WCP2900

[1]

Minsmere

Dunwich

Saxmundham

July 24th 1908

Dear Sir,

I am much obliged to you for your note & have ordered your book to [1 word illeg.].

It is not clear^{to me} how any estimate can be made of anything beyond the average velocity of gas molecules and provided the average is well within the limit it will still remain an open question, so [2] far as the kinetic theory goes, whether there is or is not water vapour in a planet. I suppose (& Lewell¹ clearly enough adant[sic?] this) that mars has been and still is, chemically wasting water vapour hence its present dryness. Its [1 word illeg.] of mountains probably come from from the terrific [2 words illeg.] here before tides. I remember noting that Lewell said in his first book that mars had had no tides to speak of but as far as I could calculate is a [1 word illeg.] way the [5 words illeg.] [3] has a tremendous [1 word illeg.] producing proves for greater relativity than my own.

What made me [1 word illeg.] the question of water vapour is [3 words illeg.] that when we were staying in B[irming]'ham I was reading Young's²Astronomy and then found it states that for [1 word illeg.] Higgins³ had found undeniable spectroscope proof of the existence of water on mars.

Beg to remain, | James A. Aldis [signature]

Dr. Alfred R Wallace

[4]⁴