i88i.] CONCLUSION. 527 



shortly before his death. In spite of the general improve- 

 ment in his health, which has been above alluded to, there 

 was a certain loss of physical vigour occasionally apparent 

 during the last few years of his life. This is illustrated by 

 a sentence in a letter to his old friend Sir James Sullivan, 

 written on January 10, 1879 : "My scientific work tires me 

 more than it used to do, but I have nothing else to do, and 

 whether one is worn out a year or two sooner or later signi- 

 fies but little." 



A similar feeling is shown in a letter to Sir J. D. Hooker 

 of June 15, 1 88 1. My father was staying at Patterdale, and 

 wrote : " I am rather despondent about myself .... I have 

 not the heart or strength to begin any investigation lasting 

 years, which is the only thing which I enjoy, and I have no 

 little jobs which I can do." 



In July, 1881, he wrote to Mr. Wallace, "We have just 

 returned home after spending five weeks on Ullswater ; the 

 scenery is quite charming, but I cannot walk, and everything 

 tires me, even seeing scenery .... What I shall do with my 

 few remaining years of life I can hardly tell. I have every- 

 thing to make me happy and contented, but life has become 

 very wearisome to me." He was, however, able to do a good 

 deal of work, and that of a trying sort,* during the autumn 

 of 1 88 1, but towards the end of the year he was clearly in 

 need of rest ; and during the winter was in a lower condition 

 than was usual with him. 



On December 13 he went for a week to his daughter's 

 house in Bryanston Street. During his stay in London he 

 went to call on Mr. Romanes, and was seized when on the 

 door-step with an attack apparently of the same kind as 

 those which afterwards became so frequent. The rest 

 of the incident, which I give in Mr. Romanes' words, is 

 interesting too from a different point of view, as giving one 

 more illustration of my father's scrupulous consideration for 

 others : — 



* On the action of carbonate of ammonia on roots and leaves. 



