THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB 
237 
Caroline Oates, on the death of her distinguished son, Captain Oates, the 
following letter was read : — 
Gestingthorpe Hall , 
Cattle Hedingham, Essex. 
2nd October 1913. 
“ Dear Sir, 
“ I am extremely sorry that your kind letter should have remained 
thus long unanswered. I feel sure though that you will understand how 
only by degrees have I been able to reply to the vast number of letters 
which have reached me. May I ask you now, please, to convey to the 
members of the Essex Field Club my very hearty thanks for, and assu¬ 
rance of, appreciation of their kind message of sympathy and condolence. 
’Tis really wonderful the goodness of people towards me. Letters, some 
very touching ones, have come to me from all parts of the world. In 
some cases the writers are entire strangers. 
“ Again my thanks. Sincerely yours, 
Caroline A. Gates.” 
To William Cole, Esq.” 
The late Dr. A. R. Wallace, O.M , F.R.S.—The following letter 
was read Irom Mr. W. G. Wallace, in acknowledgment of the letter of 
condolence sent by the Secretary to Mrs. Wallace: — 
Old Orchard , Broadstone, Dorset , 
20 th November 1913. 
4 ‘ To William Cole, Esq., 
" Hon. Secretary of the Essex Field Club. 
4 ‘ Dear Sir, 
“ My Mother desires me, on her own behalf and on behalf of my sister 
and myself, to thank sincerely the members of the Essex Field Club for 
their kind message of sympathy for us in our bereavement, and also lor 
the words of high appreciation in which you refer to my late Father’s 
work in the realms of Natural and Social Science. 
“ Yours very truly, 
W. G. Wallace.” 
The President said that he had received a beautifully worded letter 
from Prof. Meldola on the death of the great Naturalist.—Mr. Whitaker 
read the letter, and it was resolved that it should be printed in full in the 
report of the Meeting :— 
” 6 Brunswick Square, W.C. 
“ 20th November 1913. 
” My dear Whitaker, 
‘‘As I shall be unable to attend the Club Meeting on the 29th, I am 
writing to ask you to bring before the meeting the news (now of course 
generally known) of the death of Dr. Alfred Russel Wallace, O.M., F.R.S., 
the co-founder with Darwin of the theory of the origin of species by Natural 
Selection. Both Darwin and Wallace w r ere Hon. Members of our Club 
almost from the foundation, and both took an active interest in our work, 
and in our early years as a Club I received many encouraging message 
from these illustrious naturalists. I may remind the Club that on 
4th January 1881, Mr. Wallace did us the honour of bringing before us, 
in the form of a lecture, the outline of his views on Island Life, which 
were subsequently embodied in his great work bearing that title. Again 
on 2nd October 1886, Mr. Wallace favoured us with another lecture in 
which he brought before us his conclusions with respect to the range of 
variability in species from the point of view of what is now known as 
