WCP2047

[1]

Jan^y. 10. 1881

Dear Mr. Wallace

I must thank you for your very kind letter which I need hardly say is more than satisfactory to me.

I wish we could do more at Kew in the way of summarizing results. But the whole of our staff is so hardworked that no one finds time for the higher [2] kind of scientific work.

My own department is that of correspondence and I do the little I can in urging my colleagues to publish at once notices of facts of importance which are revealed by new collections. My excellent friend Baker¹ has published some very valuable notes of this kind at my [3] instigation in Nature[.]

You may like to make a private note to the following effect on p. 413 of Island Life²

Agauria — Central africa

Nat. Oct. 21. 80 p. 586

Madagascar

[Nature] Dec 9. 80 p. 126

I called with Sir John Lubbock³ yesterday on Mr Darwin⁴ and heard your good news in which everyone must rejoice and congratulate not so much [4] you as the Prime Minister.

I saw a letter ^{on Saturday} from Mr Watson⁵ in which he mentioned that the form called Helianthemum Breweri (of which you must be a little weary) undoubtedly occurred in Ireland[.]

Mr Darwin talked to me about your views on mountain floras.⁶ I confess I rather sympathized with his objections.

You will be sorry to hear that Mr Watson is extremely ill.

Yours very truly | W. T. Thiselton Dyer⁷ [signature]