188 Life and Letters of Francis Gal ton 



fixed upon the street but certainly should prefer one of those running out of Park Lane, 

 for then 1 shall be near St George's Hospital and the Park, and close by the Kays, 

 Campljells, C. Buxton and not far from Mr Hallam, and indeed some others. I fancy 

 that I shall get from Kay's description quite as gowl rooms as I shall want for 



20 shillings a week We had such a glorious May day here. I determined to 



improve upon my last year's one and together with two other men raised a shilling 

 or sixpenny subscription to £3. With this we got 80 buns, 240 oranges, 600 small 

 biscuit cakes and materials for 8 gallons of tea (to be made ready sugared etc. in cans) ; 

 then we got a maypole 9 feet above the ground [picture], with a great wreath on the 

 top and two flags one on either side fastened to sticks and held by boys. Then an arch 

 through which only 2 could pass at a time, receiving each of them a bun or 2 or three 

 biscuits and an orange (in transitu). Then we chose a Queen of the May, the prettiest 

 little girl I ever remember to have seen [portrait] and Mrs Hoppit took her in charge 

 and washed her and attired her in a royal diadem and then the undergraduates present, 

 about 60 shoved their way in to the maypole and took hands and spread out leaving a 

 large vacant ring, in the centre of which was the maypole and the Queen of the May. 

 She choose her partner and with five other girls and their partners danced the College 

 hornpipe. Then we let in a number of other smaller girls who took hands and danced 

 in a wide ring round them and the maypole, and after that another ring concentric that 

 danced the opposite way round, so all three were going at once. We had one of those 

 street hurdy-gurdy things for the music. So the plan of the proceedings was thus : 

 [Diagram of the dancing circles, the outermost sketched below in elevation consisting of 

 undergraduates in caps and gowns with stretched linked hands and outstretched legs — 

 outside these a crowd of undergniduate onlookei'.sj. There were more than 200 children 

 and the undergraduate arms were at full stretch. The maypole was put up in the college 

 green. 



Middle. If a man wants to obtain a vegetable time piece at what hour should he 

 rise ] 



Answer. He must get " up at eight o'clock " (mu.st get a potato clock). 



Goodbye. Your affectionate son, 



Fras. Galton. 



P.S. I will always write on Mondays as on this and last week. 



Trin. Coll. [May 13, 1844]. 



Tuesday (instead of Monday). 

 My dear Father, 



Pray excuse this small sheet of paper, for I have so much of it on hand that 

 I can find no way for its disposal. A number of my old college friends have come up 

 during the past week, and most of them gone down again. Mathew Boulton just 

 appeared for two days and a night to take his degree. He asked me much to come to 

 Tew, and I have accepted his invite gladly for some far future time as I am afraid 

 that I shall have no time for holidays in London. Everybody is making up long 

 vacation parties and I liave had earnest entreaties to travel with different allies to 

 St Petersburg, to Madrid and I don't know where else, but after all it is satisfactory 

 to have something better to do than to join them. Powell Buxton has also been here. 



