30 HUXLEY 



their residence to that now known as 23 Abercorn 

 Place. 



About this time (1861), in addition to all his bio- 

 logical labour, Huxley devoted a good deal of his 

 attention to philosophical study, in spite of protests 

 from both Lyell and Darwin, who thought his time 

 could be better occupied. As a matter of fact, 

 however, it is quite clear that this was only another 

 evidence of Huxley's intense desire to reach the 

 bottom of things, which was by no means a new 

 development in his life. In 1862 his own health 

 was far from satisfactory, and in order to endeavoin* 

 to get relief from rheumatism he went abroad to 

 Switzerland. Returning in July of that year, he at 

 once set to work, and was appointed on the Fishery 

 Commission — the first of numerous Commissions upon 

 which he afterwards served. He also became ex- 

 aminer in physiology at the College of Surgeons, 

 in addition to saddling himself with an extra coiu-se 

 of lectures in connection Avith the Hunterian Pi'o- 

 fessorship. In fact, in 1863 — the year in which his 

 first book was published — we find him absorbed in 

 all kinds of work. This year, too, was not without 

 its sorrow, for in August his brother George died, 

 making a gap in the family circle and leaving Huxley 

 to look after his affairs. One of the results of this 

 duty which Huxley took upon himself was that, in 

 order to obtain the money he wanted, he was eventu- 

 ally compelled to part with the gold medal of the 

 Royal Society, the intrinsic value of which was 

 some £50. 



The following year was much the same, as far as 

 work was concerned, and included a course of lectures 

 to working-men on the " Various Races of Mankind," 



