Ch. Vin.] 1842—1854. 161 



should very much like to talk over this (by the way, my three 

 bugbears are Californian and Australian gold, beggaring me 

 by making my money on mortgage worth nothing ; the 

 French coming by the Westerham and Sevenoaks roads, and 

 therefore enclosing Down ; and thirdly, professions for my 

 boys), and I should like to talk about education, on which you 

 ask me what we are doing. No one can more truly despise the 

 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? Very many thanks for 

 your most land 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 vigorous. 

 You ask about water-curo. 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. What pleasant times we 

 had in drinking coffee in your rooms at Christ's College, and 

 think of the glories of Crux-major.* Ah, in those days there 

 were no professions for sons, no ill-health to fear for them, no 

 Californian gold, no French invasions. How paramount the 

 future is to the present when one is surrounded by children. 

 My dread is hereditary ill-health. Even death is better for 

 them. 



My dear Fox, your sincere friend. 



P.S. — Susan f has lately been working in a way which I 

 think truly heroic about the scandalous violation of the Act 

 against children climbing chimneys. We have set up a little 

 Society in Shrewsbury to prosecute those who break the law. 

 It is all Susan's doing. She has had very nice letters from 

 Lord Shaftesbury and the Duke of Sutherland, but the brutal 

 Shropshire squires are as hard as stones to move. The Act 

 out of London seems most commonly violated. It makes one 

 shudder to fancy one of one's own children at seven years old 

 being forced up a chimney — to say nothing of the consequent 



* The beetle Panagasus crux-major. t H^ sister. 



M 



