First Visit to England. 139 



had a lady with him, evidently his wife, and they took the 

 second seat in front of us. At the first glance I whispered 

 to Kitty, " I think that is Dr. Whewell ! " Presently I asked 

 a man near us who it was, and he replied, " The Master of 

 Trinity ! " 



On Thursday, business opened at eleven by addresses by 

 the chairmen of the several sections. There is no general 

 session. We selected Huxley's, in the department of zo- 

 ology and botany, and we were fortunate, for it was a most 

 admirable address explanatory of the scope and purposes 

 of biology. I meant to have got his classification, and shall 

 yet ; it is very lucid. Spencer says that, of all the scientific 

 men he knows, Huxley is the only one who understands the 

 importance of biology and sympathizes with his work in 

 this direction. ... In the geological section there was yes- 

 terday some fun. Owen came down on Huxley about man 

 and monkeys in his papers, one after another. The two men 

 hate and despise each other. Huxley is much more of a 

 man, and is more like Spencer, outspoken and independent. 

 Owen is an old grandmother, whose business is to nurse her 

 reputation jealous of newcomers and exasperated at op- 

 position. He was not present at the reading of Huxley's 

 address. . . . Last night there was an address by Tyndall 

 before the association in the lecture room ; subject, Water 

 in its Several Conditions. It was altogether the most bril- 

 liant affair of the kind I have ever seen. . . . The new phi- 

 losophy of forces permeates everything. All science seems 

 worked with reference to it. Tyndall not only assumed it, 

 but it was the foundation of his philosophy. While I was 

 with him the other day Spencer started the point of using 

 the term " persistence of force " rather than " conserva- 

 tion." They had quite a spurt over it, Tyndall declining to 

 meddle with the words he found. But to-day Huxley used 

 the term " persistence of force." The experiments last night 

 were, first, testing oxygen and hydrogen separately ; second, 



