CORRESPONDENCE. 31 



your request and my promise. I forwarded from New 

 Haven President Day's letter, announcing my coming, and 

 on my return from Salem on Tuesday evening I found a 

 special invitation to myself to attend the ceremony and the 

 dinner. This morning at nine, I went over in an omnibus, 

 and was seasonably in Gore Hall, a very magnificent 

 room, and soon filled with Alumni and others. I saw many 

 whom I knew, and had agreeable renewals of old acquaint- 

 ance. Professor Lovering took me in charge in the pro- 

 cession, and I got a berth for Tutor Noyes with Professor 



Pierce, and we were placed on the stage I enclose 



a programme of the exercises, and you will find, no doubt, 

 a full account in the " Boston Atlas " at our house, or at 

 Benjamin's. The procession was very extensive, and the 

 house perfectly filled, particular ladies being admitted to 

 the galleries by tickets, and other ladies taking their chance. 

 There was the most perfect order, with an audience as large 

 as our fullest Commencements ; the only exception was 

 from the uproarious clapping and stamping, sometimes 

 continued a long time, so as to raise the very dust from the 

 floor in clouds. This was particularly the fact just as Pres- 

 ident Everett began his address ; the students were so 

 noisy and tempestuous that the President sat down, as it 

 was impossible to hear anything. It seemed at first dis- 

 respectful, but it was presently explained by Mr. Webster's 

 mounting the stage, and the applause was meant for him, 

 and, by-the-by, he was attended recently on his arrival here 

 in the cars by, it is said, ten thousand people, enthusiasti- 

 cally cheering him to his lodgings. When Mr. Everett re- 

 sumed his address he very adroitly alluded to Mr. Webster, 

 wishing that the duty of addressing them had been assigned 

 to his illustrious friend, who, he was sure, would perform 

 the duty to their perfect satisfaction ; this then was tre- 

 mendously cheered, and it was sometime before the Presi- 

 dent was very fairly launched. He then went on for one 

 and a half hours, with frequent applauses, in a very able 



