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
On the following day I read a long paper, which I had prepared and
illustrated with a lot of big diagrams, to an audience of about twenty
people! The rest were all away after Prince Albert, who had been
unfortunately induced to visit the meeting, and fairly turned the heads
of the good people of Ipswich. On Saturday a very pleasant excursion on
scientific pretences, but in fact a most jolly and unscientific picnic,
took place. Several hundred people went down the Orwell in a steamer.
The majority returned, but I and two others, considering Sunday in
Ipswich an impossibility, stopped at a little seaside village,
Felixstowe, and idled away our time there very pleasantly. Babington the
botanist and myself walked into Ipswich on Sunday night. It is about
eleven miles, and we did it comfortably in two hours and three quarters,
which was not bad walking.
On Monday at Section D again. Forbes brought forward the subject of my
application to Government in committee, and it was unanimously agreed to
forward a resolution on the subject to the Committee of Recommendations.
I made a speechification of some length in the Section about a new
animal.
On Thursday morning I attended a meeting of the Ray Society, and to my
infinite astonishment, the secretary, Dr. Lankester, gave me the second
motion to make. The Prince of Casino moved the first, so I was in good
company. The great absurdity of it was that not being a member of the
Society I had properly no right to speak at all. However, it was only a
vote of thanks, and I got up and did the "neat and appropriate" in
style.
After this a party of us went out dredging in the Orwell in a small
boat. We were away all day, and it rained hard coming back, so that I
got wet through, and had to pull five miles to keep off my enemy, the
rheumatics.
Then came the President's dinner, to which I did not go, as I preferred
making myself comfortable with a few friends elsewhere. And after that,
the final evening meeting, when all the final determinations are
announced.
Among them I had the satisfaction to hear that it was resolved--that the
President and Council of the British Association should co-operate with
the Royal Society in representing the value and importance, etc., of Mr.
T.H. Huxley's zoological researches to Her Majesty's Government for the
purpose of obtaining a grant towards their publication. Subsequently I
was introduced to Colonel Sabine, the President of the Association in
1852, and a man of very high standing and considerable influence. He had
previously been civil enough to sign my certificate at the Royal
Society, unsolicited, and therefore knew me by reputation--I only mean
that as a very small word. He was very civil and promised me every
assistance in his power.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account