Life and Letters of Francis Galton 



rather tlmn his taste. It is certainly pretty but very narrow in comparison with its 

 length, and the high mountains on each side apparently reduce this width still more, so 

 that it looks like a river, and not a particularly broad one. [Then follows an account of 



the well-known road from Windermere to Keswick with slight sketches.] To-day is 



horribly misty ; Skiddaw is covered with clouds that reach low down as a Quakeress's 

 dress, but those on the chain opposite are more a la Taglioni. I had intended walking 



up Skiddaw last night to see the sun rise but it began to rain Browtop is a very 



nice house, the habitable part is quite separate from the kitchen and outhouses ; it is 

 one story high and the passage down the middle with 4 bedrooms on one side, and 

 4 sitting-rooms on the other side ; thus the whole house is 5 per week, so I pay 

 25 shillings. I have a beautiful view ; I should have sketched it for you, but there is 

 nothing but clouds this morning. I am the first of the party that has come ; the rest 

 are expected tomorrow. 



Good bye, Your affectionate son, 



FRAS. GALTON. 



Thursday, July 8 [1841]. 

 BIIOVVTOP. 



MY DEAU FATHER, Being upon my own allowance you must excuse letter paper. In 

 answer to your question : The Apothecaries' bill I owe, though differing some shillings 

 from the one sent to Blakesley. The Hosier's Bill is not mine probably's Theodore's. 

 I do not want the boots at Keswick, certainly not at present, as I always walk in thick 

 shoes. I am very glad to hear about your asthma's want of punctuality this year ; 

 should you have an opportunity I wish you would enquire whether the other asthmatic 

 Leamingtonians, I think 3 in number, have got off equally well, as it would be interesting 

 to find out whether some years are more favourable than others as is apparently the case 

 in typhus and influenza. 



I never enjoyed myself so thoroughly as at present Mathison and Eddis are 

 thoroughly goodnatured. When it is fine we walk out in a body from 2 to 5 ; when 

 wet play at battledore and shuttlecock or at fives in a most unstudious manner. Eddis 

 you know is a senior medallist. Blomefield is the other undergraduate staying at 

 Browtop. The St Quintins are very kind and their son (Charles) very agreeable, he 

 rattles off about the Himalaya Passes and the scenery of Thibet, and totally condemns 

 Howqua's Mixture. They introduced me to the Parson, a Mr M. - who again intro- 

 duced me to a Count O (I purposely write the word illegibly and that for an obvious 



reason, it consists of " three sneezes and a ski "), who is the lion of these parts, being 

 Chemist, Botanist, Zoologist, etc., etc., and last not least a top-sawyer Animal Magnetiser. 

 I need scarcely say that we got the greatest allies immediately, he is a very gentlemanly 



man, he shewed me through laboratories, hot-houses and monkey cages He has 



moreover got me patients to magnetise, lent me books and in short we are the greatest 



possible allies. He married a rich heiress who is a very pretty girl 18 years old, he 



is about 40 1 ought to say that as I walked with the Count through his laboratory 



he introduced me to a Dr Schmidt who was staying with him and working there. 

 T thought I knew both the face and name, and found out that he was one of Liebig's 

 class at (Jiosson, and \ve had great amusement in talking over the wine-parties, etc. after 



