WCP1940

Letter (WCP1940.4090)

[1]

Holly House, Barking E.

March 11th. 1871

Dear Darwin

I need not say that I read your second volume with, if possible a greater interest than the first, as so many topics of special interest to me are treated of.1 You will not be surprised to find that you have not convinced me on the "female protection" question, but you will be surprised to heard that I do not despair of convincing you.

I have been writing as you are aware a review for the "Academy",2 which I tried to refuse doing, but the Editor3 used as an argument [2] the statement that you wished me to do so.

It is not an easy job fairly to summarize such a book, but I hope I have succeeded tolerably. When I got to discussion, I felt more at home, and but I most sincerely trust that I may not have let pass any word that may seem to you in the least too strong.

You have not written a word about me that I could wish altered, but as I know you wish me to be candid with you I will mention that you have quoted one passage in a note p.376. vol 2 which seems to me a caricature of anything I have written.4, 5

Now let me ask you to rejoice [3] with me, for I have got my Chalkpit & am hard at work engineering a road up its precipitous slopes. I hope you may be able to come & see me there some day, as it is an easy ride from London, and I shall be anxious to know if it is equal to the pit in the wilds of Kent, Mrs. Darwin6 mentioned when I lunched with you. Should your gardener in the Autumn have any thinnings out of almost any kind of hardy plants they would be welcome,7 as I have four acres of ground [4] in which I want to substitute ornamental plants for weeds.

With best wishes & hoping you may have health & strength to go on with your great work[.]

Believe me Dear Darwin | Yours very faithfully | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]

Charles Darwin F.R.S.

My Review will appear next Wednesday[.]8

1
Darwin, C. R. 1871. The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, 2 vols. London, UK: John Murray.
2
Wallace, A. R. 1871. Darwin's 'The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex'. Academy. 2: 177-83.
3
Appleton, Charles Edward Cutts Birchall (1841-1879). British lecturer on philosophy and editor of The Academy 1869-79.
4
ARW refers to the following passage from the Descent of Man, 'Mr. Wallace believes "that some intelligent power has guided or determined the development of man"; and he considers the hairless condition of the skin as coming under this head'. The original passage from ARW's Contributions to the Theory of Natural Selection reads "I do not lay much stress on this, but, if it be proved that some intelligent power has guided or determined the development of man, then we may see indications of that power, in facts which, by themselves, would not serve to prove its existence." (Wallace, A. R. 1870. Contributions to the Theory of Natural Selection. London, UK: Macmillan & Co. p.350).
5
Darwin adds a vertical scored blue crayon line in the left-margin of page 2 from the text "I know" to "have written".
6
Darwin, Emma (née Wedgwood) (1808-1896). Wife and first cousin of Charles Robert Darwin.
7
Darwin adds a vertical scored blue crayon line in the left-hand margin of page 3 from the text "Should your" to "be welcome".
8
See endnote 2.

Editorial information

Status: Edited (but not proofed) transcription [Letter (WCP1940.4090)]

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

Revision history

Transcribed by Lord, Annette [2012-09-21] Transcription checked by Beros, Matt [2019-12-20]

Transcription (WCP1940.1830)

[1]1

To C.Darwin.) Holly House, Barking. March 11th.1871

Dear Darwin I need not say that I read your second volume with, if possible a greater interest than the first, as so many topics of special interest to me are treated of. You will not be surprised to find that you have not convinced me on the "female protection" question, but you will be surprised to hear that I do not despair of convincing you. I have been writing as you are aware a review for the "Academy" which I tried to refuse doing, but the Editor used as an argument the statement that you wished me to do so. It is not an easy job fairly to summarize such a book, but I hope I have succeeded tolerably. When I got to discussion, I felt more at home, but I most sincerely trust that I may not have let pass any word that may seem to you in the least too strong.

You have not written a word about me that I could wish altered, but as I know you wish me to be candid with you I will mention that you have quoted one passage in a note p.373.vol.2 which seems to me a caricature of anything I have written.

Now let me ask you to rejoice with me, for I have got my Chalk pit & am hard at work engineering a road up its precipitous slopes. I hope you may be able to come & see me there some day, as it is an easy ride from London, and I shall be anxious to know if it is equal to the pit in the wilds of Kent, Mrs Darwin mentioned when I lunched with you. Should your gardener in the Autumn have any thinnings out of almost any kind of hardy plants they would be welcome, as I have near four acres of ground in which I want to substitute ornamental plants for weeds.

With best wishes, & hoping you may have health & strength to go on with your great work Believe me dear Darwin Yours very faithfully | Alfred R.Wallace.

