WCP7155

Letter (WCP7155.8286)

[1]

Down Beckenham

Jan. 4th. 1881

My dear Miss Buckley

The Memorial to Gladstone was despatched this morning to him, accompanied by a private note from me.1 The Memorial was drawn up chiefly from the materials forwarded to me by you, and was corrected by Huxley.2 I enclose list of the signers.3The Duke of Argyll, to whom I wrote answered most courteously, and said that he had already written to Mr. Gladstone on the subject.4 Heaven knows whether the M. will succeed, but I hardly ever wished so much for anything in my life as for its success. I suppose that I shall receive only an official answer, but if it gives any indication I will inform you. I wrote to all the signers and received from almost all a letter in return, saying how strongly they approved of the Memorial and wished for its success.

Your discretion will tell you whether it would at some time please Mr. Wallace to hear who have signed, and how cordially the signers expressed themselves.

I know that I should be proud to be supported by such men.

I am glad it is all over. I can truly say that I have done my best; but as my boys would express it "it has been an awful grind" I mean so many letters.

Believe me | My dear Miss Buckley | Yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin

1
CD had sent the memorial for a Civil List pension for Alfred Russel Wallace to William Ewart Gladstone (see letter to W. E. Gladstone, [4 January 1881]).
2
Buckley had enclosed a note on Wallace in her letter to CD of 7 November 1880; she also wrote a summary of Wallace’s case for a pension (see Correspondence vol. 28, Appendix V).
3
The memorial was signed by William Spottiswoode, George James Allman, Henry Walter Bates, Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Baron Aberdare, William Henry Flower, Albert Günther, Joseph Dalton Hooker and Thomas Henry Huxley, John Lubbock, Andrew Crombie Ramsay, Philip Lutley Sclater, and CD (see letter to A. R. Wallace, 7 January 1881). CD had suggested ‘a small Deputation’ to deliver the memorial; however, Huxley advised CD to send it with a private letter (see Correspondence vol. 28, letter to T. H. Huxley, 27 December 1880 and letter from T. H. Huxley, 28 December 1880).
4
CD has asked George Douglas Campbell, 8th duke of Argyll to write a separate letter of support to Gladstone (see Correspondence vol. 28, letter to G. D. Campbell, [before 27 December 1880] and n. 4); Campbell’s letter to CD has not been found.

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP7155.8286)]

For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon

Revision history

Transcribed by Darwin Correspondence Project [2020-06-15]

Please cite as “WCP7155,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 28 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP7155