Characterisation, especially by Letters 475 



so this is my second letter only. I never have enjoyed a holiday so much and daren't trust 

 myself to look towards its close. We have been three nights at Quisitana*, and I write this in a 

 railway carriage en route to Paestum for the day, whither I make a solitary journey of a total of 

 ten hours' travelling and detention in order to get a two hours' view of the ruins, twelve hours 



altogether. Yesterday I did Vesuvius, with George Butler, a lady-like chaperone, a pretty 

 daughter, and also a Newnham young lady. We got on admirably by being pulled up the 

 ashes on the side Ali and then up the much more difficult ashes on the cone, CD, and I feel 

 this morning as though I had been all night at a hall held on the sandy seashore, dancing reels 

 and not missing one. It gave one a vivid idea of the muscular effort required to fly ; that is, 

 to support oneself in a yielding medium. The sulphur colours were glorious, the "lapilli" came 

 up in occasional volleys and fell about us dull-red-hot. It was a grand sight looking into the 

 crater at the steam with its glowing foundation; — then we scuttled down, to get out of the 

 way of the next shower of lapilli. The Haines were beautiful last night and reached above 

 the cone at times, to a height equal to the height of the cone. To-night they reach to three times 

 its height. Sorrento was the acme of felicity. Amain was a falling off and, to our taste, 

 Quisitana is a further descent. We turn northwards in three days to or towards the Italian lakes, 

 thence to the Lake of Geneva, to stay a few days with my niece Milly Lethbridge, and then home, 

 where 1 am pledged to be by May 11 at latest and probably & few days earlier. My Wife has 

 thoroughly enjoyed herself, but of course is not up to the longer excursions, and is beginning 

 to feel the climate. Josephine Butler t joined her husband at Quisitana last night. — Well, 

 well ! one can't talk to her about her favourite topics, holding as I do most diametrically 

 opposite views in nearly every particular of faith, morals, and justifiable courses of action; but 

 for all that she is, or was, very charming and keenly alive and sympathetic. 



I was very glad to hear your own satisfactory home news and trust that your American 

 letters show that all is going on well and happily there, and also that your Mother is fairly if 

 not wholly well again. We have not been fortunate; in meeting many pleasant people. One 

 agreeable acquaintance was an American, Mi- Andrew White, once president of, and 

 now a history professor in Cornell University, and for some years U.S. minister in Berlin J. 

 He knows both Oxford and Cambridge pretty well. I dare say you may have met him and 

 his wife. 



I wonder whether you have been able to strike out important ideas about our procedure 

 of weather predictions, I am sure you will strike out some new ones, and it is high time that 

 original ones should be struck out. 



Will you kindly give the enclosed card, or post it, to Scott? You will see what it says. 

 If it should prove quite convenient to fix the first May Meteorological Meeting during the 

 second and not the first week, all the letter for ma 



Ever affectionately yours, Fkancis G ALTON. 

 To Gkoroe Darwin, Esq. 



• I have failed to find any such place. Tt is possibly a very obscurely written Positano, 

 which is S. EL of Sorrento. 



t See our Vol II, p. 130. 



J During the biographer's student-days there, 1870-1S80 ; he most courteously invited 

 to his house English as well as American postgraduates. 



60 2 



