WCP1703

[1]

Ampanam

August. 21st. 1856

My dear M^r. Stevens

Another month has passed since I wrote to you & there is still no chance of a passage to Macassar [Makassar]. Having missed one opportunity by being away from the village[,] I am afraid to go out in the country any more & here there are nothing but dusty roads, & paddy fields for miles ^around producing no insects or birds worth collecting. It is really astonishing & will be almost incredible to many persons at home that a tropical country when cultivated, should produce so little for the collector. The worst collecting ground in England would produce ten times as many species of beetles as can be found here, and even our common English butterflies are finer & more numerous than those of Ampanam [Ampenan] in the present dry season. A walk of several hours with my net will produce perhaps 2 — 3 species of Chrysomela & Coccinella^, & a Cicindela, and two or three Hemiptera & flies; and every day the same species will occur. In an uncultivated district which I have visited in the South part of the Island I did indeed find insects rather more numerous, but two months assiduous collecting have only produced me 80 species of Coleoptera! Why there is not a spot in England where the same number could not be obtained in a few days in spring. Butterflies were rather better for I obtained 38 species the majority however being Pieridae. Of the others, Papilio Peranthus is the most beautiful. The

The Birds have however interested me much more than the insects, as they are proportionally much more numerous, and throw great light on the laws of Geographical distribution of Animals in the East. The Islands of Baly [Bali] & Lombock for instance, though of nearly the same [2] size, of the same soil[,] aspect[,] elevation & climate and within sight of each other, yet differ considerably in their productions, and in fact belong to two quite distinct Zoological provinces, of which they form the extreme limits. As an instance I may mention the Cockatoos, a group of birds confined to Australia & the Moluccas, but quite unknown in Java[,] Borneo[,] Sumatra & Malacca. One species however (Plyctolophus sulphureus) is abundant in Lombock but is unknown in Baly, the island of Lombock forming the extreme eastern limit of its range & that of the whole family. Many other species illustrate the same fact & I am preparing a short account of them for publication. My collection here consist of 68 species of Birds, about 20 of which are probably not found west of the island being species either found in Timor & Sumbawa or quite hitherto undescribed. I have here for the first time met with many interesting birds whose structure & habits it has been a great pleasure to study; such as the Artamidae and the genera Ptilotis, Tropidorhynchus, Plyctolophus & Megapodius.

The islands of Baly & Lombock are inhabited by Malayan races, closely allied to the Javanese— Baly has several Rajahs who are under the protection of the Dutch; Lombock has one Rajah who governs the whole, & is quite independent.¹ These two islands are wonderfully cultivated, in fact they are probably ^among the best cultivated in the world. I was perfectly astonished when on riding 30 miles into the interior I beheld the whole country cultivated like a garden, the whole being cut into terraces, & ^{every patch} surrounded by channels, so that the whole can any part can be flooded at pleasure— Sometimes a hollow has the appearance of a vast amphitheatre; or a hill side, a gigantic staircase; & hundreds of [3] square miles of an undulating country have been thus rendered capable of irrigation, to effect which almost every stream has been diverted from its channel & its water distributed over the country. The soil is a fine volcanic mould of the richest description and the result of such a mode of cultivation is an astonishing fertility. The ground is scarcely ever unoccupied; crops of tobacco, indian corn, sugar cane, beans, & cucumbers alternate with the rice, & give at every season a green & smiling appearance to the island. It is only on the hills summits of the hills & on the tops of the undulations where water can not be brought that the ground is left uncultivated, but in these places a short turf gives food to the cattle & horses which are very abundant, & clumps of bamboo with forest & fruit trees have ^give all the appearance of an extensive park, & are a pleasing contrast to the more regularly cultivated districts. I have been informed by persons capable of forming a judgement, that ⁱⁿ the best cultivated parts of Java so much labour has not been expended on the soil, & even the industrious Chinese can show nothing to surpass it. More than half the Island of Lombock consists of rugged volcanic mountains which are quite incapable of cultivation yet it exports more than 20,000 tons of rice annually besides great quantities of Tobacco, Coffee, Cotton, & Hides. Our manufacturers & Capitalists are on the look out for a new cotton producing district. Here is one to their hands. The islands of Baly[,] Lombock & Sumbawa can produce from ten to twenty thousand tons of cotton annually. It costs here uncleaned about 1½ cents a pound. The qualities are various, some I believe very good, so it can easily be calculated whether after cleaning it would pay. [4] So far will do for Newman^2,3 I think but first send it to my mother⁴ or sister⁵ as I have no time to write much to them. Tell M^r. Saunders⁶ that a M^r. Carter⁷ with whom I am living has applied for the situation of Lloyd’s Agent⁸ here ^{(100 sq. rigged vessels come here yearly)} & I shall be obliged by his using his interest to get it for him. He is just the man, has been 18 years in the East as a commander of vessels & as a merchant, is well educated & would give any information that might be required of him. He would like to enter into the cotton trade if any one would communicate with him as to the expense of cleaning machine &c. & he would send them samples of the cotton. Show M^r Saunders this, perhaps he knows some one interested in it.

I am now sending off to Singapore a case with my collections here.

Birds for sale about	300 —	Butterflies in papers —-	150
Mammalia —————————————	9	Beetles —————————	250	465
Land and freshwater shells ——	100.	Miscellaneous ————-	65
a few sponges for Mr Bowerbank.9

My private collection of Birds are mostly in boxes separate & need not be opened: among the others, all which have a red stripe on the tickets, are private. Select a good series of the butterflies for me— The beetles I have separated.

Among the birds are a fine blue & white red billed kingfisher I think quite new, the pitta, bee-eater & orioles are also rare or new. Of the Malacca birds I have sent two or three of each for locality specimens. There are also some good specimens of the pigeons & generally the birds are very good specimens & I have taken great care to pack them. The domestic duck var[iety] is for M^r. Darwin¹⁰ & he would perhaps also like the jungle cock, which is often domesticated here & is doubtless one of the originals of the domestic breeds of poultry.

You may insure the collection for £60 which I think is the lowest sum it will fetch as no collection of birds has ever been made here before & I am sure there are many new and rare things among them.

Hoping soon to reach Macassar & to find good account from you there[.]

I remain | Yours faithfully | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]

Samuel Stevens Esq.