Ɛpsilon

WCP2958

Letter (WCP2958.2848)

[1]1

THE FERNS,

WITCOMBE,

GLOUCESTER.

11.vii.09

Dear Dr Wallace,

I could not go to Cambridge as I was taken up with our Gloucester Show and had to lend a hand with Horticulture, Forestry and Education.

But I managed to write an article for the Gardeners' Chroncle under your purview, because I did not want any of the minimising to do it. You may like to see it.

I have just got F Darwin's2 'Foundations'.3 He tries to make one that his father4 could have [2] dispensed with that thus. But the selection death rate in a slightly varying large population is the pith of the whole business. The Darwin-Wallace theory is as you say 'the continuous adjustment of the organic to the inorganic world'. It is what mathematicians call 'a moving equilibrium'[.] In fact I have always maintained that it is a mathematical conception.

It seemed to me there was a touch of insincerity about the [3] whole celebration,5 as the younger Cambridge school as a whole do not even begin to understand the theory; F. Darwin, Bateson,6 A. Sedgwick,7 Gadow8 and the rest are all at sea about it. I take it that the reason is, as you have pointed out, that none of them are naturalists.

Ray Lankester9 was immensely pleased at your approval of his speech. From the talk about it in London it seems to have been the most impressive thing in the whole celebration.

Yours sincerely | W. T. Thistleton-Dyer10 [signature]

1
In ARW’s handwriting, "Acknowledged". The letter has not been found.
2
Darwin, Francis ("Frank") (1848-1925). British botanist; 3rd son of Charles Robert and Emma Darwin.
3
Darwin, Francis ed. 1909. The foundations of The origin of species. Two essays written in 1842 and 1844. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
4
Darwin, Charles Robert (1809-1882). British naturalist, geologist and author, notably of On the Origin of Species (1859).
5
On 22-24 June 1909, over 400 scientists and dignitaries from 167 different countries gathered at Cambridge to celebrate the centenary of Darwin's birth and the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species.
6
Bateson, William (1861-1926). Pioneering British geneticist and supporter of the work of Gregor Mendel. One of the key figures behind the modern synthesis in evolutionary biology.
7
Sedgwick, Adam (1854-1913). British zoologist and Professor of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy, Imperial College, London. Great nephew of the geologist, Adam Sedgwick.
8
Gadow, Hans Friedrich (1855-1928). German zoologist and zoogeographer.
9
Lankester, Edwin Ray ("Ray") (1847-1929). British authority zoology. Made important contributions to comparative anatomy, embryology, parasitology, and anthropology.
10
Thiselton-Dyer, William Turner (1843-1928). Leading British botanist, and the third director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP2958.2848)]

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

Revision history

Transcribed by Cooper, Rod [2015-03-05] Transcription checked by Chua, Christine [2026-04-18]

Published letter (WCP2958.7892)

[1] [p. 92]

SIR W. T. THISELTON-DYER TO A. R. WALLACE

The Ferns, Witcombe, Gloucester.

July 11, 1909.

Dear Mr. Wallace,—...

I have just got F. Darwin’s "Foundations." He tries to make out that his father could have dispensed with Malthus. But the selection death-rate in a slightly varying large population is the pith of the whole business. The Darwin-Wallace theory is, as you say, "the continuous adjustment of the organic to the inorganic world." It is what mathematicians call "a moving equilibrium." In fact, I have always maintained that it is a mathematical conception.

It seemed to me there was a touch of insincerity about the whole celebration,1 as the younger Cambridge School as a whole do not even begin to understand the theory.... I take it that the reason is, as you pointed out, that none of them are naturalists.—

Yours sincerely,

W. T. THISELTON-DYER.

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Published letter (WCP2958.7892)]

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

Revision history

Transcribed by Congerton, John [2020-03-27] Transcription checked by Chua, Christine [2026-04-18]

Please cite as “WCP2958,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP2958