22 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY chap, ii 



As Professor of Biology, he was under the Lord Presi- 

 dent of the Council; as Inspector of Fisheries, under the 

 Board of Trade ; hence some time passed in arranging the 

 claims of the two departments before the appointment was 

 officially made known, as may be gathered from the fol- 

 lowing letters : — 



To Sir John Donnelly . 



4 Marlborough Place, Dec. 27, 1880. 



My dear Donnelly — I tried hard to have a bad cold last 

 night, and though I blocked him with quinine I think I may as 

 well give myself the benefit of the Bank Holiday and keep the 

 house to-day. 



There is a chance of your getting early salmon yet. I wrote 

 to decline the post on Friday, but on Saturday evening the 

 Home Secretary sent a note asking to see me yesterday. As 

 he had re-opened the question of course I felt justified in stating 

 all the pros and cons of the case as personal to myself and my 

 rather complicated official position. . . He entered into the 

 affair with a warmth and readiness which very agreeably sur- 

 prised me, and he proposes making such arrangements as will 

 not oblige me to have anything to do with the weirs or the 

 actual inspection. Under these circumstances the post would 

 be lovely — if I can hold it along with the other things. And 

 of his own motion the Home Secretary is going to write to Lord 

 Spencer about it to see if he cannot carry the whole thing 

 through. 



If this could be managed I could get great things done in 

 the matter of fish culture and fish diseases at South Kensington, 

 if poor dear X.'s rattle trappery could be turned to proper 

 account, without in any way interfering with the work of the 

 School. 



At any rate, my book stands not to lose, and may win — the 

 innocence of the dove is not always divorced from the wisdom 

 of the sarpent. [Sketch of the " Sarpent."] 



To Lord Farrer 



4 Marlborough Place, Jan. 18, 1881. 

 My dear Farrer — I have waited a day or two before thank- 

 ing you for your very kind letter, in the hope that I might be 

 able to speak as one knowing where he is. 



