ear, to one who can review as
well as you do, there would be the same temptation to waste time, as
there notoriously is for those who can speak well.

A review is only temporary; your work should be perennial. I know well
that you may say that unless good men will review there will be no good
reviews. And this is true. Would you not do more good by an occasional
review in some well-established review, than by giving up much time
to the editing, or largely aiding, if not editing, a review which from
being confined to one subject would not have a very large circulation?
But I must return to the chief idea which strikes me--viz., that it
would lessen the amount of original and perennial work which you could
do. Reflect how few men there are in England who can do original work
in the several lines in which you are excellently fitted. Lyell, I
remember, on analogous grounds many years ago resolved he would write no
more reviews. I am an old slowcoach, and your scheme makes me tremble.
God knows in one sense I am about the last man in England who ought to
throw cold water on any review in which you would be concerned, as I
have so immensely profited by your labours in this line.

With respect to reviewing myself, I never tried: any work of that kind
stops me doing anything else, as I cannot possibly work at odds and
ends of time. I have, moreover, an insane hatred of stopping my regular
current of work. I have now materials for a little paper or two, but I
know I shall never work them up. So I will not promise to help; though
not to help, if I could, would make me feel very ungrateful to you. You
have no idea during how short a time daily I am able to work. If I had
any regular duties, like you and Hooker, I should do absolutely nothing
in science.

I am heartily glad to hear that you are better; but how such labour as
volunteer-soldiering (all honour to you) does not kill you, I cannot
understand.

For God's sake remember that your field of labour is original research
in the highest and most difficult branches of Natural History. Not that
I wish to underrate the importance of clever and solid reviews.

LETTER 108. TO T.H. HUXLEY. Sudbrook Park, Richmond, Thursday [July,
1860].

I must send you a line to say what a good fellow you are to send me so
long an account of the Oxford doings. I have read it twice, and sent
it to my wife, and when I get home shall read it again: it has so much
interested me. But how durst yo