404 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY chap, xxvi 



I have no doubt you will get a letter from him in three 

 weeks or so. His name is Gregory, and you will find him a 

 good-humoured acute man of the world, with a very great gen- 

 eral interest in scientific and artistic matters. Indeed in art I 

 believe he is a considerable connoisseur. 



I am very grieved to hear of your father's serious illness. 

 At his age cerebral attacks are serious, and when we spent so 

 many pleasant hours together at Naples, he seemed to have an 

 endless store of vigour — very much like his son Anton. 



What put it into your head that I had any doubt of your 

 power of work? I am ready to believe that you are Hydra in 

 the matter of heads and Briareus in the matter of hands. 



... If you go to Ceylon I shall expect you to come back 

 by way of England. It's the shortest route anywhere from 

 India, though it may not look so on the map. 



How am I ? Oh, getting along and just keeping the devil of 

 dyspepsia at arm's length. The wife and other members of the 

 H. F. are well, and would send you greetings if they knew I 

 was writing to you. — Ever yours faithfully, 



T. H. Huxley. 



A little later Von Willemoes Suhm (" why the deuce 

 does he have such a long name, instead of a handy mono- 

 syllable or dissylable like Dohrn or Huxley?") was recom- 

 mended for the post. He afterwards was one of the scien- 

 tific staff of the Challenger, and died during the voyage. 



MORTHOE, NEAR BARNSTAPLE, NORTH DEVON, 

 Au^. 5, 1872. 

 My DEAR DoHRN — I trust you have not been very wroth 

 with me for my long delay in answering your last letter. For 

 the last six weeks I have been very busy lecturing daily to a 

 batch of schoolmasters, and looking after their practical in- 

 struction in the laboratory which the Government has, at last, 

 given me. In the " intervals of business " I have been taking 

 my share in a battle which has been raging between my friend 

 Hooker of Kew and his official chief. . . . And moreover I have 

 just had strength enough to get my daily work done and no 

 more, and everything that could be put ofif has gone to the 

 wall. Three days ago, the " Happy Family," bag and baggage, 

 came to this remote corner, where I propose to take a couple 

 of months' entire rest — and put myself in order for next winter's 

 campaign. It is a little village five miles from the nearest town 



