WCP75

[1]

Broadstone, Dorset.

June 15th. 1903

My dear Will¹

Thanks for your letters. I pretty well understand your explanⁿ. of selenium action, but I think it also serves as a measure of solar stellar radiation or he could not give it also in candle power, & the difference for diff. stars.

However I send you the first of the two articles which fully describes the cell, the mode of measurement, &c. and as Fitzgerald² helped him it must be o.k. as they all think Fitzgerald one of the greatest geniuses that ever lived — equal to Clerk-Maxwell³ or L^d. Kelvin⁴.

I send now the first 5 chapters of the book,⁵ — which are all [2] really introductory & descriptive, and want reading over mainly to see if there any errors of grammar, or style, or want of clearness, or unfinished sentences &c.

As soon as these are returned you shall have some more & will come to real matter of the book. Let me have them please as soon as you can conveniently.

Where you find anything you think wants altering you can note in soft pencil on margin.

Your affectionate Pa | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]

[3] P.S. I have written to Prof. Minchin⁶ about the Stars, — but have not heard from him yet. He is now Professor of Mathematics at the ^Royal Engineering College, Coopers’ Hill.⁷

A.R.W.

[pencil notes in WGW’s hand]

Ch IV

p 22. Area in degrees, how not equal in pairs & how is a circle 20° wide only 31/2 times smaller than a circle 360° x 20°

p 35. l10 all these objects (Nebulae) near MW, not clear as fore most nebular avoided it

l9 gaseous stars ^show gaseous by spectroscope

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Ch V p 19 l13, however perfect all ^the instruments

p 32 l2 0”.0001

p 34 l13 20 times lighter 20 times diameter why not as sq as above

p 37 ? why if they may be so very far away