WCP2090

[1]¹

South African Museum

[Cape Town]

May 30^th 1867.

My dear Wallace

I forward to you in charge of my friend M^r. Nash², 2^nd Officer of the "Union Steam C^o Steamer "Anglian"["]³ which leaves tomorrow for Southampton - your old store box containing 144 species[,] 230 specimens of S. African Rhopalocera in return for your contribution to the S. A[frican]. Museum (69 species 80 sp[ecime]^ns) I have selected you the best we have, & every species I could master. If you think our debt paid, I shall be glad — if you think it overpaid Trimen⁴, who is now home, will bring out anything for us & the smallest contribution thankfully received!! I wish our sp[ecime]^ns had been more perfect, but you know we have no insects in the neighbourhood of Cape Town, & all I get come from correspondents. Trimen will tell you the barren nature of this place. Kindly forward him the accomp[anied]. box. I wish I could be with you two to hear some of your "yarns" on the "affinities" & "imitations"!!

Kind regards to Bates⁵ and believe me | yours very sincerely | E. L. Layard [signature]

I direct the Box to the Zoological Society in case you have left your po[stal] address.

The steamers agent if you don’t get the box, which post takes privately is Tho[ma]^s Hill Esq⁶

U[nion].S[team]. C^o agent

Southampton.