21 July 1878
My dear Wallace,
I fear I can give you no help in your enquiry, for seeing I am partially colour blind, and trust in all matters of colour more to testimony[?] and memory than to my eyes I have always been indifferent to questions which depended on colour.
I thought however I would show your letter to my colleagues here before [2]4 Replying. They have the general opinion that I have that our temperate fruits are more frequently[?] and more highly coloured than those of the tropics, but of course this notion is based chiefly on the literature of botany, where colour is not much dwelt on, and on coloured plates, for none of us know personally tropical regions — [3]5 Nor can I recall any books which would help you on the subject —
I never see anything of the progress of Epping Forest conservancy6 — I am to be at Sewardstone7 on Thursday next, and may than hear some news. It was on a former occassion of visiting the friend at Sewardstone that I met Sir Culling Eardl[e]y8 — If I see him on this [4] occasion I will try to get anything out of him and let you know9 —
I am ever faithfully yours | W[illia]m Carruthers10 [signature]
Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP2365.2255)]
For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon
Please cite as “WCP2365,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 28 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP2365