544 Life and Letters of Francis Galton 



of his back) is at last on view. I shall call upon him to-morrow. You may have seen in .the 

 papers an account of the public presentation of him to the Natural History Museum yesterday. 

 My Eugenics Research Fellow has been grinding on, but possibly he needs more go. Statisticians, 

 like the children of Israel in Egypt, have not only to make bricks but to collect materials. 

 Here it is that men differ so much in their success. The most hopeful line just now seems to 

 be in the direction of the feeble-minded, about whom a Commission is now sitting. Several 

 eager and capable ladies are engaged in the work, and they seem desirous of scientific guidance, 

 so I hope something may be done there. They are to have a big meeting next month and are 

 preparing their programme of work. I am so very glad that many of your family anxieties are 

 over. Amy will, I trust, improve under the sky of Brittany. It is said to be a rainy part of 

 the world, but it cannot always rain. At Marseilles and at Paris it poured while we were there, 

 two nights at each place. I ate a Bouillabaisse at Marseilles which had been an epicurean dream 

 for years. They say you ought never to eat it unless you have a spare day to get over the 

 effects. It contains a vast variety of shell-fish, as well as other fish, which may be half poisonous. 

 However, mine proved particularly digestible. 



Affectionately, with many loves, Francis Galton. 



42, Rutland Gate, S.W. June 13, 1905. 



Dearest Milly, Your card of this morning gave great relief. The weather is all in your 

 and Amy's favour now, but the "flu" is a nasty thing. My sister Bessy seems to have had 

 a touch of it. Temperature only 1 00, but continuously, or almost so, for a week. She has been 

 in bed at Claverdon. Since Saturday I have not heard. I think they ivere anxious about her. 

 We, thus far, are all right. To-morrow I go to Cambridge where there is the function of degree- 

 giving, lunch and dinner, which I hope to digest. A few days ago I was invited and went to 

 a big Statistical dinner, at which when the visitors' healths were drunk, after talking about me, 

 the proposer said I should leave my mark — he would not say on the foot-prints, but — on the 

 finger-prints, of time ! Rather forced, but it did for an after-dinner speech. About a week ago, 

 Eva and I went to the Farm Street Roman Catholic Chapel, to hear "Father" Galton preach. 

 He is not the Bishop of Demerara, but Charlie Galton. Two of Theodore's sons became priests*. 

 He preached uncommonly well, with singularly good articulation, as though he were fond of 

 the sound of every word he uttered. He would be an excellent master of elocution. The chapel 

 itself is one of the most beautiful and decorous I have ever seen. The congregation most reverent, 

 and the music perfect. As you will have heard, and perhaps experienced in Brittany, we have 

 had the rainiest week almost on record, to greet the King of Spain. I passed Windsor to-day 

 and saw the King's flag flying. They are making ready a royal wedding for a king-to-be, 

 but of only half the kingdom — Sweden — that he expected to have. Good-bye, love to you all 

 and may you all pull happily through this hateful scourge of influenza. 



Ever affectionately, Francis Galton. 



42, Rutland Gate, S.W. June 25, 1905. 



Dearest Milly, What a very gallant act of Guy! I wish it had been some millionaire 

 whose life he saved. It was such an English act too, unselfish, single-handed and prompt, while 

 others were "disposing themselves" to launch a boat. I cannot realise how with only one arm such 

 a feat could be done, though I know he used to be an excellent swimmer. I suppose that the 

 water was not deep and that the rough sea was not dangerous to a man accustomed to water, 

 and able to keep his wits cool, and that Guy was able to touch ground and to push. It would 

 have been most dangerous had the drowning man retained enough vitality to grapple. A sea 

 bath is usually ruinous to clothes and watch. I hope he had nothing on or with him that 

 suffered much? The excitement of this family event may have harmed, or may have helped, Amy 

 in her convalescence. I sincerely hope the latter. Much has happened here during the past 

 week of "Eugenic" interest, but it relates chiefly to administration, which was more than 

 my "Fellow" could manage, together with research. So a readjustment of duties has had to be 

 made and there will be a Lady Secretary. Also Murray, the publisher, will publish for us (on 

 the half-profit plan) books of families on the same principle as that little pamphlet you saw, but 

 on a substantial scale. There is material for one now, that Schuster has put into order, but to 



* Theodore Howard Galton, Francis Galton's cousin. 





