140 Lift and Letters of Francis Galton 



QiNfeTE. ]QJmH 1873. 



MoN CHER M0S8IKUR, Vous 1110 faitcH esjit-riT uiie vUiU; duns Ic ooiiraiit de raut<iniiie et 

 comiue ji" serais bicii (Actu' de vmi« iiiaii({uer, |)eriiiette/.-rii()i de vous dire que je serai sans doute 

 a Gen^ve depuis le milieu ou au plus tarti la 6n de septenibre. J'ai rintentioii de iii'absenter 

 pendant le niois d'auut, inais il ost bien douteux que inon excursion so prolonge au del& de 

 5 ou C semainee. 



Si vous pasaez dans notre ville vous n'avcz qu'k me demander four St Pierre 3 (au 2'*"* 

 ^tage). C'est 14 qu'est mon herbier et iiussi niu bibliotli^ue. J'y vieiis tous les jours de 1 1 4 2 h., 

 ezoepte le dimanche. 



Dans la soinie et les dimanches vous me trouveriez au VaUon, pr^ Ch6ne et de Ch6ne h ma 

 maison de campagno il y a 8 minutes. 



Votre idw dVxj>erimenter sur les souris serait excellente k suivrc. II faudrait voir d'abord 

 quelle sultstance toxique ces animaux niangent voiontiei-s et quelle dose on peut leur en donner 

 sans lour faire trop de mal et en pnxluisant tvp'ndant dcs diets si>nsible8. Le Cannabis a raoins 

 de mati^re inebriante dans la graine que dans les feuilU^, mais il doit pourtant y en avoir. Une 

 p&tee alcooliste serait peut-Ctre plus commode, parce qu'on saurait bien la dose d'alcool 

 administr^. 



Des pigeons qui s'accoupleraient sous I'empire de I'alcool donncraicnt pieut-Ctre des 

 petita tumblersl Mr Darwin pourrait I'cssayer niieux que personn& Mais il dirait peut-etre 

 que la ft'-oondation des a'ufs dans les oi.seaux est entouree de trop d'incertitude. On ne 

 saurait pcut-C>tre pas exactenicnt quels ocufs auraient ete fecondes k tel moment par le m4le 

 alooolis^. 



B«oevei, mon cher Monsieur, I'assurance de mes salutations empress^es. 



Alpb. db Candolle. 



42, Rutland Gate, London. Oct. \%lli 



My dear Sir, Thank you very much for j-our kind lett<'r this morning telling me of your 

 whereabouts this autumn. I heartily wish I could liave managcl to meet you in Paris or else- 

 where, for I have much in liand at this moment concerning the topic which interests Ixjth of 

 us so much, and which I hope to publish in 3 or 4 months. 



My wife and myself passed our summer in the heart of Germany, in the Thiiringer Wald, 

 and I there continually consoled myself with your prophecy that that tiresome German language 

 is doomed to extinction, as one of the dominant tongues. That, and our atrocious English 

 spelling! for which I, not being a cla-ssical scholar, entertain no respect whatever! 



Believe me very faithfully yours, Francis Galton. 



I have just left the house of a friend, where I had paid a short visit at the same time as 

 our mutual friend Dr Hooker, — who very shortly will occupy the most distinguished of English 

 .scientific posts, namely the Presidency of the Royal Society. He will lie a most ai-ccptable 

 President over us. 



To M. Ali'iionse de Candolle. 



42, Rutland Gate, London. May 5/74 



My dear Sir, A few weeks back I gave a lecture at our Royal Institution on the subject 

 that iiiterc«ts both of us, and only delayed sending you a printed account of it in the hopes of 

 ■ending at the same time anotlier and different memoir, which however will not be in print for 

 aome time. 



My lecture will reach you by book iK)st, and I hasten to send it because I see that the 

 Henie Scx^ntijiquf has Ijeen so good as to publish a translation in French, which however does 

 not render some phra.s(!S quit<' exactly and j^ives a small but decided uiodilication to their 

 meaning. When the book will be conij)lete, to which this Iwiure is a prelude, I cannot say; — 

 but as soon as it is out, I will semi you a copy for acceptance. 



It seemed tf> be well worth while to select, as I have done, a group of men of the same 

 nationality, similar education, race, n'ligion, and period, in order to eliminate the disturbing 

 influences of a» many large variable causes as possible, and to bring out \nU) stronger relief the 

 effect of the residuum. 1 think you will be interested, when all the results are before you, in 



