Freshwater — Isle of Wight
Aug. 19th [1868]1
My dear Wallace
Thanks for your note. I did sometimes think of going to Norwich,2 for I sh[oul]d. have very much liked it, but it has been quite out of the question. We have been here for 5 weeks for a change, & it has done me some little good; but I have been forced to live the life of a drone, & for a month before leaving home, I was unable to do anything & [2] had to stop all work. We return to Down tomorrow.
Hooker3 has been here for 2 or 3 days, so that I have had much talk about his Address. I am glad that you will be there.
It is real good news that your Book4 is so advanced that you are negotiating about its publication. —
With respect to dimorphic [3] plants: it is a great puzzle, but I fancy I partially see my way — too long for a letter & too speculative for publication. The groundwork of the acquirement of such peculiar fertility (for what you say about any other distinct individual being, as it would appear, sufficient, is very true) rests on the stamens & pistils having varied first length in relative length, as actually occurs, [4] irrespectively of dimorphism, & the peculiar kind of fertility characteristic of dimorphic & trimorphic plants having been secondarily acquired.
Pangenesis makes very few converts: G. H. Lewes5 is one. —
I had become, before my nine weeks horrid interruption of all work, extremely interested in sexual selection & was [5] making fair progress. In truth it has vexed me much to find that the further I get on, the more I differ from you about the females being dull-coloured for protection. I can now hardly express myself as strongly even as in the Origin.6 This has much decreased the pleasure of my work. —
[6] In the course of September, if I can get at all stronger, I hope to get Mr J. Jenner Weir7 (who has been wonderfully kind in giving me information) to pay me a visit, & I will then write for the chance of your being able to come & I hope bring with you Mrs. Wallace. If I [7] could get several of you together, it w[oul]d. be less dull for you for of late I have found it impossible to talk with any human being for more than half-an-hour, except on extraordinary good days. —
Believe me | My dear Wallace | Ever yours sincerely | Ch. Darwin [signature]
Status: Edited (but not proofed) transcription [Letter (WCP1903.1793)]
For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon
[1] [p. 219]
Freshwater, Isle of Wight. August 19, 1868.
My dear Wallace, — Thanks for your note. I did sometimes think of going to Norwich, for I should have very much liked it, but it has been quite out of the question. We have been here for five weeks for a change, and it has done me some little good; but I have been forced to live the life of a drone, and for a month before leaving home I was unable to do anything and had to stop all work.
We return to Down to-morrow.
Hooker has been here for two or three days, so that I [2] [p. 220] have had much talk about his Address. I am glad that you will be there.
It is real good news that your book is so advanced that you are negotiating about its publication.
With respect to dimorphic plants: it is a great puzzle, but I fancy I partially see my way — too long for a letter and too speculative for publication. The groundwork of the acquirement of such peculiar fertility (for what you say about any other distinct individual being, as it would appear, sufficient, is very true) rests on the stamens and pistil having varied first in relative length, as actually occurs irrespective of dimorphism, and the peculiar kind of fertility characteristic of dimorphic and the trimorphic plants having been secondarily acquired. Pangenesis makes very few converts: G. H. Lewes is one.
I had become, before my nine weeks' horrid interruption of all work, extremely interested in sexual selection and was making fair progress. In truth, it has vexed me much to find that the further I get on, the more I differ from you about the females being dull coloured for protection. I can now hardly express myself as strongly even as in the "Origin." This has much decreased the pleasure of my work.
In the course of September, if I can get at all stronger, I hope to get Mr. J. Jenner Weir (who has been wonderfully kind in giving me information) to pay me a visit, and I will then write for the chance of your being able to come and, I hope, bring with you Mrs. Wallace. If I could get several of you together, it would be less dull for you, for of late I have found it impossible to talk with any human being for more than half an hour, except on extraordinarily good days. — Believe me, my dear Wallace, ever yours sincerely, CH. DARWIN.
Status: Draft transcription [Published letter (WCP1903.5990)]
For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon
Please cite as “WCP1903,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 26 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP1903