John Murray (Challenger Lodge) an Ernst Haeckel, Edinburgh, 28. Mai 1900
Challenger Lodge.
Wardie.
Edinburgh.
28th May 1900.
My dear Haeckel
Just as I was leaving for an excursion to some of the Scottish lakes I received your letter and your life by Bölsche. Iʼve been reading this sketch of your life with much interest. I am sorry you have had so much illness in your family. Very pleased, however, to hear that your health is better and that you are going to the tropics next winter.
I sent you a book on || Christmas Island. Should you not like to go there? I own about 1/4 of this Island. It is surrounded by a Radiolarian sea, and the oceans-bed at a depth of three English miles is covered by Radiolarian ooze. The zephyrs of perpetual summer blow from the sea. The plants yield nectar, the animals are as innocent as those of the Garden of Eden. The sands are pearls and the rocks pure gold!!!!
The real truth is that there are deposits of phosphates || on the island and we have commenced to export these, and very likely we will make some money in a year or two. I too am proposing to go out to Singapore and Christmas Island this winter. I may go the end of September ‒ very probably by the Hamburg-American Line.
My wife expects another baby in July. If all goes well it is pretty certain that I will go to the East in September, but I will not be able to say quite || definitely till the end of July. It would be a great pleasure if we could arrange to meet, and go [on] some excursions together.
We are all very well. The children and my wife in first rate health. She sends the best to you and your family. Is the beginning of September not too early for the Red Sea?
Yours sincerely
John Murray.