My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org

LONDON, AND VOYAGE TO THE EAST 165acquaintance of most of the London zoologists andentomologists. I also went frequently to examinethe insect and bird collections in the British Museum(then in Great Russell Street), and also to the LinneanSociety, and to the Kew Herbarium to consultworks on botany, in order to name my palms.After discussing the matter with some of myfriends, I determined to publish, at my own expense,a small, popular volume on the " Palms of the Amazonand Rio Negro," with an account of their uses anddistribution, and figures of all the species from mysketches and specimens of fruits. I arranged withMr. Walter Fitch of Kew, the first botanical artist ofthe day, to draw them on stone, adding some artistictouches to give them life and variety, and in a fewcases some botanical details from species living inthe gardens. In one of the drawings a large nativehouse on the Uaupes is introduced, with some figureswhich, I am sorry to say, are as unlike the natives asare the inhabitants of a London slum. I arrangedwith Mr. Van Voorst to publish this small volume,and it was not thought advisable to print more than250 copies, the sale of which just covered all expenses.At the same time I was preparing my " Travelson the Amazon and Rio Negro " from the scantymaterials I had saved, supplemented by the letters Ihad written home. I arranged with Mr. Lovel Reevefor its publication on an agreement for " half profits."Only 750 copies were printed, and when I returnedhome from the East in 1862, about 250 copies werestill unsold, and there were consequently no profits todivide. We agreed, however, to share the remainingcopies, and my portion was disposed of by my newpublisher, Messrs. Macmillan & Co., and brought mein a few pounds.