Lehrjalire and Wanderjahre 179 



in the Classes and only want to avoid being posted which is a bore because the name is 

 published in the newspapers as such and relations are generally ignorant of the nature 

 and character of these examinations. I have prepared literally nothing but trusted to 

 the light of nature which has been very useful so far, and I think I have already avoided 

 a post '. If it had not been so, I should only have had to cram for any one of the later 

 papers over night and that would have done perfectly. 



Henslow the botanical lecturer has been very good-natured to me about Saxe 

 Weimar; he says he would have given me introductions, but he has never himself been 

 abroad, but he advises me to ask at once if there be any resident botanist, to go to him 

 and to state my case, and to ask him what are the valuable flowers in the neighbourhood, 

 etc. He says there is a kind of freemasonry among naturalists, that it is very little 

 trouble for a professor to open his herbarium and to shew a few leaves of it, and it may 

 be of great service and therefore they never hesitate a moment about doing so. I shall 

 certainly follow his advice. 



Goodbye, my dear Father and with many thanks for your kind letter, I remain 



Your affectionate son, Fras. Galton. 



The next letter finds Galton in London (June 10, 1843) preparing 

 to go to Dresden with his sister. He has seen " the farce of Fortunio 

 at Drury Lane, which is certainly most absurd and contains more puns 

 than it has hitherto fallen to my lot to listen to even from your- 

 self [S. T. G.]." There are a few days of seeing friends — Partridge, 

 Kays, Horners, and relations Hubert Galtons, Charles Barclays, 

 Gurneys — and a new acquaintance, Denham Cookes, is made. " He has 

 the funniest head I ever saw, is exceedingly agreeable, and at his 

 ease ; nobody except his lawyer knows where he lives, under cover 

 to whom all communications are addressed. His hair is yellowish red ; 

 his face something like this [sketch of a face with bizygomatic much 

 greater than minimum temporal breadth]. He told us a great deal." 

 Then brother and sister are oW via Hamburg to Dresden. Li Dresden 

 they appeared to have stayed till August 16, but only one joint letter 

 of Francis and Emma to " Father, Mother, Bessy and Delly " has 

 survived. Emma writes : " We enjoy ourselves much, it is most kind 

 of you allowing me this journey, I feel most obliged to you for it. 

 Francis has been busy with his Doctors lately. He asked Dr Todd 

 of London and his brother to tea ; Fras. makes a capital host, and 

 we hang out tea, bread and butter and cherries. We leave on Thurs- 

 day for Tetschen to stay till Saturday at Mr Noel's The Hallams 



and ourselves are prodigious friends. They leave on Monday." Henry 



' Galton got a fouith class in the May Examination, 1843. 



23 -2 



