From A. R. Wallace   9 January 1880

My dear Darwin

It is a great pleasure to receive a letter from you sometimes—especially when we do not differ very much.¹ I am of course much pleased & gratified that you like my article.² I wrote it chiefly because I thought there was something a little fresh still to say on the subject, & also because I wished to define precisely my present position which people continually misunderstand. The main part of the article forms part of a chapter of a book I have now almost finished on my favourite subject of “Geographical Distribution”. It will form a sort of supplement to my former work & will I trust be more readable & popular—³ I go pretty fully into the laws of variation & dispersal—the exact character of specific & generic areas, & their causes,—the growth dispersal & extinction of species & groups, illustrated by maps &c.— Changes of geography & of climate as affecting dispersal with a full discussion of the Glacial theory adopting Croll’s views (part of this has been published as a separate article in Quarterly Rev. of last July, & has been highly approved by Croll & Geikie)⁴—a discussion of the theory of permanent continents & oceans, which I see you were the first to adopt, but which geologists I am sorry to say quite ignore—⁵ All this is preliminary— Then follows a series of chapters on the different kinds of Islands—Continental & Oceanic, with a pretty full discussion of the character, affinities, & origin of their fauna & flora in typical cases. Among these I am myself quite pleased with my chapters on New Zealand, as I believe I have fully explained & accounted for all the main peculiarities of the New Zealand & Australian Floras. I call the book Island Life: &c. &c. & I think it will be interesting.

Thanks for your regrets & kind wishes anent Epping.⁶ It was a disappointment, as I had good friends in the Committee & therefore had too much hope. I may just mention that I am thinking of making some application through friends for some post in the new Josiah Mason College of Science at Birmingham,⁷ as Registrar or Curator & Librarian &c. The Trustees have advertised for Professors to begin next October. Should you happen to know any of the Trustees or have any influential friends in Birmingham perhaps you could help me.

I think this book will be my last as I have pretty well said all I have to say in it, and I have never taken to experiment as you have. But I want some easy occupation for my declining years with not too much confinement or desk-work which I cannot stand. You see I had some reason for writing to you; but do not you trouble to write again unless you have something to communicate.

With best wishes | Yours very faithfully | Alfred R. Wallace

I have not seen “Fortnightly” yet but will do so.⁸

Charles Darwin Esq.