WCP6039

[1]

Department Of Manuscripts.

British Museum, London, W.C.1

2 August, 1947.

Dear Sir,

Referring to our previous correspondence, a preliminary examination of the papers of the late Dr. Alfred Russel Wallace has now been completed, and I write to say that we shall have much pleasure in recommending the Trustees of the Museum, at their next meeting in October, to accept almost all the material you have sent.

There are, however, a few letters, etc., which seem hardly worthy of a place in the national collection. They consist largely of publishers' licences for the reprinting of articles, and letters from the less important of the late Dr. Wallace's admirers, We should wish, with your permission, to return them to you.

On the other hand, when you wrote in December 1837, you possessed typed copies of Dr. Wallace's replies to his letters from Darwin, Hooker, Huxley and others. There, or some of them, would almost certainly be of interest, and we should welcome an opportunity of adding them to the papers which you have already sent.

Perhaps, if you approve of the suggestions I have made, you will be good enough to supply me with your full Christian names at your convenience. These would be required for the expression of thanks which you would receive from the Trustees and for / eventual [2] eventual publication in the portion of our catalogue which deals with Dr. Wallace's papers.¹

Yours truly | A. T. Collins [signature]

Deputy Keeper of Manuscripts

W. G. Wallace Esq.

61 East Avenue

Bournemouth