WCP369

Transcription (WCP369.369)

[1]1

Extracts from Mr Alfred Wallace[’]s Letter dated Oct[obe]r 6 1858

"I was much amused with Fanny’s2 interview with Dr Gray3 and Prof[essor]: Owen4 at the Museum.5 The latter is a delightfully pleasing and polite man, Dr Gray rather surly, but no doubt can be polite enough to Ladies — He has been on bad terms with me — because when in England I made some remarks about on the museum which he did not like, but since my recent collections he has bought of them very liberally and has named one of my new animals after me6 which I look upon as an "olive-branch" of reconciliation — I fear the Museum is too gloomy for Thomas Sims7 to take any good views in[.]

I sh[oul]d like a copy8 of the Paradise birds when printed, but nothing I have [2] ever received yet has come in good condition, the delicate lights fade into white patches; I have just returned from a short trip, & am now about to start on a longer one, but to a place where there are some Soldiers, a Doctor & Engineer who speak English so if it is good for collecting I shall stay there some months[.] It is "Batchian" [Bacan]9 an island on the S. W. side of "Gilolo" [Halmahera]10 about 3 or 4 days Sail from Ternate.11 I am now quite recovered from my New Guinea voyage and am in good health.12

I have received letters0 from Mr Darwin13 & Dr Hooker,14 two of the greatest most eminent Naturalists in England which has highly gratified me[.] I sent Mr Darwin an essay15 [3] on a subject in which he his now writing a great work[.]16 He shewed it to Dr Hooker & Mr Darwin Sir C[harles] Lyell,17 who thought so highly of it that they immedeately[?] read it before the "Linean Society"[.]18 This insures me the acquaintance and assistance of these eminent men on my return home[.]

Mr Stevens19 also tells me of the great success of the "Aru" Collections20 of which £1000 worth had been actually sold! This makes me hope I may soon realize enough to live upon and carry out my long cherished plans of a Country life in Old England[.]

If I had sent the large & handsome shells from Aru which are what you expected to see, they would not have paid expenses, whereas the Cigar box full of small ones [4] have sold for £50 — you must not think I shall always do so well as at Aru — perhaps never again because no other collections will have the novelty, all the neighbouring Countries producing birds & Insects very similar, and many even the very same. Still if I have health I fear not to do very well, I feel little inclined now to go to California,21 as soon as I have finished my explorations of this region I shall be glad to return home as quickly and cheaply as possible. It will certainly be by way of the Cape or by 2nd class over land[.]

May I meet you dear old Mother22 and all my other relatives & friends in good health — perhaps John & his Trio23 will have had the start[?] of me."

1
Transcript in an unknown hand, thought to be Wallace’s mother, Mary Ann Wallace, of extracts from a letter to her. Annotated under the heading in another hand in red pencil/crayon: "par.[?] to copy".
2
Sims (née Wallace), Frances ("Fanny") (1812-1893). Sister of ARW; teacher.
3
Gray, John Edward (1800-1875). British zoologist and curator at the British Museum.
4
Owen, Richard (1804-1892). British biologist, comparative anatomist and palaeontologist.
5
The British Museum, the world's first national museum freely open to the public, was founded in 1753 in London mainly on collections of books, manuscripts, natural history specimens and some antiquities, much expanded in the nineteenth century (Trustees of the British Museum. 2017. History of the British Museum. The British Museum. <https://www.britishmuseum.org/about_us/the_museums_story/general_history.aspx> [accessed 30 December 2018]).
6
Perhaps the bat Pteropus wallacei as noted in Gray, J. E. 1866. A revision of the genera of Pteropine bats (Pteropidae), and the descriptions of some apparently undescribed species. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 1866: 62-67 (see Baker, D. B. 2001. Alfred Russel Wallace's record of his consignments to Samuel Stevens, 1854-1861. Zoologische Mededelingen Leiden. 75(16): 251-341 [p. 272]).
7
Sims, Thomas (1826-1910). Brother-in-law of ARW; photographer.
8
Perhaps anticipating the publication of information on the new species of Bird of Paradise discovered by ARW (see Wallace, A. R. 1859. Extract from a Letter received by Mr. S. Stevens from Mr. A. R. Wallace, dated Batchian, Moluccas, Oct. 29, 1858. The Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 27(2): 129). The bird was named Paradisea wallacii after ARW by G. R. Gray (see [Gray, G. R.]. 1859. [Notes of Mr. G. R. Gray on the sketch of a new form of Paradise-Bird]. The Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 27(2): 130).
9
Batchian [Bacan], an island in the northern section of the Moluccas (Maluku) group, Maluku province, Indonesia (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2018. Bacan. Island, Indonesia. Encyclopaedia Britannica. <https://www.britannica.com/place/Bacan> [accessed 30 December 2018]).
10
Gilolo [Halmahera], the largest island in the Moluccas [Maluku] group, North Maluku province, Indonesia (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2018. Halmahera. Island, Indonesia. Encyclopaedia Britannica. <https://www.britannica.com/place/Halmahera> [accessed 30 December 2018]).
11
Ternate, an island in North Maluku province, Indonesia, off the largest island in the Moluccas [Maluku] group, Halmahera island, formerly named Djailolo or Jailolo (known to ARW as Gilolo) (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2018. Ternate Island. Island, Indonesia. Encyclopaedia Britannica. <https://www.britannica.com/place/Ternate-Island> [accessed 30 December 2018]).
12
The passage beginning "I have received letters from Mr Darwin..." and ending "on my return home" has been separated from the rest of the text by lines drawn in red pencil or crayon, perhaps to mark a section for publication.
13
Darwin, Charles Robert (1809-1882). British naturalist, geologist and author, notably of On the Origin of Species (1859).
14
Hooker, Joseph Dalton (1817-1911). British botanist, explorer and second Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
15
Wallace, A. R. 1858-1859. On the Tendency of Varieties to depart indefinitely from the Original Type. [read 1 July 1858]. Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society. Zoology. 3: 53-62.
16
Darwin, C. 1859. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. London, UK: John Murray.
17
Lyell, Charles (1797-1875). British lawyer and geologist.
18
The Linnean Society of London, the oldest surviving biological society in the world, founded in 1788 (The Linnean Society of London. 2018. The Linnean Society. The Linnean Society of London. <https://www.linnean.org/> [accessed 30 December 2018]).
19
Stevens, Samuel (1817-1899). British entomologist and dealer in natural history specimens; agent of ARW.
20
ARW’s collections from the Aru Islands were shipped from Macassar [Makassar] via Singapore, reaching London in January 1858 (Baker, D. B. 2001. Alfred Russel Wallace's record of his consignments to Samuel Stevens, 1854-1861. Zoologische Mededelingen Leiden. 75(16): 251-341 [pp. 269-270].
21
ARW's brother John Wallace (1818-1895), engineer and surveyor, had emigrated to California in 1849 and so perhaps ARW was to join him there.
22
Wallace (née Greenell), Mary Ann (1792-1868). Mother of ARW.
23
Wallace, John (1818-1895). Brother of ARW; engineer and surveyor and his wife, Mary Elizabeth Podger Wallace (née Webster) (1832-1913) and their two eldest children, John Herbert ("Herbert") Wallace (1856-1934) and William George Wallace (1857-1922).

