Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley Volume II Part 22

"Animal Kingdom," and "Biology.")

Extracts from his letters to Professor Baynes between the years 1873 and 1884, serve to ill.u.s.trate the work which he did and the relations he maintained with the genial and learned editor.]

November 2, 1873.

I have been spending my Sunday morning in drawing up a list of headings, which will I think exhaust biology from the Animal point of view, and each of which does not involve more than you are likely to get from one man. In many cases, i.e. "Insecta," "Entomology," I have subdivided the subjects, because, by an unlucky peculiarity of workers in these subjects, men who understand zoology from its systematic side are often ignorant of anatomy, and those who know fossils are often weak in recent forms.

But of course the subdivision does not imply that one man should not take the whole if he is competent to do so. And if separate contributors supply articles on these several subdivisions, somebody must see that they work in harmony.

[But with all the good will in the world, he was too hard pressed to get his quota done as quickly as he wished. He suggests at once that "Hydrozoa" and "Actinozoa," in his list, should be dealt with by the writer of the article "Coelenterata."]

Shunting "Actinozoa" to "Coelenterata" would do no harm, and would have the great merit of letting me breathe a little. But if you think better that "Actinozoa" should come in its place under A, I will try what I can do.

December 30, 1873.

As to "Anthropology," I really am afraid to promise. At present I am plunged in "Amphibia," doing a lot of original work to settle questions which have been hanging vaguely in my mind for years. If "Amphibia" is done by the end of January it is as much as it will be.

In February I must give myself--or at any rate my spare self--up to my Rectorial Address [His Rectorial Address at Aberdeen, see above.], which (tell it not in Gath) I wish at the bottom of the Red Sea. And I do not suppose I shall be able to look seriously at either "Animal Kingdom" or "Anthropology" before the address is done with. And all depends on the centre of my microcosm--intestinum colon--which plays me a trick every now and then.

I will do what I can if you like, but if you trust me it is at your proper peril.

February 8, 1874.

How astonished folks will be if eloquent pa.s.sages out of the address get among the "Amphibia," and comments on Frog anatomy into the address. As I am working at both just now this result is not improbable.

[Meanwhile the address and the ten days' stay at Aberdeen had been]

"playing havoc with the "Amphibia," [but on returning home, he went to work upon the latter, and writes on March 12:--]

I did not care to answer your last letter until I had an instalment of "Amphibia" ready. Said instalment was sent off to you, care of Messrs.

Black, yesterday, and now I feel like d.i.c.k Swiveller, when happy circ.u.mstances having enabled him to pay off an old score he was able to begin running up another.

June 8.

I have had sundry proofs and returned them. My writing is lamentable when I am in a hurry, but I never provoked a strike before! I declare I think I write as well as the editor, on ordinary occasions.

[He was pleased to find someone who wrote as badly as, or worse than, himself, and several times rallies Baynes on that score. Thus, when Mrs. Baynes had acted as her husband's amanuensis, he writes (February 11, 1878):--]

My respectful compliments to the "mere machine," whose beautiful calligraphy (if that isn't a tautology) leaves no doubt in my mind that whether the writing of your letters by that agency is good for you or not it is admirable for your correspondents.

Why people can't write a plain legible hand I can't imagine.

[(NB.--This sentence is written purposely in a most illegible hand.)

And on another occasion he adds a postcript to say,] "You write worse than ever. So do I."

[However, the article got finished in course of time:--]

August 5.

I have seen and done with all "Amphibia" but the last sheet, and that only waits revise. Considering it was to be done in May, I think I am pretty punctual.

[The next year, immediately before taking Sir Wyville Thomson's lectures at Edinburgh, he writes about another article which he had in hand:--]

4 Marlborough Place, N.W., March 16, 1875.

My dear Baynes,

I am working against time to get a lot of things done--amongst others BIOLOGY--before I go north. I have written a large part of said article, and it would facilitate my operation immensely if what is done were set up and I had two or three proofs, one for Dyer, who is to do part of the article.

Now, if I send the ma.n.u.script to North Bridge will you swear by your G.o.ds (0--1--3--1 or any greater number as the case may be) that I shall have a proof swiftly and not be kept waiting for weeks till the whole thing has got cold, and I am at something else a hundred miles away from Biology?

If not I will keep the ma.n.u.script till it is all done, and you know what that means.

Ever yours very truly,

T.H. Huxley.

Cragside, Morpeth, August 12, 1875.

My dear Baynes,

The remainder of the proof of "Biology" is posted to-day--"Praise de Lor'."

I have a dim recollection of having been led by your soft and insinuating ways to say that I would think (only THINK) about some other article. What the deuce was it?

I have told the Royal Society people to send you a list of Fellows, addressed to Black's.

We have had here what may be called bad weather for England, but it has been far better than the best Edinburgh weather known to my experience.

All my friends are out committing grouse-murder. As a vivisection Commissioner I did not think I could properly accompany them.

Ever yours very faithfully,

T.H. Huxley.

Cragside, Morpeth, August 24, 1875.

My dear Baynes,

I think -- is like enough to do the "Coelenterata" well if you can make sure of his doing it at all. He is a man of really great knowledge of the literature of Zoology, and if it had not been for the accident of being a procrastinating impracticable a.s.s, he could have been a distinguished man. But he is a sort of Balaam-Centaur with the asinine stronger than the prophetic moiety.

I should be disposed to try him, nevertheless.

I don't think I have had final revise of Biology yet.

I do not know that "Coelenterata" is Lankester's speciality. However, he is sure to do it well if he takes it up.

Ever yours very faithfully,

T.H. Huxley.