Sent from Edward Nettleship
24 Sep 1911
Description:

‘My dear Pearson,

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Fo – I agree & return the standing one; it will have to [be] explained that his tongue is out by accident, it is not too big for his mouth.

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Lady Algernon Gordon Lennox’s letter is encouraging. I return it and send also two that I had from her some time back as one of them made a sort of proposal as to “scientific” breeding – I did not respond because I knew I could not take part on any scale adequate to her; but you can use the suggestion any way you like.

May I suggest that you defer saying anything to Lady Algernon for a few days i.e. until I have replies from Lady Binning & Mrs Benett-Stanford to both of whom I wrote a few days ago asking for any latest information they might have about albinos.

Mrs B-Stanford has been trying for years to get the “desideratum”, & Lady B. I believe has one (? more) of them i.e. white cream with black noses & dark eyes. (see Booklet “Pekingese, 1st ed. – p. 44 and same puppy “Chin” at 11 months old in 2nd ed. p. 62.) – I am told that most of these “white” ones are really “cream” of sorts. You will, as doubtless you know, have to move warily as between one breeder & another. For anything I know Lady Algernon may be on quite good terms with Lady Binning & Mrs Benett-Stanford, but “then again” a la Uncle Remus, “you know she moughtn [sic]”. I have just been suggesting to Mrs B-Stanford that the best way to the “desideratum” would, in my view, be to get a pair or put a pair of them as near the ideal as could be & inbreed them. This is how suppose the new “breeds” of domestic animals have to a large extent been created, with such crossings are more[?] needed to give the desired complex. The complex in the present “desideratum” is relatively simple if we look only at coat, nose & eyes.

As to the dogs mentioned by Lady Algernon in her’s [sic] to you you may like to note down that Goodwood Queenie is III.4 on the pedigree I am making (Miss Ryan’s diagram)

G. Put[?]-Sing is IV.4

& G. Chun is VI.6

According to the official entry at Kennel Club Goodwood Meh III.9 (as to whose parentage Lady Algernon expresses some doubt alike in her letters to me & to you) was sired by Pekin Peter II.4, her dam being an unknown bitch but presumably one of the then Goodwood Kennel.

Pekin Peter was imported as a young animal in 1893 having been bought at Shanghai by the husband of his owner Mrs Loftus Allen of Birkenhead who is still an important breeder. She told me that his colour was “gray-brindle”. His portrait is in Pekingese booklet 1st ed. p. 85. She wrote of him in the past tense so I suppose he is dead. His pedigree of course unknown.

I suppose Lady Algernon G-Lennox is probably responsible for the entry of Pekin Peter as sire of Goodwood Meh; anyhow there it is. She may have changed her opinion since; or her present doubt may refer to Meh’s dam. This latter seems likely, from the expressions in her’s [sic] to me about Rothschild’s & the smooth dog (“Hapa” dog that breed is called).

When I have written to these various breeders I have mentioned no name except my own. Perhaps when you carry it on it will be best to disarm possible suspicions or semples[?] by saying that I had really written on behalf of the “Firm[?]”.

If I get replied from Mrs. Benett-Stanford I& Lady Binning you shall have them. I can also send anything I have about Pekin Peter from Mrs Loftus Allen but have not time today.

If you are going extensively into the colour question in either the earlier, or the current, dogs you may also I think usefully get into touch with Mr. George Brown who has just retired & lives near St. Albans. I think he is on holiday, or such, just now; he owes me a letter & a book I lent him & if I do not hear before long I shall stir him up.

Wang has not been photod [sic], so far as I knowL is at Mrs. Johnson[?], (cousin?, of Miss Biggs) Keston Rectory, Hayes, Kent. I don’t think v. important as he is not v. different from Fo.

It is a small village with perhaps nothing good[?] in Photographe[se?]. I spent nearly all one day going there to see Wang one day last year & don’t think I can again. I will write to her & ask as to possible photo.

Yrs E. Nettleship.

Nystagmus – so far, gone out of reach; one other possibility & have enquired.

I incline to look upon is [sic] of the same nature as “spasmus nutans” in human infant, which has no known relation to albinism. In both there may be head movements, slower than the eye movements, & in both recovery if not invariable is common.’