. 32.] TO JOHN TORRE Y. 303 



notes, as a trial. I am convinced that for lectures 

 with much illustration I must have only heads and 

 leading ideas written ; for others, I will write nearly in 

 full. I saw Miss Lowell ... the day before my first 

 lecture, and promised to call upon her very soon if I 

 succeeded well. Meeting her the other evening at 

 Professor Sparks's, she reproved me for not keeping 

 my word. I very honestly and sincerely replied that 

 I had not succeeded well, and was waiting until I was 

 better satisfied. Quite to my surprise, I found that 

 the class, at least those she had seen, her great-nephew 

 and others, were well pleased with it. I will not re- 

 peat their expressions, as retailed to me by Miss 

 Lowell, because I cannot but suspect that young 

 Lowell may have been trying to humbug her. I feel 

 I have so far acquitted myself very poorly as a lec- 

 turer ; but I am sustained by the firm conviction that 

 I shall in the end do very well, for a common college 

 class. 



TO JOHN TORREY. 



May, 1843. 



I have been speaking about the bones of the Zygo- 

 don, and there is a disposition to get up a subscription 

 in the Natural History Society and buy them, if still 

 for sale, the price not too great, and if Dr. Wyman, 

 on seeing them, recommends the purchase. Do you 

 know the price ? And whether they can still be seen 

 in New York, at Carey's storehouse ? The Boston 

 zoologists are far from praising De Kay's Report. I 

 heard Silliman on electro-magnetism the other even- 

 ing (which hardly belongs to chemistry) : great show 

 of experiments ; lauded Henry finely. He is finish- 

 ing off with galvanic deflagration. Will Fremont go 



