I852.J EDUCATION. 349 



old stereotyped stupid classical education than I do ; but yet 

 I have not had courage to break through the trammels. After 

 many doubts we have just sent our eldest boy to Rugby, 

 where for his age he has been very well placed. ... I honour, 

 admire, and envy you for educating your boys at home. 

 What on earth shall you do with your boys ? Towards the 

 end of this month we go to see W. at Rugby, and thence for 

 five or six days to Susan * at Shrewsbury ; I then return 

 home to look after the babies, and E. goes to F. Wedgwood's 

 of Etruria for a week. Very many thanks for your most kind 

 and large invitation to Delamere, but I fear we can hardly 

 compass it. I dread going anywhere, on account of my 

 stomach so easily failing under any excitement. I rarely 

 even now go to London ; not that I am at all worse, perhaps 

 rather better, and lead a very comfortable life with my three 

 hours of daily- work, but it is the life of a hermit. My nights 

 are always bad, and that stops my becoming vigourous. You 

 ask about water-cure. I take at intervals of two or three 

 months, five or six weeks of moderately severe treatment, and 

 always with good effect. Do you come here, I pray and beg 

 whenever you can find time ; you cannot tell how much 

 pleasure it would give me and E. I have finished the ist 

 vol. for the Ray Society of Pedunculated Cirripedes, which, 

 as I think you are a member, you will soon get. Read what 

 I describe on the sexes of Ibla and Scalpellum. I am now 

 at work on the Sessile Cirripedes, and am wonderfully tired 

 of my job : a man to be a systematic naturalist ought to work 

 at least eight hours per day. You saw through me, when 

 you said that I must have wished to have seen the effects of 

 the [word illegible] Debacle, for I was saying a week ago to 

 E., that had I been as I was in old days, I would have been 

 certainly off that hour. You ask after Erasmus ; he is much 

 as usual, and constantly more or less unwell. Susan * is much 

 better, and very flourishing and happy. Catherine* is at 

 Rome, and has enjoyed it in a degree that is quite astonish- 



* His sisters. 



