LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN. 



CHAPTER XVII. 



LECTURES IN SOUTHERN CITIES. 



Course of Geology in Pittsburg. Gratification of his Audience. Course 

 of Geology in Baltimore. Dr. Nathan R. Smith. Success of the 

 Course. Social Civilities in Baltimore. Journey to the South. 

 Charleston. Professor Shepard. J. B. Legare, Esq. Colonel Ion. 

 Miss Bowman. Society in Charleston. His Reception in New 

 Orleans. Notices of the Lectures in the Newspapers. Social Atten 

 tions. Bishop Polk and Lady. Lectures in Mobile. Lectures in 

 Natchez. Visit to Mr. Murdock's Plantation. Lectures before the 



Smithsonian Institution. Lectures in St. Louis. Bishop on 



Geology. Remarks on his Work as a Lecturer. Connections of 

 Science and Religion. Correspondence with Professor Kingsley, &c. 



PROFESSOR SILLIMAN continues the narrative of 

 his public labors: 



I had now been nine years before the public as a lecturer 

 on science, to popular audiences, and had been successful 

 in making the subjects on which I had spoken intelligible 

 and attractive, without diminishing the dignity of science or 

 neglecting Yale College. With the exception of a single 

 spontaneous address before the Geological Association in 

 Philadelphia, in the spring of 1841, when I presided, my 

 efforts had been mostly confined to New England, chiefly 

 to Massachusetts and the city of New York. By these and 

 similar labors of other gentlemen, both of earlier and co 

 incident periods, a strong impression had been produced 

 on the public mind, and overtures were made from time 



VOL. II 1 



