Alfred Russel Wallace 



Thanks for your regrets and kind wishes anent Epping. 

 It was a disappointment, as I had good friends on the 

 Committee and therefore had too much hope. I may just 

 mention that I am thinking of making some application 

 through friends for some post in the new Josiah Mason 

 College of Science at Birmingham, as Registrar or Curator 

 and Librarian, etc. The Trustees have advertised for Pro- 

 fessors to begin next October. Should you happen to know 

 any of the Trustees, or have any influential friends in 

 Birmingham, perhaps you could help me. 



I think this book will be my last, as I have pretty well 

 said all I have to say in it, and I have never taken to ex- 

 periment as you have. But I want some easy occupation 

 for my declining years, with not too much confinement or 

 desk- work, which I cannot stand. You see I had some 

 reason for writing to you; but do not you trouble to write 

 again unless you have something to communicate. 



With best wishes, yours very faithfully, 



Alfred R. Wallace. 

 I have not seen the Fortnightly yet, but will do so. 



Pen-y-hryn, St. Peter's Road, Croydon. October 11, 1880. 



My dear Darwin, — I hope you will have received a copy 

 of my last book, ^^ Island Life," as I shall be very glad of 

 your opinion on certain points in it. The first five chap- 

 ters you need not read, as they contain nothing fresh to 

 you, but are necessary to make the work complete in itself. 

 The next five chapters, however (VII. to X.), I think, will 

 interest you. As I thinks in Chapters VIII. and IX. I have 

 found the true explanation of geological climates, and on 

 this I shall be very glad of your candid opinion, as it is 

 the very foundation-stone of the book. The rest will not 

 contain much that is fresh to you, except the three chapters 



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