WCP3845

[1]¹

Broadstone, Wimborne

Nov^r 12th. 1906

W. B. Hemsley² Esq.

Dear Mr. Hemsley

Having now arranged with Macmillan to edit such "Journals" & other papers of Spruce³ as have been preserved, I have today written to the Director— Lt. Col. Prain⁴— for permission to have 32 of those to Mr. Bentham,⁵ copied.

I thank you for having taken the trouble to send me a list of the letters, & I venture to ask you further to send me the address of any Typist at or near Kew who will make [2] the copies. I have hitherto paid s1/- a thousand words for copying MSS. but I suppose somewhat more will he expected for working at Kew.

The letter I want copied are those beginning -

May 1855, from Yurimaguas, Peru.

and ending

April 1864 from Amotape Peru.

For the whole of this period the "Journals" are missing. The only chance seems to be that they were lend to Spruce's neighbor & friend at Welburn— Mr. Teesdale,⁶ who died some years before Spruce. Mr. Teesdale's son — a lawyer at [3] York— has some native drawing of Peruvians costumes of Spruce's – but these he has not yet being able to find. I hope the "Journals" may be with them, thought it seems very unlikely that Spruce should not have reclaimed them at his friends' death.

Yours very truly | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]

P.S. I suppose the letters to Mr. Bentham will be likely to have most matter of Botanical & general interest. There are none to Sir W. Hooker⁷ from Peru till 1858.

A.R.W.