My Review will appear next Wednesday.

1
Page is numbered (1) at top centre, and subsequently struck out in pencil.

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Transcription (WCP1940.1830)]

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

Revision history

Transcribed by Wallace, Natalie [2019-12-17]

Transcription (WCP1940.4494)

[1]

To C.Darwin.) Holly House, Barking, E. March 11th. 1871

Dear Darwin

I need not say that I read your second volume1 with, if possible a greater interest than the first, as so many topics of special interest to me are treated of. You will not be surprised to find that you have not convinced me on the "female protection" question, but you will be surprised to hear that I do not despair of convincing you.

I have been writing as you are aware a review for the "Academy" 2 which I tried to refuse doing, but the Editor used as an argument the statement that you wished me to do so. It is not an easy job fairly to summarize such a book, but I hope I have succeeded tolerably. When I got to discussion, I felt more at home, but I most sincerely trust that I may not have let pass any word that may seem to you in the least too strong.

You have not written a word about me that I could wish altered, but as I know you wish me to be candid with you I will mention that you have quoted one passage in a note p.376.vol.2 which seems to me a caricature of anything I have written.

Now let me ask you to rejoice with me, for I have got my Chalk pit & am hard at work engineering a road up its precipitous slopes. I hope you may be able to come & see me there some day, as it is an e easy ride from London, and I shall be anxious to know if it is equal to the pit in the wilds of Kent3, Mrs Darwin mentioned when I lunched with you. Should your gardener in the Autumn have any thinnings out of almost any kind of hardy plants they would be welcome, as I have near four acres of ground in which I want to substitute ornamental plants for weeds.

With best wishes, & hoping you may have health & strength to go on with your great work | Believe me | dear Darwin | Yours very faithfully | 4 Alfred R. Wallace.5 [signature]

My Review will appear next Wednesday.6

1
Here ARW refers to Vol. 2 of Darwin’s The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, originally published in two volumes 1871. Much of the text is believed to be written in response to doubts expressed by ARW concerning the evolution of humans.
2
A review by ARW which appeared in the Academy on Wednesday, March 15 1871, entitled "Darwin’s ‘The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex’".
3
In September 1842, Darwin moved out of the city of London to Down House in Downe, Kent.
4
The letter used to create this transcript was itself a typed transcript of the original. While all the valedictions listed above are found on a single line, each separated by multiple spaces, at the end of the typed transcript used, it is believed that they would have been found on multiple lines in the original. For this reason, vertical bars are placed between them in this transcript as seen.
5
This was likely ARW’s signature in the original letter; however, the letter used to create this transcript was itself a typed transcript of the original.
6
See endnote 2.

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Transcription (WCP1940.4494)]

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

Revision history

Transcribed by Clerx, William [2012-08-17] Transcription checked by Catchpole, Caroline [2013-01-15]

Published letter (WCP1940.6025)

[1] [p. 259]

Holly House, Barking, E. March, 11, 1871.

Dear Darwin, — I need not say that I read your second volume with, if possible, a greater interest than the first, as so many topics of special interest to me are treated of. You will not be surprised to find that you have not convinced me on the "female protection" question, but you will be surprised to hear that I do not despair of convincing you. I have been writing, as you are aware, a review for the Academy, which I tried to refuse doing, but the Editor used as an argument the statement that you wished me to do so. It is not an easy job fairly to summarise such a book, but I hope I have succeeded tolerably. When I got to discussion, I felt more at home, but I most sincerely trust that I may not have let pass any word that may seem to you in the least too strong.

You have not written a word about me that I could wish altered, but as I know you wish me to be candid with you, I will mention that you have quoted one passage in a note (p. 376, Vol. II.) which seems to me a caricature of anything I have written.

Now let me ask you to rejoice with me, for I have got my chalk pit, and am hard at work engineering a road up its precipitous slopes. I hope you may be able to come and see me there some day, as it is an easy ride from London, and I shall be anxious to know if it is equal to the pit in the wilds of Kent Mrs. Darwin mentioned when I lunched with you. Should your gardener in the autumn have any [2] thinnings out of almost any kind of hardy plants they would be welcome, as I have near four acres of ground in which I want to substitute ornamental plants for weeds.

With best wishes, and hoping you may have health and strength to go on with your great work, believe me, dear Darwin, yours very faithfully, | Alfred R. Wallace

My review will appear next Wednesday.

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Published letter (WCP1940.6025)]

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

Revision history

Transcribed by Siewert, Betsy [2019-12-17]

Please cite as “WCP1940,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 11 October 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP1940