of intellect as there would be in trying to illuminate the midnight sky with a candle. I intend, therefore, to drop it, and to take the advice of the poet, 'Believe it not, regret it not, but wait it out, O Man.' G. J. R.

I return the papers, having taken down the references. The books I shall return when read, but honey-mooning may prolong the time.

CHAPTER II

LONDON, 1879-1890

MR. ROMANES married, on February 11, 1879, Ethel, only daughter of Andrew Duncan, Esq., of Liverpool, whom he had met at the house of her cousin and guardian, Sir James Malcolm, of Balbedie and Grange, Fifeshire. In the same year he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.

From 1879 to 1890 Mr. Romanes resided in 18 Cornwall Terrace, which his mother gave up to him, and these eleven years were perhaps the brightest and most fruitful of his life.

It is difficult to give any just idea of the extreme happiness and pleasantness of the home life and of outward circumstances; happiness which only seemed to increase as years went on. He grew more boyish, more playful, and seemed to have an endless capacity for enjoyment, for friendship, for happiness of the best and purest kind.

He greatly enjoyed society, and had full opportunities for seeing the kind he liked best, the cream of the intellectual world of London, and perhaps one may be allowed to say that no one was ever more unspoilt by success, by popularity. He seemed to grow more simple, more single-hearted each year.

The amount of work he did was very considerable. His books, Animal Intelligence,'' Mental Evolution in Animals,'' Mental Evolution in Man,' 'Jelly-Fish and Star-Fish,' 'Darwin and after Darwin,' 'An Examination of Weismannism,' represent an enormous amount of reading and thought; and besides all these, there was experimental work in University College and in his own laboratory in Scotland, and a succession of important articles in reviews, chiefly the 'Nineteenth Century,' Fortnightly' and' Contemporary' Reviews, and Nature.' He was elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society in 1879.

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It would be quite absurd to deny that Mr. Romanes liked a fair and free fight, and there was a good deal of scientific controversy, but he was absolutely incapable of anything but fairness, and never imported into private life any quarrel in print. He had plenty of stiff fights, chiefly with Mr. ThiseltonDyer, Professor Lankester, and Mr. Wallace, but the first two were always his friends, and with the latter he had a very slight acquaintance. The following letter, though it belongs to a later date, will show his feelings on the subject of controversy:

Christ Church, Oxford.

Dear Professor Meldola,-I trust that our differences and disagreements as presented in Nature,' will not disturb our relations in private. Anyhow, I send the inclosed circular, which I am addressing to English biologists, and hope you will testify to your desire for facts' by signing the memorial.

6

Yours truly,

GEO. J. ROMANES.

He lectured a good deal in provincial towns, and gave several Friday evening discourses at the Royal Institution. Lecturing, even in days of failing health, was always a pleasure, never a burden to him. In one of the following letters is a mock triumphant description of a lecture in Glasgow, written purely to amuse his wife, and provoke some mock depreciatory remarks.

To Mrs. Romanes.

Edinburgh: November 1880.

In the evening I went to Professor —————'s dinner, which was a most gorgeous affair. The feed was sumptuous, and the guests the best that Edinburgh had to afford. There were twelve of us, all except myself and Hullah (the musician), professors of the University. I sat next to one of the latterTurner, who, as his handsome namesake might say, has done original work. The advantage of meeting celebrated men when oneself is also a celebrated man (how sweet is self-contentment!) is that the two know all about each other before they meet, and so meet as friends already. Turner is a man of great general intelligence, and as it is needless to tell you that Romanes is the same, of course they got on delightfully. In proof of which he asked me to go with him next day to see the new hospital and medical schools, which, when finished, are to be the largest in the world and cost nearly half a million of money. We agreed that he should call for me at ten, which he did to-day. We two then drove to the buildings, and, between exploring them and the old

University, he spent more than two hours of his, at this time of year, very valuable time. From which you may gather that he is a particularly pleasant man.

Glasgow: 1880.

Now for my news. Everything was splendid, much the best thing in the way of lecturing that I have done since Dublin,' and I was so sorry that you were not there.

First of all we had a dinner given by my host in my honour, the guests being all the chief men in the University, including Professor Caird and the biggest of all big swells, Sir W. Thomson.3

The dinner was to me highly interesting, as I talked nearly all the time to Sir William, who is a wonderful psychological study.

We then went to the lecture, where Sir William took the chair, and introduced me to the audience with such a glowing oration that it would have startled you. (It quite astonished me.) The audience being thus led to suppose that I was one of the brightest of all bright lights, received me very warmly; I got enthusiastic, discarded my notes, and swam along in the most magnificent style even for me, which, you know, is the highest praise I can bestow upon myself. I spoke for an hour and a half; at the end the people applauded so, I felt really awfully sorry you were not there. There seems to be a cruel fate preventing you from witnessing my performances.

1 The Brit. Assoc. Lecture, 1878.

2 The present Master of Balliol.

3 Now Lord Kelvin.