GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY : THE WESTON METEOR. 221 



The price paid for it by the College was one thousand 

 dollars. It was transferred to Mr. Silliman's cham- 

 ber, and was the starting-point for more extensive 

 collections added afterwards. 



Soon the news of the arrival of this cabinet was spread 

 abroad, and my chamber was visited by many persons, 

 ladies and gentlemen. Some were intelligent, and appre- 

 ciated the cabinet in relation to science, and all were curi- 

 ous to see beautiful things. On one occasion the late Gov- 

 ernor of Connecticut, Jonathan Trumbull, Esq., honored the 

 room with a visit, and I had much pleasure in displaying 

 and explaining the specimens. He was very cautious and 

 reserved as to handling them, and when I presented to him 

 the beautiful silky amianthus, at the same time handling 

 its delicate threads and offering it to his own ringers, he 

 declined, saying that he would obey the general noli me 

 tangere rule of cabinets. I assented, adding, however, that 

 the rule was for the many, but as there was only one gov- 

 ernor in the State, the precedent could not be followed, and 

 therefore he might handle. The remark was received with 

 his usual courteous smile of acquiescence. I was then 

 twenty-eight years old, and confess I was not a little grati- 

 fied that the devotion of five years to my profession at home 

 and abroad had been so far successful. 



B. D. Perkins, of whom the cabinet was purchased, had 

 become, with a partner, Mr. Collins, a publisher of books ; 

 and to that firm I intrusted the republication of " Henry's 

 Chemistry " with my additions. The work was in progress 

 in their hands, and the proofs were arriving for my correc- 

 tion, when the Weston Meteor made its appearance. As 

 soon as the news reached New Haven I broke off every 

 other engagement, and immediately resorted to the scene 

 of this remarkable event. On my return, after an absence 

 of some days, I found an accumulation of proofs from friend 

 Perkins, not without some reproofs, as pointed as a Quaker, 



