428 THE LIFE OF JJMES D. FORBES. [CHAP. 



upon you these considerations, and that you will 

 use your deserved influence towards obtaining an en- 

 dowment/ 



To DR. SYMONDS. 



' ST. ANDREWS, December 24th, 1865. 



' The close approach of Christmas is an agreeable 

 call to write to you. We have not heard very directly 

 from your house for some little time. I hope your health 

 has been good, notwithstanding your culpable neglect 

 of a holiday, which I sincerely hope you will not 

 again suffer yourself to omit. You will no doubt be 

 drawing some of your olive branches round you for 

 Christmas time. Our dear Edmund came home from 

 Wimbledon last night, looking, I must say, strong and 

 hearty, though just emerged from a whirl of examination 

 papers. I don't at all know as yet what opinion to form 

 of the result of his going to school : but I expect it will 

 be on the whole favourable. 



' . . . George is going on very steadily and well at 

 the College Hall : mending his classics, and going for- 

 ward with his mathematics. I suppose he will go to 

 Cambridge in October 1867: the question of Trinity or a 

 small College will come very soon. 



' Eliza and Alice are at home, Minna with Mrs. 

 Wauchope all well and sweet and good. . . . We are too 

 large a party to migrate to Edinburgh, and therefore 

 spend our Christmas at home. 



' Not to omit myself from the family tableau, I can 

 thankfully say that I have been in stronger health for the 

 last two months fully than for a long time previously. 

 I have more elasticity and less liability to colds. For a 

 considerable part of that time, I had indeed a feeling of 

 health unusual to me. Such breaks always keep me 

 from desponding : and my lectures on the History of 

 Science on seven successive Saturdays were only a 

 pleasure to me and no drag. They were well attended 

 considering all circumstances. As you kindly interest 

 yourself in my reputation, and as I always consider 

 myself as in part owing to you the measure of health 



