Edward Livingston Youmans. 



LONDON, October /<?, 7^77. 



MY DEAR WIFE : I have now been here a week and two 

 days. It seems as if it had been two months. As I wrote 

 to Jay, I am very glad I came. It was important for busi- 

 ness reasons, and it has afforded the break I needed, or at 

 all events the test of my condition, which it was important 

 I should have. And it turns out that there was a pretty bad 

 state of physical deterioration and lack of vigour. A cold 

 fastened upon me at first, and I have not been able to 

 throw it off. I am better of it, but it hangs about me and 

 almost unfits me for anything. 



I have not seen the Tyndalls yet, as they have been out 

 of town and will not return till the last of next week. I 

 went with Mr. Spencer to the Huxleys' last Sunday evening, 

 and we had a very quiet hour and a half, there being no- 

 body there. They asked particularly after you, and Mrs. 

 Huxley referred repeatedly to the lunch you gave her. 



Went down to King's, at Epping. I was miserable, and 

 could hardly get through it (and here comes Spencer, who 

 has taken up my case and is heading me off in everything 

 and fights my doing anything; and he says: "What! is 

 not one sheet enough ? I never saw anything like it. No 

 wonder you are so pale and miserable ! you don't know 

 what rest means.") The Huxley family is all well grown, 

 and they are very cosy. Huxley says he is very well, but 

 he does not look it. I have assigned a fortnight from to- 

 day on which to sail (in the Germanic), and shall probably 

 do so, but Spencer is strongly opposed to it> and insists 

 very emphatically on my staying. 



LONDON, October 29, 1877. 



DEAR SISTER : Nothing remains but to write, and there 

 is little to write of but personal experiences. These are 

 monotonously varied. On Friday I felt a little aching in 

 my right wrist in writing ; on Saturday it became very 

 painful to write. Saturday evening my arm became in- 



