WCP4732

[1]

Broadstone, Wimborne

Nov[emb]^er 20th. 1906

Dear Mr Slater

Your parcel of books & Mss. received this morning, & your letter this evening.

I think, now that I am setting to work with Spruce's Mss. & it will save time if you send me all the papers & books you have of his, relating to the South American Journey, and I shall then be able to select everything I can use, and [2] return you the rest, or send them to Kew or elsewhere.

If Spruce had a Portuguese and a Spanish Dictionary, they would both be very useful to me in correcting or translating the numerous words and phrases in those languages he is very often using in his journals &c.

Please send me also a complete set of all the separate copies of Spruce's Papers or Articles that you say you have, as these will do to send to the printer, where required, without cutting out those that are bound in volumes. [3] As to the Duke or Argyll, I do not think it at all likely that he ever had Spruce's Peruvian "journals" — or if he had that he did not return them with the other one.

With regards to the Clairvoyant, it is not supposed that the lost "journals" are in Mr Teasdales old house at Webburn, but in the present Mr Teasdale's country house at Clifton near York. ^{Where the pictures of} costume ^are. As a matter of curiosity I shall be glad to know if that house in any way corresponds to the description I sent you.

I suppose you do not happen to have kept a lock of Spruce's [4] hair? If so please send me a fragment.

Yours very truly | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]