WCP3198

[1]¹

8 Amberley St^[reet]

Liverpool

Nov^[embe]r 22nd 1900

Dear Sir,

Time after time in the years that have passed have I taken up my pen to thank you for your books, and the influence they have had upon my life, but a feeling that it would be presumption on my part has hitherto deterred me, but now having just finished reading your "Wonderful Century", I can no longer delay, no presumption or otherwise, I most sincerely thank you for the books that have not only helped me to love nature more and more, but which have had a large share in development of [2] character.

When some twenty-eight years ago I went to Ceylon, among the books I purchased to take with me was yours "Amazon", and it was in Ceylon that I first read that delightful book — one of the few books that will never pale and never grow old — there it helped me to understand something of the wonderful world which was my home for three years.

Your "Island Life" has given me many happy hours, and furnished me with material for many lectures; but to your "Malay Archipelago" I owe most. It always forms part of my list when on my holidays, and is even handy when the cases of business[?] or other troubles appears.

Strange combination you will perhaps think, when I tell you that your Malay Archipelago taken [3] together with Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" always gives away the most violent attack of pessimism; and it seems almost impossible to witness the terrible struggle for riches(?) and the consequent grinding of the faces of the poor, without sometimes losing hopfulness and courage. The two books mentioned, I think I am right in saying have been more to me than any others. Yet Darwin², Hooker³, Yates[?], Heackel⁴, Huxley⁵, and Wordsworth⁶, Shelley⁷, Lewis Morris⁸, and John Ruskin⁹all have had their share in shaping the course of my life. Ah! and what the world owes to you and these, no one can or will ever know. And the sorrow of it — who is to replace these?

The [1 word illeg.] seems the order of the day, and it looks to me that it will be left to the leisured amateur [4] to generally in the future — to father the various threads into one harmonious whole.

Paltry as the work I, and much as I do in comparison with the great work of the noble men mentioned I suppose we serve some small purpose, if our work be but honestly done; to help in the diffusion[?] of the knowledge acquired by these great ones must be productive of some good.

Your quotations from I.H.Fell[?] led to an enquiry of my bookseller for any poems of his, but I am sorry to say without success, as they are unable to hear of any. Such a poet should be better known.

I enclose two papers for your kind acceptance, in which you may possibly find something of interest.

Again thanking you for the influence of your life and work.

I am dear Sir | Yours very sincerely | W.J.Haydon¹⁰