[The following reference to Robert Lowe, afterwards Lord Sherbrooke, has a quasi-prophetic interest:—­]

May 7.

Dined at the Smiths’ last night. [Dr. (afterwards Sir William) Smith, of dictionary fame.] Lowe was to have been there, but had a dinner-party of his own...I have come to the conviction that our friend Bob is a most admirable, well-judging statesman, for he says I am the only man fit to be at the head of the British Museum [i.e. of the Natural History Collections.], and that if he had his way he would put me there.

[Years afterwards, on Sir R. Owen’s retirement, he was offered the post, but declined it, as he greatly disliked the kind of work.  At the same time, he pointed out to the Minister who made the offer that the man of all others for the post would be the late distinguished holder of it, Sir W.H.  Flower, a suggestion happily acted on.

Early in August a severe loss befell him in the sudden death of his brother George, who had been his close friend ever since he had returned from Australia, who had given him all the help and sympathy in his struggles that could be given by a man of the world without special interests in science or literature.  With brilliancy enough to have won success if he had had patience to ensure it, he was not only a pleasant companion, a “clubbable man” in Johnson’s phrase, but a friend to trust.  The two households had seen much of one another; the childless couple regarded their brother’s children almost as their own.  Thus a real gap was made in the family circle, and the trouble was not lessened by the fact that George Huxley’s affairs were left in great confusion, and his brother not only spent a great deal of time in looking after the interests of the widow, but took upon himself certain obligations in order to make things straight, with the result that he was even compelled to part with his Royal Medal, the gold of which was worth 50 pounds sterling.]

CHAPTER 1.18.

1864.

[The year 1864 was much like 1863.  The Hunterian Lectures were still part of his regular work.  The Fishery Commission claimed a large portion of his time. from March 28 to April 2 he was in Cornwall; on May 7 at Shoreham; from July 24 to September 9 visiting the coasts of Scotland and Ireland.  The same pressure of work continued.  He published four papers on paleontological or anatomical subjects in the “Natural History Review” (On “Cetacean Fossils termed Ziphius by Cuvier,” in the “Transactions of the Geological Society”; in those of the “Zoological,” papers on “Arctocebus Calabarensis” and “The Structure of the Stomach in Desmodus Rufus”; and on the “Osteology of the Genus Glyptodon,” in the “Philosophical Transactions."), he wrote “Further Remarks upon the Human Remains from the Neanderthal,” and later, dealing with “Criticisms on the ‘Origin of Species’” ("Collected Essays” 2 page 80 “Darwiniana"), he gently but firmly dispersed several misconceptions of his old friend Kolliker as to the plain meaning of the book; and ridiculed the pretentious ignorance of M. Flourens’ dicta upon the same subject; while in the winter he delivered a course of lectures to working men on “The Various Races of Mankind,” a choice of subject which shows that his chief interest at that time lay in Ethnology.]