ON FISHERY BUSINESS 



73 



being does if you cut off its food, o-r choke it with its own waste 

 products. And if you alter the sides or bottom of the stream 

 you may kill the whirlpool, just as you kill the animal by inter- 

 fering with its structure. Heat and oxidation as a source of 

 heat appear to supply energy to the living machine, the molecu- 

 lar structure of the germ furnishing the " sides and bottom of 

 the stream," that is, determining the results which the energy 

 supplied shall produce. 



Mr. Ashby writes like a man who knows what he is talking 

 about. His exposition appears to me to be essentially sound 

 and extremely well put. I wish there were more sanitary offi- 

 cers of the same stamp. Mr. Spencer is a very admirable 

 writer, and I set great store by his works. But we are very old 

 friends, and he has endured me as a sort of " devil's-advocate " 

 for thirty-odd years. He thinks that if I can pick no holes in 

 what he says he is safe. But I pick a great many holes, and we 

 agree to differ. 



Between April and September, Fishery business took 

 him out of London for no less than forty-three days, first 

 to Cornwall, then in May to Brixham, in June to Cum- 

 berland and Yorkshire, in July to Chester, and in Sep- 

 tember to South Devon, Cornwall, and Wales. A few 

 extracts from his letters home may be given. Just be- 

 fore starting, he writes from Marlborough Place to Ro- 

 gate, where his wife and one of his daughters were 

 staying : — 



April 8. — The weather turned wonderfully muggy here this 

 morning, and turned me into wet paper. But I contrived to 

 make a " neat and appropriate " in presenting old Hird with his 

 testimonial. Fayrer and I were students under him forty years 

 ago, and as we stood together it was a question which was the 

 greyest old chap. 



April 14. — I have almost given up reading the Egyptian 

 news, I am so disgusted with the whole business. I saw several 

 pieces of land to let for building purposes about Falmouth, but 

 did not buy any. (This was to twit his wife with her constant 

 desire that he should buy a bit of land in the country to settle 

 upon in their old age.) 



April 18. — You don't say when you go back, so I direct this 

 to Rogate. I shall expect to see you quite set up. We must 

 begin to think seriously about getting out of the hurly-burly a 



