32 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



cles in the ' Chronicle,' These last I may a little slacken now, having 

 in a great measure, as far as may be judged by appearances, carried 

 my point, viz., to have the waste lands reclaimed and parceled out in 

 small properties among the best part of the peasantry." In another 

 month he changes his tune. On the 27th January (1847) he writes : 

 " You will have seen by this time how far the Ministry are from having 

 adopted any of my conclusions about Ireland, though Lord J. Russell 

 subsci'ibes openly to almost all the premises. I have little hope left. 

 The tendency of their measures seems to me such that they can only 

 bring about good to Ireland by excess of evil. I have so indoctrinated 

 the ' Chronicle ' writers with my ideas on Ireland that they are now 

 going on very well and spiritedly Avithout me, which enables me to 

 work much at the * Political Economy,' to my own satisfaction. The 

 last thing I did for the ' Chronicle ' was a thorough refutation, in 

 three long articles, of Crocker's article on the Division of Property in 

 France." Two months later, he announced that the first draft of the 

 " Political Economy " was finished. As to public affairs : " The people 

 are all mad, and nothing will bring them to their senses but the terri- 

 ble consequences they ai-e certain to bring on themselves, as shown in 

 Whately's speech yesterday in the House of Lords — the only sensible 

 speech yet made in either House on the question, Fontenelle said that 

 mankind must pass through all forms of error before arriving at truth. 

 The form of error we are now possessed by is that of making all take 

 care of each, instead of stimulating and helping each to take care of 

 himself ; and now this is going to be put to a terrible trial, which will 

 bring it to a crisis and a termination sooner than could otherwise have 

 been hoped for." 



Before passing from this memoi'able winter, I may mention that 

 Liebig, in a reprint of his "Animal Chemistry," handsomely repaid 

 the notice taken of his researches in the " Logic," saying of his amended 

 views that " he feels that he can claim no other merit than that of 

 having applied to some special cases, and carried out further than had 

 previously been done those principles of research in natural science 

 which have been laid down " in Mill's book. Mill exultingly remarked : 

 " The tree may be known by its fruits. Schelling and Hegel have done 

 nothing of the kind." 



Before arriving in London this year, I had another letter (5th of 

 May). He delays to commence rewriting till he sees the upshot of 

 the Ii'ish business. " The conduct of the Ministers is wretched beyond 

 measure upon all subjects ; nothing but the meanest truckling at a 

 time when a man with a decided opinion could carry almost anything 

 triumphantly." I saw him as usual during the summer, but do not 

 remember any incidents of importance. Grote was in town for several 

 weeks on the publication of his third and fourth volumes, which was 

 a new excitement. I went down to Scotland in the autumn, but hav- 

 ing no longer any teaching-appointment there, I returned to London in 



