THE K.C.M.G. 149 



as to whether he was justified. The following tells the story 

 at length. 



To T. H. Huxley 



March 29, 1874. 



Lord Carnarvon (a stranger to me, as are all his CO. 

 Officials of any weight or influence) asked me to call on him 

 two days ago, when he offered me the K.C.M.G., putting 

 it solely on my services to the Colonies and not at all on 

 scientific position. I declined at once. He pleaded hard 

 in the interests of Public Service ; he regretted that the 

 Office had not recognised my services earlier — added that 

 he hoped and wished this to be the first act of his official 

 career — that my name would be agreeable to the Colonists, 

 and add lustre to the Order, and so forth. I finally beat 

 him on the point, that the Order was limited to 60 Knights, 

 that it was instituted for the Colonies, not for outsiders, and 

 that there were lots of men in the Colonies with unquestion- 

 ably higher claims than mine on such a recognition. 



I am not clear that I am right all round, and that my 

 motives are not as egoistic as friend X.'s. Acceptance 

 would have set the official seal to the value of Kew to the 

 Govt, itself, in an unmistakeable way, and been a powerful 

 handle for introducing more Science here, especially in the 

 shape of a physiological laboratory. The refusal was not 

 gracious to the Colonies, nor to the Service of which I am a 

 member — and acceptance would have gilded the Board of 

 Works as well as Kew. A host of unselfish considerations 

 rise up to rebuke me. In fine, I may not have done right, 

 but I have done what I liked and that is far better ! 



It is clear now that I cannot go on refusing to accept 

 recognition of services for ever, and that I shall one day be 

 placed in a fix. It is very much through my official services 

 that I have attained the position I occupy and through 

 official opportunities that I have made my way as a scientific 

 man too. In short I dread Sabine's death and the vacant 

 K.C.B. that may then possibly be offered me after this 

 refusal. Now I recognise the duty of Public Servants to 

 accept the Crown's recognition of these, so long as such 

 recognitions exist, and they cannot wriggle out of accept- 

 ance ! And though I look with aversion to being ' Sir 



