THE NEWPORT LABORATORY 159 



written me some time ago saying he needed rest and 

 proposing to come over here and take it. If he still feels 

 inclined to do so, I am at his disposal here until Sep- 

 tember 1, and he can be as quiet at Newport where I 

 am, as if he were fifty miles from any one, and I will 

 keep everything and everybody away from him. Sep- 

 tember 1, 1 expect to go to Europe to put my eldest boy 

 in a German family in Berlin, to remain there some 

 time. I shall simply take a flyer over and return at 

 once, and if I don't see Sir Wyville over here shall hope 

 to see him, if only for a moment, before I sail back for 

 United States. 



I sent to you a week ago a lot of proofs of plates of 

 my work on Echini. I have never heard that my first 

 invoice of plates, 3 boxes (28 plates, 750 copies) reached 

 you safely. 



I am greatly in hopes of finishing my plates of Echini 

 this year, and to get the text so far advanced as to leave 

 me but little to do when I return from my winter's ab- 

 sence. I hope you will get off to Indian Ocean. You 

 ought to get some good things there. I feel somewhat 

 overwhelmed with work and material from the West 

 Indies and look forward with pleasure to completing 

 the Challenger Echini. My preliminary report is in 

 hands of binder, and I ought to send some copies to 

 Edinburgh next week. 



Shortly after his return from Europe, he was able to 

 send the manuscript of his Challenger Echini to Thom- 

 son ; this seems to have been a great relief to him ; in- 

 deed, he appears to have regarded sea-urchins at this 

 time, much as Darwin did barnacles, for he writes : " I 

 felt when I got through that I never wanted to see 



