S&SWM PR papers L2153

* S&SWM PR papers holds earlier letters from Selous which have not been transcribed, the first asked for Pitt-Rivers opinion on some tools acquired by Selous, the second and following letters start to discuss selling part of his collection to Pitt-Rivers. Edmund Selous (1857-1934) was a British ornithologist and writer and younger brother of big-game hunter Frederick Selous. See here for wikipedia entry. These items are not listed in the catalogue of the second collection.

L2153

July 25th 1898 | Wamil Hall | Mildenhall | Suffolk

Dear Sir

I am sending you today by goods train 50 specimens of stone implements. On re-reading your letter * I see that you say about 20 but as I have packed them & do not think that number would give a fair idea of the collection I am letting them go. - with three pieces of bone found with some of the stones included in case they should be of interest. The gravel-pits near the [1 word illegible] belong I believe to the "drift" formation. I have besides another hundred palaeolithic & fifty neolithic specimens (my own classification) & some more bones found in same formation with former Just a few amongst these may be doubtful most of the palaeolithics are rude - some so rudes as to be interesting, to my mind, on that account. Also 3 good specimens of forgeries (as I suppose) should these interest you.

Every specimen I am sending is wrapped up separately in paper together with ticket giving locality &c. Each ticket is numbered are [sic] also the stones themselves. I also enclose a list of the numbers. £20 is the price that I thought of asking for the collection.

Yours very truly
Edmund Selous

General Pitt Rivers | Rushmore | Salisbury

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L2178

Cheque £20 sent on Aug 16/98

August 12th 1898 | Wamil Hall | Mildenhall | Suffolk

Dear Sir

Not having yet heard from you with regard to the flints which I sent you on the 25th of July last, I write to ask if you have received them in safety & if you would care to take them - since if not I shall be glad to have them again

yours truly
Edmund Selous

General A Pitt Rivers
Rushmore
Salisbury

The list of numbers is attached in the S&SWM PR papers, but has not been transcribed

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L2200

September 6th 1898 | Longford House | Gloucester

Dear Sir

In reply to your last letter I have looked through all the flints I have left but there are none worth sending you as picked specimens, I am sorry to say, all the pick having been comprised in those I sent you. I reckoned the quantity together with the quality. Since you are so good as to give me the price I asked for both together for the latter only I can only hope it may contain something of great interest to you

Yours faithfully
Edmund Selous

General A Pitt Rivers
Rushmore
Salisbury

Transcribed by AP for the Rethinking Pitt-Rivers project in July-August 2011