Alfred Russel Wallace 



To His Sister, Mrs. Sims 



Macassar. December 10, 1856. , 



My dear Fanny, — I have received yours of September, 

 and my mother's of October, and as I am now going out 

 of reach of letters for six months I must send you a few 

 lines to let you know that I am well and in good spirits, 

 though rather disappointed with the celebrated Macassar. 

 . . . For the last fortnight, since I came in from the 

 country, I have been living here rather luxuriously, get- 

 ting good rich cow's milk to my tea and coffee, very good 

 bread and excellent Dutch butter (3s. a lb.). The bread 

 here is raised with toddy just as it is fermenting, and it 

 imparts a peculiar sweet taste to the bread which is very 

 nice. At last, too, there is some fruit here. The mangoes 

 have just come in, and they are certainly magnificent. The 

 flavour is something between a peach and a melon, with 

 the slightest possible flavour of turpentine, and very juicy. 

 They say they are unwholesome, and it is a good thing for 

 me I am going away now. When I come back there will 

 be not one to be had. . . . — I remain, dear Fanny, your 

 ever affectionate brother, j^ j^ Wallace. 



H. W. Bates to A. R. Wallace 



TunantinSy Upper Amazon. November 19, 1856. 



Dear Wallace, — ... I received about six months ago 

 a copy of your paper in the Annals on '' The Laws which 

 have Governed the Introduction of New Species.'' I was 

 startled at first to see you already ripe for the enunciation 

 of the theory. You can imagine with what interest I read 

 and studied it, and I must say that it is perfectly well done. 

 The idea is like truth itself, so simple and obvious that those 

 who read and understand it will be struck by its simplicity ; 



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