Ɛpsilon

WCP3243

Letter (WCP3243.3211)

[1]1

'Torrington'

Anderson's Bay

Dunedin N.Z.

10/6/06

Alfred Russel Wallace Esq F.R.S. &c &c

Dear Sir,

I have been reading with great interest the two volumes "My Life"2 lately given to the world by yourself. In Vol II my attention was specially attracted by a short notice of 2 works by Mr. Arthur J. Bell:3 —"Whence comes Man, from "Nature" or from "God"?4 & "Why does Man Exist?"5 which you conclude with the words: — "And he arrives at a grand — a magnificent conclusion" —

I have instructed my bookseller in Dunedin to procure for me the 2 Vols if possible, but I imagine they may very likely be out of print [2] II or the demand for them caused by your appreciative notice may be so great as to quickly exhaust the available copies, I am therefore taking the liberty of writing to ask if you could in a few words convey to me what is the 'grand & magnificent conclusion' which the Author finds to the weighty matters discussed by him in those vols: I have the late Sir Henry Thompson's6 small brochure: —"The Unknown God"7 which dwells upon much the same deep subjects.

I have also been renewing with pleasure my acquaintance with your "Malay Archipelago".8 I was myself for some 6 weeks in Singapore & Johore in '69 and made the acquaintance of the late Rajah of Johore who kindly furnished me with a boat & crew to enable me to visit the tin mines up the Johore river & whose photo: I have in court dress.

[3] III I made the transit across the Island of Singapore on foot treading on the curious sensitive plant most of the way, & seeing two large-sized tiger cubs playing in the road. I have also your recent work "Man's Place in the Universe" 4th Ed:9 which is to me one of the most intensely interesting works ever penned.

In "My Life" you make mention of Sir Wm: T. Thiselton-Dyer,10 lately Director of Kew Gardens. I had the honor of passing thro: King's College School London with him during the years '58 - '60, afterwards coming out to New Zealand. With apologies for troubling you, & begging you to accept assurance of my profound regard for the lustre of your great attainments[.]

I am, Dear Sir, | yours faithfully | W. E. McAdam11 — [signature] ) A great-grandson of the 'Road' McAdam[.]

[4]12

1
In ARW’s handwriting, "Answd." In WGW’s handwriting, "McAdam".
2
Wallace, A. R. 1905. My life: A record of events and opinions. London: Chapman and Hall. Two volumes.
3
Bell, Arthur John (fl. 1880-1917). British spiritualist and author.
4
Bell, Arthur John. 1888. Whence comes man : from 'nature' or from 'God?' London: Wm. Isbister Ltd.
5
Bell, Arthur John. 1890. Why Does Man Exist?: The Continuation and Conclusion of Whence Come Man? London: Wm. Isbister Ltd.
6
Thompson, Henry (1820-1904). British surgeon and polymath.
7
Thompson, Henry. 1902. The Unknown God. Frederick Warne.
8
Wallace, A. R. 1869. The Malay Archipelago: The land of the orang-utan, and the bird of paradise. A narrative of travel, with studies of man and nature. London: Macmillan and Co. Two volumes.
9
Wallace, A. R. 1904. Man's place in the universe; a study of the results of scientific research in relation to the unity or plurality of worlds. 4th edition. London: Chapman & Hall.
10
Thiselton-Dyer, William Turner (1843-1928). Leading British botanist, and the third director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
11
McAdam, William Edward (1843-1920). British-born gold clerk and assayer at the Bank of New Zealand, Dunedin.
12
In WGW’s handwriting, "McAdam".

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP3243.3211)]

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

Revision history

Transcribed by Lo, Yen-Nyuk [2020-06-09] Transcription checked by Chua, Christine [2026-04-18]

Please cite as “WCP3243,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP3243