196 EDINBUEGH 



my book (the aim of the last twelve years of my life), all 

 that shall not interfere with my determination, in whatever 

 situation in hfe God may place me, therein to excel. I 

 shall not only use every exertion to be Graham's best 

 assistant, but also to raise the Botanical chair to Botanical 

 excellence, and to have it a useful appendage to the College ; 

 and no longer a burthen to students' pockets, without 

 Museum or any advantages for making men Botanists ; I 

 should also like to raise the standard of that lowest of all 

 classes of students, the medical ; but that shall be a secondary 

 object. 



I do feel a deep regret in having to desert my book, 

 which I have lived so long for. Money, time, and labour, all 

 my preliminary education, all my holidays from the first 

 day 1 entered college, were devoted to laying myself out for 

 making a voyage and publishing the results. Except that 

 this chair allows me to continue a Botanist, I would just 

 as soon turn to the law or to business as anything else that 

 took me off the travail of so many years. I shall, however, 

 hope for better times, and though the Government will 

 take (and properly take) my pay and perhaps grant away, I 

 shall live one day to finish my book. If I do get the chair, 

 I shall commence laying up money to enable me to house 

 my father's plants, whenever they may come to me, for I 

 am determined no one but myself shall have them. 



Here is Humboldt often speaking of you ; he wants 

 me to write the distribution of Plants for his grand work 

 ' Cosmos ' ; pray say nothing of this to anyone. I can but 

 live and hope, but Humboldt is so old that it may never 

 appear. 



Of the impending lectures he writes to Harvey (April 2, 

 1845) : 



Graham tells me he has not a single lecture written out 1 

 and that I must dwell much on physiology, chemistry, and 

 morphology, in which my Father's lectures are particularly 

 poor. This is no joke to me ; what with Cryptog., Paris 

 dupHcates, and these lectures my hands are full indeed. 

 Graham's lectures are always considered useless by and to 

 his students, and so I am in a regular fix, nor have I cheek 

 enough for an audience. I would rather go to the S. Pole 



