i852.] EDUCATION. 34Q 



old stereotyped stupid classical education than I do ; but yetf ' 

 I have not had courage to break through the trammels. After*" 

 many doubts we have just sent our eldest boy to Rugby^[ 

 where for his age he has been very well placed. ... I honour,' 

 admire, and envy you for educating your boys at home. 

 What on earth shall you do with your boys ? Towards the 

 end of this month we go to see W. at Rugby, and thence for 

 five or six days to Susan * at Shrewsbury ; I then return 

 home to look after the babies, and E. goes to F. Wedgwood's 

 of Etruria for a week. Very many thanks for your most kind 

 and large invitation to Delamere, but I fear we can hardly 

 compass it. I dread going anywhere, on account of my 

 stomach so easily failing under any excitement. I rarely 

 even now go to London ; not that I am at all worse, perhaps 

 rather better, and lead a very comfortable life with my three 

 hours of daily work, but it is the life of a hermit. My nights \ 

 are always bad, and that stops my becoming vigourous. You , 

 ask about water-cure. I take at intervals of two or three \ 

 months, five or six weeks of moderately severe treatment, and * 

 always with good effect. Do you come here, I pray and beg 

 whenever you can find time ; you cannot tell how much 

 pleasure it would give me and E. I have finished the ist 

 vol. for the E.ay Society of Pedunculated Cirripedes, which, 

 as I think you are a member, you will soon get. Read what 

 I describe on the sexes of Ibla and Scalpellum. I am now \ 

 at work on the Sessile Cirripedes, and am wonderfully tired ] 

 of my job : a man to be a systematic naturalist ought to work I 

 at least eight hours per day. You saw through me, when 

 you said that I must have wished to have seen the effects of 

 the [word illegible] Debacle, for I was saying a week ago to 

 E., that had I been as I was in old days, I would have been 

 certainly off that hour. You ask after Erasmus ; he is much 

 as usual, and constantly more or less unwell. Susan * is much 

 better, and very flourishing and happy. Catherine* is at 

 Rome, and has enjoyed it in a degree that is quite astonish- 



* His sisters. 



