324 A DECADE OF WORK AT HOME. [1844, 



good-nature. He was the cheeriest of household com- 

 panions ; rarely was he depressed, only indeed when 

 greatly fagged with some tremendous pressure of work 

 or some worrying trouble difficult to settle ; he was 

 exceedingly hopeful, and always carried with him a 

 happy assurance that everything was going on well in 

 his absence ; withal, he was fearless in all adventure, 

 never willing to allow there had been any danger 

 when it had passed ! He was fond of arguing, but 

 110 partisan, so that however earnest and dogmatic 

 he might seem, the moment the discussion was over 

 there was no trace of bitterness or vexation left. He 

 was a clear and close reasoner himself, and thus im- 

 patient of defective reasoning or a confused statement 

 in others. He was quick, too, in turning his opponents' 

 weapons against them ; sometimes he would escape 

 from a dilemma in a merry, plausible form, but in 

 serious argument he always insisted upon downright 

 sincerity. 



TO W. J. HOOKER. 



April 1, 1844. 



I finish my course of Lowell lectures this week, 

 which have succeeded beyond my most sanguine ex- 

 pectations. I have restricted myself to physiological 

 botany only, taken up only great leading views, 

 used very large paintings for illustrations, six to eight 

 feet high, which the great size of the room required, 

 and then have given to sound scientific views a gen- 

 eral popular interest. 



TO JOHN TORREY. 



CAMBRIDGE, May 24, 1844. 



I have been using Dr. Wyman's microscope of 

 late, and it works well. By the way, I have been 



