CHAP. xiv. HIS LOST LETTERS. 295 



plained that they could not read his writing, and that 

 what he said was unintelligible. Another hindrance 

 was, that when he sent a number of new specimens 

 to Naturalists at a distance, they were often kept, and 

 thanks only were returned. But he was scarcely in 

 a position to resent this conduct. At last he sent 

 none but those of which he had duplicates, preferring 

 to keep them without a name rather than run the 

 risk of losing them altogether. 



Mr. Edward Newman of London, editor of the 

 Zoologist, was one of those who helped Edward with 

 books. He also named many of Edward's Beetles 

 and other Insects, which were sent to him for identi- 

 fication. The correspondence* between them origin- 

 ated in Edward's articles on the Birds of Banffshire, 



* Most of Edward's correspondence has been lost, destroyed, orused 

 for ' ' kindling. " He never had the least idea that old letters could be 

 useful. When the author made inquiry about them, Edward said, 

 " I fear there will be a great blank there. I am not aware when I 

 began to correspond ; and as for keeping letters, I had no reason 

 for that ; still, I may have some, and I will try and find them." 

 After about a week, he said, " I have found no old letters yet ; but 

 my wife tells me that she saw a box, about two years ago, in an old 

 lumber garret, which she thinks may contain some useless old papers 

 of mine. I will try and get it out, and make a search. I might have 

 had many hundreds, if not thousands, if I had kept them. The post- 

 man, as well as my master and shopmates, were all surprised at the 

 great number of letters I received for many years. " At last the box 

 in the garret was discovered, and a small collection of letters was 

 found in it, which the author has made use of in writing the 

 latter part of this Memoir. 



