From Lyon Playfair   27 May 1875

My dear M^r Darwin

There is no need mourning over a dead lion. Indeed I am glad that it is dead. When living I did not take to it kindly, but I assumed that I was all right as the mere agent of yourself, Burdon Sanderson & Huxley.¹ I altered nothing in the draft put into my hands except where it was wrong in parliamentary form—beyond adding two clauses, one for summary jurisdiction & the other for power of appeal. These did not touch the power of the Bill. I saw indeed that the Bill would prevent demonstrations & I especially pointed this out to Sanderson, who however said that physiologists felt that they must renounce them under the state of public feeling.²

But the Bill of this Friday will exist no more:³ and I think nothing would induce me to take it up again as it was repudiated by its own fathers.

But I am very anxious that physiology should not suffer by the Commission and of this I have great fears—so I will try to get Cross to put some physiologists upon it.⁴

Yours Sincerely | Lyon Playfair