324 LETTERS TO PROFESSOR WALLACE [CHAP. xxvi. 



" Reminiscences " are a perfect blessing, and I enclose 

 two portraits of my father received yesterday to show the 

 illustrations are getting on. Is not the one of him as a 

 little laddie of about five years old, charming ? (pi. xxx.) 



May 15, 1901. 



Many thanks for the additional copy of your lecture, 

 "Agriculture in South Africa." It is so interesting, I am 

 sure I can find a home where it will be welcome. I was 

 glad to find you were out in the country, and I hope the 

 bracing air will enable you to work on this load of papers 

 without killing yourself. 



For myself, I really am afraid that, excepting hope, I have 

 a very indifferent account to give you. I was always getting 

 better off and on ! But the result was, that I got weaker 

 and weaker, until on Saturday Dr. Lipscomb wired for Sir 

 Dyce Duckworth. He was away, but my nephew, Dr. 

 J. Arderne Ormerod, who is taking Sir D. D.'s practice 

 at present, came down, and I think the change of treatment 

 that they arranged is really doing good. The trouble was 

 that, though there did not seem any reason why, what they 

 call the " after effects " of influenza should not move off 

 (the sort of gastric catarrh and its detestable allies), yet 

 they didn't, and my medical tormentors made up their 

 minds that it might be from " Liver." The plan has been 

 altered as to treatment, and at my urgent request I am 

 allowed to take one glass of port a day, and I do think 

 it is doing me a great deal of good. But excuse more 

 now, for sitting up at my writing-table tires me. 



May 22, 1901. 



I am very sorry to tell you in reply to your kind 

 letter that I am very ailing. I seem to get fairly well of the 

 influenza, and go down and sit for a few hours in the dining- 

 room in the easy chair by the fire. Then, as -sure as can be, 

 in a very few days I get a " recurrence " of illness and have 

 to go to bed for days. I think I am now going through 

 about the fifteenth. Dr. Lipscomb says he does not know 

 the reason, but it is very like the recurrence of Indian fever. 

 I know that there may be scentless or other sewer gas, and 



from what Mr. R F told me some time ago of the 



recurrence of a very parallel attack to the Duchess of C 

 from gas under her invalid sofa, I mean to have the matter 

 properly seen to. I know there may be reason close to 

 my door, 



p.S. Since the above was written Dr. Lipscomb has 



