86 PROFESSOR OWEN ch. lit. 



and the fact that he had already felt the narrow- 

 ness of the field in which he had been placed. It 

 is possible that Carlisle, well knowing the apathy 

 of the reigning faction to the Hunterian Collection, 

 feared that Owen himself would be led away by 

 the enthusiasm of outside teaching from the true 

 purpose of his position. But Owen's energy and 

 powers proved to be such, that no amount of extra 

 work was permitted to interfere with his ordinary 

 routine : — 



Sir Anthony Carlisle to Richard Owen 



September 10, 1834. 



' My dear Sir, — I wish you to understand that 

 I feel the greatest regard for you personally and 

 professionally, and I should lament any incident 

 which might lead you to doubt of my steadiness, 

 but we have severally many public charges which 

 should not be interrupted by misapprehension on 

 either side. You know how deeply I regret the 

 shameful delays in making Mr. Hunter's Works 

 public, and how basely one of my efforts to 

 awaken the slumbers of the profession by giving 

 my last Hunterian Oration was treated, not 

 merely by the active malevolence of ignorant 

 savages, but by the neglect of the whole College. 

 I knew that your fine specimen of physiological 

 anatomy would be waste-paper in England, and 

 so will every similar effort until the great scheme 

 of scientific zootomy of Mr. Hunter is fully 



