ORDER OF THE NORTH STAR 187 



To T. H. Huxley 



August 8, 1873. 



As to the North Star — it is only given for Scientific or 

 Literary merit, is very limited (to 50 I think), and a very 

 great mark. All which is to the purpose. The Queen's 

 Order in Council is absolute. * No subject of H.M. shall 

 accept a Foreign Order, or wear the Insignia thereof, without 

 previously obtaining H.M.'s permission to that effect.' 



It goes on to say that no permission can be granted except 

 for ' active and distinguished service before the Enemy or 

 except the person shall have been actually and entirely 

 employed beyond H.M.'s dominions, in the service of the 

 Foreign Sovereign.' 



This would equally apply to the Order ' pour le merite,' 

 which I should decline on the same grounds. Now comes 

 the hitch. Little Sweden is very proud of this Order, which 

 is sent to us at the instigation of the Swedish Academy 

 without a doubt — and who but such would single out Airy, 

 Tyndall and you and me. Such concentrated wisdom is 

 not of Courts and Camps — and it appears to me that hasty 

 action on the part of the representative men (of R.S.) might 

 give offence. So I took the liberty of suggesting to Mrs. 

 H. to acknowledge receipt of communication in your name, 

 and add, that owing to your absence, it would be some time 

 before you could write in person. Then I wrote to Sec 7 . 

 of Embassy, telling him I had refused similar Orders and 

 must this, but that if the sending back the Brevet and 

 Decoration would give offence, I would make further applica- 

 tion to the Foreign Office for instructions. His first answer 

 was evident bewilderment, which was followed by next post 

 by another very nice letter, to the effect that should per- 

 mission to accept be refused as, he added, it no doubt would, 

 he hoped that I would still not refuse to retain the brevet 

 and decoration. I took this to the F.O., and was advised 

 by the head of the Treaty &c. Department not to send these 

 back, as it would clearly give offence, but to let my refusal 

 to accept stand. The position being this, that neither I 

 nor the Queen can prevent the King of Sweden naming me 

 one of his Ritters, whether I accept or no, but that this 

 cannot absolve from the duty of dechning to accept. Then 

 I had to revolve in my mighty mind what to say to H.M. 



