XXVI POLITICAL REMINISCENCES 13 



ceive innumerable suggestions — especially for the 

 abolition of fogs. One I had recently was to 

 warm the Thames by steam- jets. In fact, many 

 of them have a sort of comical ingenuity very 

 suggestive of Alice in Wonderland. 



" Many correspondents send letters of reproof 

 and remonstrance, rather in sorrow than in anger ; 

 and sometimes under an entire misapprehension. 

 For instance, in my book on Ants, Bees, and 

 Wasps I differ from the well-known German 

 naturalist Christ as to the roadways of Ants, On 

 this I received a letter from a worthy Scotchman 

 expressing his surprise and regret that I should 

 venture to differ from the blessed Founder of our 

 religion, but saying that he had looked in vain 

 through the New Testament for any description of 

 ant roads, and asking me for chapter and verse. 

 Of course I explained to him that my reference 

 was to the German Professor, 



" Other correspondents are more or less dic- 

 tatorial, ' Sir, I should be glad if you would not 

 only bring in a Bill, but pass it, to lessen the hours 

 of Shop Assistants,' 



" Every General Election brings a number of 

 suggestions, some I fear with very little regard 

 to the Corrupt Practices Bill. One enterprising 

 firm of Fireworks manufacturers wrote to suggest 

 that a grand display of fireworks would greatly 

 delight my constituents. 



" Sometimes the tables are turned, and the 

 result is to give one's correspondent a good deal 

 of trouble. On one occasion a gentleman in 

 Lincolnshire wrote to say that all the beans in that 

 country were growing that year with the seeds 



