22 St Peter's Green, Bedford. Dated July 20, 1889 - Offers a transcript of Mr Beardmore's answers to Frazer's anthropological questions [not transcribed]; is thinking of working up his own notes on the Torres Straits Islanders and the Daudai natives from New Guinea north of the Torres Strait; also encloses a newspaper cutting from 'Torres Straits Pilot' [not transcribed].
[Blind embossed stamp of Royal College of Science, Dublin] - Describes in detail his disappointment on his return from his expedition to the Torres Strait, that the Department of Physical Anthropology has taken a medical turn, mentioning [Alexander] Macalister, [Wynfrid] Duckworth, [J. N.] Langley, Michael Foster; his prospects 'were never so unpromising for the last twenty years as they are at this present moment'.
Can't find any information on the names of fire making apparatus, and gives the names of fire sticks in the Torres Straits.
Aldeburgh - Has been to Rome with his wife, went to the Mithraic Temple at San Clemente, had many talks with Father Delaney; writes of the state of religion: thinks the church is stagnating; thinks politicians should take a course in the study of anthropology, adding the study of heredity; thinks Dean Inge in his 'Outspoken Essays' understands the times, and admires his 'Idea of Progress'; Bury's book of the same name claims that 'the number of civilizations which have reached a given stage and gone under, is beyond compute'; agrees that Germany should pay for her 'brigandage' but thinks money should be advanced to pay the miners to dig the coal that France needs; Frazer writes of [Oliver] Lodge and [Arthur Conan] Doyle, and Clodd quotes Sir Bryan Donkin that he classes Doyle among the 'mentally defective'; he is publishing a book 'Magic in Names'; wonders if Frazer is going to supplement 'Folk-Lore in the Old Testament' as Frazer has said that it hung on the issue of a book by a French scholar on the early history of Christianity; asks if Frazer has examined the evidence advanced by Prof. Elliot Smith on the origin of Pre-Columbian civilization, backed by [W. H. R.] Rivers in [A. H.] Keane's Man Past and Present' and quotes [A.C.] Haddon; finds as he gets older the more he values an open mind; the servant problem not helped by the promising house maid who hid her pregnancy and gave birth in the middle of the night.
1 Brick Court, Temple, London, E.C.4. Dated 29 November 1918 - Has spoken with [Arthur] Keith who has been in touch with the Royal Academy and their support of the proposed expedition [to Uganda]; a comiittee to administer the funds will be made up of [W. H. R.] Rivers, [A. C.] Haddon, Frazer, and a Government official; asks him to draw up an outline of the proposed expedition and make estimates about the costs. In a postscript he reminds him of Lilly's recommendation he obtain a phonograph and learn to use it by lessons from [William] Manning, who has been busy with munition work; Lilly suggests he must practise for a long time beforehand to get the best results; she says it is useless to get the loan of one from Haddon or [Charles S.] Myers, who 'for years cut her out of her legitimate profits by lending explorers cheap and unreliable German instruments'; the difference between those who trained to use it and those who did not is 'patent to any listener'.
Aldeburgh - Is surprised to hear he has never been to Brussels; comments on the political situation, thinks the League of Nations, like Socialism can only succeed when human nature alters; worries about unrest in the East after the defeat of Russia by Japan; saw [W. H. R.] Rivers while he was at [A. C.] Haddon's, and mentioned his championship of Elliot Smith's theory of diffusion; gets much attention from spiritualists sending brochures, etc., has agreed to review a 'huge and repellent book' of exudations of 'psychic matter'; wishes Frazer could have noticed his book ['Magic in a Name'] in the 'Observer'.
Highgarth, Gloucester - The letter he has is from Dr [Henry] Roth, who writes that he has found a tribe of aboriginal people who believe in parthenogenesis, and has a theory of the origin of taboo as the will of the strongest; was interested to read the new GB, suspects all martyrologies, including St Dasius; [Alfred] Haddon will make an excellent President for the Anthropological Institute, hopes he will not disdain the Folklore Society later on. A postscript discusses two items from GB, relating to the seclusion of the kings of Corea and concerning the Welsh verses in Vol. II, p. 178.
Highgarth, Gloucester - Received his letter [raising points in his review of GB], and admits that he was working from faulty memory as well; discusses religion vs magic in Australia, quoting [Alfred] Howitt who quotes [Samuel] Gason; has no wish for controversy with Frazer; 'mildly protests' that he did not question the authenticity of the Acts of St Dasius gratuitously, if it is established then the Abruzzian custom mentioned by Canon Pullen to Grant Allen, for which [Edward] Clodd got into hot water for repeating would be corroborated; doesn't think it would be wise to memorialize the Queensland Government to publish [Henry] Roth's collections, suggest [Alfred] Haddon phrase it in the most general terms.
