A SAD INCIDENT. 251 



The passage home was a moderately quiet and easy 

 ODC, broken only by one incident of any note : that of a 

 sudden outburst of madness, soon after the vessel had 

 weighed anchor, upon the part of one of the female 

 steerage passengers, who had to be forcibly restrained 

 for some hours, and finally died in a paroxysm of 

 mania upon the day after sailing. On the 17th the 

 vessel touched at Queenstown, reaching Liverpool on 

 the following day ; and so the second of the two 

 American journeys was brought to a close. 



Of course, as the English season was very nearly at 

 an end, but little could be managed in the way of 

 engagements after my father's return; but, by the 

 energy of his English agent, a few lectures were never- 

 theless arranged for within a few days after his arrival. 

 The first of these, on " Ant Life," Part I., was delivered 

 on February 25th at a large ladies' school at New 

 Southgate, Middlesex, where many others were subse- 

 quently given. At this school, as at most of the many 

 others at which my father lectured, guests from the 

 neighbourhood were invited to attend, and the audience 

 was consequently by no means confined to the pupils 

 alone, but was of very much the same character as 

 that which would have listened to him at a public 

 institution. 



Next day " The Whale " was given at Clifton 

 College to a very appreciative audience of boys and 

 masters ; and on the following evening the same lecture 

 was delivered at the Seamen's Institute at Bristol. On 

 March llth a visit was paid to Uxbridge ; and then no- 



