228 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HTJXLEY CHAP. IX 



4 MARLBOROUGH PLACE, 

 Nov. 21, 1877. 



MY DEAR DARWIN Nothing ever gave me greater 

 pleasure than the using the chance of speaking my mind 

 about you and your work which was afforded me at the 

 dinner the other night. I said not a word beyond what 

 I believe to be strictly accurate : and, please Sir, I didn't 

 sneer at anybody. There was only a little touch of the 

 whip at starting, and it was so tied round with ribbons 

 that it took them some time to find out where the flick 

 had hit T. H. HUXLEY. 



He writes to his wife : 



I will see if I can recollect the speech. I made a few 

 notes sitting in Dewar's room before the dinner. But as 

 usual I did not say some things I meant to say, and said 

 others that came up on the spur of the moment 



And again : 



Please I didn't say that Reaumur was the other 

 greatest scientific man since Aristotle. But I said that 

 in a certain character of his work he was the biggest 

 man between Aristotle and Darwin. I really must write 

 out an " authorised version " of my speech. I hear the 

 Latin oration is to be in Nature this week, and Lockyer 

 wanted me to give him the heads of my speech, but I 

 did not think it would be proper to do so, and refused. 

 I have written out my speech as well as I can recollect 

 it I do not mind any friend seeing it, but you must 

 not let it get about as the dinner was a private one. 



The notes of his speech run as follows : 



MR. PRESIDENT I rise with pleasure and with alacrity 

 to respond to the toast which you have just proposed, 

 and I may say that I consider one of the greatest honours 





