Ch. II.] DOWN. 37 



about slavery were revolting. In his eyes might was right. 

 His mind seemed to me a very narrow one ; even if all branches 

 of science, which he despised, are excluded. It is astonishing 

 to me that Kingsley should have spoken of him as a man well 

 fitted to advance science. He laughed to scorn the idea that a 

 mathematician, such as Whewell, could judge, as I maintained 

 he could, of Goethe's views on light. He thought it a most 

 ridiculous thing that any one should care whether a glacier 

 moved a little quicker or a little slower, or moved at all. As 

 far as I could judge, I never met a man with a mind so ill 

 adapted for scientific research. 



Whilst living in London, I attended as regularly as I could 

 the meetings of several scientific societies, and acted as secretary 

 to the Geological Society. But such attendance, and ordinary 

 society, suited my health so badly that we resolved to live 

 in the country, which wo both preferred and have never 

 repented of. 



Residence at Down, from September 14, 1842, to the 

 present time, 1876. 



After several fruitless searches in Surrey and elsewhere, we 

 found this house and purchased it. I was pleased with the 

 diversified appearance of the vegetation proper to a chalk 

 district, and so unlike what I had been accustomed to in the 

 Midland counties; and still more pleased with the extreme 

 quietness and rusticity of the place. It is not, however, quite 

 so retired a place as a writer in a German periodical makes 

 it, who says that my house can be approached only by a mule- 

 track ! Our fixing ourselves hero has answered admirably in 

 one way which we did not anticipate, namely, by being very 

 convenient for frequent visits from our children. 



Few persons can have lived a more retired life than we have 

 done. Besides short visits to the houses of relations, and 

 occasionally to the seaside or elsewhere, we have gone nowhere. 

 During the first part of our residence we went a little into 

 society, and received a few friends here ; but my health almost 

 always suffered from the excitement, violent shivering and 

 vomiting attacks being thus brought on. I have therefore 

 been compelled for many years to give up all dinner-parties ; 

 and this has been somewhat of a deprivation to me, as such 

 parties always put me into high spirits. From the same 

 cause I have been able to invite here very few scientific 

 acquaintances. 



My chief enjoyment and sole employment throughout life 



