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The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection
Alfred Russel Wallace (1823 - 1913) was one of the world's most important scientists. His seminal contributions to biology rival those of his friend and colleague Charles Darwin, though he is far less well known. Together Wallace and Darwin proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection in 1858, and their prolific subsequent work laid the foundations of modern evolutionary biology, and much more besides.
Wallace made enduring scholarly contributions to subjects as diverse as glaciology, land reform, anthropology, ethnography, epidemiology, and astrobiology. His pioneering work on evolutionary biogeography (the science that seeks to explain the geographical distribution of organisms) led to him becoming recognised as that subject’s ‘father’. Beyond this Wallace is regarded as the pre-eminent collector and field biologist of tropical regions of the 19th century, and his book The Malay Archipelago (which was Joseph Conrad’s favourite bedside reading) is one of the most celebrated travel writings of that century and has never been out of print. Wallace was a man with an extraordinary breadth of interests who was actively engaged with many of the big questions and important issues of his day. He was anti-slavery, anti-eugenics, anti-vivisection, anti-militarism, anti-Imperialism, a conservationist and an advocate of woman's rights. He strongly believed in the rights of the ordinary person, was a socialist, an anti-vaccinationist (for rational reasons), and a believer in naturalistic, evolutionary spiritualism. He did not come from a privileged background and was largely self-taught. For a brief biography see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/mini-biography
The Wallace Correspondence Project (WCP) was founded by George Beccaloni in 2010. Its aims are to locate, digitise, catalogue, transcribe, interpret and publish Wallace's surviving correspondence and other manuscripts. About 5,700 letters to and from Wallace are currently known to survive, and they are held by c. 240 institutions and individuals worldwide. Wallace's letters are a biographical treasure trove, which provides a far better picture of the 'real' Wallace than his heavily edited and censored published writings (e.g. his autobiography My Life (1905) and his letters in Marchant's Letters and Reminiscences (1916)). For example, Wallace never even mentions his wife's name (Annie) in any of his published writings, including his autobiography. The letters are also key to gaining a deeper understanding of his scientific and other work: how and why his ideas arose, and how they evolved over time.
The WCP is unlocking this valuable resource by gathering all the letters together for the first time, and transcribing them so that they can be more easily read and information within them discovered using electronic searches for words and phrases. The vast amount of unpublished information which is coming to light will surely form the basis for numerous articles, scholarly papers, PhD theses and perhaps the first definitive biography.
Epsilon is being used by the WCP's as its online archive of Wallace's correspondence. It replaces our previous archive, Wallace Letters Online, which was last updated in 2015. The process of editing the transcripts and associated metadata is a work in progress which will take many years to complete. Our project’s policy is, however, to make the information we have available to users at the earliest possible opportunity, even if it is incomplete and/or imperfect. For a guide to our data, including the protocols we use for metadata and transcriptions, please see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon
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Talks of administrative matters. Tells of some collection that left by the Water Lily Singapore on 5th March including, orang skins and skulls, ferns and insects bird and mammal skins, shells, reptiles and directs Stevens what should be done with these collections.
Talks of the difficulties he has had in getting to Macassar and his preparations he has made for collecting once he arrives there. He is sending two cases to Stevens - one full of books which he wants to sell and the other full of monkey skins, shells, insects for sale as well as insects, birds and monkey skull for private collection. Also some items addressed to Mrs Wallace and Mr Sims. Encloses a letter for forwarding to Bates.
Mentions lack of insects to be found in the area in the dry season and attributes this to the cultivation of this area. Has had more success in collecting birds. The birds in this area "throw great light on the laws of Geographical distribution of Animals in the East". He is preparing a short account of his theory for publication. His bird collection amounts to 68 species of which about 20 are not found to the west of the island. Goes on to describe the land and its cultivation. Details some specimens he is sending to Singapore for shipping home (includes birds for sale, butterflies, beetles and land and fresh water shells). Offers the domestic duck to Darwin as well as the jungle cock.
Talks of his arrival in Celebes [Sulawesi] and describes very sparse land. There are some woods (patch of about 6-8 miles) and he has found some birds and butterflies but no beetles. Talks of the difficulties collecting here being similar to that of the Amazon. Good collection of birds, including an abundance of Raptorial birds - the first place he has found these in the Archipelago. Collected over 40 species of bird, which he believes include some new species. Then talks of local traditions and some administrative matters.
Talks of collecting beetles and birds (some new species) at the Kaisal Islands. 20 new species of Loyrcorus and several species of the genus Serixia. Discovered a new bird of paradise (new genus). Surprised to find it so far out. Mentions that the essay he sent to Darwin on "Varieties" has been read out alongside Darwin's at the Linnean; asks if they are published can Stevens obtain a few copies and send them to ARW's friends.
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ARW tells Agent of his travel plans and seeks information and advice. Planning to head for Matto Grosso, possibly into Bolivia. Perhaps will “get up the Rio Nigro [sic] towards the sources of the Orinooko [sic], ” will head for Montalegre. Oranges are fourpence a bushel. “The more I see of the country, the more I want to, and can see no end of, the species of buttterflies when the whole country is well explored.
Spent 3 weeks at Montealegre, now back at Santarem nearly a month. Before leaving for Rio Negro, sending “small lot of insects…Lepidoptera.” Many new species, difficult to capture because they settle high in trees. Also sending Indian-made painted calabashes and small stuffed alligator.
Delays in finding new canoe crews each few days to go upriver, arrived at Bara 30th of December; took 34 days from Santarem. Plagued by mosquitos until reached Rio Negro, which deserves its name: waters are “black as ink”, but mercifully no mosquitos. Staying with Sir Henrique Anthony; Richard Spruce arrived there previous evening. Impossible to send live animals from here, would not pay to do so. Collected more umbrella bird skins, bell birds, and two new species of anacaris [aracaris?] (small toucans).
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