1856. VISIT TO BRIDGE OF ALLAN. 293 



Chalmers' Territorial Kirk got another ; the medical stu- 

 dents a written lecture, under the auspices of the Missionary 

 Society ; and I made a speech for the Medical Missionary 

 Society. Unfortunately, however, three of these fell on last 

 week, and I had to sit in one of the Ragged Kirks without 

 a fire for an hour on the pulpit steps, the fruit of all which 

 has been a slight attack of haemoptysis, now, however, 

 passing away. 



" Besides these lectures, I have had three on Technology, 

 which are to be counted as the things to which NO cannot 

 be said. I mention them that you may know why my pen 

 has not been employed on your behalf." 



''April \Qth. 



" We have had here an Eastern War, which has defied all 

 meetings of plenipotentiaries, and still rages unabated. For 

 a month, or some forty days, a dreadful Lent, the wind has 

 blown geographically from Araby the blest, but thermo- 

 metrically from Iceland the accursed. I have been made a 

 prisoner of war, hit by an icicle in the lungs, and have 

 shivered and burned alternately for a large portion of the 

 last month, and spat blood till I grew pale with coughing. 

 Now I am better, and to-morrow I give my concluding 

 lecture, thankful that I have contrived, notwithstanding all 

 troubles, to carry on without missing a lecture till the last 

 day of the Faculty of Arts to which I belong. But it was 

 not possible to write to you sooner. Jessie and I propose to 

 set off on the i2th for the Bridge of Allan, and thence I 

 engage to write, furnishing all desiderata before next week's 

 post" 



On the 1 3th he writes home from the Bridge of Allan : 

 " We reached this safely last night at half-past six. The 

 band of music was of course at the station, and the people 



