206 LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN. 



London he was ever present at, was the one at which I 

 read my memoir on the Hylaeosaurus, (afterwards published 

 in the geology of the South East of England,) and exhibited 

 to a London audience my fossil bones from Tilgate Forest. 

 He always spoke of that evening with great delight ; and 

 so completely was he carried away with his kind feelings 

 towards me, that at the close of my address, he loudly ap- 

 plauded, (though contrary to etiquette,) and was joined 

 involuntarily by others. Since our first acquaintance our 

 friendship has known no change I greatly lament his loss. 



Mr. Dana's papers interest me exceedingly ; they 



are of the highest order. I anticipate great things from 

 him ; and look forward with impatience to the more full 

 detail of his opinions and observations 



TO DR. MANTEL L. 



NEW HAVEN, February 10, 1844. 



MY DEAR FRIEND, Your very welcome letter of De- 

 cember 26, arrived January 23. It acknowledges mine of 

 November 14, and I trust that you soon after received 

 another from me of November 26, in reply to yours of 

 October 30. There is no correspondent out of my own 

 family to whom I write so frequently, and so long letters 

 as to yourself, because you tell me that they cheer you 

 under your trials, and I would cheerfully devote many hours 

 in the year to that object, especially as it is always to me 

 an interesting employment. I am very sorry that "the 

 prospect of ever being better becomes less and less." I 

 earnestly hope that you may prove in an error, and while 

 you exhibit so much mental energy as to carry forward 

 elaborate works, demanding much thought, wide study, and 

 graphic skill, I cannot give you up, but will feel some con- 

 fidence that the infirm body which holds such a mind, may 

 yet rally and thro\y off its load of infirmity. In my last, 

 I think it was, I inquired somewhat more particularly as to 

 the nature of your complaint, inquiries prompted, not by 



