250 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY CHAP. X 



you in five minutes." He kept his promise, and before 

 the reception was over, I had met many of the most 

 noted men in England, and from that evening, I can 

 date a large number of acquaintances, who have made 

 my subsequent visits to that country an ever-increasing 

 pleasure. 



As for his summer occupations, he writes to his 

 eldest daughter on July 2 : 



No, young woman, you don't catch me attending any 

 congresses I can avoid, not even if F. is an artful com- 

 mittee-man. I must go to the British Association at 

 Dublin for my sins and after that we have promised 

 to pay a visit in Ireland to Sir Victor Brooke. After 

 that I must settle myself down in Penmaenmawr and 

 write a little book about David Hume before the 

 grindery of the winter begins. 



The meeting of the British Association took place 

 this year in the third week of August at Dublin. 

 Huxley gave an address in the Anthropological 

 subsection, 1 and on the 20th received the honorary 

 degree of LL.D. from Dublin University, the Public 

 Orator presenting him in the following words : 



Prsesento vobis Thomam Henricum Huxley hominem 

 vere physicum hominem facundum, lepidum, venustum 

 eundem autem nihil (philosophia modo sua lucem prae- 

 ferat) reformidantem ne illud quidem Ennianum, 

 Simia quam similis, turpissima bestia, nobis. 



The extract above given contains the first refer- 

 ence to the book on Hume, 2 written this summer as 



1 "Informal Remarks on the Conclusions of Anthropology," 

 B. A. Report, 1878, pp. 573-578. 



2 In the "English Men of Letters" series, edited by Mr. John 

 Morley. 



