250 Life and Letters of Francis Galton 



(Postcard) H6tel des Anglais, Valescure pres St Raphael (Var), France. 



Nov. 27/1 902. 



Thanks, hearty thanks, for your very nice letter. My pleasure at the award is and was a little 

 embittered by the thought of standing in the way of younger men. Of course I value the honour 

 very highly. Also another most unexpected one of being just elected Honorary Fellow of 

 Trinity, Cambridge, my old College. Thanks to the pure air here, I have wholly thrown off first 

 the asthma and then the chronic cough ! I never expected such good luck as this. We shall stay 

 here a little longer and then to Italy. Very sincerely yours, Francis Galton. 



Glad that the next No. of Biometrika is in type. You are making a success of it, to all 

 appearance. 



Address : Hotel Bristol, Piazza Barberini, Rome. 



I shall be there for about 2 months beginning with Dec. 22d. 



Dec. 8, 1902. 



My dear Karl Pearson, To my surprise the enclosed big cheque reached me this morning. 

 I had quite forgotten it was part of the award. I cannot think of applying it to my personal 

 use (as I have as much income as I want), but to some object in accordance with that for which 

 the Darwin Fund was established, and can think of none more suitable than Biometrika. Please 

 therefore take it as a sum to be paid in relief, so to speak, of the Guarantee Fund ; not 

 intended, even if it could be, ever to be repaid but to be swallowed up in the initial expenses. I am 

 very glad to have the opportunity of thus contributing. 



The pure air of Valescure has taken away the whole both of my asthma and of my cough, 

 at least for the time, and I feel more fit, than for 2 or 3 years past. We leave Valescure 

 to-morrow, reach Bordighera (Hotel de Londres) next Monday, and Rome the Monday after. 



I have no news that you would care about. The finger-prints give daily occupation. It is 

 curious how many " blind alleys " one strays into, during any new course of inquiry. This one 

 seems worth a good deal of trouble, but its merits may be more specious than real. Do please 

 send me Biometrika news to Rome. Ever very sincerely, Francis Galton. 



University College, London. Dec. 10, 1902. 



My dear Francis Galton, Your letter and its enclosure reached me this morning. I cannot 

 tell you how I appreciate your kindness and thought in the matter. I am communicating with 

 Weldon by this post. I know it will give him as much pleasure as it gives me. I think you know 

 that finally we collected a fund of £400 to start Biometrika with, and that the total call on that 

 fund as a result of initial expenses was under £70. Against this we have about 250 copies of 

 Vol. I, which ought to be sold some day*, and which when sold ought really to recoup the Guarantee 

 Fund as well as the smaller loss of the Press Syndics. What I would therefore propose to do, 

 if it meets with your approval, would be to recoup the Guarantee Fund, so that we start the 

 second year again with our £400 balance, and reserve the remaining £30 to help in the publica- 

 tion of any special memoir which is expensive on account of large tables or plates. I am not 

 indeed at all sure that to devote the whole sum to one or two important memoirs as they come 

 in, might not meet your wishes and the purport of the fund best. If so please let me know. 

 The guarantors were besides yourself —Mr R. J. Parker t — the Attorney General's "Devil," — 

 Dr W. R. Macdonell, Weldon and myself, and I don't think any of us are very keen on seeing 

 our money back again, if the Journal can be thoroughly established by its use. Hence, I think, 

 we should look upon the recouping of the oi-iginal Guarantee Fund rather as an omen that we 

 had a longer definite life, than as a personal satisfaction. If we devoted £30, or any further 

 sum to the publication of some extensive paper, please allow us to make a little note stating 

 that help in the publication of that particular memoir has been obtained from your kindness 

 with regard to the Darwin Fund. 



I am so glad the change has suited you. I have not sent proofs because I thought your 

 address so uncertain but I will write a " biometric " letter soon. 



Yours very sincerely, K. Pearson. 



* A prophecy fulfilled as several parts of these volumes have had to be reprinted, 

 t Afterwards he sat in the House of Lords, as Lord Parker of Waddington. 



