246 MEMOIR OF GEORGE WILSON. rilAl'. V. 



" '2M/i May 1840. 



" The bearer of this letter is Mr. Edward Forbes, triangle- 

 bearer, painter, song-writer, naturalist, and I know not how 

 many other excellent and admirable things besides. lie is at 

 present in London, to superintend the printing of his book on 

 the star- fish, and will stay some time there. As I have told you 

 concerning his talents and amiability before, I shall leave you 

 to discover his merits yourself, and close this introductory por- 

 tion of my letter ; the rest you can read at another time. 



" For my part, I expect to be married about the year 



of our Lord 1860 ; all thought of the ceremony being celebrated 

 sooner, has clean gone out of my mincf for a long while back, 

 and I have banished all love ideas. It is different, however, 

 with you ; and I hope sincerely to see you soon, as that wild, 

 strange, powerful man, the author of the Chartist Epic, says, 

 finding 'expectation substanced into bliss/ With every fond 

 wish for your happiness, I conclude here, for I have got strange, 

 beasts to analyse, sent me from the sea-caves of Fife, and they 

 are beginning to decay. Hoping you have not kept Edward 

 Forbes waiting all this time, I remain your affectionate brother, 



" GEORGE." 



The allusions in the close of this letter are in consequence of 

 Daniel's approaching marriage, and how touchingly prophetic 

 does that to himself now appear on having reached the year he 

 names ! 



" June 6, 1840. 



" I work steadily at my lectures, writing and reading often 

 for eight or ten hours a day. I find that the undertaking is a 

 more serious one than it seemed at first. But I don't flinch, 

 and hope to get on bravely." 



" July 18. 



" I shall write you at present a very short letter, for I have 

 not much to say, and am not in the humour for saying that 

 little same. The weather here has been of the worst, rain, 

 rain, such an eternal shower-bath of rain that no Murphy 

 would have dared to foretell it had he possessed the power to 

 foresee it. If he had chalked out such an umbrella July, he 



