WCP2458

[1]

[Seal of the Royal Gardens Kew Director]

Kew,

Jan[uar]^y.12, [18]93

Dear Mr Wallace,

Ill health and an enormous pressure of work have defeated my intention of writing to you in answer to your kind letter of Oct[ober]. 25

I am glad that you did not disapprove of the use I ventured to make of your letter to Mr Churchill about the early opening. It made a very great impression upon Mr Shaw. Lefevre. As far as I can see we meet the wants of all [2] classes of the community at Kew in a reasonable way and I do not see any valued case for disturbing present arrangements.

I was very vexed to hear that I had misunderstood your wished about the Royal Society. Of course the matter must often have presented itself to your mind and I confess that it [1 word illeg.] a little presumable[?] on the part of a person like myself so far inferior to you [3] in eye and standing to think that you would yield to my solicitation.

I was obliged for my health to go to Eastbourne & there I had the pleasure of seeing Mr Huxley¹ who you will be glad to hear is wonderfully well and an ardent gardener! His present ambition is to grow every possible Saxifrage.

I told him that I had had the audacity to approach you on the subject of the R[oyal].S.[ociety] He heartily approved and expressed the strongest opinion that unless you had some insuperable objection [4] you ought to yield. All of us who belong to the R.S. have but one wish which is that it should stand before the public as containing all that is best and worthiest in British Science. As long as men like you stand aloof that cannot be said. Lately we have been exposed to some very illnatured [sic] attacks: we have been told that we are professional and not discoverers, well, this is all the more reason for your not holding aloof from us. [5]² I wish you would think it over again. Huxley went the length of saying that to him it seemed a plain duty. But this is language I do not like to use.

As to attending the meeting on taking part in the work of the Society that is immaterial. Darwin never did either though he did once come to one of the evening receptions and enjoyed it immensely [6] In writing as I do I am not merely [1 word illeg.] expressing my own opinions, but I am those of many others of my own standing who are keenly interested in the matter.

It is not a great matter to ask. I have the certificate ready. You have but to say the word. You will be put to no trouble or pecuniary [7] responsibility. That my father-in-law arranged, long ago.

To dissociate yourself from the R.S. really amounts now-a-days to doing it an injury. And I am sure you do not wish that.

With all good wishes | Believe me | Yours sincerely | W. T. Thiselton Dyer [signature]