WCP1918

Letter (WCP1918.1808)

[1]

Down.

Bromley.

Kent. S.E.

March 22d /[18]69

My dear Wallace

I have finished y[ou]r book;1 it seems to me excellent, & at the same time most pleasant to read. That you ever returned alive is wonderful after all y[ou]r risks from illness & sea voyages, especially that most interesting one to Waigiou [Waigeo] & back. Of all the impressions which I have rec[eive]d from y[ou]r book the strongest is that y[ou]r perseverance in the cause of science was heroic. Your descriptions of catching the splendid butterflies [2] have made me quite envious, & at the same time have made me feel almost young again, so vividly have they brought before my mind old days when I collected, tho' I never made such captures as yours. Certainly collecting is the best sport in the world. I shall be astonished if y[ou]r book has not a great success; & your splendid generalizations on Geog[raphical]. Distrib[ution]., with which I am familiar from y[ou]r papers, will be new to most of your readers. I think I enjoyed most the Timor case, as it is best demonstrated; but perhaps Celebes [Sulawesi] is really the most valuable. I sh[oul]d prefer looking at the whole [3] Asiatic continent as having formerly been more African in its fauna, than to admitting the former existence of a continent across the Indian ocean.

Decaisne's2 paper3 on the flora of Timor in which he points out its close relation to that of the Mascarene I.[sland]s supports y[ou]r view. On the other hand I might advance the giraffes &c in the Sevalik [Sivalik] deposits. How I wish some one w[oul]d collect the plants of Banca [Bangka]! The puzzle of Java, Sumatra & Borneo is like the 3 geese & foxes: I have a wish to extend Malacca thro' Banca to part of Java & thus make 3 parallel peninsulas, but I cannot get the geese & foxes across the river.

[4] Many parts of y[ou]r book have interested me much: I always wished to hear an independent judgment about the Rajah Brooke4, & now I have been delighted with y[ou]r splendid eulogium on him.

With respect to the fewness & inconspicuousness of the flowers in the Tropics, may it not be accounted for by the hosts of insects, so that there is no need for the flowers to be conspicuous. As according to Humboldt5 fewer plants are social in the tropical than in the temperate regions, the flowers in the former w[oul]d not make so great a show.

In y[ou]r note you speak of observing [5] some inelegancies of style, I notice none. All is as clear as daylight. I have detected 2 or 3 errata.

In vol 1. you write Sondiacus is this not an error?6

Vol 2. p 236 for Western side of Aru read Eastern.7

p. 315 Do you not mean the horns of the moose? for the elk has not palmated horns.8

I have only one criticism of a general nature, & I am not sure that other geologists w[oul]d agree with me: you repeatedly speak as if the pouring out of lava &c from Volcanoes [6] actually caused the subsidence of an adjoining area; I quite agree that areas undergoing opposite movements are some how connected; but volcanic out bursts must I think be looked at as mere accidents in the swelling up of a great dome or surface of plutonic rocks,— & there seems no more reason to conclude that such swelling or elevation in mass is the cause of the subsidence, than that the subsidence is the cause of the elevation; which latter view is indeed held by some geologists.

[7] I have regretted to find so little about the habits of the many animals which you have seen.

In Vol 2. p. 399 I wish I c[oul]d see the connection between variations having been first or long ago selected & their appearance at an earlier age in birds of Paradise than the variations which have subsequently arisen & been selected. In fact I do not understand y[ou]r explanation of the curious order of development of the ornaments of these birds.

Will you please to tell me whether you are sure that the female left Casuarius (Vol. 2. 150 [8] sits on her eggs as well as the male;9 for if I am not mistaken Bartlett10 told me that the male alone, who is less brightly coloured about the neck, sits on the eggs.

In Vol. 2 p. 255 you speak of male savages ornamenting themselves more than the women, of which I have heard before; now have you any notion whether they do this to please themselves, or to excite the admiration of their fellow men, or to please the women, or, as is perhaps probable from all 3 motives.

Finally let me congratulate you heartily on having written [9] so excellent a book, full of thought on all sorts of subjects. Once again let me thank you for the very great honour which you have done me by your dedication

Believe me | My dear Wallace | Yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin [signature]

Vol. 2. p. 455 When in New Zealand I thought the inhabitants a mixed race, with the type of Tahiti preponderating over some darker race with more frizzled [10] hair; & now that the stone instruments reveal the existence of ancient inhabitants is it not probable that these Is[lan]ds were inhabited by true Papuans. Judging from descriptions the pure Tahitians must differ much from your Papuans.—

