From William Cooper   21 September 1872

Hon^d. Sir,

I have recently had an interview with D^rs. Denny & Kellock, at Stamford Hill, Stoke Newington,² upon the subject of a discovery I made some years since, but which has never been ventilated: it relates to horticulture immediately, & remotely to palæontology & geology, & will explain many difficulties in connexion with these sciences, which have hitherto been considered insuperable, & will also furnish a key to the knowledge of facts, now occult, that will materially tend to the confirmation of your grand exposition,—“The Origin of Species”. We have yet to learn the causes & agencies concerned in the production of the monstrous organisms, both animal & vegetable, of byegone ages:— my theory will elucidate them. Relative to artificial cultivation, this discovery promises the development of tropical productions, in excess of their natural condition, in a similar ratio to that realized in the pansy, fuschia, pelargonium, &c.

Such is my programme, & to what other great discoveries mine may lead, time & talent only can make manifest. D^r. Denny kindly gave me your address, & I take the liberty of appealing, with some hope of success, to one who has dared so much for truth & science, feeling a strong conviction that you will, if in your power, promote my views, which are as follows:— I am 53 years of age, & want occupation, which, if I could obtain, & retain for 12 months, would enable me to thoroughly carry out my plans at my own expense; but I find that younger men are everywhere preferred before me, & therefore my future is very precarious. I ask only a moderate return for my services, & am capable of engaging in various pursuits, having been fairly educated, can revise & correct M.S.S., keep accounts, am a good copyist, have studied medicine for more than 30 years, & have originated some important features in this science, but hold no legal qualification.

I am acquainted with gardening, & have been very successful with succulents, am familiar with the use of most ordinary workmen’s tools, can turn my hand in many ways to manual labour, & am willing to make myself useful as might be required, so that the work be not too laborious, nor involve too much endurance in reference to time: in short, I am anxious for the opportunity of giving my discovery to the world, so soon as I shall have proved it incontrovertibly; I have done so partially, & am perfectly satisfied as to ultimate results, but occasion has not served to carry it thro’ entirely. This discovery was made unexpectedly, & arose from a soure foreign to the associations with which I have connected it, & as my own idiosyncrasy is not likely to be exactly repeated, it is probable that the same train of thought which led to its origination will not occur in another mind in any definite period. As to character, my testimonials, extending over the last 30 years, will bear me out in every way. My proposition is a bold one, & will doubtless be ridiculed by some; however, I wish to meet with some Gentleman, who, upon the basis of my readily proved integrity, & for the sake of science, will place faith in my ipse dixit³ to the extent of either giving or introducing me to some employment, as before referred to. I am not willing to impart my knowledge of this discovery until I can do so triumphantly with a “q.e.d.”.

If you will honour the foregoing with your consideration, I shall be happy to wait upon you, at your instance, as you may please to appoint, & apologizing for this intrusion,

I remain, | Hon^d. Sir, | Yrs. respectf^y, | W^m. Cooper.

“Palmam qui meruit ferat”!⁴