WCP3846

[1]¹

Broadstone, Wimborne.

March 8th. 1907

W. B. Hemsley² Esq.

Dear Mr. Hemsley

Thanks for your letter³ just received. Will you kindly inform me, how your list of species of Spruce’s⁴ plants is arranged. If under the Natural Orders with the Genera alphabetically— it would I think be most useful to me, if Spruce's number[s] are also given so that I can refer to his own Catalogue for localities.

The other question, perhaps the most important for me, was— whether any botanist — English or [2] Foreign— had written any general account of Spruce's S. American collection as compared with those of other S. American travelers— especially as to the number of forest-trees he collected.

A few words in reply to the above will oblige[.]

Yours very truly | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]

P.S. If you know any botanist who has more leisure than you have who could answer my questions will you refer me to him.

A.R.W.

[3] P. S. (2) Perhaps you would so good as to advise me whether you think it would be much appreciated by botanists if I gave lists of the plants collected by Spruce at some (or all) of his most important Stations- such as The Lower Rio Negro— The Uaupés river, —Tarapoto— & The Ecuadorean Andes— or even if to give the number of species collected at each place under the Natural Orders. The full lists would occupy a good deal of space and involve much extra labour, & perhaps be out place in a Book of Travels. What is your opinion?

A.R.W.