I have received your letter, & have consulted with some of our principal naturalists. We must
|| regret that there should be a difficulty about the funds for your journey, which could not fail to have been of great scientific importance, & the more so as we do || not think there are any funds available for the purpose.
Prof. Huxley tells me that he is writing to you to the same effect, but I did not wish you to suppose that I had || not myself also done what I could.
I am much obliged for your kind offer to collect Ants for me, if you had gone.