Ɛpsilon

WCP4362

Letter (WCP4362.4595)

[1]

Hamilton House, The Croft

Hastings.

[18 February 1889]1

My dear Mr. Poulton2

Many thanks for the book, papers, & proofs, just received.3 Your notes will receive due attention. I now send you the next sheet, as that refers more especially to Weismann’s4 views, though the whole chapter was written before I had your proofs, & only from what I gathered from the abstracts in "Nature". My object has been to give an intelligible & quite untechnical view of the main points.

If I am not trespassing [2] too much on your time, I would be glad if you would read also (& criticise) the parts sent of my concluding chapter — on Man, & allow me to send you the concluding sheets also.

I will return the book & papers shortly.

Believe me| yours very truly| Alfred R. Wallace [signature]

P.S. Do you see any thing to object to in the MSS. footnote re Galton5 & Weismann? Please return proof as soon as you can.

ARW.

1
Envelope is dated 18 February 1889.
2
Poulton, Edward Bagnall (1856-1943). British entomologist. Hope Professor of Zoology at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Jesus College.
3
The letter has not been found.
4
Weismann, August Friedrich Leopold (1834-1914). German evolutionary biologist and founder of germ plasm theory. His work was influential in disproving the inheritance of acquired characteristics.
5
Galton, Francis (1822-1911). British biostatistician, polymath and founder of eugenics. One of the key figures in 19th Century research into heredity. Half-cousin of Charles Darwin.

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP4362.4595)]

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

Revision history

Transcribed by Lord, Annette [2012-07-16] Transcription checked by Catchpole, Caroline [2013-01-15] Transcription checked by Chua, Christine [2026-04-18]

Envelope (WCP4362.4596)

Envelope addressed to "E. B. Poulton Esq., Wykeham House, Oxford", with stamps, postmarked "HASTINGS | D | FE18 89"; postmark on back. [Envelope (WCP4362.4596)]

Please cite as “WCP4362,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP4362