1858 POSITION IN 1858 227 



again ; it is bad for both of us. I have loved but few 

 people in my life, and am not likely to care for any 

 more unless it be my children. I desire therefore rather 

 to knit more firmly than to loosen the old ties, and of 

 these which is older or stronger than ours ? Don't let us 

 drift asunder again. 



Your letter came just after the birth of my second 

 child, a little girl. I registered her to-day in the style 

 and title of Jessie Oriana Huxley. The second name is 

 a family name of my wife's and not, as you might suppose, 

 taken from Tennyson. You will know why my wife and 

 I chose the first. We could not make you a godmother, 

 as my wife's mother is one, and a friend of ours had long 

 since applied for the other vacancy, but peihaps this is a 

 better tie than that meaningless formality. My little son 

 is fifteen months old ; a fair-haired, blue-eyed, stout little 

 Trojan, very like his mother. He looks out on the world 

 with bold confident eyes and open brow, as if he were its 

 master. We shall try to make him a better man than his 

 father. As for the little one, I am told she is pretty, and 

 slavishly admit the fact in the presence of mother and 

 nurse, but between ourselves I don't see it. To my 

 carnal eyes her nose is the image of mine, and you 

 know what that means. For though wandering up and 

 down the world and work have begun to sow a little 

 silver in my hair, they have by no means softened the 

 outlines of that remarkable feature. 



You want to know what I am and where I am well, 

 here's a list of titles. T. H. H., Professor of Natural 

 History, Government School of Mines, Jermyn Street ; 

 Naturalist to the Geological Survey ; Curator of the 

 Paleontological collections (non-official maid -of -all -work 

 in Natural Science to the Government) ; Examiner in 

 Physiology and Comparative Anatomy to the University 

 of London ; Fullerian Professor of Physiology to the 

 Koyal Institution (but that's just over) ; F.R.S., F.G.S., 

 etc. Member of a lot of Societies and Clubs, all of 



