WCP2359

[1]

Melbourne Botanic Garden.

13/4/78

My dear Sir,

Your letter¹of the 20th Jan. duly to hand, I received yesterday from the Enquirer of the "Durham" the skins which you kindly sent, many thanks for same. I shall now be able to go on with the case of Birds for Mrs. F.² There is no chance of getting anything direct from Malacca, as we have little or no communication, and I know of no one there to whom I could write. However I may see a chance on some future occasion. You will be sorry hear that your former assistant C. Allen.^3,4 has died at the mines (Borneo I suppose) I sent him a letter requesting insects but it was returned to me marked (not living) and I have learned since from a friend of mine who as just come from Singapore that he is dead.

In regard to your 2 vols of Geo Distribution⁵ I received last year, and acknowledged in by return of post, a fact which you must have [2] overlooked, I have explained this to Messrs. Robertson & Co⁶ in Melbourne who wrote me on the subject, regarding your projected work on Australasia, Can I be of any service to you in regard to information of any kind? I can send you journals &c &c – – if you would like them. This I should have much pleasure in doing. I do not consider that the corrected list of Australian Longicorn by Masters does him much credit. In the first place numbers are left out altogether and 2^d the localities are far from perfect. The journal catalogue too is very imperfect many quite common sp being left out. I am sorry that I could not send Mr. Pascoe⁷ anything new, but I have sent him things which he was much pleased to have, and I will yet send him many more. I have already written to Mr. Bates.⁸ I will send him (could you kindly ^so inform him) a box of insects for Chief Inquirer of P. P. Durham,⁹ and he might send a return lot by same opportunity. I am now collecting extra Australian Longicorn, Buprestidae, Cetonidae, Lucanidae, and I have nothing from Manilla, W. Indies, Chili, Peru or Amazons. I have such numbers [3] of Foreign insects that I have resolved to collect only my 4 favourite families. If Mr. Pascoe has not time to send names I shall be glad of them without names. H. Deyrolle¹⁰ of Paris sent me splendid things in exchange for those of Australia, I know however that you will speak a good word for me to your friends Pascoe & Bates, and I will assuredly compensate them as I can. I have just received a letter from Mackay¹¹ of Sydney, saying that he has been looking up all available information and he says that by a considerable number of sp my collection of Australian Longicorn are the finest & most exclusive in the world. I am very proud of this I can assure you, as I have not been collecting more than 10 years, and have nearly 700 species — a fact which I should like communicated to the Ent Society as no one dreamt of a like number being taken in Australia.

I shall send you something good soon.

With kind regards & thanks | I remain Dr Sir yours truly | C. French¹² [signature]

A. R. Wallace Esq.

[4] Pray use your interest with Mr. Bates & Mr. Pascoe, you have enough of one to guarantee that I shall make a return as far as lays in my power.

CF.