316 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY cHAP. XII 



iays later, " to my shame be it said, far more than 

 my \dfe " : and on December 30 to Sir John 

 Donnelly : — 



Your kind letter deserved better than to have been left 

 all this time without response, but the fact is, I came to 

 grief the day after Christmas Day (no, we did yiot indulge 

 in too much champagne). Lost my voice, and collapsed 

 generally, without any particular reason, so I went to bed 

 and stayed there as long as I could stand it, and now I 

 am picking up again. The fact is, I suppose I had been 

 running up a little account over poor old TyndalL One 

 does not stand that sort of wear and tear so well as one 

 gets ancient. 



On the same day he writes to Sir J. D. Hooker : — 



HODESLEA, EaSTB0T7E>"E, 



Dec. 30, 1S93. 



My deak Hooker — ^You gave the geographers some 

 uncommonly sane advica I observe that the words about 

 the " stupendous ice-clad moxmtains '' you saw were hardly 



out of your mouth when cooUy averts that the 



Antarctic continent is a table-land I " comparatively level 

 country." It really is wrong that men should be allowed 

 to go about loose who fill you with such a strong desire to 

 kick them as that little man does. 



I send herewith a spare copy of Xineteenth with my 

 paper about TyndalL It is not exactly what I could wish, 

 as I was hurried over it, and knocked up into the bargain, 

 but I have tried to give a feir view of him. Tell me 

 what you think of it. 



I have been having a day or two on the sick list 

 Xothing discernible the matter, only flopped, as I did in 

 the spring. However, I am picking up again. The fact 

 is, I have never any blood pressure to spare, and a small 

 thing humbogs the pump. 



