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Biography
- Illustration of Hertford Grammar School
- Portrait of Wallace, aged 25
- A trip up the Hudson River
- Wallace's final Darwinism lecture at the Lowell Institute
- Attending seances and Wallace's fame in America
- Wallace's trip to Niagara Falls
- Sketch map of Niagara Falls
- List of Wallace's lectures in the USA
- List of medals in Wallace's The Malay Archipelago book
- Wallace's modesty at receiving a medal
- Wallace sends Violet tickets for London Zoo
- Wallace shares amusing answers to a geography exam
- Information on astronomy and the death of Bates
- Sketch of planet conjunctions
- A local lecture and Wallace's radical social views
- List of payments for lectures
- Cover of The Wonderful Century
- The Wonderful Century chapter headings
- Plans for the cover of The Wonderful Century book
- Photographic proof print of a redwood tree
- List of Wallace's publications before 1862
- Photograph of Neath Free Library
- Portrait of Wallace in old age
- Views on science in 1907
- Science in 1907 manuscript
- Science in 1907 newspaper article
- Wallace is awarded the Order of Merit medal
- Magazine interview with Wallace
- Wallace's funeral
- Wallace's obituary in the journal Nature
- Birthday congratulations and disagreement on socialism
- Birthday congratulations and general admiration
- Birthday congratulations and admiration for socialism
- Wallace's death
- Collecting
- Evolution
- Family
- Naturalist
- Social issues
- Spiritualism
- Search
Wallace is awarded the Order of Merit medal
Full transcription
Dec[emb]r.
17th
Old Orchard,
1908 Broadstone,
Wimborne.
My dear Will
The ceremony is over, very comfortably. I am duly "Invested", and have got two engrossed documents both signed by the King - one appointing me a member of the "Order of Merit" with all sorts of official and legal phrases - the other a "Dispensation" from being personally "invested" by the King - as Col. Legge explained to safeguard me as having a right to the Order in case anybody says I was not "invested".
The "Insignia" consists of a very handsome cross in deep blue & red enamel mounted in gold with a handsome gold crown on top - weighing a little over an ounce. It is 13/4 in. wide and 21/2 inches high. The centre has on one side the Royal Monogram on the other the words "Order of Merit" There is a gold ring and clasp at top, to which is attached a thick ribbed, crimson and blue ribband, long enough to go round the neck and hang in the centre of the shirt front -to be seen by all observers! It fits in a double morocco case lined with white satin & velvet of this shape -
[sketch of the shape of the medal with the following text]
ORDER
OF
MERIT
4in.
[written vertically at the left hand side of the page]
61/2 inches
Colonel Legge was a very pleasant jolly kind of man, & he told us he was in attendance on the German Emperor when he was staying near Christchurch last summer, and went for many drives with the Emperor only, all about the country, and he is quite sure the Emperor loves England and the English people even more than his mother did
Col. Legge got here at 2.40 - & had to leave by 3.20(at Station) so we got a carriage from Wimborne to meet the train &take him back, and Ma gave him some tea, & he said he had got a nice little place at Stoke Poges but with no views like ours, - & he showed me how to wear the order & was very pleasant: and we were all pleased.
Your affectionate Pa
[signed] A.R.Wallace
[written vertically at the left hand side of the page]
I think the Order will have to be kept in its case & the Medals have a glass covered tray to themselves.
1908 Broadstone,
Wimborne.
My dear Will
The ceremony is over, very comfortably. I am duly "Invested", and have got two engrossed documents both signed by the King - one appointing me a member of the "Order of Merit" with all sorts of official and legal phrases - the other a "Dispensation" from being personally "invested" by the King - as Col. Legge explained to safeguard me as having a right to the Order in case anybody says I was not "invested".
The "Insignia" consists of a very handsome cross in deep blue & red enamel mounted in gold with a handsome gold crown on top - weighing a little over an ounce. It is 13/4 in. wide and 21/2 inches high. The centre has on one side the Royal Monogram on the other the words "Order of Merit" There is a gold ring and clasp at top, to which is attached a thick ribbed, crimson and blue ribband, long enough to go round the neck and hang in the centre of the shirt front -to be seen by all observers! It fits in a double morocco case lined with white satin & velvet of this shape -
[sketch of the shape of the medal with the following text]
ORDER
OF
MERIT
4in.
[written vertically at the left hand side of the page]
61/2 inches
Colonel Legge was a very pleasant jolly kind of man, & he told us he was in attendance on the German Emperor when he was staying near Christchurch last summer, and went for many drives with the Emperor only, all about the country, and he is quite sure the Emperor loves England and the English people even more than his mother did
Col. Legge got here at 2.40 - & had to leave by 3.20(at Station) so we got a carriage from Wimborne to meet the train &take him back, and Ma gave him some tea, & he said he had got a nice little place at Stoke Poges but with no views like ours, - & he showed me how to wear the order & was very pleasant: and we were all pleased.
Your affectionate Pa
[signed] A.R.Wallace
[written vertically at the left hand side of the page]
I think the Order will have to be kept in its case & the Medals have a glass covered tray to themselves.
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Wallace Letters Online
View high resolution scans and transcripts of Alfred Russel Wallace's correspondence, including all surviving letters between him and Charles Darwin.