RISEN BY PERSEVERANCE. 



ceive ; the completest success possible, from first to last. The 

 room was crammed, and more than seventy applicants for 

 tickets were of necessity refused yesterday, Wilson was ill, 

 but plucked up like a lion, and spoke famously. I send you 

 a paper herewith, but the report is dismal in the extreme. 

 They say there will be a better one ; I don't know where or 

 when. Should there be, I will send it to you. I thmk 

 (ahem !) that I spoke rather well. It was an excellent room, 

 and both the subjects (Wilson and Scottish Literature, and the 

 Memory of Wilkie) were good to go upon. There were nearly 

 two hundred ladies present. The place is so contrived that 

 the cross table is raised enormously, much above the heads 

 of people sitting below ; and the effect on first coming in (on 

 me, I mean) was rather tremendous. I was quite self- 

 possessed, however, and, notwithstanding the enthoosemoosy, 

 which was very startling, as cool as a cucumber.' It may be 

 interesting, and help to recall this scene, if we recall some of 

 the speeches on this occasion. 



Mr. Dickens said : ' If I felt your warm and generous welcome 

 less, I should be better able to thank you. If I could have 

 listened as you have listened to the glowing language of your 

 chairman, and if I could have heard as you heard the "thoughts 

 that breathe and words that burn " which he has uttered, it 

 would have gone hard but I should have caught some portion 

 of his enthusiasm, and kindled at his example. But every 

 word which fell from his lips, and every demonstration of 

 sympathy and approbation with which you received his elo- 

 quent expressions, render me unable to respond to his 

 kindness, and leave me at last all heart and no lips, yearning 

 to respond as I would do to your cordial greeting— possessing, 

 Heaven knows, the will, and desiring only to find the way. 



