Asks William to purchase some aluminium sheet suitable for plant labels as ARW's copper ones too thin and brittle; visit by Mr Stead.
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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
Asks William to purchase some aluminium sheet suitable for plant labels as ARW's copper ones too thin and brittle; visit by Mr Stead.
Instructions to view "The Grange", Beaconsfield, if possible with his sister Violet; enclosing viewing order, a map and a letter from Mr Gurney (none of these present), with instructions for journey by train or bicycle; price of £30,000 may be too high for Carter but Tebb, Swinton or others may invest.
Regarding viewing "The Grange" (at Beaconsfield) near Amersham with his sister and mother, with details of journey, price of land per acre and opinion on suitability; instructions to report on size of rooms, water supply and position; asking for first name of Mr Gurney; possibility of ARW himself going to view; William's coat.
Regarding William's coat; viewing of "The Grange" near Amersham, ARW's decision to go to London and possibly stay at Mr Morse's Spiritualist Hotel near Baker Street station and join William, Violet and their mother in viewing the property.
Regarding inspection of a house (The Grange) near Amersham with a view to buying, enclosing pencil drawing of plan of house, headed: "The Grange, Beaconsfield".
William's new and better position with a "decent and liberal firm"; sending some of his goods including clothes, advice to buy some cellulose collars and cuffs; enclosing letter (not present) from Mr Davies who wants supporters in preserving Godalming Old Market Place and is interested in William's Rowan fields; fears they may lose "The Grange" through lack of investors with enough money, the owner having refused an offer of £14,000, Carter to view property, need to seek a builder with large capital.
Writing new edition [of Wonderful Century] with instructions for William in correction of MS; chapters on electricity; transmission of power, Niagara falls; Clerk-Maxwell theory; electric light; will send chapters on Radiation and Chemistry to a Mr Garnett who pointed out errors in first edition; new chapters to be written on astronomy including cosmic theory; unable to find a good [wood]cut of an early post-chaise with postillion, can William help; no need to send MS to Mac if a suitable expert in Newcastle.
Sherlock Holmes story serialised in Strand (Magazine), thanks William for part 2, speculates on development of plot; now looking for houses nearby, [Bingo] has been looking on his behalf; recovering from recent ill-health.
Alteration of a closet [in the newly purchased property "Old Orchard"] to create a deep window sill for plants, enclosing tracing, alterations to ground-plan of house with details; inspection of "Old Orchard" with aunt Flora; details of garden; engagement of a gardener and men to make road and fence; builder Mr Curtis, Carter's head manager, lent to advise on design and building; hopes working drawings ready by Christmas; details of plans for sub-contracting, payment, and suppliers of materials.
Water supply and surveying road to cottage, possible purchase of more land adjoining, enclosing tracings of Mr Donkin's building plans (not present).
Musical alarm clock for William, water supply to house, architect's plans; Christmas gifts.
Progress of house building; garden plans; payment for Nutwood (Cottage).
House-building, work about to begin.
Progress of house building and garden preparation, problems with water supply.
Progress of house building, planting trees.
Progress of house building; the W C Reader (probably ARW, The Wonderful Century: Its Successes and Failures, 1898) has been adopted by the London School Board.
House-building and garden.
Recommended treatment if William contracts small-pox; progress of house-building; beginning autobiography; writing Astronomy chapter for new edition of Wond. Cent (ARW, The Wonderful Century: Its Successes and Failures, 1898); Macmillan request for reprint of Malay Archipelago.
Progress of garden and house-building, sending William a report on Acetylene generators.
Progress of house-building; gift of garden plants from Italy from Sir Thomas Hanbury.