WCP1544

Letter (WCP1544.1323)

[1]1

Burlington House2

London, W.

29th. October 1908

Dear Dr. Wallace

I have the great pleasure of informing you that the Council of the Royal Society3 at its meeting today unanimously decided to award the Copley4 medal to you. I hope you will accept this — the highest honour in the gift of the Society — as a hearty, if somewhat tardy, recognition of your long and [2] distinguished services in the cause of science.

We can hardly hope that at the inclement season at the end of November you will be able to attend the Anniversary5 to receive the medal in person, though I need not say what a great pleasure it would be to the Society if you found it possible to be present. When the time [3] approaches perhaps you will kindly indicate the name of some Fellow of the Society who would receive the Medal for you should you be unable to attend6.

Believe me with my very sincere congratulations

Yours very truly | Arch[ibald]. Geikie [signature]

1
Page numbered WP1/9/48 in pencil and "Private" (underlined) in top LH corner. "Archibald Geikie" written in pencil in top RH corner of page.
2
The address of the Royal Society, London. The crest of the Society in printed in the top centre of the page.
3
A learned society for Science founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II.
4
The Royal Society's oldest and most prestigious award, created following donations from Godfrey Copley F.R.S. First awarded in 1731, the medal is awarded annually "for outstanding achievements in research in any branch of science", alternating between the physical and biological sciences (odd and even years respectively). ARW received the award in 1908 "On the ground of the great value of his numerous contributions to natural history, and of the part he took in working out the theory of the origin of species by natural selection."
5
The Royal Society celebrates its anniversary on 30th November each year.
6
"(Poulton)" is written in ink vertically in the RH margin opposite the end of the paragraph. This is Edward Bagnall Poulton, F.R.S., a friend of Darwin and ARW whom the author may have suggested to accept the medal on ARW's behalf, had he not been able to attend in person (aged 85 years in 1908).

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP1544.1323)]

For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon

Revision history

Transcribed by O'Dell, Sandra [2015-05-07] Transcription checked by Benny, Ruth [2015-05-07] Transcription checked by Sherwood, Danni [2020-08-10]

Please cite as “WCP1544,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 27 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP1544