PHjicJioloiilcal Invtttt'ujtitloHH 281 



Mrs Galton, all unconscious of the near future, after noting the events of 

 1896, iiichidiiig this paper on star signals, continues in her Record: 



"So surely ilo tho gfKHl thiiipi come to 08 and pftas from us, and I try to bo thankful for 

 the innutnerablo bleHNiiigs we have hud t'v«!ii with the (xiin of f<H-litiK thcni m>\w. Ho v<nd% our 

 ypar, not an eventful one, but a ciilnily happy one, ending with a merry Xraaa at Spencer'* 

 [Hj>encer Butler's], the young folk full of life and ambitions." 



Calmly happy sentences — not the depressed or fretfiil words of some few 

 of the earlier entries of the Record — and fitly concluding that hrief account 

 of the 43 j^ears of Louisa Butler's married life with Francis Galton. 



There is only one more year of entry, 1897, in the Record, and some- 

 thing of it may be fitly cpioted here, for it will indicate, better than the 

 remarks of some superficial onlookers, the real relationship of the pair. It is 

 hardly necessary to remark that the union could not fail to have lx;en richer 

 had it been blessed with children. Galton's affection for his nieces shows 

 what this would have meant for him. 



" 1897. It is with painful reluctance that I set down the incidents of this fatal year, and 

 do so on Jan. 6 the anniversary of the day, when I first became acquainted with dear Louisa 

 at the Dean's house, next door to our own at Dover in 18.53. 



In the early jwirt of the year T was more of an invalid than she was, but we had some 

 plea-sjint outings together— a.<i to Nansen's great meeting on Feb. 28. Chiefly on account of 

 niy pei-sistent asthmatic cough we went to Bournemouth, March 22, pjirtly to be near 

 Dr Chepmell, whose remaining eye was threatened. He told me to go to Cauterets or Royat. 

 Montagu and Agnatu [the Miuster of Trinity and hi.s wife] came to us for a day from Lynd- 

 hurst, while we were there. We had had alarming news from time to time of Emma ['Sister 

 Knniiy] from the middle of Feb. onwards. At length she was better, and we went to her 

 April 20-2;?. Ijoui.sn wa.s well enough for some small festivities — a tea party, her last, on 

 May 7th, and the niiliUuy tournument. We went to Oxford, to Arthur's [Mrs Oalton's 

 brother's] June 5-8. June 21, Jidjilee day, we went with Mrs Lyell to the Athenaeum and they 

 had excellent places and Ix)uisa was not overtired. Next day Bessie [Galton's sister Mrs 

 Wheler] came to tea and Mrs Lyell. 26th I went to the Naval Review, L. not well enough to 

 go with me. July 14 left for Royat, slept at Boulogne ; next day, a weary waiting till 10 p.m. 

 at the Lyons Stution, but the night journey conifortjible, I^ouisa not suffering at all. July 24th 

 Puy de Drtme with Mr Livett and a young lady. L. remained in the garden at the auberge 

 while we went up, and she hml luncheon set out. I never sivw her more pleased or nicer as a 

 hastess than when we came down. Aug. 1, M'"" de Falbe arrived in far from good health. 

 Aug. 3, L. awoke with diarrhoea, — we all had it, but recovered. Very sultry. Arranged for Pimt 

 St Ijiui-ent in Dauphine, and wrote to have letters sent to Grenoble. On Sunday 8th she was 

 apparently quite well and half packed for a start next morning. Monday 9th she was ill and 

 sick in the night, not woi-so than frequently before. Tuesday, Aug. 10 she was woiue; I had 

 Dr Petit in, who made light of it, but said he would come the next morning. Wed. 11th she 

 was very ill, but «iw M""" de Falbe, who was able to leave her bed for the purpose. L. wrote 

 a post-card to Chundey [her maid] in case she was wanted. In afternoon she was very weak 



indeed Thurstlay 12th worse and in a very serious stat«. That night, or rather Friday 



morning early at 2 hrs J, she quietly pivssed away. On Saturday she was buried in the cemetery 

 of Clermont-Ferniud in plot 419, which I purchased as a concession in perp^luite. So our long 

 married life came to an end. Writing as I do now aftt-r nearly .') months have passed, and 

 I am able to take a fair retrospect, I think that the inevitable blow occurred at a more 

 seasonable period than at any other time. Dear Louisa's vigour was distinctly declining; she 

 was still able to enjoy much, but wiw I fear rapidly on the way towaiils permanent invalidism, 

 and she was conscious of a weakening of her mental power, small things fatiguing her much 

 more than formerly. Had I died first, I fear her strength would have been inwlequate to 

 carrying on life unaided. She has been in many respects a most valued as well as a loved 

 .example to me. May her good influence abide, though she personally is gone. All her friends 



Po II 36 



