In 1854 Alfred Russel Wallace, a young Victorian naturalist, journeyed to the unexplored islands of the Far East. Wallace wrote to Charles Darwin in 1858, describing what he encountered on his journeys, and one year later Darwin published his own great work [if]On the Origin of Spesies[rf], the most important scientific innovation of the 19th century.. Also see [if]Ascent of Man: 9 -- The ladder of Creation[rf] (50356).