JOHN STUART MILL. 27 



and by Herschel as in accordance with the spirit of my doctrines. It 

 is so in some degree, though far more psychological than entered into 

 my plans. Though I think much of his psychology unsound for want 

 of his having properly grasped the principle of association (he comes 

 very close to it now and then), there is much of it of a suggestive 

 kind." 



From the Comte letters it appears that he had another relapse of 

 his indisposition at this time. Comte earnestly urges him to try a 

 change of climate — Naples or Lisbon — to fortify him for the next few 

 years against "le sejour spleenique de Londres." "What is the 

 opinion, I do not say of your doctors, whom you have little faith in, 

 but of those of your friends who are biologists ? " 



I passed three months in London in the summer of 1844, and saw 

 him frequently as before. I have no special recollections of his work 

 this summer. In the autumn he took his long-deferred holiday, and 

 was absent from London two months. He came back quite recruited, 

 and in the course of the winter wrote his admirable article on " The 

 Claims of Labor," which appeared in the " Edinburgh " in the follow- 

 ing spring. 



I had several letters from him in the winter of 1844-'45, but they 

 say little about himself. He remarks of the review of his " Logic " in 

 the " Eclectic Review," that the reviewer differs from him on the 

 Syllogism which he understands, and agrees with him on the rest of 

 the book without seeming to understand it. He announces with satis- 

 faction, as a most important conquest for Comte, the appearance of 

 Littre's papers in the " National " newspaper. This, however, was im- 

 mediately followed by his renewed and final exclusion from the Poly- 

 technic examinership ; for which one resoui'ce was suggested — to start 

 a Positive Review ; a scheme that bulks largely in the correspondence 

 for some months, and receives from Mill a qualified support. In March, 

 1845, he writes to me : " Have you seen Ward's book, ' The Ideal,' etc.? 

 It is a remarkable book in every way, and not the least so because it 

 quotes and puffs me in every chapter, and Comte occasionally, though 

 with deep lamentations over our irreligion." The Comte correspon- 

 dence shows that he had written to Comte informing him of Mr. 

 Ward's allusions. Comte is very much flattered, and thinks the com- 

 pliments deserved, because of the justice he had rendered to Catholi- 

 cism (p. 323). 



The summer of 1845 was marked by an interesting incident. In 

 June the British Association met at Cambridge, Sir John Herschel in 

 the chair. I was at the meeting, and listened to Herschel's address. 

 One notable feature in it was the allusion to the recent works on the 

 " Logic of Science," by Whewell and Mill especially, on both of whom 

 Sir John bestowed high encomiums. He also mentioned Comte, but 

 in a very different strain. There was, I remember, a good deal of 

 buzz among Mill's friends that were present, at this unexpected men- 



