1863.] THE NEWCASTLE MEETING. 273 



discussion on the British Association Rules for scientific 

 nomenclature, ending in the appointment of a large com- 

 mittee, headed by Sir W. Jardine, to reprint and circulate 

 the rules and collect opinions ; to report to next meeting. So 

 I hope the U.S. naturalists will get their views into shape. 

 They put me on the committee. As there was a great pressure 

 of papers, I told the secretaries that I could condense my say 

 into a very few minutes. As mine all goes into print, it is fair 

 to give the talking-time to those who only print abstracts. 

 Moreover, there were scarcely any there competent to discuss 

 the knotty points. So I simply displayed my opus perfectum 

 [see p. 257], and then gave a resume of what had been done 

 by your Exploring Expeditions. I contrasted the way you 

 deal with specimens, and sending your work to England, 

 and Cooper waiving priority on my account, with the British 

 Museum people, telling us nothing about the English Expe- 

 dition, and writing a snarl against the Yankees. Of course 

 the people were astonished and pleased, and the President 

 complimented me. 



" On Wednesday, Craft was the great attraction, to tell 

 of his visit to the King of Dahomey. As he was described in 

 the programme as an 6 African gentleman,' I fired up, and 

 wrote a note to the President (which was printed in the paper 

 I sent you, and others), giving a little of his history, and saying 

 that the Americans did not call themselves English, Irish, etc., 

 because their parents were born in Europe : and that negroes 

 born in America were as much native Americans as the white 

 people. They did not mean any mischief by it, as they had 

 asked him in committee what he wished to be called ; to which 

 he answered, ' Whatever you like.' I daresay you remember 

 his escape from slavedom, his wife personating a sick young 

 gentleman. After they came to England, Mr. Craft got his 

 education at one of Lady Byron's Schools, and he is now a 

 merchant in London. He went to Dahomey, in hopes of 

 furthering trade, versus slavery and slaughter. Of course such 

 a thing would draw an audience of the curious, even in Anti- 

 negrodom; but what pleased me was, the kind of attention. 



T 



