162 Life and Letters of Francis Gallon 



The next letter is dated, or should be, October 20, 1841 : 



Wednesday 20th, 1841. 

 MY DEAR FATHKR, THIN. COLL. 



I left Leamington the only Cantab on the coach by the side of a jolly old 

 Coachman who had been a horsedealer at Northampton and had sold horses to Uncle 

 Hubert; he made sundry enquiries after you. On arriving at Weedoii a complete shoal 

 of Cambridge men poured out from one of the trains amongst whom was Theodore and 

 three or four other allies of mine ; how they all were to find places was a problem too 

 deep for the minds of anybody there except the coachman's to surmount. However they 

 hung on the coach like crows on carrion, and a jolly drive we had recounting our 

 adventures to each other. The coach top was unpolluted by a freshman. I called on 

 Mathison this morning, who skipped about through excess of animal spirits in talking 

 over Keswick, and was as jolly as ever. I then called on Hopkins who takes me, and 

 I begin with him on Monday. My Keswick friends are all up, two of them full of 

 gratitude for wonderful effects produced by prescriptions which I had left them and 

 I have got a new patient. I cannot express the bumptious state I am in, looking at 

 poor bashful unsophisticated "cubs" so carefully pulling their gown to make it sit well 

 and fidgety at finding how uncomfortable their cap is which they have unconsciously 

 put on the wrong way; all over as "fresh" as paint bless their innocencies. So 

 Whewell is Master; I suppose he will soon come into residence. 



In haste for chapel, 



Your affectionate son, FRAS. GALTON. 



Francis was in all the glory of the Junior Soph. Energetic beyond 

 measure, but hastening, alas ! towards a catastrophe. 



Excuse my blots as I am Tuesday [Nor. 10, 1841]. 



in a great hurry. 



MY DEAR FATHER, 



I am very sorry that from having been either too lazy or too much occupied, 

 I have not written sooner, though I consider you too little of an invalid to be further 

 anxious about your health. Emma has probably given you a full account of her 

 proceedings in Cambridge 1 and I trust rescued me from Mr Hodgson's malicious charge. 

 She was most active and tired down both Theodore and myself. Thank you very much 

 for your statement of my accounts ; they were certainly most beautifully written out and 

 quite a model. In one point, however, they were not quite as useful as otherwise they 



1 According to her diary Miss Gal ton went on Nov. 4 " via Cambridge to Keswick " 

 and returned on Nov. 28 to St James's Square with the Gurneys. Emma Galton 

 shared many of the characteristics of her brother Francis ; she was restlessly energetic 

 and rushed not only about England but the Continent. She had a strong business 

 instinct and recorded almost to shillings and pence the amounts received by all members 

 of her family by inheritance, settlements and gifts. She published a noteworthy little 

 book which has run through many editions, A Guide to the Unprotected; it gives 

 directions for single women in business matters, and is still of value. 





