WCP6187

Letter (WCP6187.7163)

[1]

Linden

Wellington Som[erset].

May 27. [18]70

Dear Wallace,

The 2[n]d Edition of "Early History of Mankind"1 is enlarged by some 8 or 9 pages. No new topics are introduced, but corrections are made as to a few points, [2] & new items of evidence. It has been a satisfaction that the lapse of 5 years has not made it necessary to rescind more than a few details, while the new evidence that has come in has mostly been confirmatory. The following are some points.

p. 301 The couvade2 seems known in India, but among Dravidians3, not Aryans4 [3] (N. B. What do you think of my theory of it, & your curious case?)

p. 290 curious & seemingly inexplicable custom about connexions by marriage, Australiansn, Zulusu5, & other cases are added in 2[n]d Edition.

p. 288 &c. Evidence for Spartan marriage6 much augmented, principle confirmed[.]

p. 357— 89 Bridge of Dead,7 new cases quoted, Parsis8, Scandinavia[n], mediaeval.

[4] p[.] 178 boomerangs developed from throwing-sticks[.] Lane Fox9 classes Australian and Indian as one species, I think wrongly.

p. 180 N. Am[erica]. bee-hunting, like Australia

p. 180 S. Am[erica]. Aeolian flutes10 like Malay.

p. 163 I have tried to make the absurdity of Whately's11 argument about the New Zealanders more manifest.

In various other places the evidence is increased. The book is advertised "Revised edition" but should, as you say, have had this stated in [the] title.

Thank you for your letter & believe me | Yours truly | EB Tylor [signature]

A R Wallace Esq[.]

1
Tylor, E. B. 1870. Researches into the Early History of Mankind and the Development of Civilization. 2nd edition. London: John Murray.
2
Ritual behaviour in several cultures around childbirth, usually undertaken by a man, who may take to his bed, undergo periods of fasting and purification, and observe certain taboos. Pauls, Elizabeth Prine. 2013. couvade. Encyclopedia Brtiannica. <https://www.britannica.com/topic/tea-ceremony> [accessed 8 March 2022].
3
People who speak one of the Dravidian languages, primarily in India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Krishnamurti, Bhadriraju. 2020. Dravidian languages. Encyclopedia Britannica. <https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dravidian-languages> [accessed 8 March 2022].
4
Originally people who spoke an Indo-European language, and settled in Iran and the northern Indian subcontinent. Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. Aryan. Encyclopedia Britannica. <https://www.britannica.com/topic/Aryan>. [accessed 8 March 2022].
5
Nguni-speaking people of South Africa, living mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. 2021. Zulu. Encyclopedia Britannica. <https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zulu> [accessed 8 March 2022].
6
The pretence of carrying off the bride by force, even though her guardians had consented. Tylor, E. B. 1870. Researches into the Early History of Mankind and the Development of Civilization. 2nd edition. London: John Murray. [p. 288].
7
Souls of the dead pass over the Bridge on their way to give account of their deeds in life; the good pass over and the wicked fall into the abyss. Tylor, E. B. 1870. Researches into the Early History of Mankind and the Development of Civilization. 2nd edition. London: John Murray. [p. 157].
8
People descended from Persian Zoroastrians who emigrated to India to avoid religious persecution by the Muslims. Anon. 2021. Parsee. Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press. <https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/138161?rskey=1dcRlN&result=1#eid> [accessed 8 March 2022].
9
Rivers, Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt- (1827-1900). British anthropologist and archaeologist.
10
Named after Aeolus, the Greek god of the wind, these are bamboo canes with vertical slits cut into the tubes to allow the wind to produce different notes as it passes through them. Fox, Dan. 2020. Aeolian flutes. Grizedale Forest Sculpture. <https://grizedaleforestsculpturepark.wordpress.com/aeolian-flutes/> [accessed 9 March 2022].
11
Whately, Richard (1787-1863). British Church of Ireland archbishop of Dublin and philosopher.

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Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP6187.7163)]

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Revision history

Transcription checked by Ghosh, Susan [2022-06-18] Transcribed by Ghosh, Susan [2022-06-19]

Please cite as “WCP6187,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 29 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP6187