

PREFACE. vil 





I have been anxious not to transgress the limit of pro- 

 priety in bringing out the details of private life ; but I 

 have equally guarded against the prudish reserve that 

 would suppress harmless and characteristic incidents 

 and expressions of personal feeling. That in every 

 case I have judged with discretion, is more than I 

 dare claim. At all events, the reader will see Pro- 

 fessor Silliman as he was, in the different periods of 

 his life, and, I venture to predict, will rise from the 

 perusal of this work with no diminished appreciation 

 of his excellence. Although the use here made of 

 the documents referred to is one, it is believed, which 

 he would have sanctioned, yet it should be distinctly 

 stated that they were composed primarily for the 

 entertainment of his own family. They are written, 

 therefore, in the frank and artless style of colloquial 

 narrative, and with no attempt to guard against the 

 imputation of egotism. Hume begins his Auto- 

 biography by remarking that " it is difficult for a 

 man to speak long of himself without vanity." In 

 truth, it is inevitable that the semblance of egotism 

 should belong to whatever a man writes about him- 

 self; but it will be found that Professor Silliman 

 really set a modest estimate upon his talents, acquire- 

 ments, and services. 



Not all the parts of this Memoir will have an equal 

 attraction for every reader. For example, details 

 respecting the history and progress of Yale College 

 will naturally be of more interest to the graduates 



