1881 WORK AS FISHERY INSPECTOR 297 



the stories which we told one another, and of which 

 Professor Huxley had an inexhaustible fund. 



In conversation Professor Huxley displayed the quality 

 which distinguished him both as a writer and a public 

 speaker. He invariably used the right words in the right 

 sense. Those who are jointly responsible as he and I 

 were often jointly responsible for some written document, 

 have exceptional opportunities of observing this quality. 

 Professor Huxley could always put his finger on a wrong 

 word, and he always instinctively chose the right one. 

 It was this qualification a much rarer one than people 

 imagine which made Professor Huxley's essays clear to 

 the meanest understanding, and which made him, in my 

 judgment, the greatest master of prose of his time. The 

 same quality was equally observable in his spoken speech. 

 I happened to be present at the anniversary dinner of the 

 Royal Society, at which Professor Huxley made his last 

 speech. And, as he gave an admirable account of the 

 share which he had taken in defending Mr. Darwin 

 against his critics, I overheard the present Prime Minister 1 

 say, " What a beautiful speaker he is." 



In 1882, the duties of another' appointment forced 

 me to resign the Inspectorship, which I had held for so 

 long : and thenceforward my residence in the Isle of Man 

 gave me fewer opportunities of seeing Professor Huxley : 

 our friendship, however, remained unbroken ; and 

 occasional visits to London gave me many opportunities 

 of renewing it. He retained his own appointment as 

 Inspector for more than three years after my resignation. 

 He served, during the closing months of his officialship, 

 on a Royal Commission on trawling, over which the late 

 Lord Dalhousie presided. But his health broke down 

 before the commissioners issued their report, and he was 

 ordered abroad. It so happened that in the spring of 

 1885 I was staying at Florence, when Professor and 



1 Lord Salisbury. 



