Dear Darwin

I have well considered the pros & cons of the proposal to enlist sympathy in the matter of a pension to Wallace, & I greatly doubt its advisability.¹

Wallace has lost cast terribly, not only by his adhesion to Spiritualism, but by the fact of his having deliberately & against the whole voice of the Committee of his section of the British Association, brought about a discussion on Spiritualism at one of it’s sectional meetings, when he was President of that section.— This he is said to have done in an underhand manner, & I well remember the indignation it gave rise to in the B.A. Council, & amongst the members at large. In fact it led to our at once framing rules requiring the consideration in Committee of all papers before they should be read.²

Then there is the matter of his taking up the Lunatic’s bet about the Sphericity of the Earth, & pocketing the money.³ There may be two opinions about this, but at any rate there is a prevalent & very strong one to the effect that it was not honorable, to a Scientific man, who was certain of his ground.

I think that under these circumstances it would be very difficult to ask one’s friends to sign an application to Govt. for a pension. Added to which Govt. should in fairness be informed that the candidate is a public & leading Spiritualist!— It would never do if an M.P. were to stand up & challenge the pension, to have it said that the Scientific world had put him forward & left the Govt. in ignorance of what might have swayed their decisions as to the distribution of pensions.—

Lastly a man not in absolute poverty has little chance;—& after all Wallace’s claim is not that he is in need, so much as that he can’t find employment.⁴

I need not add that I have no animus against Wallace & that I cordially reciprocate your sentiment as to the value of his early work. & the claim it has on his country’s gratitude

I hear such good accounts of your health—

Ever affy yrs | J D Hooker

We think of going to the Hodgson’s⁵ in Glostershire for Xmas. week.