Ɛpsilon

WCP4731

Letter (WCP4731.5087)

[1]

Broadstone, Wimborne

Nov[emb]er 14th. 1906

Dear Mr Slater

A friend of mine to whom I mentioned the loss of Spruce's1 "journals" has great faith in Clairvoyants, & he consulted one for me, giving him some of Spruce's writing.

I hear now, that this person describes a house, with a Gothic Porch — on one side a Bay window, on the other side two flat windows — standing in wooded grounds with a cuicular a circular carriage drive.

In this house, on the lower floor, opening out of a stone corridor [2] he saw a large cupboard filled with old bundles of Mss. and newspapers.

He is not sure however that has anything to do with Spruce, as he wanted a bit of Spruce's hair which I have not got.

Does the description of this house, agree with that of Mr Teesdale, or of any other friend of Spruce's you know?

I have written to Shaw[?] to ask permission to have copies of 32 of Spruce's letters from Peru &c. to be copied, by [3] a type writer. These are to Mr Bentham2. There are nearly as many more to Sir. W. Hooker3 & others.

Yours very truly | Alfred R. Wallace [signature] 4

1
Spruce, Richard (1817-1893). English botanist.
2
Bentham, George (1800-1884). English botanist.[
3
Hooker, Sir William Jackson (1785-1865). English botanist.
4
Underneath Wallace's signature has been written 'Matthew B. Slater Esq.' in Wallace's handwriting.

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP4731.5087)]

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

Revision history

Transcribed by Ward, Christopher [2014-10-28] Transcription checked by Benny, Ruth [2014-10-28] Transcription checked by Sherwood, Danni [2020-08-10]

Published letter (WCP4731.7289)

[1] [p. 126]

"A friend of mine to whom I mentioned the loss of Spruce's 'Journals' has great faith in Clairvoyants, and he consulted one for me, giving him some of Spruce's writing. I hear now that this person describes a house, with a Gothic Porch-on one side a Bay window, on the other side two flat windows-standing in wooded grounds with a circular carriage drive. In this house, on the lower floor, opening out of a stone corridor, he saw a large cupboard filled with old bundles of MSS and newspapers… Does the description of this house agree with that of Mr. Teasdale, or of any other friend of Spruce's you know?"

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Published letter (WCP4731.7289)]

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

Revision history

Transcribed by Abouhawas, Abid [2020-06-09]

Please cite as “WCP4731,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP4731