Alfred Russel Wallace 



loaded with fruit, some beeches, some firs — ^but I have not 

 had time yet to investigate thoroughly. Thus this little bit 

 of three acres has five subdivisions, each with a quite distinct 

 character of its own, and I never remember seeing such 

 variety in such a small area. The red wavy line is about 

 where I shall have to make my road, for the place has 

 now no road, and I think I am very lucky in discovering 

 it and in getting it. Another advantage is in the land, 

 which is varied to suit all crops. I fancy ... I shall find 

 places to grow most of my choice shrubs, etc., better than 

 here. I expect bulbs of all kinds will grow well, and I 

 mean to plant a thousand or so of snowdrops, crocuses, 

 squills, daffodils, etc., in the orchard, where they will look 

 lovely. 



To Mr. W. G. Wallace 



Parksfone, Dorset. November 6, 1901. 



My dear Will, — ... I have taken advantage of a foggy 

 cold day to trace you a copy of the ground plan of the pro- 

 posed house. ... Of course the house will be much larger 

 than we want, but I look to future value, and rather than 

 build it smaller, to be enlarged afterwards, I would prefer 

 to leave the drawing-room and bedroom adjoining with bare 

 walls inside till they can be properly finished. The house- 

 keeper's room would be a nice dining-room, and the hall 

 a parlour and drawing-room combined. But the outside 

 must be finished, on account of the garden, creepers, etc. 

 The S.E. side (really about S.S.E.) has the fine views. If 

 you can arrange to come at Christmas we will have a pic- 

 nic on the ground the first sunny day. I was all last week 

 surveying — a very difficult job, to mark out exactly three 

 acres so as to take in exactly as much of each kind of 

 ground as I wanted, and with no uninterrupted view over 

 any one of the boundary lines! I found the sextant, and 



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