WCP6661

Transcription (WCP6661.7711)

[1]1

[Parà]

[May 25 1849]2

Every body says here it would be of great use to me in the Interior to have Letters from the President here which would enable one always to procure men & assistance, for want of it a person may be absolutely unable to proceed[.] We found this in our trip up the Tocantins when we could not get a single man for [2] any wages we could offer it was this Government assistance that rendered matters. Spix3 & Martius4 capable of penetrating so much into the Country for want of it Mawe5 was left a considerable time without a single man in his canoe & Smith6 & Low7 had great difficulty in getting down[.] To get such assistance would require a recommendation or request from the Government at home[.] Could it be got through the Museum? An official Letter to the Consul here requesting him to apply to the President of the Province for a Letter of recommendation which could be forwarded to me at Rio Nigro [Rio Negro] if I have left would be what is required, Mr Doubleday8 at the British Museum will no doubt be able to tell you whether this is practicable[.] I am quite convinced it is of great importance to the successful prosecution of any thing like an exploration of the Amazons & its tributaries.

The page is numbered 109 in the upper righthand corner.
The date and address is given by Stevens in a letter to Lord Palmerston on 4 August 1849, where he provides the latter with an excerpt from ARW's letter.
Spix, Johann Baptist Ritter von (1781-1826). German biologist, zoologist, botanical collector and explorer.
Martius, Carl Friedrich Philipp von (1794-1868). German botanist and explorer.
Mawe, John (1766-1829). British mineralogist, dealer in minerals and author
Smyth, William (1800-1877). British naval officer and artist. Explored the Amazon with Frederick Lowe, 1834-5.
Lowe, Frederick (1811-1847). British naval officer and companion to William Smyth in his expedition to the Amazon, 1834-5.
Doubleday, Edward (1810-1849). British entomologist; assistant in the zoological department of the British Museum. Brother of Henry Doubleday.

Please cite as “WCP6661,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 28 March 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP6661