture ought to be that Alfred felt that he should try sent to live with an older brother, John, in London, before and do better. The botanist had enumerated the whole moving in with his eldest brother, William, and training series of the Linnaean Classes and Orders, giving the as a surveyor. characters and naming a few representatives. He had While in London, he began to frequent the Hall of upheld the Linnaean system as the most useful, while Science, a sort of club or institute set up for advanced the natural system was treated as useless for beginners thinkers amongst workmen, particularly for followers of and only suited for experienced botanists. This incensed Robert Owen and his socialist movement. Here too, Alfred the young Alfred: learned a great deal that shaped him as a man. His views All this was so entirely opposed to views I on politics and religion developed quickly and thoroughly. had already formed, that I devoted a large From the summer of 1837, he joined his brother portion of my lecture to the question of William on his surveys and acquired a variety of skills. classification in general , showed that any He eagerly began to learn trigonometry, got excited by classification, however artificial, was better precision measurements and enjoyed learning the use of than none, and that Linnaeus made a great the sextant and the slide-rule. It awakened in him the advance when he substituted generic and thirst for knowledge and he obtained books to help him specific names for the short Latin along. Tramping all over the land, he also observed descriptions of species before used, and by Nature and began to appreciate the natural diversity. It classifying all known plants by means of a also exposed him to the diversity of his fellow man, and few well-marked and easily observed the shy, observant Alfred again learned a great deal. characters. I then showed how and why this classification was only occasionally, When there was a gap in work, Alfred was often left and as it were accidentally, a natural one; to his own devices, and he would spend the time that in a vast number of cases it grouped practising nautical astronomy but engaged in more and together plants which were essentially more rambling among the moors and mountains. In 1841, unlike each other; and that for all he obtained his first booklet on plants, which included purposes, except the naming of species, it descriptions of the more common British plants. This was both useless and inconvenient. I then proved to be a revelation to Alfred, and he would spend showed what the natural system of more and more of his spare time trying to identify the classification really was, what it aimed at, plants he sought out on his rambles. Eventually, he and the much greater interest it gave to the bought, at quite some cost Lindley's Elements of Botany. study of botany. I explained the principles Although it was not what he had hoped for initially, it on which the various natural orders were gave him a much better grasp of systematic botany. He founded, and showed how often they gave managed to borrow Loudon's Encyclopedia of Plants which us a clue to the properties of large groups contained all British Plants. Alfred would spend many of species, and enabled us to detect real hours copying out descriptions so he could use these to affinities under very diverse external forms help him identify the plants he found. He found it helpful to construct his own herbarium as well, even if In 1843, his father dies at the age of 72, and barely a William did not really approve. But: year later, just after turning 21, his brother William tells him there is not enough work and that he will have to Neither he nor I could foresee that it would fend for himself. have any effect on my future life, and I myself only looked upon it as an intensely Alfred finds a position as junior school assistant with interesting occupation for time that would the Rev. Abraham Hill, headmaster of the Collegiate be otherwise wasted. Even when we were School at Leicester. He takes the junior classes in English, busy I had Sundays perfectly free, and used reading, writing and arithmetic as well teaching a few then to take long walks over the mountains boys some surveying and drawing. He settles is well and with my collecting box, which I brought has the time to improve himself further, mainly in home full of treasures. I first named the Algebra, Differential Calculus (although he gets "stuck" species as nearly as I could do so, and then on Integral Calculus), and he works on Latin as well. He laid them out to be pressed and dried. At profited from the very good town library and enjoyed such times I experienced the joy which reading books such as von Humboldt's Personal Narrative every discovery of a new form of life gives of Travels in South America, Prescott's History of the conquests to the lover of nature, almost equal to those of Mexico and Peru, as well as Malthus' Principles of raptures which I afterwards felt at every Population. This book he greatly admired for its masterly capture of new butterflies on the Amazon, summary of facts and logical induction to conclusions. or at the constant stream of new species of It was at Leicester where Alfred wast introduced to birds, beetles, and butterflies in Borneo, the mesmerism. He was rather impressed, tried it himself Moluccas, and the Aru Islands. and succeeded. With the permission of the headmaster. 