i854 HIS FRANKNESS 



119 



was asked to lecture in November and March for the Sci- 

 ence and Art Department at Marlborough House. 



Now therefore, with the Heathorns coming to England, 

 his plans and theirs exactly fitted, and he proposed to get 

 married as soon as they came over, early in the following 

 summer. 



A letter of this year deserves quoting as illustrating the 

 directness of Huxley's dealings with his friends, and his 

 hatred of doing anything unknown to them which might 

 be misreported to them or misconstrued without explana- 

 tion. As a member of the Royal Society Council, it was his 

 duty to vote upon the persons to whom the yearly medals 

 of the Society should be awarded. For the Royal Medal 

 first Hooker was named, and received his hearty support; 

 then Forbes, in opposition to Hooker, in his eyes equally 

 deserving of recognition, and almost more closely bound 

 to him by ties of friendship, so that whatever action he took, 

 might be ascribed to motives which should have no part 

 in such a selection. The course actually taken by him he 

 explained at length in letters to both Forbes and Hooker. 



Nov. 6, 1854. 



My dear Hooker — I have been so busy with lecturing here 

 and there that I have not had time to write and congratulate you 

 on the award of the medal. The queer position in which I was 

 placed prevents me from being able to congratulate 'myself on 

 having any finger in the pie, but I am quite sure there was no 

 member of the Council who felt more strongly than myself that 

 what honour the bauble could confer was most fully won, and no 

 more than your just deserts; or who rejoiced more when the 

 thing was settled in your favour. 



However, I do trust that I shall never be placed in such an 

 awkward position again. I would have given a great deal to be 

 able to back Forbes tooth and nail — not only on account of my 

 personal friendship and affection for him, but because I think he 

 well deserves such recognition. And had I thought right to do 

 so, I felt sure that you would have fully appreciated my motives, 

 and that it would have done no injury to our friendship. 



But as I told the Council I did not think this a case where 

 either of you had any right to be excluded by the other. I told 

 them that had Forbes been first named, I should have thought it 



