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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
His reply to Romanes will appear in the Fortnightly. Thinks he has shown the entire fallacy of his whole argument, and also thinks that he has hit upon the true key to the solution. Calls Romanes' writing style tedious and long-winded.
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Meldola's reply to Romanes in Nature does not go far enough. Newton calls attention to same view in Belt's Nicaragua. Darwin had commented No! No! against this in his copy. Could Meldola hold a brief for ARW at the British Association on this matter? In depth discussion of the content of his paper against Romanes in the Fortnightly.
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Sea voyage from England, a week of rough weather and seasickness followed by five days of calm; ships food; passengers, one American an accomplished comic actor and singer; charades, concerts and deck quoits; chess with ships doctor and an American passenger; New York harbour, delay at customs, Mr Browne not there to meet him; hotel recommended by Mr Wood, hotel rooms and food; meeting with Mr Browne and transfer to his house; Mrs Browne; meeting with Mayoral candidate Mr George; visit to Central Park; plans to go to Boston on Thursday; Statue of Liberty very fine.
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Sea voyage from England, a week of rough weather and seasickness followed by five days of calm; ships food; passengers, one the brother of a pupil at William's school, Cranleigh, William can tell him that his brother was not seasick and has a good appetite; charades, concerts, deck quoits and chess on board; description of Statue of Liberty, New York harbour and ships, with small ink sketch of a paddle steamer; visit to Central Park with Mr Browne; autumn colours; country between New York and Boston, painted wooden houses like toys; Boston hotel and food; has telegraphed family at Hurst, will write to Violet next week.
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His first public lecture, rehearsals at Loughton and Farncombe useful, cut sections following advice of Mr Marshall, enclosing a newspaper and press cuttings (not present), report on lecture brief because today is election day; tour along Hudson and to West Point Military college with Mr Browne, spectacular scenery including basalt cliffs "The Palisades" along the river (with ink sketch of cliffs with a sailing boat on the river below); colourful autumn foliage; details of hotel food including "shaker apple-sauce"; tram cars in Boston; meeting with Spiritualist doctor Nichols, invited to visit; plans to visit botanist Asa Gray at Cambridge tomorrow; discovery of a chess club and plans to play.
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Comments on lectures and American hotels. Has been shown around the Museum of Comparative Anatomy by Agassiz. Comments on this and on Peabody Museum of Archaeology. Approves of the arrangements which accord with the principles ARW outlined 20 years earlier i.e. a series of public rooms but bulk of material kept for research students in drawers, each region in separate rooms. Has read a paper before National Academy of Sciences (Professor Morse -President). Dined with Dr. Holmes and Professor Langley.
Lack of news from her; weather; good audiences at the four lectures so far given; portrait artist Mrs Noa; unexpected meeting with Mr and Mrs Mirlees visiting the site of their son's death with their daughter; Dr Holmes the "one-hoss-shay" man at dinner; meeting arranged with a lady spiritualist; any news of letting of house at Godlaming; requests Annie to send photos of ruined temples of Java given to ARW by Mr Woodbury, wants to compare with models and photos of similarly decorated Mexican temples at Cambridge (Massachusetts) museum; American museums the finest in the world; plans to go to Baltimore and Washington with a return to Boston in between; opinion of ARW's agent Mr Williams of earlier lecturer Mr Wood and his possible effect on ARW's potential audience; Harvard College celebration.
Lack of mail from England; success of his lectures at the Lowell Institute (Boston); returned today from visit to Williamstown, stayed with resident of College, gave two lectures, visited waterfall with Professor of Natural History, sending roots of a Lonchitis (fern) to Annie and seeds of a gentian (some for Miss Jekyll) to Mitten; any news of letting of house at Godalming; plans to be in Baltimore November 30 to December 10, contact at Peabody Institute; PS letter from his wife Annie posted 13 days ago just arrived.
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Receipt of her letter after a month without news; visit to Williamstown, sending plants of fern Polystichum acrostichoides growing near a waterfall there and some moth cocoons for son William, moths should emerge in spring, instructions for care; stay with Dr Carter, President of the (Williamstown) College, and his daughter, invitation to return to view spring flowers; orchids including Cypripedum spectabile common; has sent gentian seeds to her papa (William Mitten); fears for his voice as has a cold, will wear respirator whenever going out, to travel 100 miles to lecture tomorrow; people becoming "oppressively kind and respectful.".
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