Trnimtlon StmlirH 27 



Stanley's, never came off. In \\\h Menion'i-H ([ip. 201 -2) (ijilt<»n \i\ " 



Idescrilxjs the scene ut the Hatli Meetiii*,' <»f the British Association in 1 '; i, 

 where Burton was to read a paper attacking Speke, and Hpeke shootinj? in 

 the neii^filMMirhofxl hiwl })et'n invited to reply. In th<' f'ommittee of tlie 

 Get)j|raphical Section (which meets before the open session), at which the 

 President Sir Roderick Minchison, Sir James Alexanrler. Captain Burton, 

 Galton and others were present, a letter (in the course of a discussion whether 

 the Council of tht^ Association should be re<juested to bring Speke's services 

 to the notice of the Government) went round the table. It was to announce 

 that Speke had accidentally shot hini.self dead in drawing his gun after him, 

 while getting over a hedge. Thus ended the life of a man — whom (Jalton 

 described as "a thorough Briton, conventional, solid and resolute... a fine 

 niaidy fellow" — in a tragedy, which, one might have hoped — but would have 

 hoped in vain — must stop controversy and bitterness. Burton, Galton t^'lls 

 us, "had many great and endearing nualities with others of which j)erha[)s 

 the most curious was his pleasure in ures.sing himself, so to speak, in wolfs 

 clothing, in order to give an idea that he was worse than he really was." 



I have not dwelt more at length on this painful controversy as it only 

 indirectly concerns Galton, but it made a very deep and lasting impression 

 on his mind. I am not at all sure it was not the origin of his very strong 

 dislike in later life of all forms of controversy, so that he would let a 

 criticism pa.ss without reply which is not always the most effective manner 

 of fostering the growth of a new and therefore reluctantly accepted branch 

 of science. No reply is too often taken by a thoughtlass public to l>e identical 

 with an admission of error. When the Biometric Laboratory started the 

 series of papers Questions of the Dai/ and of the Fray in 1 906, Galton ex- 

 pressed his grief at what was not indeed an offensive but in many cases a 

 too long delayed defensive. 



Besides preparing plans of travel fur various discoverers', Galton took, 

 as his manuscript notes show, a large part in the executive work of the 

 Royal Geographical Society. Thus we find about 1858 numerous plans for a 

 meeting-room, the main outline of which he adopted from the old debating- 

 room of the Cambridge Union Society. This, I suppose, had impressed him 

 in Cambridge days as an excellent speaking-chamber, and he wrote to Montagu 

 Butler for a plan and details'. Galton further started the movement for 

 increased interest in geography in schools, and it resulted in the Society 



' Ct. for pxaniple tlie paper "Addilioniil InstriimciitJil liisiiiuii.ins tor .VIr < '<>iisul IVtherick" 

 by F. Galton, Pror. R. Geog. Soe. Jan. 28, 1861, p. 96, which is a model of what such instrnclions 

 shonid l)e. And ivjfain, we may note the "Rep<irt on .Vfrican Explonitioiis," I'roc. R (.'ntg. Sor. 

 May 2t>, 1862, p. 175, as indicatinf; how Galton kept in touch witii African exploration and how 

 fully he carried out his duties of Secretary to the Society. In tliis piip«T his condemnation of 

 uncontrolled trade on the White Nile "mostly in the hands of nt-kless adventurer! .md lawlfrss 

 crews" is characteristic of the n>an, who was later greatly i-evolted by SUn "odings. 



' The tteci-eUry informs me that the minutes of the lloyal Gwxraphim - v make no 



reference to these plans, but that the House Conunittee consideretl in ixbl proposals for 

 extending the premi.ses. Galton is not named as a meml)er of this committee, but he wm pro 

 bably e.r officio one of their nuinlier, and prepared the plans for their consideration. 



4— S 



