April 12/981
My dear Wallace
I will read you pamphlet2 most carefully; will write & tell you how it its affects me; & will in any case send it on with your letter3 & a letter of my own to Sir John Gorst,4 whom I know well & whom I agree with you in thinking I regarding as the most acceptable member of his government.
If I am converted, it will by wholly your doing. I have read much on the subject, —Creighton,5 etc & am at present strongly pro-vaccination. At the same time, there is no one for whom I would more willingly be converted than yourself.
I am glad to take this opportunity of telling you something about my relation to one of your books.
I write now from bed, having had some [2] influenzic pneumonia, now going off.
For some days my temp. was 105o & I was very restless at night, — anxious to read, but in too sensitive & fastidious a state to tolerate almost any book. I found that almost the only book wh I cd. read was your *Malay Archipelego.6Of course I had read it before – In spite of my complete ignorance of natural history there was a certain uniqueness of charm about the book, both moral & literary, wh made it deeply congenial in those trying hours. You have had few less instructed readers,— but very few can have dwelt on that simple manly record unto a more profound sympathy.
I want to respect you as a friend at court. When we get into the next world, I beg you to remember me, & say a good word for [3] me when you can, as you will have much influence there –
To me it seems that Hodgson’s7 report is the best thing wh we have yet published. I trust that it impresses you equally. It has converted Podmore,8 amongst other people!
I will, then, write again soon & I am yours most truly | FW H Myers9[signature]
Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP3059.3027)]
For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon
F. W. H. MYERS1 TO A. R. WALLACE
Leckhampton House, Cambridge. April 12, 1890.
My dear Wallace, — I will read your pamphlet2 most carefully; will write and tell you how it affects me; and will in any case send it on with your letter and a letter of my own to Sir John Gorst, whom I know well, and whom I [2] agree with you in regarding as the the most acceptable member of the Government.
If I am converted, it will be wholly your doing. I have read much on the subject — Creighton, etc., and am at present strongly pro-vaccination; at the same time, there is no one by whom I would more willingly be converted than yourself.
I am glad to take this opportunity of telling you something about my relation to one of your books. I write now from bed, having had some influenzic pneumonia, now going off. For some days me temperature was 105 and I was very restless at night, anxious to read, but in too sensitive and fastidious a state to tolerate almost any book. I found that almost the only book which I could read was your "Malay Archipelago" (of course I had read it before). In spite of my complete ignorance of natural history there was a certain charm about the book, both moral and literary, which made it deeply congenial in those trying hours. You have had few less instructed readers, but very few can have dwelt on that simple manly record with a more profound sympathy.
I want to bespeak you as a friend at court. When we get into the next world, I beg you to remember me and say a good word for me when you can, as you will have much influence there.
To me it seems that Hodgson's report3 is the best thing which we have yet published. I trust that it impresses you equally. It has converted Podmore amongst other people!
I will, then, write again soon, and I am yours most truly, F.W.H MYER
[1] [p. 202]
F. W. H. MYERS1 TO A. R. WALLACE
Leckhampton House, Cambridge.1 April 12, 1890.
My dear Wallace, — I will read your pamphlet2 most carefully; will write and tell you how it affects me; and will in any case send it on with your letter and a letter of my own to Sir John Gorst,3 whom I know well, and whom I agree with you in regarding as the most acceptable member of the Government.
If I am converted, it will be wholly your doing. I have read much on the subject — Creighton,4 etc., and am at present strongly pro-vaccination; at the same time, there is no one by whom I would be more willingly converted than yourself.
I am glad to take this opportunity of telling you something about my relation to to one of your books. I write now from bed, having had some influenzic pneumonia, now going off. For some days my temperature was 105 and I was very restless at night, anxious to read, but in too sensitive and [2] [p. 203] fastitious a state to tolerate almost any book. I found that almost the only book which I could read was your "Malay Archipelago"5 (of course I had read it before). In spite of my complete ignorance of natural history there was a certain charm about the book, both moral and literary, which made it deeply congenial in those trying hours. You have had few less instructed readers, but very few can have dwelt on that simple manly record with a more profound sympathy.
I want to bespeak you as a friend at court. When we get into the next world, I beg you to remember me and say a good word for me when you can, as you will have much influence there.
To me it seems that Hodgson's report6, 7 is the best thing which we have yet published. I trust that it impresses you equally. It has converted Podmore8 amongst other people!
I will, then, write again soon, and am yours most truly, | F. W. H. MYERS.
Status: Draft transcription [Published letter (WCP3059.8500)]
For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon
Please cite as “WCP3059,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on