WCP69

[1]

Broadstone, Dorset.

Jan^y. 3^rd. 1903.

My dear Will¹

Clement Reid’s² permanent address now is,- 6 Victoria Terrace, Newquay, Cornwall. He is now head of the Geol. Survey in the S. Western District. As of course ^{part of} his business is to visit all mines he might give you some information as to those most likely to adopt Electrical power for working. You can get all the Geol. Survey publications at Stanford’s whose address now is Long Acre. I cannot find his list now, but he will send you one if you write for it.

I have had Tom Harwood & his mate the last ten days making the road up in front of the house, and [2] levelling the huge clay heaps at the back and he has done it very well, and by moving a lot of the crowded trees & shrubs I shall soon make it look decent. I have also with Kerley, Pennington, & a labourer, built a dwarf dry wall below the verandah wall, dug out the clay 2 feet wide at foot of verandah wall put in drainage & a good mixture of peat, loam, sand, & lime for a border, with a tile edging & a path of gravel, and at foot of lower wall another path above a slope of the stuff dug out, so as to form an upper & lower terrace walk. This will be continued on to the road by the East window, and round the West window to the west verandah, and then we shall [3] be able to transplant some of the choice shrubs & climbers & make the surroundings of the house a little tidy. Your box was sent off last Tuesday, I think, and should have reached you before this. We have got a box of sand in the hall to put out fire in case of dropping a paraffine lamp &c. The painter has just finished the dining-room ceiling, frieze, beams, skirting &c. & there is now nothing to do but the sideboard which Percy & his mate are getting on with, and the room will certainly look well well[sic] and quite distinctive. We had our first Broadstone visitor this afternoon just as we were at tea in the Study — a Miss Scutt. Ma³ went to her, ^{in the Drawing Room} & then brought her [4] into the Study & gave her some tea, so now I have no doubt we shall have lots of callers to see our strange goings on.

Your idea as to the young ducks & chickens & water is quite correct. Prof. Lloyd Morgan⁴ proved that neither of them know water till they touch it accidentally. You should get his book "Habit & Instinct" from the library (if they have it.) It is a splendid book & most interesting. Percy Curtis told me to thank you for the Photos. I enclose a letter from old Wareham who "wants more". I have just finished "The Vultures", the book I gave Violet, & shall now begin "Eben Holden". There are two fine bits by the lamented "Bounder" in this week’s "Clarion".

I am glad you have found a man likely to be an interesting companion in walks &c. Perhaps he knows something of the "toad in the coal". Don’t forget to enquire. There are full geological reports on all the Coal fields with sections &c. C. Reid will be able to tell you which are most instructive.

Your affect[iona]^te Pa | A.R. Wallace [signature]