572 Life and Letters of Francis Gallon 



I am quite enthralled by one of Renan's books, the Antichrist. (lam reading it in an excellent 

 translation with an excellent introduction by W. Hutchinson.) He makes out that Nero is the 

 Beast of the Apocalypse, and brings in an enormous amount of the history of those times, most 

 of which was quite unknown to me. It is a book well worth reading. Best loves to you all. 



Ever affectionately, Francis Galton. 



42, Rutland Gate, S.W. May 20, 1906. 



Dearest Milly, The paragraph about Guy is pleasant reading. Edward Wheler, who has 



been staying here three nights, heard to the same effect from Smith (son of the publisher), 



who is (?) Colonel of Guy's regiment, a few days ago. 



Eva and I had a most pleasant 24 hours at Cambridge, lunching and spending the bulk of 

 the day at Trinity Lodge, and sleeping at the George (Sir George) Darwins. The portrait looks 

 particularly well in the Hall. The background being much lighter than those of the other 

 pictures, and all being surrounded by dark oak, gives a welcome light to the general effect. 

 Nothing could be better all round. Eva is also quite pleased with the memorial glass window 

 in Ettington Church. She went down to see it on Monday last and to lunch with the Studdys. 

 She has got Count Russell's book back and proposed to, perhaps she already has, post(ed) it to 

 you. I can quite fancy Biarritz becoming enormously expensive. This is the beginning of its 

 summer season, when wealthy French and Spanish grandees visit it in large numbers, and 

 ordinary French and Spanish go in shoals and sleep six in a room, as we were assured often 

 occurred. I shall be eager to know where you yourselves finally go to. We went last night to 

 Stephen Phillips's play of Nero, having read it first. It is very "spectacular," but the acting 

 was on the whole not quite first-rate. Still it was extremely interesting and apparently a just 

 rendering of Roman Court life in those days. What villains they were ! Talking of villains, 

 I spent an hour in the morning yesterday seeing the finger-prints in Scotland Yard. Mr Henry 

 (the Chief Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police) has got them into good order. The 

 methodical arrangements are excellent. He has about 84,000 sets of prints and thinks he could 

 deal with 150,000 without straining the method. There are more than 500 identifications 

 a month, now; in the old days, there were not so many in a whole year. The burglars begin to 

 use gloves, and now and then they destroy the skin of their finger-tips, but this grows again. 



Ever affectionately, with loves to you all, Francis Galton. 



42, Rutland Gate, S.W. June 2, 1906. 



Dearest Milly, I wonder where and how you are, after your very hot start. To think 

 of your having been so near Rutland Gate on Monday! It was fortunate for you that you did 

 not call, for on that day we had arranged to go to Claverdon. But in the morning I was 

 suddenly seized with a strange ague-fit like I had last autumn ; the doctor sent me at once to 

 bed, and Claverdon had to be telegraphed to. I was rather bad for a few hours, and could not 

 have seen you. The thing is gradually working itself off with bronchitis, and I get out, but 



am still over-weak When inquiring about interesting places, did you ever 



hear any tiling of the Mediterranean side of the Pyrenees — Port-Bou, etc.? The places are said 

 to be very picturesque, but the accommodation is not smart. You reach them via Perpignan. 

 Louisa and I once spent some time at Vernet-les-Bains, at the foot of the Canigou. It had 

 merits but is probably now a noisy bath place. Ibrahim Pacha was sent there in his old age 

 to recuperate from his excesses. The doctor said that he must stop wine. On a second visit 

 Ibrahim was worse and the doctor rebuked him for not obeying orders. Ibrahim flew into 

 a fury and said, "Oh, pig-brained son of a she-ass, I have not touched wine, only two bottles 

 of Cognac each day." Ever affectionately, Francis Galton. 



42, Rutland Gate, S.W. June 8, 1906. 



Dearest Milly, If you are having splendid weather, like us, you will indeed be joyful. 

 Eva will enclose her letter to Count Russell. She saw more of him than I did and has corre- 

 sponded with him already. What an ovation you have had at Montauban. Amy must have 

 rejoiced in the Bishop, and you both have been delighted at the happy ways of Jeannie Ronsell 

 and her kindred. We English are a nation of natural snobs, which Southerners rarely are. We 

 do however bear some polish, though it is costly and laborious to rub it on. The servility to 