University College, Ethnographical and Linguistic Survey of Burma, 2A Shan Rd., Rangoon, Burma - Writes 29 Mar. 1926 to ask for a letter of support for the survey, mentioning that A. C. Haddon and F. J. Richards have seen his work, has received a letter from Sir George Grierson, asks that he point out dearth of information from Burma; also asks for copies of Frazer's ethnological questionnaires. A typed letter of 21 June 1926 thanks him for his letter, says the questionnaires haven't arrived; a typed letter of 23 Jan. 1927 details the efforts being made to save the Survey, with Haddon writing to the India Office, the Council of the R.A.I. writing to the Burma Government, and Grierson consulting with Sir Denison Ross; he is writing to American colleges and research foundations to find a back up for funds.
Aldeburgh - Thanks him for [Paul-Louis] Couchoud's pamphlet ['L'Énigme de Jésus']; has been reading 'The Melody of God' [by Desmond Chapman-Huston] containing an alternate life of Jesus, reflects that [J. M.] Robertson, [A.] Drews, and W. B. Smith leave him unconvinced about the historical Jesus, and quotes Salomon Reinach on the point; will talk over the Couchoud pamphlet and Flinders Petrie's 'Social Life in Ancient Egypt' with [George] Whale; have just returned from Italy; [A. C.] Haddon sails for Australia on 30 June.
1 Brick Court, Temple, London. E.C.4. Dated 3 September 1920 - Suggests he stop in Egypt to look at the monuments on the way home; Sir Peter Mackie received a Baronetcy, the Ridgeways were congratulatory on the honorary degree and Royal Society fellowship, but he has not heard from Haddon or Rivers; has met Colonels Shakespear and Gurdon, who did anthropology work in Assam; threat of a coal strike.
Highgarth, Gloucester - Has been away and asks what Frazer knows about [George McCall] Theal's 'Records of South-Eastern Africa' quoted in his article for 'Man'; hears from [Alfred] Haddon that Frazer had gone to Germany to see a doctor about his eyes; has read [Andrew] Lang's attack on GB, but thinks GB is not harmed by it.
Hotel Lutetia, Paris. Dated 9th January 1923 - Is sorry to have missed reading a large number of the proofs of his second volume; is sorry to hear of [Arthur] Keith's illness; is puzzled by Haddon's remark about [not wanting items from?] Africa at the museum [of Archaeology and Ethnology]; Lilly has begun a French translation of the abridged G.B.; is making a translation of Ovid's Fasti.
Hotel Lutetia, 43 Boulevard Raspail, Paris. Dated 4 September 1923 - Thinks their letters have crossed; are expecting to hear from [George] Kett as to the date their house will be finished; thinks a meeting at the Royal Society will not happen until October, and Haddon will not be there, as he is in Australia advising on a study of all native races in their dominions.
Lanfine, Hills Road, Cambridge. Dated 27th January 1924 - Has been busy preparing his lectures; has not seen Haddon yet; are settling in to the house; does not know where the funding for a second expedition will come from, have not heard from Sir Peter Mackie for some time; [William] Crooke's death is a loss to anthropology and folklore; asks what he thinks of the country under a Labour government, who have sent the Ambassador [R. M. Hodgson] 'to make friends with the blood-stained bandits of Russia'; is sorry they are not closer.
Hotel Lutetia, 45, Boulevard Raspail, Paris (6e). Dated 6 February 1923 - Is sorry to hear he has been ill; the 'Argonauts of the Western Pacific' has gotten a unanimous chorus of praise; values his opinion and thanks him for kinds words of the abridged GB; is in Paris, Lilly is making a French translation of the abridged GB and he is making an English translation of Ovid's Fasti for the Loeb Library, with glimpses of old Roman religion 'but most of the points in it have been threshed out already'; went to an interesting meeting of the Ecole d'Anthropologie, with [Louis] Capitan reading a paper of a cave discovered by Count Begouin [Begouen] in Southern France, and a communication about a tribe, the Habes, in the valley of the Niger, who have many taboos; [Alfred] Haddon doesn't have many anthropological students at Cambridge and speaks well of the new Curator of the Anthropological Museum, [L. C. G.] Clarke; [John] Roscoe's first volume should be out soon, it is interesting and valuable; is glad [Edvard] Westermarck is writing more on Morocco; hope to settle in a house being built for them in Cambridge in the autumn.