370 Revets: Wallace, co-author of the Darwin-Wallace Theory of Evolution he ran a series of experiments which convinced him of Edward Doubleday, lepideropterist of the British the reality of the phenomenon. Museum, confirmed their hopes and intentions. They found an agent in Samuel Stevens, who would remain It was also at Leicester, in all likelihood in the library, Alfred's agent for all his collecting trips. that Alfred first met Henry Walter Bates, an enthusiastic entomologist. The two young men got on straight away, The two naturalists were all set to sail on 20 April and Bates opened Wallace's eyes to the diversity of insect 1848 on the Mischief to Para (now Belem). The story of life. Soon they would be spending their spare time their adventures is delightfully told in Wallace's Travels collecting together. on the Amazon and in his autobiography. In February 1846, Alfred received news that William Wallace lost nearly everything on the journey back to had died. As he had died intestate, Alfred discovered London when the ship caught fire and had to be that William had had a small local business, which he abandoned. All made it safely to shore in the end by proposed to continue. He obtained his release from the October 1852. Wallace had managed to save just a few School of the Rev. Hill, and moved to Neath. It took him things in a small tin box. Together with the letters he and his brother John a while to wind up William's affairs had written and the drawings he had saved, he began (quite a bit of money was due to him), and then Alfred to write up an account of his travels. He could also write took up surveying again. He diversified a bit into some more scientific papers on the specimens he had building with John and one of the buildings they sent before travelling up the Rio Negro. He received an designed and oversaw the construction of was a house insurance pay-out which allowed him to continue on for the Mechanics' Institute in Neath. Mr. William Jevons for a while at least. His collections and his writings was behind the establishment of the Institute, and invited brought him to the attention of Zoological and Alfred to give some lectures at the Institute on Entomological Societies and he began to mingle in the elementary physics, mechanics and science in general. scientific circles of the time. Soon after his return, he He did so, at first reluctantly, but the series ran for two met Thomas Henry Huxley for the first time, and was years, and they were popular. Many years later, Alfred very impressed. received a letter from a workman who attended the He was looking for another opportunity of making a Neath Mechanics' Institution, asking if the author of large collection, and picked up from his attendances of Island Life, The Malay Archipelago and other books is the meetings and visits to collections that the Malayan same Mr. Alfred Wallace who taught in the evening Archipelago would offer wonderful riches to the classes at the Neath Abbey artificers: exploring and collecting naturalist. He had made the 1 have often had a desire to know, as 1 acquaintance of Roderick Murchison, President of Royal benefitted more while in your class—if you Geographical Society and appealed to him for help. are the same Mr. A. Wallace—than I ever Murchison was very helpful and agreed to use his was taught at school. I have often wished I considerable influence to secure Wallace passage to some knew how to thank you for the good 1 and Malayan port. While this was being negotiated, Wallace others received from your teaching spent much of his time examining collections at the (Matthew Jones, Cardiff, 1895) British Museum, once again making copious notes and sketches of birds, butterflies and beetles of the Malay The contact with Bates continued to flourish, not just Islands. In January 1854, Wallace got word that he could with letters, but also through joint collecting trips. In the join the Frolic and by February he presented himself at summer of 1847, Bates came up to Neath again, and Spithead, Porthmouth. But because of the Crimean War, besides collecting, mounting and exchanging specimens the plan was abandoned and, through Murchisons they discussed the books they had read, notably Charles representations, Wallace secured a first-class ticket Lyell's Principles of Geology and Robert Chambers' Vestiges overland to Singapore by the next Peninsular and of the Natural History of Creation. Clearly, Alfred was Oriental Steamer. He arrives in Singapore on 20 April already engrossed in the question of the origin of species. 1854 and travels and collects in the Malay Archipelago He had also gone through Darwin's Journal and until 20 February 1862. The Malay Archipelago and having read von Humboldt's Personal Narrative a few chapters in My Life give ample and engrossing details of years earlier and found in them the inspiration to visit the six years he spent there. the tropics as a collector, something he discussed now He wrote his first contribution to the question of the with Bates. A few weeks later, coming back from a visit origin of species in early 1855 during the wet season in to Paris with his sister, Alfred again wrote to Bates. Sarawak. There was nothing else to do but read and Referring to a day spent in the insect room at the British think, which led to his On the Law Which Has Regulated Museum; he writes: the Introduction of Nezv Species, published in the Annals and Magazine of Natural History (1855). The law he I begin to feel rather dissatisfied with a proposed reads: mere local collection; little is to be learnt by it. 1 should like to take some one family to Every species has come into existence study thoroughly, principally with a view coincident both in space and time with a to the theory of the origin of species. By pre-existing closely allied species that means I am strongly of opinion that To Wallace's surprise, no one seemed to have noticed some definite results might be arrived at it. Lyell and Blyth had drawn Darwin's attention to it When Alfred and Henry read W. H. Edwards' A and Huxley would later praise "the powerful essay". Voyage up the Amazon, they felt that this was the very Darwin's copy of the journal is annotated with some place for them to go to. The advice they obtained from comments and largely with approval. 