544 THE JOUENEY TO PALESTINE 



The prevailing opinion was in favour of *no restriction.' 

 On another occasion, when matters of scientific organisation 

 had filled up the evening to the exclusion of general subjects or 

 the bearing of special work undertaken by individual members, 

 Spencer, the guardian of strict justice, * protested against the 

 • transaction of so much business.' It was more satisfactory 

 when debate turned ' on the merits of Bacon as the originator 

 of the method of induction in science,' or on the opinions 

 expressed at * the meeting of clergy at Sion College, where 

 Huxley delivered a discourse,' ^ or on the occasion when 



* Professor Masson dined with us. Masson and Spencer 

 fought the battle of the ladies.' 



Finally, after Hooker's retirement from Kew, ' discussed 

 Linnean presidency, which Hooker positively declined.' 



These quotations are typical, but typical only of part of the 

 X Club meetings. As Professor Frankland writes (Lc. p. 161) : 



* It must not be supposed that the talk at the meeting was 

 by any means confined to such topics. There was always a 

 judicious admixture of ordinary diimer- table talk, with a by 

 no means sparse sprinkling of witticisms, good stories, and, 

 perhaps occasionally, though very rarely, a little scandal.^ 



Guests were not excluded from the club dinners ; men 

 of science or letters of various nationalities came bir special 

 invitation from time to time. Among the twenty-nii^e whose 

 names are recorded in the archives are Darwin, Colenso, 

 Eichard Strachey, Tollemache, Helps ; Professors W. K. 

 Clifford, Bain, Masson, Eobertson Smith ; Bentham the_, 

 botanist, John (Lord) Morley, Francis Galton, Jodrell, the 

 founder of several scientific lectureships ; Dr. Klein ; the 

 Americans Marsh, Oilman, A. Agassiz, and Youmans, who met 

 here several of the contributors to the International Scientific 

 Series organised by him, and Continental representatives such 

 as Helmholtz, Laugel, and Comu. 



^ This meeting took place on December 12, 1867, under the auspices of Dean 

 Farrar and the Rev. W. Rogers of Bishopsgate, ' Hang Theology ' Rogers. The 

 bearing of recent science upon orthodox dogma was discussed ; some denounced 

 any concessions as impossible ; others declared that they had long ago accepted 

 the teachings of geology, whereupon a candid friend inquired, ' Then why don't 

 you say so from your pulpits ? ' 



