Melbourne
Aug. 15.07.
My dear Howitt,
Many thanks for your letter. I am in rather a difficulty as to the wombats some of which you kindly intended as a present & just before your letter came Kershaw & I had been talking the matter over & he has prepared a statement of beasts received. We do not know exactly who to pay etc. so I will send you the list & shall be grateful if you will be good enough to solve the problem & let me know at your leisure.
As to that miscreant Matthew. I just saw the "Nature" but did not read it carefully & forgot all about it until
your letter came and until also - just at the same time - I saw by chance as extraordinary paper of his in the R.S. of N.S.W. & Mr Miller called my attention to a publication of his in Paris in which he jeered at Gillen & myself & had the confounded impudence to say that you did not understand the first principles of Australian Anthropology. I didn't know whether to admire most his impudence his boldness or his mendacity - they are all of a very high order and seldom combined to so high a degree in one mortal man.
Mr Miller tells me that you have him in hand. I have serious thoughts of making a few polite remarks - I only wish I dare say it in print what years ago I said to him in private but it was just a little bit too libellous. However I am too busy just at present and perhaps it may be just as well to give him the length of his tether.
Immunity from attack may make
it still more effective when the onslaught does come. Mr Miller is kindly looking out a few of his papers.
Kind regards to Miss Howitt - I trust all goes well with you at Metung.
Yours very sincerely
W. Baldwin Spencer.
