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Wallace, Alfred Russel in addressee 
Birch, Frederick ("Fred") in author 
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Text Online
From:
Frederick ("Fred") Birch
To:
Alfred Russel Wallace
Date:
16 November 1899
Source of text:
  • Natural History Museum, London: NHM WP1/6/1(1)
  • Natural History Museum, London: NHM WP1/6/1(2)
Summary:

Thanking ARW for past help and reporting on his own life and thoughts over the past year including a camping trip in Llanferris, flora and fauna near River Alyn, geology of local rivers, collecting moths and mosses; cycling in Pennine hills; visit from Harold Sayler; winter clothing and exercise; L. S. Mosley's Economic Museum in Huddersfield, Mosley's involvement with Naturalist's Journal; camping and collecting insects in Delamere Forest Cheshire, names of some beetles and moths collected; trips along Welsh rivers; reading on ethnology and the tropics in anticipation of going there, lists authors including Humboldt, Bell, H. H. Higgins, Ernst Haeckel and Huxley, praises Mary Kingsley; praises practical learning and self-sufficiency; desire to learn, frustration of work restricting time available; a friend at Ladysmith, (Boer) war; secretaryship of Lancs and Cheshire entomological Society; photography of natural objects.

Contributor:
Alfred Russel Wallace Correspondence Project
Text Online
From:
Frederick ("Fred") Birch
To:
Alfred Russel Wallace
Date:
14 February [1904]
Source of text:
Natural History Museum, London: NHM Catkey-418356
Summary:

Relates his impressions on returning to Oxford. Professor Poulton was exceedingly kind to him and Birch was able to make many sketches of insects.

Contributor:
Alfred Russel Wallace Correspondence Project
Text Online
From:
Frederick ("Fred") Birch
To:
Alfred Russel Wallace
Date:
23 January 1910
Source of text:
Natural History Museum, London: NHM WP1/6/2
Summary:

Receipt of ARW's December letters, acquaintance with A M Moss at the Lancs & Cheshire entomological society, Moss's collections and paintings; The New Age; asking for copies of "Intensive Agriculture".

Contributor:
Alfred Russel Wallace Correspondence Project
Text Online
From:
Frederick ("Fred") Birch
To:
Alfred Russel Wallace
Date:
14 February 1910
Source of text:
  • Natural History Museum, London: NHM WP1/6/3(1)
  • Natural History Museum, London: NHM WP1/6/3(2)
Summary:

ARW's letter to Dr Huber; lack of information on insect collecting opportunities in Para, suspects trade rivalry; plans to leave Brazil after two and a half years there, details of repeated theft and loss of packages in the mails and his valuable hand-made collecting case sent from Tring by Dr Jordan at Bahia customs house; misunderstanding with Mr May over house rent and purchase of collections; surprise at news of A M Moss collecting in the Andes; butterflies sent to Tring made £53.12.00 but cannot trust beetle collection to a carrier, is making boxes for them; plans to go to British Guiana and collect on the Demerara or Berbice rivers, cannot afford to go to the Andes because of responsibility for Mary and Elsie [wife and child]; disagrees with ARW's views on labour and intellect, quotes Thoreau and from an ARW letter; necessity of broad study and experience of life, nobility of agricultural labour; admires some articles in the N.A. (New Age).

Contributor:
Alfred Russel Wallace Correspondence Project
Text Online
From:
Frederick ("Fred") Birch
To:
Alfred Russel Wallace
Date:
5 May 1910
Source of text:
Natural History Museum, London: NHM WP1/6/4
Summary:

Delay in leaving Brazil due to photographing local families, problems of portrait photograph; reconsidering move (to British Guiana), correspondence with Mr May and Mr Rodway of Georgetown, Barbados, recent changes in laws on immigration into British colonies, possibility of going to Victoria, Espirito Santo, Brazil as living cheaper and postal service more reliable than in Rio state; nature of entomologists, not all collectors lovers of nature, quotes a John Donne verse (probably as quoted in Walden by Thoreau) and Emerson on man and nature; collection for Prof Poulton now complete; recent collections of moths and butterflies including an unknown moth and probable Zeonia and a Nymphalinae butterflies (all described in some detail); long local drought affecting crops and food prices; gardening; asks for news of British parliament and budget; unemployment relief, have Mr Mill's [J S Mill] and ARW's schemes been tried; asks for copies of "Intensive Culture" published by The Clarion and New Age article on "The Art of homemaking" by Walter S. Sparrow.

Contributor:
Alfred Russel Wallace Correspondence Project
Text Online
From:
Frederick ("Fred") Birch
To:
Alfred Russel Wallace
Date:
14 July 1910
Source of text:
  • Natural History Museum, London: NHM WP1/6/5(1)
  • Natural History Museum, London: NHM WP1/6/5(2)
Summary:

Letter from "that wretched T.O.", with thanks for letters and three copies of The New Age, other copies failed to arrive, presumed stolen, hopes promised copy of Sir Arthur Cotton's tract on agriculture will arrive safely, no news of Velox photographic paper ordered via Mr May; belated news of King's death through local Germans; Paulhan's flight from London to Manchester, speculation on when public air travel will be possible and its effects; hopes for the arrival of Socialism; detailed descriptions of the appearance and behaviour of birds and animals visiting the garden including parakeets, orioles, toucans and callistes, many eating oranges, wrens attacking a snake, woodpeckers apparently eating pawpaws or insects within them; opossums, bats taking food from the table and cooking stove, fruit scarce in forest; night temperatures below freezing, large variation of day and night temperature; cannot consider joining Captain Boynton at the Orinoco because considering move to British Guiana or Victoria (Brazil); has practiced dentistry on Mary [wife] and filled several cavities; good view of Halley's comet; Postscript on a smaller sheet of paper asking cost of land in Hampshire, Devonshire and Somerset and whether peaches can be grown there; where filberts will grow successfully (in Britain); Windermere; asks for news of any land available on the Warwickshire Avon.

Contributor:
Alfred Russel Wallace Correspondence Project
Text Online
From:
Frederick ("Fred") Birch
To:
Alfred Russel Wallace
Date:
19 July 1910
Source of text:
Natural History Museum, London: NHM WP1/6/6
Summary:

Thanking ARW for the pamphlet (by Sir Arthur Cotton) on intensive agriculture which has arrived safely along with copies of The New Age, is delighted with it; gives details of his gardening methods and previous year's crops of oats and potatoes, potatoes this year destroyed by ants; adds to description of Calliste birds given in last letter (see WP1/6/5) and corrects description of Toucan; reminds ARW he wants details of prices, soil, temperature and rainfall of land in Devonshire.

Contributor:
Alfred Russel Wallace Correspondence Project
Text Online
From:
Frederick ("Fred") Birch
To:
Alfred Russel Wallace
Date:
15 December 1910
Source of text:
Natural History Museum, London: NHM WP1/6/7
Summary:

Delay in plans to leave for another part of Brazil as wife Mary expecting a child in March and no replies (re suitability of the area) from correspondents in Espirito Santo, Victoria; has collected many new beetle species though butterflies scarcer than before, will risk posting a box of Lepidoptera to Mr May in Rio; considering moving to Caravellas or Peruhype, quotes a letter from Mr Scofield recommending both areas as ideal sites for insect collecting, will write to [Eugenis] Reiche about housing; describes capture and photographing of a sloth which bit him through the thumb, sloth's fur infested with many small moths similar to Depressaria; thanks for copies of N.A. (The New Age; wheat planted according to Cotton's methods thriving.

Contributor:
Alfred Russel Wallace Correspondence Project