Early Years 



Bates was in Para at the time, and did what he could for 

 the boy until stricken down himself with the same sickness, 

 from which, however, his stronger constitution enabled him 

 to recover. 



Perhaps the most eventful and memorable journey during 

 this period was the exploration of the Uaupes Kiver, of which 

 Wallace wrote nearly sixty years later : ** So far as I have 

 heard, no English traveller has to this day ascended the 

 Uaupes River so far as I did, and no collector has stayed 

 at any time at Javita, or has even passed through it." 



From a communication received from the Royal Geo- 

 graphical Society it appears that the first complete survey 

 of this river (a compass traverse supplemented by astrono- 

 mical observations) was made (1907-8) by Dr. Hamilton 

 Rice, starting from the side of Colombia, and tracing the 

 whole course of the river from a point near the source of its 

 head -stream. The result showed that the general course of 

 the lower river was much as represented by Wallace, though 

 considerable corrections were necessary both in latitude and 

 longitude. '' I am assured by authorities on the Rio Negro 

 region, '' writes Dr. Scott Keltic to Mr. W. G. Wallace, 

 under date May 21, 1915, ^' that your fatlier's work still 

 holds good.'' 



In May, 1852, Wallace returned to Para, and sailed 

 for England the following July. The ship took fire at 

 sea, and all his treasures (not previously sent to England) 

 were unhappily lost. Ten days and nights were spent in 

 an open boat before another vessel picked them up, and in 

 describing this terrible experience he says : '^ When the 

 danger appeared past I began to feel the greatness of my 

 loss. With what pleasure had I looked upon every rare 

 and curious insect I had added to my collection ! How 

 many times, when almost overcome by the ague, had 

 I crawled into the forest and been rewarded by some 



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