396 LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN. 



ated their leading properties, the chemical first, and the 

 physical last. This gave me an opportunity to close the 

 lecture with those fine mechanical experiments, which are 

 at the same time beautiful and instructive. I allude to 

 the evolution of heat by percussion of metals. The ex- 

 periments were performed on lead and copper ; they were 

 entirely successful, and appeared to give satisfaction to 

 the audience. Although I was diffident as to the suc- 

 cess of this lecture, I spoke deliberately, and, I believe, 

 clearly. 



February 22. I had two full audiences, exceedingly at- 

 tentive, and the repeated lecture went off very well. I am 

 told, indeed, that the audience are much interested in the 

 organic chemistry ; and I am now persuaded that what I 

 feared might be dull, will make only a pleasant transition 

 to the splendors of heat and light, of electricity and galvan- 

 ism, whose history will be given near the conclusion of the 

 course. 



The fourth year of the Lowell lectures brought 

 a repetition of the social attentions with which Mr. 

 Silliman had been honored in Boston, and witnessed 

 no diminution of the popular interest in his instruc- 

 tions. 



February 27, Monday. Tea at Mr. R. H. Dana's, Sen. 

 Met there Mr. R. H. D., Jr. (author of "Two Years before 

 the Mast ") and lady, and passed an hour and a half most 

 agreeably, Professor Brown, of Dartmouth, being in the 

 circle. 



February 28, Tuesday. Evening at Mr. Andrews', Mount 

 Vernon Street, with a large circle. A Mr. Ford and his 

 wife, professional mesmerizers, exhibited for the entertain- 

 ment of the company. She was said to be magnetized by 

 her husband, and in the early part of the evening made, as 

 was reported, some successful hits, but after we came in she 



