WCP739

[1]¹

Broadstone,

Wimbo[rne.]

July 18th. 1905

My dear Fred²

As your last letter (of June 30th.) does not contain much news, except your second interview with Cap^t[ain]. B.,³ — and as I am very busy just sending off my MSS. to the printers &c. I can only send a few lines.

First — you quite misunderstood me when I said that if we can arrange for buyers of special collections "ther[e] will remain lots of other things to be sold for what they will fetch" — meaning that you sh[oul]^d. send these "other things" to Janson.⁴ What <I> [MS damaged] meant was that ^you would [MS damaged] [2] <not be> able to sell those "other things" (except by auction for almost nothing) whereas Janson can dispose of almost all your collections. I have always said you must choose between an Agent, & private buyers — & that on the whole an Agent will be (for a long time to come) a necessity for you.

Also, with the German dealer, I merely thought that if you had broken with Janson he might be useful as a purchaser of the "other things".

The Venezuela dutie’s [sic] will be [3] a dreadful nuisance. I think one good of a Foreign Office passport t is that it makes all foreign officials treat the bearer with a little more respect & not actually rob him. There is generally an exception made for a man’s "tools of his trade". You must try to get your things passed as such. Can you not get some certificate from the Government at P[ort] of Spain,⁵ that you are a naturalist, not a trader or miner? Such a certificate on your Passport would perhaps do good. [4] I hope Cap^t[ain]. B. is "bluffing" you a little as to the "skeeters",⁶ the rats, & the dearness of food &c. It would be well for you to get an official list of the dutie’s [sic] payable, so that the local officials may not plunder too much!

I long to hear you are at S[anta]. Catalina⁷ and getting lots of new butt[erflie]s. and beetles.

Yours very sincerely | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]