342 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY CHAP. XVII 



The next letter refers to the scientific examinations 

 at the University of London. 



Dec. 4, 1862. 



My DEAR HOOKER I look upon you as art and part 

 of the Natural History Review, though not ostensibty one 

 of the gang, so I bid you to a feast, partly of reason and 

 partly of mutton, at my house on December 11 (being 

 this day week) at half-past six. Do come if you can, 

 for we have not seen your ugly old phiz for ages, and 

 should be comforted by an inspection thereof, however 

 brief. 



I did my best to get separate exhibitions for 

 Chemistry, Botany, and Zoological Biology, at the com- 

 mittee yesterday, 1 and I suspect from your letter that 

 if you had been there you would have backed me. 

 However, it is clear they only mean to give separate 

 exhibits for Chemistry and Biology as a whole. 



Because Botany and Zoology are, philosophically 

 speaking, cognate subjects, people are under the delusion 

 that it is easier to work both up at the same time, than 

 it would be to work up, say, Chemistry and Botany. 

 Just fancy asking a young man who has heaps of other 

 things to work up for the B.Sc., to qualify himself for 

 honours both in [zoology and] botany, histological, system- 

 atic, and physiological. That is to say, to get a practical 

 knowledge of both these groups of subjects. 



I really think the botanical and zoological examiners 

 ought to memorialise the senate jointly on the subject. 

 The present system leads to mere sham and cram. 

 Ever yours, T. H. HUXLEY. 



The year 1863, notable for the publication of 

 Huxley's first book, found him plunged -deep in 

 an immense quantity of work of all sorts. He 

 1 At the London University. 



