WCP5764

[1] [p. 236]

Sir W. T. Thistleton-Dyan TO A. R. WALLACE

Kew. September 27, 1897.

Dear Mr. Wallace, — I am afraid I have been rather guilty of an impertinence which I hope you will forgive.

Romanes¹ is an old acquaintance of mine of many years’ standing. Personally, I like him very much; but for his writings I confess I have no great admiration.

Pray believe me I had no mission of any sort on his part to write to you. But I feel so sorry for him that when he told me how much he regretted that he did not stand well with you, I could not resist writing to tell you of the calamities that have befallen him.

I must confess I was in total ignorance of what you [2] tell me. I don’t see how, under the circumstances, you can do anything. I was never more surprised in my life, in fact, than when I read your letter. The whole thing is too childishly preposterous.

Romanes laments over me because he says I wilfully misunderstand his theory. The fact is, poor fellow, that I do not think he understands it himself. If his life had been destined to be prolonged I should have done all in my power to have induced him to occupy himself more with observation and less with mere logomachy.

I cannot get him to face the fact that natural hybrids are being found to be more and more common amongst plants. At the beginning of the century it was supposed that there were some sixty recognisable species of willows in the British Isles: now they are out down to about sixteen, and all the rest are resolved into hybrids. — Ever sincerely, W. T. THISELTON-DYER.²