371 Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia, 92(4), December 2009 In January 1858, in one of the many letters he wrote to had three children, Herbert Spencer, William Randolf Bates we find that: and Violet. By all accounts, the marriage was a very happy one. I fear my paper on the Succession of Species will not appear so clear as it does to you. In the first years after his return he was generally That paper is, of course, merely the regarded as a staunch defender of Darwinism, even announcement of the theory, not its considered to be more Darwinian than Darwin himself. development. 1 have prepared the plan and However, on the subject of the evolution of man their written portions of a work embracing the analysis diverged. From the late 1860s onward, whole subject, and have endeavoured to spiritualism began to play a prominent role in Wallace's prove in detail what I have as yet only view of man, and despite his experiments, he failed to indicated. It was the promulgation of convince his fellow evolutionists of his views on Forbes's theory of polarity which led me to spirituality (who were appalled). write and publish, for I was annoyed to see That did not stop Wallace from continuing to such an ideal absurdity put forth, when contribute a wealth of scientific papers and books, such a simple hypothesis will explain all the diversifying into other fields beyond natural history or facts. I have been much gratified by a letter biology. He wrote about geodesy, on glacial features, on from Darwin, in which he says that he museum organisation as well as, for the first time, on agrees with almost even/ word of my paper. politics. His best known works are still referred to today: He is now preparing his great work on The Geographical Distribution of Animals (1876), Tropical Species and Varieties, for which he has been Nature (1878) and Island Life (1880). He began to devote collecting materials for twenty years. He more attention to social issues, including tracts against may save me the trouble of writing more on government aid to science, on the Church of England, on my hypothesis, by proving that there is no the principles of free trade, on the abolishment of trusts, difference in nature between the origin of and on land reform. species and of varieties; or he may give me Wallace was invited to give a series of lectures in the trouble by arriving at another conclusion; United States and Canada in 1886 and 1887. This proved but, at all events, his facts will be given for to be a highly successful tour, which gave him the me to work upon. Your collections and my opportunity not only to meet a great many people own will furnish most valuable material to (including President Cleveland), but also to travel and illustrate and prove the universal see much of Nature as well. The tour proved important applicability of the hypothesis. The in one more respect: it inspired Wallace to write the connection between the succession of highly successful book Darwinism. affinities and the geographical distribution of a group, worked out species by species, Honours started to flow, with medals and honorary has never yet been shown as we shall be doctorates aplenty, even if he was rather reluctant to able to show it accept them. Around 1900, he had become Britain's best- known naturalist. Two months later, the solution for the origin of species dawned on him, recalling Mai thus' Principles of Population Alfred Russel Wallace died at home surrounded by he had read 12 years before. He sends off a manuscript his family on 7th November, 1913, aged 91. entitled On the Tendency of Varieties to Depart Indefinitely Let me conclude by expressing the hope that you will From the Original Type with a letter to Darwin. The crisis take the few imperfectly drawn miniatures 1 have just that this letter wrought has been well documented, as well presented to you as an invitation to find out more about as its neat resolution in the joint reading of Wallace's and this man. And may I suggest you turn to his own Darwin's writings on natural selection at a special meeting writings, his books, his letters, and his autobiography as of the Linnean Society on 1 July 1858. they are a delight to read. I certainly enjoyed getting to In November 1859, On the Zoological Geography of the know this remarkable man and I hope you will too. Malay Archipelago, the paper describing what was later to be known as The Wallace Line), is read before the Linnean Acknowledgements: I thank Vic Semeniuk for inviting me to present this Society and Darwin's On the Origin of Species is published. paper at the Symposium. On 1 April 1862, Wallace arrives back in Britain. Thanks to the sales from his substantial collections, he References gathered the means with which he hoped would allow Kottler M J 1985 Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace: him to retire to a quiet life and live as a country Two decades of debate over natural selection, pp 367^431, in gentleman. Of course, he had to deal with the collections Kohn D The Darwinian Heritage. Princeton University Press, first and it occupied him a full three years. During that Princeton. time he wrote revisions, interpretative works and Marchant J 1916 Alfred Russel Wallace: Letters and presented papers at a multitude of professional meetings. Reminiscences. Cassell, London. He met most of the important English naturalists and Wallace A R 1853 Narrative of Travels on the Amazon and Rio many became friends. He had achieved his most Negro. Reeve, London. cherished dream. Wallace A R 1869 The Malay Archipelago. MacMillan, London. In 1866, he married Annie Mitten (then 18), eldest Wallace A R 1889 Darwinism, An exposition of the Theory of Natural Selection with some of its applications. Macmillan, daughter of William Mitten of Hurstpierpoint (an London. enthusiastic botanist who inculcated the love of wild Wallace A R 1905 My Life, A Record of Events and Opinions. flowers and nature's beauty into his daughter). They Chapman & Hall, London. 372