l872 WORRIED BY HIS AILMENTS 411 



sent me copies to-day) very much, and shall buckle to at mine 

 as soon as possible. I am very glad you did not wait for me. 

 I remained in a very shaky condition up to the middle of March, 

 and could do nothing.— Ever yours very faithfully, 



T. H. Huxley. 



The v/iie unites with me in kind regards to Mrs. Roscoe and 

 yourself. 



MoRTHOE, Ilfracombe, N. Devon, 

 &//. 9, 1872. 



My dear Tyndall — I was very glad to have news of you, 

 and to hear that you are vigorous. 



My outing hitherto has not been very successful, so far as 

 the inward man is concerned at least, for the weather has been 

 good enough. But I have been worried to death with dyspepsia 

 and the hypochondriacal bedevilments that follow in its train, 

 until I am seriously thinking of returning to town to see i>f the 

 fine air of St. John's Wood (as the man says in Punch) won't 

 enable me to recover from the effects of the country. 



I wish I were going with you to Yankee Land, not to do any 

 lecturing, God forbid ! but to be a quiet spectator in a corner 

 of the enthusiastic audiences. I am as lazy as a dog, and the 

 role of looker-on would just suit me. However, I have a good 

 piece of work to do in organising my new work at South Ken- 

 sington. 



I have just asked my children what message they have to 

 send to you, and they send their love ; very sorry they won't see 

 you before you go, and hope you won't come back speaking 

 through your nose ! 



I shall be in town this week or next, and therefore shall see 

 you. — Ever yours faithfully, T. H. Huxley. 



26 Abbey Place, Sept. 17, 1872. 



My dear Roscoe — Your letter has followed me from Mor- 

 thoe here. We had good enough weather in Devon — but my 

 stay there was marred by the continuous dyspepsia and concur- 

 rent hypochondriacal incapacity. At last, I could not stand it 

 any longer, and came home for " change of air," leaving the 

 wife and chicks to follow next week. By dint of living on cocoa 

 and Revalenta, and giving up drink, tobacco, and all other 

 things that make existence pleasant, I am getting better. 



What was your motive in getting kicked by a horse? I 

 stopped away from the Association without that; and am not 

 sorry to have been out of the way of the X. business. What is 



