es.

I keep moderately well, but always feel half-dead, yet manage to work
away on vegetable physiology, as I think that I should die outright if I
had nothing to do.--Believe me yours very sincerely,

CH. DARWIN

* * * * *

_Walron Edge, Duppas Hill, Croydon. September 23, 1878._

Dear Darwin,--Many thanks for your signature and good wishes. I have
some hopes of success, but am rather doubtful of the Committee of the
Corporation who will have the management, for they have just decided
after a great struggle in the Court of Common Council that it is to be a
rotatory Committee, every member of the Council (of whom there are 200)
coming on it in succession if they please. They evidently look upon it
as a Committee which will have great opportunities of excursions,
picnics, and dinners, at the expense of the Corporation, while the
improvement of the Forest will be quite a secondary matter.

I am very glad to hear you are tolerably well. It is all I can say of
myself.--Believe me yours very faithfully,

ALFRED R. 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 admiration of your paper in the
_Nineteenth Century_.[112] You certainly are a master in the difficult 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 se