Wallace, A. R. 1869. The Malay Archipelago; the Land of the Orang-utan and the Bird of Paradise, 2 vols. London, UK: Macmillan.
Decaisne, Joseph (1807-1882). French botanist, agronomist and aide-naturaliste to Adrien-Henri de Jussieu.
Decaisne, J. 1834. Description d'un herbier de l'ile de Timor, faisant partie des collections botaniques du Muséum d' Histoire Naturelle. Nouvelles Annales du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle 3: 333-501.
Brooke, James (1803-1868). British-born Rajah of Sarawak.
Humboldt, Alexander von (1769-1859). Prussian geographer, naturalist and explorer.
In Vol 1. p.220 of the Malay Archipelago ARW mistakenly refers to Bos sondiacus rather than Bos sondaicus (now B. javanicus). The error is rectified in the tenth edition of the Malay Archipelago. (Wallace, A.R. 1890. The Malay Archipelago; the Land of the Orang-utan and the Bird of Paradise. 10th Ed. London: Macmillan. p.109).
ARW described the village of Watelai as on the west side of Aru. The error is corrected in the tenth edition of the Malay Archipelago. (Wallace, A.R. 1890. The Malay Archipelago; the Land of the Orang-utan and the Bird of Paradise. 10th Ed. London: Macmillan. p.346).
Darwin refers to ARW's discussion of the Elaphomia alcicornis (now Phytalmia alcicornis) which he describes as 'strikingly resembling the horns of the elk'. (Wallace, A. R. 1869. The Malay Archipelago; the Land of the Orang-utan and the Bird of Paradise, 2 vols. London, UK: Macmillan. pp.314-315).
Darwin refers to ARW's discussion of the Casuarius galeatus (now Casuarius casuarius) on Seram Island. (Wallace, A.R. 1890. The Malay Archipelago; the Land of the Orang-utan and the Bird of Paradise. 10th Ed. London: Macmillan. pp-149-150).
Bartlett, Abraham Dee (1812-1897). British taxidermist, superintendent of the Natural History department at Crystal Palace 1852-59 and superintendent of London Zoo 1859-97.

Published letter (WCP1918.6005)

[1] [p. 237]

Down, Bromley, Kent, S.E. March 22, 1869.

My dear Wallace, — I have finished your book.1 It seems to me excellent, and at the same time most pleasant to read. That you ever returned alive is wonderful after all your risks from illness and sea voyages, especially that most interesting one to Waigiou and back. Of all the impressions which I have received from your book, the strongest is that your perseverance in the cause of science was heroic. Your descriptions of catching the splendid butterflies have made me quite envious, and at the same time have made me feel almost young again, so vividly have they brought before my mind old days when I collected, though I never made such captures as yours. Certainly collecting is the best sport in the world. I shall be astonished if your book has not a great success; and your splendid generalisations on geographical distribution, with which I am familiar from your papers, will he new to most of your readers. I think I enjoyed most the Timor case, as it is best demonstrated; but perhaps Celebes is really the most valuable. I should prefer looking at the whole Asiatic continent as having formerly been more African in its fauna, than admitting the former existence of a continent across the Indian Ocean. Decaisne's paper on the flora of Timor, in which he points out its close relation to that of the Mascarene Islands, supports your view. On the other hand, I might advance the giraffes, etc., in the Sewalik deposits. How I wish someone would collect the plants of Banca! The puzzle of Java, Sumatra and Borneo is like the three geese and foxes: I have a wish to extend Malacca through Banca to part of Java and thus make three parallel peninsulas, but I cannot get the geese and foxes across the river.

Many parts of your book have interested me much I [2] [p. 238] always wished to hear an independent judgment about the Rajah Brooke, and now I have been delighted with your splendid eulogium on him.

With respect to the fewness and inconspicuousness of the flowers in the tropics, may it not be accounted for by the hosts of insects, so that there is no need for the flowers to be conspicuous? As, according to Humboldt, fewer plants are social in the tropical than in the temperate regions, the flowers in the former would not make so great a show.

In your note you speak of observing some inelegancies of style. I notice none. All is as clear as daylight. I have detected two or three errata.

In Vol. I. you write londiacus: is this not an error?

Vol. II., p. 236: for western side of Aru read eastern.

Page 315: Do you not mean the horns of the moose? For the elk has not palmated horns.

I have only one criticism of a general nature, and I am not sure that other geologists would agree with me: you repeatedly speak as if the pouring out of lava, etc., from volcanoes actually caused the subsidence of an adjoining area. I quite agree that areas undergoing opposite movements are somehow connected; but volcanic outbursts must, I think, be looked at as mere accidents in the swelling up of a great dome or surface of plutonic rocks; and there seems no more reason to conclude that such swelling or elevation in mass is the cause of the subsidence than that the subsidence is the cause of the elevation; which latter view is indeed held by some geologists. I have regretted to find so little about the habits of the many animals which you have seen.

In Vol. II., p. 399, I wish I could see the connection between variations having been first or long ago selected, and their appearance at an earlier age in birds of paradise [3] [p. 239] than the variations which have subsequently arisen and been selected. In fact, I do not understand your explanation of the curious order of development of the ornaments of these birds.

Will you please to tell me whether you are sure that the female Casuarius (Vol. II., p. 150) sits on her eggs as well as the male? — for, if I am not mistaken, Bartlett told me that the male alone, who is less brightly coloured about the neck, sits on the eggs. ln Vol. II., p. 255, you speak of male savages ornamenting themselves more than the women, of which I have heard before; now, have you any notion whether they do this to please themselves, or to excite the admiration of their fellow-men, or to please the women, or, as is perhaps probable, from all three motives?

Finally, let me congratulate you heartily on having written so excellent a book, full of thought on all sorts of subjects. Once again, let me thank you for the very great honour which you have done me by your dedication. — Believe me, my dear Wallace, yours very sincerely, CH. DARWIN.

Vol. II., p. 455: When in New Zealand I thought the inhabitants a mixed race, with the type of Tahiti preponderating over some darker race with more frizzled hair; and now that the stone instruments [have] revealed the existence of ancient inhabitants, is it not probable that these islands were inhabited by true Papuans? Judging from descriptions the pure Tahit[i]ans must differ much from your Papuans.

A footnote here reads: "Malay Archipelago."

Please cite as “WCP1918,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 11 October 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP1918