56 
PROP'ESSOR OWEN 
CH. n. 
kind, retaining his old propensities, but checked 
m a crowded country and in the meanwhile 
stealing bright objects to right and left, in hope 
times may mend in that respect! These and 
the^ like of these seem to me eminently beautiful 
indications. 
And in short my opinion is, if the said pleading 
Professor would gather himself steadily about such 
a thing, and devote his whole soul to it for a few 
years, he might write, to be read by the like of me 
who am exoteric altogether— say in two vols. with 
portraits {for it ought to be very brief, and distilled 
to the utmost)— such a book of Natural History 
as was never written before 1 which would far 
outshine the biggest museum even the British 
nation could build, and might a long time outlive 
such done by one’s own right hand and head, 
independent of committees I I am quite serious ; 
more so than you think. 
September 15, 1862. 
‘Yours always, 
‘ T. Carlyle.’ 
Lovell Reeve, the conchologist, says June 
1863 ;— 
. I hope we may yet live to see your 
grand scheme, of what a national museum oucrht 
to be, carried out. I quite dread the ultimate 
destination of Mr. Cumming’s collection [of shells], 
unless moie space and supervision are provided 
for its reception. Mr. Gumming has, unfortunately. 
