i86l ANIMALS AND PLANTS 



249 



Stephenson brought out his views at breakfast at Sir R. Peel's 

 when Buckland was there. 



These are all the points that strike me, and I do not keep 

 your proof any longer (I send it by the same post as this note), 

 because I fear you may be inconvenienced by the delay. 



Tyndall is unfortunately gone to Switzerland, so that I can- 

 not getyou his comments. Whether he might have picked holes 

 in any detail or not I do not know, but I know his opinions suf- 

 ficiently well to make sure in his agreement with the general 

 argument. In fact a favourite problem of his is — Given the 

 molecular forces in a mutton chop, deduce Hamlet or Faust 

 therefrom. He is confident that the Physics of the Future will 

 solve this easily. 



I am grieved to hear such a poor account of your health ; I 

 believe you will have to come at last to the heroic remedy of 

 matrimony, and if " gynopathy " were a mode of treatment that 

 could be left off if it did not suit the constitution, I should de- 

 cidedly recommend it. 



But it's worse than opium-eating — once begin and you must 

 go on, and so, though I ascribe my own good condition mainly 

 to the care my wife takes of me, I dare not recommend it to 

 you, lest perchance you should get hold of the wrong medicine. 



Beyond spending a night awake now and then I am in very 

 good order, and I am going to spend my vacation in a spasmodic 

 effort to lick the Manual into shape and work olif some other 

 arrears. 



My wife is very fairly well, and, I trust, finally freed from 

 all the symptoms which alarmed me so much. I dread the com- 

 ing round of September for her again, but it must be faced. 



The babbies are flourishing; and beyond the facts that we 

 have a lunatic neighbour on one side and an empty house on the 

 other, that it has cost me about twice as much to get into my 

 house as I expected, that the cistern began to leak and spoil a 

 ceiling, and such other small drawbacks, the new house is a 

 decided success. 



I forget whether I gave you the address, which is — 



26 Abbey Place, 

 St. John's Wood. 



You had better direct to me there, as after the loth of this 

 month I shall not be here for six weeks. — Ever yours faithfully, 



T. H. Huxley. 



