THE SALTEES' COMPANY 265 



of a Eoyal Prince, an archbishop and a few swells of that 

 stamp, have asked me to accept the honour of membership 

 and freedom along with Huxley. It entails a dinner and 

 a speech, both of which I detest. There is something rather 

 funny in Huxley and me, both ' old Salts,' being picked out 

 by the Salters' Company, though of this ' fittingness ' of 

 the compliment I suppose they never thought. I have 

 turned up the Company in the Almanack and find that it 

 is one of the oldest in the City. Hitherto the very few 

 scientific men ever so honoured have been elected by the 

 worshipful ' Spectacle makers.' 



There is a humorous touch in the rule laid down for 

 the interpretation of Providence according to one's own 

 predilections. 



To the Same 



May 28, 1884. 



[Hodgson was in Italy. Has he met a gouty M.P. of their 

 acquaintance on his honeymoon ?] 



Happily his gout was checked before the marriage day, 

 for we expected to see him hobble up on crutches to the Altar 

 as he did in the House to give his support to the Government. 

 Then you see that Providence disapproved of the latter 

 deed and approved of the former ! What a wonderful thing 

 the finger of providence is — if people would only understand 

 it — that's my philosophy ; and yours ? 



On exploration without scientific observation he set 

 moderate store. 



To the Same 



June 22, 1884. 



I went to the Geographical Society the other night to 

 hear Mr. Graham's account of his ascent of Kinchin ; he 

 seems to have got up to 24,000 feet or very near it, but has 

 not made an observation of any kind, sort or description. 

 He was accompanied by a Swiss guide and is no doubt a bold 

 mountaineer. Curiously enough he did not suffer from 

 difficulty of breathing or discomfort of any sort ! and he 

 coolly put all other descriptions of such suffering down to 

 the imagination. I had to speak afterwards and could not 

 tol. n s 



