WCP4989

[1]¹[p. 14]

The following are true copies of Mr. Wallace's Letters to Mr. H.:—

"9, St. Mark's Cresent, Regent's Park, London, N.W.

"J. Hampden, Esq.

"January 15th, 1870.

"Sir,—As I presume by your offer in "Scientific Opinion" of January 12th, that you can afford to pay £500 to have the question of the actual rotundity of the Earth proved to your satisfaction, I hereby offer to stake that sum on the undertaking to show visibly, and to measure in feet and inches the convexity of a canal or lake. A canal will do if you can find one which is nearly straight for four miles without locks, if not, I propose Bala Lake, in North Wales as a place admirably suited for the experiment. As an intelligent referee I propose the Editor either of "Scientific Opinion," "The Field," or "Land and Water," or any well-known Land Surveyor, or Civil Engineer, or any fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

"I remain Sir, yours very faithfully,

"ALFRED R. WALLACE, F.R.G.S."