10.05.1897. From B. S. (Melbourne) to H. B. B. S. has just written to “Dr. Tylor” about his own and Gillen’s work, following the HORN expedition. Description of the material assembled. Tylor has been asked to help; if he cannot, would H. B. do so? “Oxford is, to me, a most depressing place to live in, despite its great attractions. A query about the “concentric circle of ornamentation” of Central Australian natives.
Primary Comments
Correspondence between W. Baldwin Spencer and Henry Balfour
The University of Melbourne. May 10 1897 My dear Balfour, I have just written to Dr Tylor about some anthropological work of my own & Mr F. J. Gillen whose work you may have seen in the Horn Exped. to Cent. Aust. – of which his contribution published in his own name together with many notes given to Stirling – formed the first. When the Exped. was over he asked me to go on working with him & accordingly I did with the result that we have now got a goodly lot of information & have I fancy worked out one Aust. Tribe
fairly completely & got the social organisation & various notes with regard to five others. We have also got a very large & valuable series of photos. and now comes the difficulty of publishing. I have written to Dr Tylor asking him if he could help us by looking through the ms. & writing a letter if he thinks it good enough which might be sent with the ms. to a publisher. It has struck me however that possibly he may not be in good enough health to be able to do so. It is most difficult to make any arrangements with a publisher at this distance & if Tylor cant help us I am venturing to ask if you could be good enough to. I have told Tylor that on hearing from him I will send the ms. – type written to him. If he be ill would you mind sending me a line & can you help us in the matter. I think it is worth publishing as much of it is brand new & carries us further into the habits & customs of the Aust. Natives than we have got before. A few days ago Mrr Partington of the Brit. Mus. whom I think you know was out here. He was present during the reading of a short account of part of our work before the R.S. of Victoria and would be able to tell you something about it. We don’t want to make money out of it in fact there is no chance of that but we dont want to be landed in deep debt – which means myself as
my partner cant do anything. I hope your own work goes on well & that you are in better health. Oxford is, to me, a most depressing place to live in despite its great attractions. We get so accustomed to bright sunshine out here that we can scarcely do without it. I have recently had three months amongst the blacks working with them morning, noon & night & find the drudgery of elementary zoological lectures somewhat trying by way of a change. Can you tell me where on earth the Cent. Aust. native got his concentric circle ornamentation from. It pervades almost all his sacred objects just as the zig-zag line does that of the West Aust. Natives. Dont you think that a voyage to Aust. would do you a lot of good; if so I should be only too glad to see you & put you up for as long as you like to stay & you might continue it with a little ethnological work. Hoping you are well believe me Yours very sincerely W. Baldwin Spencer Please give my kindest regards to Thomson when you see him. I owe him a letter which shall come some time.
