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

194 MY LIFEtherefore, that I may have the satisfaction of knowingand sending it to Darwin,that by writing my articleI was the unconscious means of leading him to concentratehimself on the task of drawing up what hetermed " an abstract " of the great work he had inpreparation, but which was really a large and carefullywritten volume — the celebrated "Origin ofSpecies," published in November, 1859. The remainderof the story of my relations with Darwinwill be found in later chapters of this book. I willnow continue the account of my travels.During the first months of my residence atTernate I made two visits to different parts of thelarge island of Gilolo, where my hunters obtained anumber of very fine birds, but owing to the absenceof good virgin forest and my own ill-health, I obtainedvery few insects. At length, on March 25, I obtaineda passage to Dorey Harbour, on the north coast ofNew Guinea, in a trading schooner, which left methere, and called for me three or four months later tobring me back to Ternate. I was the first Europeanwho had lived alone on this great island ; but partlyowing to an accident which confined me to the housefor a month, and partly because thelocality was nota good one, I did not get the rare species of birds ofparadise I had expected. I obtained, however, anumber of new and rare birds and a fine collection ofinsects, though not so many of the larger and finerkinds as I expected. The weather had been unusuallywet, and the place was unhealthy. I had four Malayservants with me, three of whom had fever as well asmyself, and one of my hunters died, and though Ishould have liked to stay longer, we were all weak orunwell, and were very glad when the schooner arrivedand took us back to Ternate. Here wholesome