Forwarding of a sextant and book, suggests William takes readings and compares results with Ordnance Survey map, gives detailed instructions for surveying fields and boundaries; progress of house building, walls and ceiling joists, expects roof to go on in a month; Bingo? unwell so has done no digging; Greenhouse leaks; pond filled and red water lilies planted, plans to exchange water plants with a nurseryman in Christchurch [Dorset]; glad William has met more Socialists, encloses letter from a Socialist correspondent (unnamed, letter not present).

Progress of house building; 3 chimneys up, Percy (Curtis) proud of appearance of roof's gables, hips and dormers, felting and tiling to be done; annoying delays in fitting window frames; rough calculation of 400 feet of water piping, good book on hot water supply by Mr Dye; choosing fixtures and fittings for kitchen and bathroom from Spring? and Marten of Stratford catalogue; electric bells to be fitted; suggests William might find books on surveying in old Newcastle bookshops.

Progress of house building; extra expense and days lost through replacement of faulty windows, re-hanging a door, missing door locks and window glass of wrong thickness (ink sketches of windows and door latches on two pages); bills of £120 this month, economy needed; bookshelves fitted in study but no shelves elsewhere, house full of unpacked crates; work on garden and greenhouse; sheep, cattle and horses nibbling plants; "Manx Codlen" and "Northern Greening" apples in orchard; teak front door begun; parrot now well and beginning to talk.

The 1902 Rede Lecture by Osborne Reynolds "On an inversion of ideas as to the structure of the Universe" - his explanation of gravity similar to Allen's; work on house and garden; reading books for material for his own book, [Man's place in the Universe] hopes to get it out by summer; William Greenell Wallace's business in Ipswich and London.

Approval of William's notes [on proofs of Man's place in the Universe], sending four more chapters, relieved to be finished, thinks the book will sell well; enclosing a letter (not present) from Hicks; going to meet Mrs Fisher.

Proof reading of his book, [Man's place in the Universe] sending the last four chapters; agrees section on the sun vague, argument on light of stars cut out; gravitation and angular velocity of forces at earth's centre; Mr Marshall to read proofs also, asks William Greenell Wallace to compare readings with him; writing rushed but can be improved in a new edition. The last page is annotated in pencil [in William Greenell Wallace's hand] with mathematical calculations.

Writes about William's friendship with [Portheim] at Siemens; sister Violet; William's mother's query as to the fate of a medal.

William Greenell Wallace's proof corrections [to Man's Place in the Universe], stars, Milky Way, Solar Cluster, Jupiter; speculation in accordance with known facts; difference of opinion over spiritualism; writing an article for the Fortnightly; purchase of a telescope from Cooke of York, better than the last, making a stand for it; trying to help Fred Birch to get a post as Museum curator in the Federated Malay States.

Writing recollections, has written chapter 2, on Usk, and now beginning chapter 1, on relations and ancestors, has lost William's notes made [of family gravestones] at Laleham, can William recall details; writing on James Whitcomb Riley, Poe and "Leonanie" for the Fortnightly, has written to American editors and biographers of Poe for information; injury to William's foot.

Sending William a food parcel; arrival of "Bacon" Atlas (Bacon's World Atlas, c.1900), sent back as not suitable, maps poor quality, asks William to look out for a copy of Bartholomew's Atlas; Grandpa and aunt Rose (William and Rose Mitten) visiting; autobiography of Robert Owen, "the earliest and greatest Socialist" recommended reading; up to chapter fifteen of his own autobiography; chair ordered delivered to wrong address.

Writing an article against reincarnation for the London Magazine; working on autobiography; interesting article "Is Vaccination a Disastrous Delusion" by a Bournemouth man (Ernest McCormick) in The Westminster Review; visit from an American journalist who interviewed and photographed ARW.

Designs for plates on gate; William Greenell Wallace's visit to Mr Walker; recommending a visit to Colonel S D Williams at Brum (Birmingham); Spiritualism in Manchester; selecting personal letters for use in autobiography and sorting into categories by subject, has finished a chapter on his brother Herbert: "I have been sorting out the whole lot of my letters &c. first in years - then going over them and taking out all those I shall want to use for the Autobiog. Such as Huxley, Tyndall, Spencer, Purland, and about 20 other persons of some note - also putting together all those referring to Spiritualism, Vaccination, Socialism &c. so that as I come to each of these subjects I shall have all the materials at hand to take exactly what I want for an interesting summary of the subject. I have finished a nice little chapter of my brother Herbert's life & poems, having found about 12 poems and 6 enigmas which are really good...".

Lost key to chess box; arrival of an autograph book from Bright's; ARW's eyes improving and work begun again on autobiography, thinks it will take a year to write, has reached the age of 21 and sketch of his character at the time; letter from Mr Casey about Edward's college testimonial; Violet enjoying Borth; visit from Sir Thomas Hanbury.

William's lodgings at Saltburn; Hardwicke & Blaber and legal proceedings relating to Dr Scott; surface temperature of Mars; has written to Prof Barrett of Dublin.

Enclosing a paper (not present) on glacial valleys sent by a young man from Middlesborough; death and funeral of Mr Weston; Fred Birch arrived at Minas Geraes; struggling with temperatures and canals of Mars (for Is Mars Habitable?, published Dec 1907), has written to mathematicians Sharpe?, Fisher, Barrett and Poynting on the subject; suffering from asthma, thinks diet the cause; Violet to visit.

An interesting press cutting on Lowell and Mars sent by William; enclosing a cutting (not present) about Kipling; Prof Poynting to reply to Lowell's mathematical paper; ARW's book (presumably Is Mars Habitable?) finished, chapter on temperature of Mars sent to Poynting for comment, MS to go to Macmillan; possibility of mean temperature of planets being affected by rate of rotation, Osmond Fisher's opinion differs from ARW's, Stefan's Law.

Sending William's clothes; MS of Mars book (Is Mars Habitable?) sent to Macmillan's after extensive revision and correction, asks William to read proofs, Prof Poynting to read proofs of new chapter.

Writes about the arrival of William's medal and certificate [possibly from the Society of Electrical Engineers], sending them on to him to show people at Hurst, letter from William's Portsmouth friend will be sent on also; ARW's preference for the head of Galvani or some other electrical scientist rather than the Prince of Wales on the medal; William's progress at work; Miss McDonald arriving for Christmas; sister Violet's career prospects; William's return to Charlton; King & Co's [Scufi] Album [stamp album] not yet out.

Proofs of "Mars" (Is Mars Habitable?), all William's suggestions adopted, Lowell quoted on atmosphere of Mars; Lowell doing a series of popular articles in Century magazine so a "fair stand-up fight" between him and ARW; will now continue with work on "Spruce", (Notes of a Botanist on the Amazon and Andes by Richard Spruce, ed. and condensed by ARW, Dec. 1908) intends to include matter from Spruce articles and reports for Linnean Society, Geographical Society and Blue books and some new letters, cutting out much of the Journal and botanical matter to make the book more readable; supposes they must wait 6 months for the "Widows" [Scottish Widows insurance].

Correspondence with Mr Waugh; [Daily News] Reading (competition); plans to spend £25 payment when Spruce book (Notes of a botanist on the Amazon and Andes, by Richard Spruce, edited and condensed and with a biography by ARW, published Dec 1908), finished by building a long cement windbreak in the garden; an artist, Mr Young, visiting to finish some of Spruce's outline drawings, four new Spruce pictures found, several photographs including native portraits will also illustrate the book, first proofs have arrived.