WCP1962

Letter (WCP1962.1852)

[1]

Down,

Beckenham, Kent.

Nov[ember] 19th [1873]1

Dear Wallace

I thank you for your extremely kind letter, & I am sorry that I troubled you with that of yesterday. My wife2 thinks that my son George3 would be so much pleased at undertaking to work for me, that I will write to him, & so probably shall have no occasion to trouble you.— If on [2] still further reflexion & after looking over my notes, I think that my son could not do the work, I will write again & gratefully accept your proposal.— But if you do not hear, you will understand that I can manage the affair myself.— I never in my life-time regretted an interruption so much as this [3] new Edit[ion]. of the "Descent".4— I am deeply immersed in some work bearing on physiological points with plants.—

I fully agree with what you say about H[erbert]. Spencer[']s Sociology5; I do not believe there is a man in Europe at all his equal in talents. I did not know that you had been writing on politicks6, [one word illeg. crossed out] except so far as your letter on the Coal-question, which [4] interested me much & struck me as a capital letter.7

I must again thank you for your letter

& remain | Dear Wallace | Yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin [signature]

I hope to Heaven that politicks will not replace Natural Science.—

I know too well how atrociously bad my hand-writing is[.]

1
A red crayon annotation at the upper centre of page 1 adds '1873?'. The Darwin Correspondence Project have established the year 1873 as the correct date for this letter. See DCP-9154.
2
Darwin, Emma (née Wedgwood) (1808-1896). Wife and first cousin of Charles Robert Darwin.
3
Darwin, George Howard (1845-1912). Astronomer and mathematician and 2nd son of Charles Robert Darwin.
4
See Darwin, C. R. 1882. The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex. 2nd Ed. London: John Murray.
5
Spencer, H. 1873. The Study of Sociology. London: Henry S. King.
6
Archaic form of politics.
7
Wallace. A. R. 1873. Free-trade Principles and the Coal Question. The Daily News (London) no. 8546: 6d-e (16 September 1873).

Editorial information

Status: Edited (but not proofed) transcription [Letter (WCP1962.1852)]

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

Revision history

Transcribed by Darwin Correspondence Project [2012-11-21] Transcription checked by Beros, Matt [2019-12-20]

Published letter (WCP1962.6060)

[1] [p. 283]

Down, Beckenham, Kent. November 19, 1873.

Dear Wallace, — I thank you for your extremely kind letter,1 and I am sorry that I troubled you with that of yesterday. My wife2 thinks that my son George3 would be so much pleased at undertaking the work for me, that I will write to him, and so probably shall have no occasion to trouble you. If on still further reflection, and after looking over my notes, I think that my son could not do the work, I will write again and gratefully accept your proposal. But if you do not hear, you will understand that I can manage the affair myself. I never in my lifetime regretted an interruption so much as this new edition of the "Descent."4 I am deeply immersed in some work on physiological points with plants.

I fully agree with what you say about H. Spencer's5 "Sociology";6 I do not believe there is a man in Europe at all his equal in talents. I did not know that you had been writing on politics, except so far as your letter on the coal question, which interested me much and struck me as a capital letter.7 [2] [p. 284]

Alfred Russel Wallace I must again thank you for your letter, and remain, dear Wallace, yours very sincerely, | CH. DARWIN.

I hope to Heaven that politics will not replace natural science.

I know too well how atrociously bad my handwriting is.

1
WCP1961_P6059.
2
Darwin, Emma (née Wedgwood) (1808-1896). Wife and first cousin of Charles Robert Darwin.
3
Darwin, George Howard (1845-1912). Astronomer and mathematician and second son of Charles Robert Darwin.
4
Darwin, C.R. (1874) 'The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex' 2nd Edition (London, UK: John Murray)
5
Spencer, Herbert (1820-1903). British philosopher, sociologist, and prominent classical liberal political theorist.
6
Spencer, H. (1873) 'The Study of Sociology' London, UK: Henry S. King & Co.
7
ARW’s letter 'Free-trade principles and the coal question' was published in the 'Daily News', 16 September 1873, p.6.

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Published letter (WCP1962.6060)]

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

Revision history

Transcribed by Paterson, Gavin [2019-12-17]

Please cite as “WCP1962,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 4 June 2023, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP1962