Alfred Russel Wallace 



I am very glad to hear you are tolerably well. It is all 

 1 can say of myself. — Believe me yours very faithfully, 



Alfred E. Wallace. 



Down, Beckenham, Kent, January 5, 1880. 



My dear Wallace, — As this note requires no sort of 

 answer, you must allow me to express my lively admira- 

 tion of your paper in the 'Nineteenth Century ^ You cer- 

 tainly are a master in the diflBlcult art of clear exposition. 

 It is impossible to urge too often that the selection from 

 a single varying individual or of a single varying organ 

 will not suffice. You have worked in capitally Allen's 

 admirable researches. As usual, you delight to honour 

 me more than I deserve. When I have written about the 

 extreme slowness of Natural Selection (in which I hope I 

 may be wrong), I have chiefly had in my mind the effects 

 of intercrossing. I subscribe to almost everything you say 

 excepting the last short sentence. 



And now let me add how grieved I was to hear that the 

 City of London did not elect you for the Epping office, but 

 I suppose it was too much to hope that such a body of men 

 should make a good selection. I wish you could obtain some 

 quiet post and thus have leisure for moderate scientific work. 

 I have nothing to tell you about myself ; I see few persons, 

 for conversation fatigues me much ; but I daily do some work 

 in experiments on plants, and hope thus to continue to the 

 end of my days. 



With all good wishes, believe me yours very sincerely, 



Charles Darwin. 



P.S. — Have you seen Mr. Farrer's article in the last 

 Fortnightli/ ? It reminded me of an article on bequests 

 by you some years ago which interested and almost con- 

 verted me. 



^ '* The Origin of Species and Genera." 

 304 



