“Oh,” he said, “how I wish my poor mother, who was a labouring woman—­a great noble woman—­and brought us nine all up in right ways, could have been alive.”  Very human and good and dignified too, I thought.

He also used to tell how he was caught out when he thought to make use of the opportunity to secure a close view of the Queen.  Looking up, he found her eyes fixed upon him; Her Majesty had clearly taken the opportunity to do the same by him.

Regarding the Privy Councillorship as an exceptional honour for science, over and above any recognition of his personal services, which he thought amply met by the Civil List pension specially conferred upon him as an honour at his retirement from the public service, Huxley was no little vexed at an article in “Nature” for August 25 (volume 46 page 397), reproaching the Government for allowing him to leave the public service six years before, without recognition.  Accordingly he wrote to Sir J. Donnelly on August 27:—­]

It is very unfair to both Liberal and Conservative Governments, who did much more for me than I expected, and I feel that I ought to contradict the statement without loss of time.

So I have written the inclosed letter for publication in “Nature”.  But as it is always a delicate business to meddle with official matters, I wish you would see if I have said anything more than I ought to say in the latter half of the letter.  If so, please strike it out, and let the first half go.

I had a narrow shave to get down to Osborne and kiss hands on Thursday.  What a quaint ceremony it is!

The humour of the situation was that we three hot Unionists, White Ridley, Jesse Collings, and I, were escorted by the whole Gladstonian household.

[And again on August 30:—­]

In the interview I had with Lord Salisbury on the subject of an order of merit—­ages ago [See above.]—­I expressly gave him to understand that I considered myself out of the running—­having already received more than I had any right to expect.  And when he has gone out of his way to do honour to science, it is stupid of “Nature” to strike the discordant note.

[His letter appeared in “Nature” of September 1 (volume 46 page 416).  In it he declared that both Lord Salisbury’s and Mr. Gladstone’s Governments had given him substantial recognition that Lord Iddesleigh had put the Civil List pension expressly as an honour; and finally, that he himself placed this last honour in the category of] “unearned increments.”

CHAPTER 3.11.

1892.

[The following letters are mainly of personal interest; some merely illustrate the humorous turn he would give to his more intimate correspondence; others strike a more serious note, especially those to friends whose powers were threatened by overwork or ill-health.

With these may fitly come two other letters; one to a friend on his re-marriage, the other to his daughter, in reply to a birthday letter.]