WCP756

[1]¹

Broadstone, Do[rset] [MS damaged]

May 25th. [MS damaged]

My dear Fred

I hope you are now comfortably settled in Mr. Thayer’s² [MS damaged] home and rapidly recovering your he[alth] [MS damaged] though even after your leg-abscess is <healed> [MS damaged] it will be necessary to be very careful [MS damaged] a long time, as the least knock might cause inflammation & a renewal of the abscess. But with care you ought, <in> [MS damaged] a few months to be as well as [MS damaged] [.]

I shall be much interested in <an> [MS damaged] account of your temporary home and surroundings. It will I <am> [MS damaged] sure be a great delight to you, [MS damaged] the unfolding beauties of an Am[azon][?] [MS damaged] spring, which though not really[?] <as> [MS damaged] beautiful as ours, yet is [MS damaged] the charm of novelty [MS damaged] of [word illeg.] [MS damaged^{3, 4} [2]⁵ [MS damaged] <I do?> not know whether you have written [MS damaged] <to any?> of your prospective purchasers of [ins]ects. I have not done so as I have [no]thing definite to say. As however you [wi]ll now have plenty of time for [wri]ting you might write to Tring⁶, and the French gentleman & to Poulton⁷, to [exp]lain the situation.

Before you again start on your voyage [MS damaged] <to> Para and Iquitos it will be well if you [MS damaged] <send> home all the ^heavy baggage, books &c, that [MS damaged] <you> do not absolutely require, especially [MS damaged] <as?> all land transport in the Andes, even for a few days only will be very costly. [MS damaged] <Mr.> Thayer will no doubt advise with you [MS damaged] <on> this matter, and your own experience [MS damaged] will teach you what you least [MS damaged].

[MS damaged] thinking of editing Dr Spruce’s⁸ [MS damaged] his travels on the Amazon [MS damaged] executor[?] [3]^{9, 10} wishes me to undertake, though[?] [MS damaged] not quite certain that any [MS damaged] will take the risk & pay a [MS damaged] royalty. You will see by the <letter?> [MS damaged] of Spruce which I have printed <in> [MS damaged] my "Life"¹¹ how full of interest [MS damaged] [.]

A few weeks back I received an advertisement circular of a new [MS damaged] book on Lepidoptera, to be published <in> [MS damaged] German & English, and to be on <such?> [MS damaged] a plan that I at once agree subscribed to a portion of it. It purports to be <a> [MS damaged] complete illustrated sSynopsis of [MS damaged] Lepidoptera of the world — the first volume to contains those of the [MS damaged] Region only — another vol[ume]. the But[terflies][?] [MS damaged] of the rest of the World, and a [MS damaged] Moths. It is to come out in [MS damaged] each. of quarto size, with [MS damaged] from 6 or 7 up to 30 [MS damaged] side only¹¹[4]^{11, 12} [MS damaged] in Colours with specific name & [MS damaged] <below> each figure. A specimen of the [MS damaged] -press ^{<(> and 2 plates)} shows the plan to be to describe [MS damaged] <one> or new ^several species of each genus pretty [MS damaged] <fully>, and to indicate all the allied forms [MS damaged] a differential character, quite short, [MS damaged] <with> locality. Thus, all the species of the [MS damaged] [bu]tterflies, I suppose, will be recognisable. [MS damaged] volume is ^{to be} complete in itself and can [MS damaged] <be> subscribed for separately, so I have described for the Exotic butterflies only, [MS damaged] , if it comes out pretty quickly ^{(as promised)} hope [MS damaged] be able to follow & identify many [MS damaged] <of?> our captures as well as to see figures [MS damaged] of the wonderful things Mr. Rothschild [MS damaged] <has?> been getting lately from the mountains [MS damaged] <of New?> Guinea. I am sorry to say the size is so [MS damaged] (13 x 10 inches) which will make binding [MS damaged] the volume cumbersome, but [MS damaged] is excellent. No more till [MS damaged] [.]

[MS damaged] <Alfred R.> Wallace [signature]