Royal College of Science, Dublin. Dated Oct. 25, 1899 - Describes in detail his diappointment on his return from his expedition to the Torres Strait, that the Department of Physical Anthropology has taken a medical turn, mentioning [Alexander] Macalister, [Wynfrid] Duckworth, [J. N.] Langley, Michael Foster; his prospects 'were never so unpromising for the last twenty years as they are at this present moment'.
Royal College of Science for Ireland, Stephen's Green, East, Dublin - Describes bull-roarers in the Torres Straits, suggests writing to J. D. E. Schmeltz, offers to send a drawing of one to [Lorimer] Fison for publication.
2 Salisbury Villas, Cambridge. Dated December 30th (1900) - Thanks him for the second edition of the 'Golden Bough'; relays the Cambridge news: the new museum scheme is going forward, a collection of Malay MSS and books has been presented to the library by [Richard] Wilkinson, [A. C.] Haddon is back, the Newalls are going to Padang to view the eclipse, suggests Frazer use them as a source for research, he is teaching Mrs Newall Malay, an apt pupil; is helping [William] Crooke with the new edition of Yule's 'Hobson-Jobson'.
Mostyn House, Brooklands Avenue, Cambridge. Dated 19th May 1914 - Encloses a letter from his son [James?], who is assistant political officer in Simla; Haddon thought he would like to see it; has been reading proofs of E. A. Gait's paper on the Census; asks if he heard that Sylvain Lévi was called by a reporter to comment on Rabindranath Tagore received the Nobel prize, 'on the ground that a learned Israelite would sure know something about "le rabbin Tégoro"'; [Sir William] Ridgeway is perturbed about Ulster, and took a leading part in the demonstration on Parker's Piece, but it was not well attended.
La Haule Manor, Jersey - Asks if Frazer is proposing to edit [the Frazer Lectures volume], thinks Mr Cornford should decide whether a lecture be included or not; asks if copyright permission has been obtained from all the authors; would like it to appear despite being critical [of Elliot Smith]; gave a Jane Harrison lecture at Cambridge in which he was critical of her work and Professor Haddon praised the lecture for taking Harrison's work seriously enough to criticise; would like the matter referred to an arbitrator.
Hotel Lutetia, Paris – Lilly is working on the French translation of the abridged 'Golden Bough'; J. G. is preparing a translation of Ovid’s Fasti for the Loeb Library; they have decided to build a house in Cambridge; mentions hearing from Haddon who finds term work burdensome.
Cumberland Lodge, Kew, Surrey. Dated June-November, 1909 - Five letters primarily concerning the sending of proofs of his book ['Castes and Tribes of Southern India'?]; in the letter of 25 June he writes that he has been made a companion of the Indian Empire, and enjoyed his visit to Trinity 'except the Trinity clock at night'; in the letter of 4 July he suggests it should be a punishable offence for census officers to publish without getting their botanical synonyms right; in the letter of 9 November he writes that he will be staying with [A. C.] Haddon to lecture at the Anthropological Club.
University Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Cambridge - Apologises for not writing earlier, is delighted for Frazer, and notes it is the first real recognition Anthropology has ever received; accepts an invitation to visit, is busy getting the Melanesian materials out as Dr Haddon wants to use them in his lectures.
Inisfail, Hills Road, Cambridge - Thanks him for 'The Golden Bough'; [William] Ridgeway is publishing his first volume next term and will start a crusade to collect money for anthropology for Cambridge; von Hügel is troubled by cataracts; Miss M. Owen is sending a collection of aboriginal beadwork; there were rumors that objects had been stolen from his collections but they were unfounded; [W. H. R.] Rivers is in Egypt.
Royal College of Science for Ireland, Stephen's Green, East, Dublin. Dated Oct. 28 1899 - Describes bull-roarers in the Torres Straits, suggests writing to J. D. E. Schmeltz, offers to send a drawing of one to [Lorimer] Fison for publication.
3 Cranmer Road, Cambridge - Supports the decision to publish the anthropological notebooks.
Gloucester. Dated 23 February, 1901 - The letter he has is from Dr [Henry] Roth, who writes that he has found a tribe of aboriginal people who believe in parthenogenesis, and has a theory of the origin of taboo as the will of the strongest; was interested to read the new GB, suspects all martyrologies, including St Dasius; [Alfred] Haddon will make an excellent President for the Anthropological Institute, hopes he will not disdain the Folklore Society later on.
[Postcard send from Mobasa, B.E.A.] Dated 8.4.12 - The postcard, illustrating the first chapter of the 'Golden Bough', is from a series she found in Nairobi, which she has sent to Dr Haddon; is in Mombasa until the rains are over and she can go to Lamu; asks him to tell Mrs Frazer the blanks [of phonograph records] are so far unbroken and she hopes to send more good Swahili records by the next parcel.