Describes ordering a book on conic section for William.
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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
Describes ordering a book on conic section for William.
Talks of a lecture on Land Nationalisation; William's sister Violet; Mr and Mrs Cockerell going to Jamaica; death and funeral of Mrs [Allinson]; visit to Meldola's [possibly Finsbury Technical College] various visitors to the house.
Writes about dental treatment for William, with sketch map of location of dental surgery, refers to enclosed card (not present); upcoming [College] holidays.
ARW writes of visit to Corfe with Ma, Grandma and Grandpa (ARW's wife and parents); suicide of Mrs Monk; reading of Ivanhoe.
Writes about his visits to London and Sevenoaks (Kent); meeting of Psychical Research Society.
Damage to William's eyes in an accident, glad he is improving after glass removed; newspaper from Stockton California with news that pioneer surgeon John Wallace had fallen and broken an arm; Monk and ARW have been building a pond and bog in the garden, details of method and materials; sending pages of Stanley's catalogue of drawing instruments; plumbing for steam pipe in house.
Talks about William starting work at Woolwich, advising him on type and cost of lodgings, behaviour at work and need to thank Davis, Meldola and Professor Thompson for help; orchids from Natal received from Canon Usherwood; work on index to Australia book (presumably Stanford's Compendium of Geography and Travel. Australasia, Vol.1, Australia and New Zealand. New Issue, London 1893); Prof Perry's book on spinning tops; Ma's (William's mother Annie Wallace) visit to Malvern; Mr Ponton's pin-hole photography in France; Mrs Crump; Aunt Fanny.
Arrival of William's letter, his lodgings and work for Mr Laukert; method of calculation of weight and volume of water; William's sister Violet; unexpected visit from the Bishop of Salisbury ("quite a jolly old cock") and Mrs Usherwood, conversing about Stonehenge and Canon Swayne's alpine garden; encloses card (not present). William's [engineering] certificate and medal.
Death of Werner von Siemens, sending obituary [not present] from Daily News; asks for news of William's work; sister Violet's work, Ma (Annie Wallace) away; magazine club begun with 9 members, initial name "Parkstone Perambulating Periodicals" changed after objections from some members to triviality, circulating The Nineteenth Century, Cornhill, English Illustrated, New Reviews, Natural Science, Good Words, Contemporary, Magazine of Art, and Fortnightly; visit from Mr Ponton with books of pinhole photographs taken in France; recent sharp frosts, fears plant damage; Violet pleased with William's sketches; asks for details of latest stamp-album, and of William's fellow medallist and fellow lodger.
Writes about William's friendship with [Portheim] at Siemens; sister Violet; William's mother's query as to the fate of a medal.
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.
William's fees and subscription to the Electrical Institution; tickets to the Zoo; ARW recovering from illness; greenhouse plants killed by frost, boiler and pipes now fitted and Wareham engaged to stoke boiler morning and evening; snowdrops, primroses, Christmas roses and other plants in flower in garden; death of major Lang; Violet working on "Lessons on familiar animals"; ARW preparing to begin various reviews and articles; hopes [William and Portheim] getting on well with evening classes, asks for more details of [Portheim] and any news of George Silk's godson Edgar Williams who works at Siemens.
Writes regarding sending £20 for William's birthday; family health; arrival of a circular from college [Finsbury Technical College]; Violet going to Liverpool to interview for a teaching position in a girl's school, salary offered, advantages of living in Liverpool; ARW's purchase of Chambers' Encyclopaedia; new stamp album; ARW's article on "Inaccessible Valleys" in the Nineteenth Century, re-reading Lorna Doone; complete works of Dickens for Ma's (William's mother Annie Wallace) birthday and Scott's novels for Violet; Ponton's shilling pin-hole camera.
Regarding Mr Crooke's behaviour towards William; enclosing a letter from his sister Violet (not present); mentioning Mr Stead and (spirit?) writing.
Includes a recent journey by William; Mac's health; William's preparations for a voyage to America, advice on his visiting Meldola and spending Sharpe's present of money; suggestion he visit the House of Commons to observe a session, enclosing cards (not present) of 2 members of the L.N. (Land Nationalisation) Society; regards to the Hayward's.
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Enclosing instructions by Oldfield Thomas of the British Museum for collecting skins of small mammals with annotated notes from his letter re. collecting skeletons, for Will's use in Colorado if no telegraphy work available, Thomas recommends sending specimens to Gerrard of Camden, London, who would act as agent on commission, giving BM first choice of specimens; Violet going to Germany, European mammals wanted there because so few people collect them; list of instruments needed with sketch of small pliers; Ma (Annie Wallace) and Grandma (Mrs William Mitten) about to return (from Hurstpierpoint?); Electrical Engineer subscriptions.
Letter from William (from USA), incident with cattle; William Greenell Wallace's failure to catch many (small mammals), ARW recommends using a jar or tip-up box trap (illustrated with ink sketch), catching mice in log hut, trying any pine woods for seed and kernel eaters; instructions to get to know local ranchers and ask for details about their mortgages, crops and living; Violet observing teaching in Germany, says it is far better than in England, now staying with Rektor Schulz; young Mr Acland [Ackland?] from England also there to learn German and study education; sending a "Chronicle" containing a letter by Conway about climbing in the Andes, Hard Cash by C. Reade and three photos taken by Miss Casey of the house, one showing altered Summer-house and Loop line path (none present); has given a talk and reading at the house on the Malays for schools; sudden death of Dr Allman; William Greenell Wallace's photos of his hunting trip very good.