MORE WANDERINGS AND WORK 223 



it was a delight to all to get into the smooth water of 

 the Dardanelles. Such a wretched little steamer; the 

 Blake was a floating palace compared to her. We were 

 also blessed with the most abominable set of passengers, 

 a couple of German swells and a French count, who 

 were at the same hotel at Athens, where they had man- 

 aged to make themselves as offensive as possible to 

 everybody. They continued the process on the ship and 

 came near being thrown overboard by some Italians 

 who thought themselves a good deal better than they 

 were. Everybody was sorry they were not drowned." 



TO HUXLEY 



Cambridge, Mass., April 17, 1886. 

 Your capital letter on the subject of the English 

 Fishery Board has been republished on this side, much 

 to the disgust of the friends of general and unlimited 

 government coddling of science. Our weak-kneed peri- 

 odical " Science," which is strictly impartial and there- 

 fore represents nothing, has during the past winter been 

 crowded with articles on the beauty and benefits to be 

 derived from federal pap liberally supplied to every 

 crank who has a scheme. The unfortunate dissenters, 

 who, like myself, don't believe in such a policy, have 

 been held up to the public ridicule as simple-minded and 

 nearly idiotic cusses who had no conceptions of the 

 grandeur of science ! It makes very amusing reading, 

 but it 's somewhat discouraging to see criticisms of opin- 

 ions uttered frankly dealt out in such a spirit, and will 

 make me at least most careful how I give my views to 

 Government committees, if the men of science in the 

 country are bent to warp and misrepresent the plainest 

 statements and involve one in endless and useless dis- 



