piano, to read and to write. In the library of St. John's College,
Cambridge, are two copies of the Greek Testament, very fully
annotated by him at the University and in the colony. He also read
the 'Origin of Species', which, as everyone knows, was published in
1859. He became "one of Mr. Darwin's many enthusiastic admirers, and
wrote a philosophic dialogue (the most offensive form, except poetry
and books of travel into supposed unknown countries, that even
literature can assume) upon the 'Origin of Species'" ('Unconscious
Memory', close of Chapter I). This dialogue, unsigned, was printed
in the 'Press', Canterbury, New Zealand, on 20th December, 1862. A
copy of the paper was sent to Charles Darwin, who forwarded it to a,
presumably, English editor with a letter, now in the Canterbury
Museum, New Zealand, speaking of the dialogue as "remarkable from its
spirit and from giving so clear and accurate an account of Mr. D's
theory." It is possible that Butler himself sent the newspaper
containing his dialogue to Mr. Darwin; if so he did not disclose his
name, for Darwin says in his letter that he does not know who the
author was. Butler was closely connected with the 'Press', which was
founded by James Edward FitzGerald, the first Superintendent of the
Province, in May, 1861; he frequently contributed to its pages, and
once, during FitzGerald's absence, had charge of it for a short time,
though he was never its actual editor. The 'Press' reprinted the
dialogue and the correspondence which followed its original
appearance on 8th June, 1912.

On 13th June, 1863, the 'Press' printed a letter by Butler signed
"Cellarius" and headed "Darwin among the Machines," reprinted in 'The
Note-Books of Samuel Butler' (1912). The letter begins:

"Sir: There are few things of which the present generation is more