My dear Sir

I do not write to urge you to favour us with the article on “Vivisection” for “the 19th Century” which we asked before, though we should be none the less grateful for it, if you saw your way to it, for the month of February.¹ But I write, first, to ask whom you would advise us to choose to write it from the purely Scientific stand-point, failing yourself. I have already applied to Mr Huxley and to Sir John Lubbock. Both are unable from press of other engagements to help.² We (Burdon Sanderson, Michael Foster Brunton & myself) have thought among others of Mr Spottiswoode, Prof. Tyndall, Turner of Edinboro’ (I asked Flower before) and Fletcher-Moulton, the barrister.³ Can you suggest anyone better & especially anyone whom you could ask to do the task on your behalf?

Next, you are aware that the movement set on foot to defray Ferrier’s expenses in the recent prosecution, which you were so generously forward to join, has grown into a project for forming an Association, not only to meet any future attacks of the same kind on legitimate scientific inquiries, but to diffuse knowledge on the subject of physiological experiments among the public, and to watch the working of the Act, so as bring pressure to bear on the Home Office when needful.⁴

That it will be needful, an interview Mr Bowman Mr Lister & myself had with the Home Secretary (as a deputation from the International Medical Congress) left no doubt on my mind.⁵

Will you join this Association? We have already several eminent men of science & members of both Houses of parliament who will be ready to do so; and since the provisional Committee includes Mr Bowman & Sir Wm. Gull, the Pres. of the R. Coll of Surgeons & the late Pres. of the R. Coll of physicians, D^r A Clark Mr Lister & D^r Sanderson, you will see that you are not likely to be committed to any folly which the youthful impetuosity of Brunton or myself might bring about.⁶

As soon as the Association is formed we shall have to look about for a suitable President. I should like to propose your name, & none could be more welcome or appropriate. But Brunton tells me that he thinks you would prefer not: and your time & health & comfort are far too valuable to be sacrificed: so we will not urge you if you decline.⁷ There will be time enough for this however when our Association is launched.

While staying with Romanes in September I had the privilege of reading an early copy of your last work—on the worms. How wonderful it is that you have such boundless capacity for work. Thank God you seem as energetic and “geistreich” as when you wrote your famous book on Coral islands.⁸

I heard lately from Wallis Nash in Oregon. He has sent home to Moseley a perfect skeleton of Enhydra marina, which is now in the Hunterian Museum—⁹ You know perhaps that their child born in their new home was named after yourself.¹⁰

I am, dear Sir, | Yours with the deepest respect & esteem | P H Pye-Smith.