WCP3818

[1]

Pen-y-Bryn, St. Peter’s Road, Croydon.

August 8th. 1880

My dear Sir Joseph¹

I have been away from home all the week & should have written sooner to thank you for your very kind & flattering letter² & the valuable corrections & suggestions on my proofs³ which shall be carefully attended to.

As to the identification of Australian genera of plants in Europe I was aware that Mr Bentham⁴ and yourself discredited them, but on the other hand they seem to me so perfectly accordant with the general bearing of paleontological discoveries and are now supported by so many [2] distinct observers that I do not think I sh^d— be justified in omitting all reference to them. I will however add a note that they are considered doubtful.

I shall look forward with great interest to the publication of your views as to the more recent origin of the Western than the Eastern Australian flora. At present I do not see how that will will so well explain all the facts.

I should have liked to have gone through the whole Australian "flora" & tabulated the distribution of the species but I shrunk from the enormous [3] labour of doing so, more especially as to do it properly requires knowledge of the general distribution of the genera & species which I have no means of obtaining. No doubt you will get this done, & give us the result in the work you appear to be contemplating.

I took the height of Young Island (12000 ft.) from the South Polar Chart ^{(by Peterman)5} in Stieler’s⁶ Hand-Atlas⁷ (part 10.) published last year.

Many thanks for your paper on Kerguelen Botany.⁷

Again thanking you for your valuable assistance[.]

I remain | yours very faithfully | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]

Sir Joseph Hooker.