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OCR Rendition - approximate
188 Life and Letters of Francis Galton fixed upon the street but certainly should prefer one of those running out of Park Lane, for then I shall be near St George's Hospital and the Park, and close by the Kays, Campbells, C. Buxton and not far from Mr Hallam, and indeed some others. I fancy that I shall get from Kay's description quite as good rooms as I shall want for 20 shillings a week We had such a glorious May day here. I determined to improve upon my last year's one and together with two other men raised a shilling or sixpenny subscription to £3. With this we got 80 buns, 240 oranges, 600 small biscuit cakes and materials for 8 gallons of tea (to be made ready sugared etc. in cans) ; then we got a maypole 9 feet above the ground [picture], with a great wreath on the top and two flags one on either side fastened to sticks and held by boys. Then an arch through which only 2 could pass at a_ time, receiving each of them a bun or 2 or three biscuits and an orange (in transitu). Then we chose a Queen of the May, the prettiest little girl I ever remember to have seen [portrait] and Mrs Hoppit took her in charge and washed her and attired her in a royal diadem and then the undergraduates present, about 60 shoved their way in to the maypole and took hands and spread' out leaving a large vacant ring, in the centre of which was the maypole and the Queen of the May. She choose her partner and with five other girls and their partners danced the College hornpipe. Then we let in a number of other smaller girls who took hands and danced in a wide ring round them and the maypole, and after that another ring concentric that danced the opposite way round, so all three were going at once. We had one of those street hurdy-gurdy things for the music. So the plan of the proceedings was thus [Diagram of the dancing circles, the outermost sketched below in elevation consisting of undergraduates in caps and gowns with stretched linked hands and outstretched legsoutside these a crowd of undergraduate onlookers]. There were more than 200 children and the undergraduate arms were at full stretch. The maypole was put up in the college green. Riddle. If a man wants to obtain a vegetable time piece at what hour should he rise ? Answer. He must get 1° up at eight o'clock " (must get a potato clock). Goodbye. Your affectionate son, FRAS. GALTON. P.S. I will always write on Mondays as on this and last week. TRIN. COLL. [May 13, 1844]. Tuesday (instead of Monday). MY DEAR FATHER, Pray excuse this small sheet of paper, for I have so much of it on hand that I can find no way for its disposal. A number of my old college friends have come up during the past week, and most - of them gone down again. Mathew Boulton just appeared for two days and a night to take his degree. He asked me much to come to Tew, and I have accepted his invite gladly for some far future time as I am afraid that I shall have no, time for holidays in London. Everybody is making up long vacation parties and I have had earnest entreaties to travel with different allies to St Petersburg, to Madrid and I don't know where else, but after all it is satisfactory to have something better to do than to join them. Fowell Buxton has also been here,
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