73 Harley Street
March 19. 1867
Dear Mr Wallace
I am citing your two papers in my 2nd volume of the new edition of the Principles1. That on the Phys[ical]. Geog[raphy]. of the Malay archipelago 1863.2 & the other on Varieties of Man in Ditto 1864.3 I am somewhat confounded with the marked line which you draw between the two provinces on each side of the straits of Lombok. It seems to me that Darwin4 & Hooker5 have scarcely given sufficient weight to the objection. [sic] which it affords to some of their arguments. First in regard to continental extension if these straits could form such a barrier, it would [2] seem as if nothing short of land communication could do much towards fusing together two distinct faunas & floras. But here comes the question — are there any land-quadrupeds in Bali or in Lombok? I think you told me little was known of the plants, but perhaps you know something of the insects.
It is impossible that birds of long flight crossing over should not have conveyed the seeds & eggs of some plants, insects, mollusca etc[.] Then the currents would not be idle & during such an eruption as that of Tombora in Sumbawa all sorts of disturbances which, aquatic, & terrestrial would have scattered animals & plants.
[3] When I first wrote thirty-five years ago I attached great importance to pre-occupancy & fancied that a body of indigenous plants already fitted for every available station would prevent an invader, especially from quite a foreign province, from having a chance of making good his settlement in a new country[.] But Darwin & Hooker contend that continental species which have been improved by a keen & wide competition are most frequently victorious over an insular or more limited flora & fauna. Looking therefore upon Bali as an outpost of the great old world fauna it ought to beat Lombok which only represents a less rich & extensive fauna namely the Australian.6 You may perhaps answer that Lombok is an outpost of an army [4] that may once have been as multitudinous as that of the old continent; but the larger part of the host have been swamped in the Pacific. But they say that European forms of animals & plants run wild in Australia & New Zealand whereas few of the latter can do the same in Europe.
In my map the[re] is a small island called Nousabali [Nusa Penida]. [A sketched map appears here which depicts the island Nousabali in between the islands of Bali and Lombok]. This ought to make the means of migration of seeds & animals less difficult.
I cannot find that you say anywhere what is the depth of the sea between the Straits of Lombok but you mention that it exceeds 100 fathoms. I am quite willing to infer that there is a connection [5] [p.2] between these soundings & the line of demarcation between the two zoological provinces, but must we suppose land communication for all birds of short flight. Must we unite S. America with the Galapagos islands.
Can you refer me to any papers by yourself which might enlighten me & perhaps answer some of these queries? I should have thought that the intercourse even of savage tribes for tens of thousands of years between neighbouring islands would have helped to convey in canoes many animals & plants from one province to another so as to help to confound them. Your hypothesis of the gradual advance of two widely separated [6] continents towards each other seems to be the best that can be offered.
You say that a rise of a hundred fathoms would unite the Phillippine Islands & Bali to the Indian region. Is there then a depth of 600 feet in that narrow strait of Bali which seems in my map only two miles or so in breadth.
I have [been] confined to the house for a week by a cold or I should have tried to see you. I am afraid to go out to-day.
Believe me | ever most truly yours | Cha Lyell [signature]
A. Wallace Esq
Status: Edited (but not proofed) transcription [Letter (WCP2082.1972)]
For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon
[1] [p. 19]
73 Harley Street. March 19, 1867
Dear Mr. Wallace, — I am citing your two papers in my second volume of the new edition of the "Principles"1 — that on the Physical Geography of the Malay Archipelago, 1863, and the other on Varieties of Man in ditto, 1864. I am somewhat confounded with the marked line which you draw between the two provinces on each side of the Straits of Lombok. It seems to me that Darwin2 and Hooker3 have scarcely given sufficient weight to the objection which it affords to some of their arguments. First, in regard to continental extension, if these straits could form such a barrier, it would seem as if nothing short of a land communication could do much towards fusing together two distinct faunas and floras. But here comes the question — are there any land-quadrupeds in Bali or in Lombok? I think you told me little was known of the plants, but perhaps you know something of the insects. It is impossible that birds of long flight crossing over should not have conveyed the seeds and eggs of some plants, insects, mollusca, etc. Then the currents would not be idle, and during such an eruption as that of Tomboro in Sumbawa all sorts of disturbances, aerial, aquatic and terrestrial, would have scattered animals and plants.
When I first wrote, thirty-five years ago, I attached great importance to preoccupancy, and fancied that a body of indigenous plants already fitted for every available [2] [p. 20] station would prevent an invader, especially from a quite foreign province, from having a chance of making good his settlement in a new country. But Darwin and Hooker contend that continental species which have been improved by a keen and wide competition are most frequently victorious over an insular or more limited flora and fauna. Looking, therefore, upon Bali as an outpost of the great Old World fauna, it ought to beat Lombok which only represents a less rich and extensive fauna, namely the Australian.
You may perhaps answer that Lombok is an outpost of an army that may once have been as multitudinous as that of the old continent, but the larger part of the host have been swamped in the Pacific. But they say that European forms of animals and plants run wild in Australia and New Zealand, whereas few of the latter can do the same in Europe. In my map there is a small island called Nousabali; this ought to make the means of migration of seeds and animals less difficult. I cannot find that you say anywhere what is the depth of the sea between the Straits of Lombok, but you mention that it exceeds 100 fathoms. I am quite willing to infer that there is a connection between these soundings and the line of demarcation between the two zoological provinces, but must we suppose land communication for all birds of short flight? Must we unite South America with the Galapagos Islands? Can you refer me to any papers by yourself which might enlighten me and perhaps answer some of these queries? I should have thought that the intercourse even of savage tribes for tens of thousands of years between neighbouring islands would have helped to convey in canoes many animals and plants from one province to another so as to help to confound them. Your hypothesis of the gradual advance of two widely separated continents towards each other [3] seems to be the best that can be offered. You say that a rise of a hundred fathoms would unite the Philippine Islands and Bali to the Indian region. Is there, then, a depth of 600 feet in that narrow strait of Bali, which seems in my map only two miles or so in breadth?
I have [been] confined to the house for a week by a cold or I should have tried to see you. I am afraid to go out to-day.
Believe me ever most truly yours, | Cha. Lyell
Status: Draft transcription [Published letter (WCP2082.6272)]
For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon
Please cite as “WCP2082,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 29 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP2082