Characterisation, especially by Letters   5,25

annuity of £26, and to Ann the housemaid an annuity of £26. The servants will stay on till January 15th. Grace had thought of all sorts of things for the Camerons, but this morning a letter came that Mr Serocold was very ill indeed, so Cameron left at 3 o'clock and his wife was off at 10-as they will have to go to the Riviera to see Mr Serocold, as they think he will die-having had two operations and being very feeble.

Edward Wheler writes how very cold it is, and so much snow at Alnwick. My House smells of Puddings and Cakes-and now the Mincepies will be begun to be made. Bessy will have a large party on Xmas Day-the Studdys* and a Nephew Studdy and other relatives, I believe Edward and M. L.t The Darwin family have had to pay some duty on Breadsall Lodges, left by Sir F. Darwin to his unmarried daughters. He died 40 years ago, and Aunt Darwin 34 years ago-and they know nothing about any receipts. They should write, as Annie Sykes did, to the Papers. With much love, yours most affectionately, EMMA GALTON.

Letters to TV. F. R. Weldon.

42, RUTLAND GATE, S. W. November 12, 1903.

MY DEAR WELDON, C. Herbst's book fills me with sham at my ignorance-When will you wake up or another Darwin arise, to consolidate and co-ordinate the mass of scattered evolutionary material accumulated of late years. I have dipped deep into the book at several points, but feel myself too ignorant of the creatures spoken about to have any hope of mastering it. Besides, as you say, I read German with difficulty, and don't like it or take to it.

Your phrases-(1) blue shadows on a white road, (2) prevention of bronchitis better than cure, (3) purple irises in Sicily while Piccadilly is in mud slush-have been so "fetching" that I have already provided myself with a foreign Bradshaw and am thinking much more definitely than before of a late December start. If so, it would probably be, first, direct to Genoa-then a week on the Italian Riviera-next a day or two at Naples, and then to cross to Palermo the first fine night. I am trying to find out the relative merits of the Palermo Hotels, and whether the Igea is really good or only costly and out of the way. Also I heard of a new hotel at Porto Fino (near Rapallo), said to be suitable for a week's stay, to rest and to acclimatise. I must treat myself as somewhat of an invalid.

G. Brodrick's death makes me very sad. He was an old friend, back to the 'forties or early 'fifties, and a sincere one. I have few left even of his generation, far fewer of my own. Yet I don't want to die, except perhaps now and then, when in a gouty and pessimistic frame of mind. I send back the shells and the book separately.

Very sincerely yours, FRANCIS CALTON.

HOTEL TRINACRIA, MESSINA. March 12, 1904. En route to Lipari-don't address as above.

DEAR WELDON, Your interesting letter greeted me here on arrival, after a glorious week at Syracuse and previously at Girgenti. You are by far too kindly a critic. The first sentences of the intended circular are rather illogically arranged and will be altered. You should see, as a curiosity, the corrections made by F. Howard Collins who did so much for Herbert Spencer and has been very helpful often to me. He is ruthless, and has (I hear) scored the proof all over, as is his wont. Some of his revisions are however always valuable.

About the cancer cells-Have not any full series of experiments yet been made on transplanting ova in all stages of their development? It ought to be done both in warm and cold blooded animals. Immature spawn in frogs and fish. The separated contents of an ovary, each grafted into some different part of the body of a mouse, guinea-pig, fowl (not neglecting the vascular comb) and especially on the parts (I glands) that cancer most frequents. Something ought to be found out in this way.

Lucy Studdy was sister to Edward Wheler and both children of Calton's "Sister Bessy."

Mrs Wheler, wife of Edward Wheler, now Wheler-Galton.

Breadsall Priory was the home of Erasmus Darwin after his marriage to Mrs Chandos Pole. It was afterwards Sir Francis S. Darwin's house. I do not know whether Emma Galton made a slip in calling it Breadsall Lodge, or whether this was a separate house on the estate left by Sir Francis Darwin to his daughters.