1842.] 



BRITISH ASSOCIATION. 



43 



and entertaining account of the meeting to his brother William. 

 All his old ardour for natural history was rekindled when 

 he met with those of congenial tastes, e.g., Mr. Patterson of 

 Belfast, who introduced him to Dr. Fleming of Aberdeen, the 

 well-known zoologist, Mr. Peach of Cornwall, and Mr. Sowerby, 

 with whom he visited Mr. Norris of Bury, who had a magnificent 

 collection. His father's valued friend, Mr. G. W. Wood, M.P., 

 lived on the way between Stand and Manchester; and Mrs. 

 Wood, who was always most kind to him, gave him a general 

 invitation to breakfast, which he twice accepted, and had 

 interesting conversation with Dr. Buckland, Dr. Daubeny, and 

 Professor Baden Powell (who gave him one of his books) : 

 they all spoke with pleasant remembrance of Bristol. " I 

 thought myself rather impudent, to talk to these people; but 

 I have not often such opportunities, and they were very 

 amiable !" He greatly enjoyed the beauty of the rooms at the 

 soiree, and liked to see so many people in full dress ; on 

 the guinea dinner he did not venture, being content to dine 

 on a twopenny loaf! The excursion was to the Worsley 

 Tunnels, into the midst of the collieries ; but he did not find 

 a long sail in the dark particularly charming. " At last, about 

 three o'clock, we came to a shaft with a great tub; so many 

 of us politely insinuated that we had had quite enough, and 

 would get out ; for it made us yearn for our native country, 

 to see the star of daylight at the top ! So at last, after waiting 

 a long time, for only three could go at once, about thirty of 

 us got up. The feeling of ascending in the air with very great 

 speed was truly delightful, and we got on terra firma, having 

 our minds enlightened on the following points : — that five 

 hours' sailing underground was enough ; and that we had seen, 

 for the first and last time, men, women, girls, and boys, only 

 to be known by their hair." He had more pleasure in going 

 over some of the Manchester factories, where he found that 

 some engaged in the hardest work were teetotalers, who got 

 through their work as well as, or better than, those who had 

 their quart ! 



This summer (1842) the youngest of his sisters, Susan, 



