i35i BRITISH ASSOCIATION AT IPSWICH q/ 



Society, and to my infinite astonishment, the secretary. Dr. 

 Lanlcester, gave me the second motion to make. The Prince 

 of Casino moved the first, so I was in good company. The great 

 absurdity of it was that not being a member of the Society I 

 had properly no right to speak at all. However, it was only a 

 vote of thanks, and I got up and did the " neat and appropriate " 

 in style. 



After this a party of us went out dredging in the Orwell in 

 a small boat. We were away all day, and it rained hard coming- 

 back, so that I got wet through, and had to pull five miles to 

 keep off my enemy, the rheumatics. 



Then came the President's dinner, to which I did not go, as 

 I preferred making myself comfortable with a few friends else- 

 where. And after that, the final evening meeting, when all the 

 final determinations are announced. 



Among them I had the satisfaction to hear that it was 

 resolved — that the President and Council of the British Asso- 

 ciation should co-operate with the Royal Society in repre- 

 senting the value and importance, etc., of Mr. T. H. Huxley's 

 zoological researches to Her Majesty's Government for the pur- 

 pose of obtaining a grant towards their publication. Subse- 

 quently I was introduced to Colonel Sabine, the President of 

 the Association in 1852, and a man of very high standing and 

 considerable influence. He had previously been civil enough 

 to sign my certificate at the Royal Society, unsolicited, and 

 therefore knew me by reputation — I only mean that as a very 

 small word. He was very civil and promised me every assist- 

 ance in his power. . 



It is a curious thing that out of the four applications to 

 Government to be made by the Association, two were for Naval 

 Assistant-Surgeons, viz. one for Dr. Hooker, who had just re- 

 turned from the Himalaya Mountains, and one for me. How I 

 envied Hooker ; he has long been engaged to a daughter of Pro- 

 fessor Henslow's, and at this very meeting he sat by her side. 

 He is going to be married in a day or two. His father is director 

 of the Kew Gardens, and there is little doubt of his succeed- 

 ing him. 



Whether the Government accede to the demand that will 

 be made upon them or not, I can now rest satisfied that no 

 means of influencing them has been left unused by me. If 

 they will not listen to the conjoint recommendations of the 

 Royal Society and the British Association, they will listen to 

 nothing. . . . 



