Lot 357

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Description:

ALFRED R. WALLACE
(1823 - 1913) English naturalist who independently originated the theory of natural selection (1858), an account of which he forwarded to Charles Darwin. A.L.S. 2pp. 8vo., Dorset, Nov. 29, 1901, to Sir William Fletcher Barret, a physicist and professor at Dublin University. Barret discovered stalloy, a silicon-iron alloy used in electrical engineering. He also did research on the divining rod and helped found the Society for Psychical Research. Wallace writes, in part: "...I have at length bought some land...a most charming site for a house, and I am really...going to build! But there is no water...I should therefore prefer to have my own water, & write to ask you if you have the address of any reliable 'dowser' within a moderate distance of this place. Even if the water should be laid on I should be glad of a surface supply to form ponds etc. for water-lilies. I fancy there must be water very near as there is a good deal of clay about on the surface...a few feet deep, and a surface supply however small would be most useful. If permanent water can be had a moderate depth, I would put up a small windmill & force pump as I did at the first house I built, 30 years ago...". Light wear, overall very good condition.

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March 30, 2011 11:00 AM EDT
Stamford, CT, US

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