Ɛpsilon

WCP2937

Letter (WCP2937.2827)

[1]1

CHUDLEIGH VALE,

5, DUDLEY ROAD,

WIMBLEDON.

April 7/09.

Dr. Alfred R. Wallace

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your post card.2 I have read the article in the "Fortnightly" & am much obliged to you for calling my attention to it. I must confess the difference in achievement between ourselves & the Greeks in Art & the Romans in Law puzzles me, as we ought to be greater than we are. I put a little [2] 2 note in "The Phrenologist" some time ago on this subject which I will try & enclose for your kind acceptance.

It is a shame to ask you to do more for the science & I will not do it. But if you have an article already written & printed which you could permit us to reproduce in book form by way of introduction to Combe's Elements3 we should be very glad, as we are wishful [3] 3 to have the book reprinted & with a note of yours to lead off with the matter could doubtless be easily arranged. Perhaps "Evolution & Character" could be so utilised. Spurzheims4 Philosophy5 has just been reprinted by Lippincott with an introduction by some one at Philadelphia & George Coombe's book would be a distinct gain to us if re issued.

With kindest regards | yours sincerely | John Nayler6 [signature]

1
In ARW’s handwriting, "B.P.S."
2
The postcard has not been found.
3
Combe, George. 1846. Elements of Phrenology. New York: William H. Colyer.
4
Spurzheim, Johann Gaspar (1776-1832). German physician who became one of the chief proponents of phrenology.
5
Spurzheim, Johann Gaspar. 1908. Phrenology: Or the doctrine of the mental phenomena. J. B. Lippincott Company.
6
Nayler, John (-). President and writer of the British Phrenological Society. Businessman connected with newspaper and publishing. Magistrate for the county of Surrey in 1912.

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP2937.2827)]

For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon

Revision history

Transcribed by Lo, Yen-Nyuk [2019-12-17] Transcription checked by Chua, Christine [2026-04-18]

Please cite as “WCP2937,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP2937