CORRESPONDENCE. 



97 



in the drawing-room. I think the paper was the only non- 

 scientific matter which he read to himself. Everything else, 

 novels, travels, history, was read aloud to him. He took so 

 wide an interest in life, that there was much to occupy him 

 in newspapers, though he laughed at the wordiness of the 

 debates ; reading them, I think, only in abstract. His inter- 

 est in politics wac considerable, but his opinion on these 

 matters was formed rather by the way than with any serious 

 amount of thought. 



After he had read his paper, came his time for writing 

 letters. These, as well as the MS. of his books, were written 

 by him as he sat in a huge horse-hair chair by the fire, his 

 paper supported on a board resting on the arms of the chair. 

 When he had many or long letters to write, he would dictate 

 them from a rough copy ; these rough copies were written on 

 the backs of manuscript or of proof-sheets, and were almost 

 illegible, sometimes even to himself. He made a rule of 

 keeping all letters that he received ; this was a habit which 

 he learnt from his father, and which he said had been of 

 great use to him. 



He received many letters from foolish, unscrupulous people, 

 and all of these received replies. He used to say that if he 

 did not answer them, he had it on his conscience afterwards, 

 and no doubt it was in great measure the courtesy with which 

 he answered every one, which produced the universal and 

 widespread sense of his kindness of nature, which was so 

 evident on his death. 



He was considerate to his correspondents in other and 

 lesser things, for instance when dictating a letter to a foreigner 

 he hardly ever failed to say to me, "You'd better try and 

 write well, as it's to a foreigner." His letters were generally 

 written on the assumption that they would be carelessly read ; 

 thus, when he was dictating, he was careful to tell me to make 

 an important clause begin with an obvious paragraph *'to 

 catch his eye," as he often said. How much he thought of 

 the trouble he gave others by asking questions, will be well 

 enough shown by his letters. It is difficult to say anything 

 6 



