118 LIFE OF SIR JOHN LUBBOCK ch. 



greatest satisfaction, and I do earnestly hope you will 

 accept the office. 



" I think it is a very much better arrangement than 

 taking the President of either Society for the new body ; 

 and personally, as you know, I am only too glad to be 

 out of it. 



" Busk, Evans and myself are nominated Vice- 

 Presidents, so you will not lack support, and as we have 

 retained the Anthropological Director, you really will 

 have no particular trouble. 



" If you have no very strong reasons the other way, 

 do accept, as a favour to me. — Ever yours very faithfully, 



"T. H. Huxley." 



To this letter, which seems to have taken him 

 completely by surprise, he replied : 



The Athenaeum, 26th January 1871 . 



My dear Huxley — I am taken quite aback by your 

 letter. You know that I would do anything in this 

 matter to please you, but you really ought to be our 

 first President, and I could not take a place which on all 

 accounts is properly yours. 



Is the name definitely settled ? If we must swallow 

 Anthropology, I should like " Society " after it better 

 than anything else. 



Institute seems to me rather pretentious. However, 

 this is in your hands. — Ever, dear Huxley, yours most 

 sincerely, John Lubbock. 



It appeared, however, that his name was the 

 only one on which all concerned could agree, 

 and he felt it, therefore, a duty as well as an 

 honour to accept. 



On March 7 he seconded a motion for the 

 reduction of the National Debt, a measure which, 

 as noted, was one of his motives for wishing to 

 enter Parliament. Mr. Lowe, then Chancellor 

 of the Exchequer, complimented him on his 

 speech and promised to do something to support 

 the measure in the Budget. He subsequently 



