WCP115

[1]

Broadstone, Wimborne

Sept^r. 8^th. 1906

My dear Will

We were very glad to get your letter from Montana this morning, & to hear that you were so well able to climb the mountains around — (The Big Hotel Paper & Envelope however, was over ½ oz — & I had to pay 5.⁰ for it!)

I am very glad you are going on to Lermalt[?] but you will be there so satiated with glaciers, & now-fields, & rock-peaks, that Trient will be quite tame after it. I hope your "Pension Goruer[?] Gorge" was pretty high up, so as to make the ascent to the "Goruergrat" easy, from which the views are I believe the most superb — very near the finest in the world. The Goruer-grat itself is very rich in alpine flowers, but you would be a little late for them. [2] After so much experience in Chinbury you will be able to explore Trient thoroughly, and get to the top of several of the higher mountains — such as the "Poiule[?] Roude" — S.E. of Trient (8711 feet) — and even "Le Clocher" the high peak on the E. side of the Glacier du Trient (9478 feet). The "Croix de Fer" (7677 feet) will be quite easy. These are probably all you will be able to do, but to the S.E. of the Col de Balme there is a fine peak "Aigh du Town" which is 11,060 feet, & probably difficult, but you might get part of the way up & would then probably get a very fine view of the Mont Blanc range with its Aiguilles & glaciers. I take all this from the Alpine Club map. [3] With exception of a gentle shower on Tuesday night, which just moistened the surface of the ground, we have had blazing sun & great heat even since you left. AS Greenwich for 3 consecutive days at end of August & 1^st Sept^r the shade temperature was 91° to 93° — the greatest spell of heat recorded for 60 years though single days have been higher. [The following one sentence appears vertically on the left-hand side of the page]I think we have had it quite as hot since.

Last Tuesday I got a letter from Mr. Slater, telling me he had found a lot more papers and books of Spruce — of which he sends me a long list — but no more "Journals" among them! & nothing of any use without the Journals.

So I wrote again very strongly urging him to get a strong woman for a day to help his daughter [4] search the house from attic to cellar, & turn out every bookcase, cupboard, box, & parcel — to find the "Journals", which I feel quite sure he has got! I remind him that it is now 6 months since I asked him for Spruces’ "Journals" &c. to arrange for their publication, and up to now he has only found less than half of them! I hope that will stir him up.

Not a word about paying for the land, so no doubt it will wait for your return. Bruce-Joy has made another appointment & has again put it off, by wire & letter!

Mr & Mrs Roland went to the Broadstone Flower shower — chiefly vegetables, but quite a success. Ted’s father, with the help of some our marrows & beans (Ted’s growing) of course! got several prizes!

Love to Violet and luck to Mac from your affect. Pa | A.R. Wallace [signature]