To A. R. Wallace   13 March [1871]

Down, Beckenham, Kent.

March 13th.

Will you send me a card telling me whether the Bugis are Malays—1 I suppose (as they speak a distinct language) they form at least a distinct subtribe from the Malays of Malacca.—2 Mr F. Geach speaks sometimes of Malays & sometimes of Bugis.—3

C. Darwin

Postmark: MR 13 | 71

1
Bugis: ‘a people of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi (formerly Celebes)’ (OED).
2
Bugis (or Buginese) is distinct from the Malay language; both are Austronesian languages (OED).
3
CD refers to answers to his queries on expression from Frederick F. Geach (see Correspondence vol. 16, letter from F. F. Geach, 4 July 1868).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-7579A,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-7579A