1884 LETTERS Sj 



only blue, but of the deepest indigo — and I shall try to transplant 

 them into a herd of Cornish swine. 



The only thing that comforts me is Gordon's telegrams. Did 

 ever a poor devil of a Government have such a subordinate 

 before? He is the most refreshing personality of this genera- 

 tion. 



I shall be back by 30th September — and I hope in better con- 

 dition for harness than now. — Ever yours very faithfully, 



T. H. Huxley. 



Replying to General Donnelly's arguments against his 

 resigning all his official posts, he writes : — 



Dartmouth, Sept. 21, 1884. 



My dear Donnelly — Your letters, having made a journey 

 to Penzance (where I told my wife I should go last Friday, but 

 did not, and brought up here instead) turned up this morning. 



I am glad to have seen Lord Carlingford's letter, and I am 

 very much obliged to him for his kind expressions. Assuredly 

 I will not decide hastily. 



Now for your letter — I am all for letters in these matters. 

 Not that we are either of us " impatient and irritable listeners " 

 — oh dear, no ! "I have my faults," as the miser said, " but 

 avarice is not one of them "• — and we have our faults too, but 

 notoriously they lie in the direction of long-suffering and apathy. 



Nevertheless there is a good deal to be said for writing. 

 Mine is itself a discipline in patience for my correspondent. 



Imprimis. I scorn all your chaff about Society. My great 

 object for years has been to keep out of it, not to go into it. Just 

 you wait till the Misses Donnelly grow up — I trust there may 

 be five or ten of them — and see what will happen to you. But 

 apart from this, so long as I live in London, so long will it be 

 practically impossible for me to keep out of dining and giving 

 of dinners — and you know that just as well as I do. 



2nd. I mean to give up the Presidency, but don't see my way 

 to doing so next St. Andrew's Day. I wish I could — but I must 

 deal fairly by the Society. 



3rd. The suggestion of the holiday at Christmas is the most 

 sensible thing you have said. I could get six weeks under the 

 new arrangement (Botany, January and half February) without 

 interfering with my lectures at all. But then there is the blessed 

 Home Office to consider. There might be civil war between the 

 net men and the rod men in six weeks, all over the country, 

 without my mild influence. 

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