6 REPORT 1841. 



tion. It must also be clear to you, as you of course know the circumstances, 

 that I cannot consistently with what is due to myself place any papers, draw- 

 ings, or other documents containing unpublished matter, in the way of falling 

 under Mr. Owen's inspection, having suffered so much already in that quarter. 

 Since I have had the papers in my possession I have continued my investiga- 

 tions, and the blank pages of the original papers contain much recent original 

 matter. The books of drawings and separate sheets of drawings themselves 

 contain the requisite illustrations of these recent researches ; I could not, 

 therefore, on that account, submit them where they would run the least risk 

 of inspection by that gentleman ; and even were there no original matter, I 

 cannot, under the circumstances which have occurred, submit myself to any 

 tribunal over which he has the least shadow of control. However, I in no 

 way wish to elicit an opinion from you on these points, but I beg to say that 

 as you are the person who ought, as editor of the Transactions of the British 

 Association, to be satisfied of the correctness of any abstract or epitome pub- 

 lished by you in that capacity, I will, if you choose, either show you here, or 

 without hesitation I will even take the trouble of conveying to you at York 

 the whole of my preparations, drawings and original manuscripts, which I had 

 with me at Birmingham, under the express condition, however, that Mr. Owen 

 is not allowed to see them, or in any way whatever to interfere. I must re- 

 mind you, however, that all these have already been in your power, and the 

 MSS. in your possession for some time, and that every opportunity has been 

 rendered by me already for any one of the Council to satisfy himself on any 

 point : the circumstances which have since occurred, and those which I have 

 above alluded to, form sufficient grounds for not submitting any documents 

 to the Council again* as a body, though for your satisfaction, as Editorial 

 Secretary, 1 can have no hesitation in submitting them. In stating this I beg 

 it to be distinctly understood that I mean no disrespect to the body collect- 

 ively, or to its members individually. 



" I only wait therefore your answer, in the hope that as you alone are now 

 responsible for what is published, your eye alone need be satisfied, a satisfac- 

 tion which was equally in your power and that of the Council for some time 

 already, and which time was only limited by their own choice, and not by 

 any importunity on my part to have the papers back. 



" I need not observe that a great difficulty connected with the step of for- 

 warding my original documents is the size of the illustrations, drawings, &c. ; 

 the necessity of these to elucidate the original papers (the whole being a piece 

 of descriptive microscopic anatomy,) you may judge of by the desire I evinced 

 to you of having some of these illustrations introduced in the abstract. That, 

 however, shall not stand in the way of satisfying you, and prevent the neces- 

 sity of a step which I should deplore as much as any one. I can assure you, 

 Sir, that it was with the utmost reluctance I took any step at all with refer- 

 ence to Prof. Owen's treatment of me, but I am happy in feeling that every 

 member of the profession with whom I am acquainted, and many besides, 

 think that I have only done what was due to myself; and I am quite sure that 

 any one who knows me will give me credit for a love of anything rather than 

 disputes, especially public disputations, as my forbearance for so long a period 

 may testify. I have laboured hard for some years in a particular line of dis- 

 covery, and you would feel as strongly as any one that it is not pleasant to 

 have the results of your own labours appropriated by another, and then the 

 accidental position of that other on a Council of a Society where your own 

 discoveries were first made public (upon whose protection you throw your- 



* There is some mistake here ; no documents of Mr. Nasmyth's, nor any question having 

 any relation to them, had ever been before the Council at the time tliat this letter was written. 



