I am glad to hear you are getting better, and I sincerely trust that you may find all the good you seek in the baths.

As to coming back a “new man,” who knows what that might be?  Let us rather hope for the old man in a state of complete repair—­A1 copper bottomed.

Excuse my nautical language.

[The following letters also touch on his Edinburgh lectures:—­]

Cragside, Morpeth, August 11, 1875.

My dear Foster,

We are staying here with Sir W. Armstrong—­the whole brood—­Miss Matthaei and the majority of the chickens being camped at a farm-house belonging to our host about three miles off.  It is wetter than it need be, otherwise we are very jolly.

I finished off my work in Edinburgh on the 23rd and positively polished off the Animal Kingdom in 54 lectures.  French without a master in twelve lessons is nothing to this feat.  The men worked very well on the whole, and sent in some creditable examination papers.  I stayed a few days to finish up the abstracts of my lectures for the “Medical Times”; then picked up the two elder girls who were at Barmoor and brought them on here to join the wife and the rest.

How is it that Dohrn has been and gone?  I have been meditating a letter to him for an age.  He wanted to see me, and I did not know how to manage to bring about a meeting.

Edinburgh is greatly exercised in its mind about the vivisection business and “Vagus” “swells wisibly” whenever the subject is mentioned.  I think there is an inclination to regard those who are ready to consent to legislation of any kind as traitors, or at any rate, trimmers.  It sickens me to reflect on the quantity of time and worry I shall have to give to that subject when I get back.

I see that —­ has been blowing the trumpet at the Medical Association.  He has about as much tact as a flyblown bull.

I have just had a long letter from Wyville Thomson.  The “Challenger” inclines to think that Bathybius is a mineral precipitate! in which case some enemy will probably say that it is a product of my precipitation.  So mind, I was the first to make that “goak.”  Old Ehrenberg suggested something of the kind to me, but I have not his letter here.  I shall eat my leek handsomely, if any eating has to be done.  They have found pseudopodia in Globerigina.

With all good wishes from ours to yours.

Ever yours faithfully,

T.H.  Huxley.

Cragside, Morpeth, August 13, 1875.

My dear Tyndall,

I find that in the midst of my work in Edinburgh I omitted to write to De Vrij, so I have just sent him a letter expressing my pleasure in being able to co-operate in any plan for doing honour to old Benedict [Spinoza, a memorial to whom was being raised in Holland.], for whom I have a most especial respect.

I am not sure that I won’t write something about him to stir up the
Philistines.