1851 BRITISH ASSOCIATION AT IPSWICH 131 



It is a curious thing that out of the four applications 

 to Government to be made by the Association, two were 

 for Naval Assistant-Surgeons, viz. one for Dr. Hooker, 

 who had just returned from the Himalaya Mountains, 

 and one for me. How I envied Hooker ; he has long 

 been engaged to a daughter of Professor Henslow's, and 

 at this very meeting he sat by her side. He is going 

 to be married in a day or two. His father is director 

 of the Kew Gardens, and there is little doubt of his 

 succeeding him. 



Whether the Government accede to the demand that 

 will be made upon them or not, I can now rest satisfied 

 that no means of influencing them has been left unused 

 by me. If they will not listen to the conjoint recom- 

 mendations of the Royal Society and the British Associa- 

 tion, they will listen to nothing. . . . 



July 16, 1851. I went yesterday to dine with 

 Colonel Sabine. We had a long discourse about the 

 prospects and probable means of existence of young 

 men trying to make their way to an existence in the 

 scientific world. I took, as indeed what I have seen 

 has forced me to take, rather the despairing side of 

 the question, and said that as it seemed to me England 

 did not afford even the means of existence to young 

 men who were willing to devote themselves to science. 

 However, he spoke cheeringly, and advised me by no 

 means to be hasty, but to wait, and he doubted not 

 that I should succeed. He cited his own case as an 

 instance of waiting, eventually successful. Altogether I 

 felt the better for what he said. . . . 



There has been a notice of me in the Literary Gazette 

 for last week, much more laudatory than I deserve, from 

 the pen of my friend Forbes. 1 . . . 



1 An appreciation of his papers on the Physophorulse and 

 Sagitta, speaking highly both of his observations and philosophic 

 power, in the report of the proceedings in Section D. 



