In December 1862, three years after Charles Darwin's On the origin of species was published, Samuel Butler penned this imaginary dialogue about the book. Butler had arrived in Canterbury in 1860, and he published the piece in the Christchurch Press. Despite the fanciful style, the dialogue provided an accurate account of Darwin's theory for colonials who had not read the book.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
National Library of New Zealand, Papers Past
Reference:
Press, 20 December 1862, p. 2
Permission of the National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
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