204 EDINBURGH 
is exquisitely beautiful.' And so of the recent adornments 
of Edinbuigh : 
Certainly these modern Athenians have not improved 
their Athens lately ; the much-vaunted ' Scott Monument ' 
is, to my mind, vile, bad in composition, situation, and in 
all other particulars, saving the handycraft. It is very like 
the top of the steeple of a Belgian Hotel de Ville, taken 
down and placed on the side of a road. Here it is thought 
perfection, and Scott is conceived to be unspeakably honored, 
both in the design and execution. 
I do wish you would come here and let me talk you into 
my likings and dishkes. Have you seen Cennini's book 
on old Fresco paintings ? I think you would care to look 
at it, as 3^ou were once addicted to frescoing stables and 
outhouses ; there are also some few graceful little outhnes 
in it. I often think that a nice book of lithographed 
outlines of good pictures would sell well. I am sure 
that you and I,. who could not afford better, would buy 
such things. . . . 
To return to the Botanical Professorship — canvassing for 
which he found ' detestable work.' 
As has been explained, the Crown appointed to the less 
valuable Regius Professorship and the Botanic Garden, the 
Town to the valuable College Professorship. The Town Council 
felt aggrieved that, without consulting them. Sir James Graham, 
the Home Secretary, had decided on Hooker as the Crown 
nominee ; and indeed gratuitously aggrieved, as there was a 
large majority for him at their first meeting, the Edinburgh 
candidate, Balfour, having refused to stand if the two appoint- 
ments were separated. 
The Provost cannily tried to better the situation by pro- 
posing a bargain. The Natural History chair was under the 
same dual control, the Crown appointing to the Museum, the 
Town to the chair. Let the Crown take over the whole of 
the former and relinquish the latter entirely to the Town, 
who would on this occasion bestow it on the Crown nominee. 
Hooker. The Crown, however, could hardly look on such a 
proposal with favour, having spent full £20,000 on the Garden 
