Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley — Volume 1Huxley, Thomas Henry
Science
Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley — Volume 1
Huxley, Thomas Henry
Huxley, Thomas Henry, 1825-1895; Naturalists -- England -- Biography
Part of the summer Huxley spent in the North. On August 3 he went to
Lamlash Bay in Arran. Here Dr. Carpenter had, in 1855, discovered a
convenient cottage on Holy Island--the only one, indeed, on the
island--well suited for naturalists; the bay was calm and suitable both
for the dredge and for keeping up a vivarium. He proposed that either
the Survey should rent the whole island at a cost of some 50 pounds
sterling, or, failing this, that he would take the cottage himself, if
Huxley would join him for two or three seasons and share the expense.
Huxley laid the plan before Sir R. Murchison, the head of the Survey,
who consented to try the plan for a course of years, during three months
in each year. "But," [he added,] "keep it experimental; for there are no
USEFUL fisheries such as delight Lord Stanley." [Here, then, with an
ascent of Goatfell for variety on the 21st, a month was passed in
trawling, and experiments on the spawning of the herring appear to have
been continued for him during the winter in Bute.
On the 29th Huxley left Lamlash for a trip through central and southern
Scotland, continuing his geological work for the Survey; and wound up by
attending the meeting of the British Association at Aberdeen, leaving
his wife and the three children at Aberdour, on the Fifeshire coast.
From Aberdeen, where Prince Albert was President of the Association,
Huxley writes on September 15:--]
Owen's brief address on giving up the presidential chair was exceedingly
good...I shall be worked like a horse here. There are all sorts of new
materials from Elgin, besides other things, and I daresay I shall have
to speak frequently. In point of attendance and money this is the best
meeting the Association ever had. In point of science, we shall
see...Tyndall has accepted the Physical chair with us, at which I am
greatly delighted.
[In this connection the following letter to Tyndall is interesting:--]
Aberdour, Fife, N. B., September 5, 1859.
My dear Tyndall,
I met Faraday on Loch Lomond yesterday, and learned from him that you
had returned, whereby you are a great sinner for not having written to
me. Faraday told me you were all sound, wind and limb, and had carried
out your object, which was good to hear.
Have you had any letter from Sir Roderick? If not, pray call in Jermyn
Street and see Reeks as soon as possible. [Mr. Trenham Reeks, who died
in 1879, was Registrar of the School of Mines, and Curator and Librarian
of the Museum of Practical Geology.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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