CHAPTER III 

 1882 



THE year 1882 was a dark year for English science. It 

 was marked by the death of both Charles Darwin and of 

 Francis Balfour, the young investigator, of whom Huxley 

 once said, " He is the only man who can carry out my 

 work." The one was the inevitable end of a great career, 

 in the fulness of time ; the other was one of those losses 

 which are the more deplorable as they seem unnecessary, 

 the result of a chance slip, in all the vigour of youth. I 

 remember his coming to our house just before setting out 

 on his fatal visit to Switzerland, and my mother begging 

 him to be careful about risking so valuable a life as his in 

 dangerous ascents. He laughingly replied that he only 

 wanted to conquer one little peak on Mont Blanc. A few 

 days later came the news of his fatal fall upon the precipices 

 of the Aiguille Blanche. Since the death of Edward Forbes, 

 no loss outside the circle of his family had affected my 

 father so deeply. For three days he was utterly prostrated, 

 and was scarcely able either to eat or sleep. 



There was indeed a subtle affinity between the two men. 



*> 



My mother, who was greatly attached to Francis Balfour, 

 said once to Sir M. Foster, " He has not got the dash and 

 verve, but otherwise he reminds me curiously of what my 

 husband was in his ' Rattlesnake ' days.''' ' How strange," 

 replied Sir Michael, " when he first came to the front, Lan- 

 kester wrote asking me, ' Who is this man Balfour you are 

 always talking about?' and I answered, 'Well, I can only 

 describe him by saying he is a younger Huxley.' 



Writing to Dr. Dohrn on September 24, Huxley says : 

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