Editorial information

Status: Edited (but not proofed) transcription [Transcription (WCP369.369)]

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

Revision history

Transcribed by O'Hanlon, Alice [2012-03-06] Transcription checked by Brunnen, Claire [2012-04-13] Transcription checked by Catchpole, Caroline [2013-01-15] Transcription checked by Watt, Helen [2019-01-29]

Published letter (WCP369.5914)

[1] [p. 71]

October 6, 1858

My dear Mother,- ... I have just returned from a short trip, and am now about to start on a longer one, but to a place where there are some soldiers, a doctor and engineer who speak English, so if it is good for collecting I shall stay there some months. It is Batchian, an island on the south-west side of Gilolo, about three or four days' sail from Ternate. I am now quite recovered from my New Guinea voyage and am in good health.

I have received letters from Mr. Darwin1 and Dr. Hooker2, two of the most eminent naturalists in England, which has highly gratified me. I sent Mr. Darwin an essay on a subject on which he is now writing a great work. He showed it to Dr. Hooker and Sir C. Lyell3, who thought so highly of it that they immediately read it before the Linnean Society. This assures me the acquaintance and assistance of these eminent men on my return home.

Mr. Stevens4 also tells me of the great success of the Aru collection, of which £1000 worth has actually been sold. This makes me hope I may soon realise enough to live upon and carry out my long cherished plans of a country life in old England.

If I had sent the large and handsome shells from Aru, which are what you would expect to see, they would not have paid expenses, whereas the cigar box of small ones has sold for £50. You must not think I shall always do so well as at Aru; perhaps never again, because no other collections will have the novelty, all the neighbouring countries producing birds and insects very similar, and many even the very same. Still, if I have health I fear not to do very well. I feel little inclined now to go to California; as soon as I have finished my exploration of this region I [2] [p. 72] shall be glad to return home as quickly and cheaply as possible. It will certainly be by way of the Cape or by second class overland. May I meet you, dear old Mother, and all my other relatives and friends, in good health. Perhaps John and his trio will have had the start of me...

1
Darwin, Charles Robert (1809-1882). British naturalist, geologist and author, notably of On the Origin of Species (1859).
2
Hooker, Joseph Dalton (1817-1911). British botanist and explorer. Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 1865-1885. President of the Royal Society 1873-1878.
3
Lyell, Charles (1797-1875). British geologist and author, notably of the influential Principles of Geology (1830–3). President of the Geological Society of London, 1835–1837 & 1849–1851.
4
Stevens, Samuel (1817-1899). British entomologist and dealer in natural history specimens; agent of ARW.

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Published letter (WCP369.5914)]

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

Revision history

Transcribed by Sherwood, Danni [2020-06-09] Transcription checked by Siewert, Betsy [2020-10-30]

Published letter (WCP369.6921)

[1] [p. 196]

refer to it: "I have received letters from Mr. Darwin and Dr. Hooker, two of the most eminent naturalists in England, which have highly gratified me. I sent Mr. Darwin an essay on a subject upon which he is now writing a great work. He showed it to Dr. Hooker and Sir Charles Lyell, who thought so highly of it that they had it read before the Linnean Society. This insures me the acquaintance of these eminent men on my return home."

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Published letter (WCP369.6921)]

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

Revision history

Transcribed by Congerton, John [2019-12-17]

Please cite as “WCP369,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 20 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP369