370 LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN. 



seated by her on the sofa, than she handed me her ear- 

 trumpet, which I held, and she placed the other end of the 

 flexible tube in her own ear. But there was little occasion 

 to prompt her. She was very communicative, and dis- 

 coursed freely about this country, not always in laudatory 

 terms, and I thought her to be bold and opinionated, but 

 very intelligent and extremely fluent." 



Last year a repeated course in the day was found to be 

 very useful, and in the present course, also, it was early 

 resolved upon, after due consultation. In a letter to Mrs. 

 Silliman, dated March 8th, the day after my first lecture, is 

 the following passage : " Our battle is won ; the course 

 opened charmingly last evening, with an attendance of at 

 least a thousand persons. We were obliged to refuse sell- 

 ing any more evening tickets, and we now turn over all 

 applicants to the day-course, to begin on Wednesday, 

 March 9, at four o'clock, p. M. Our new galvanic instru- 

 ment, an immense deflagrator, was put into operation yes- 

 terday, and its performance was splendid, far beyond any- 

 thing I ever saw, or anything known here." 



On Monday night, after my successful opening lecture, I 

 was too much excited, and too agreeably, to permit me to 

 sleep much. My mind had been overwrought, and in the 

 morning I indulged in the relaxation of writing letters. In 

 the journal I remark : " Invitations to dinner are coming 

 in, but I decline them all, on the score of my urgent en- 

 gagements. I intend to reserve the day for our experi- 

 mental labors, and for some little relaxation in excursions, 

 and in seeing interesting things." We finished the prepa- 

 rations for the first day's lecture by eleven o'clock, A. M., 

 which enabled me to come home and rest, so as to be pre- 

 pared for my duty 



In a letter to Mrs. Silliman, dated March 17, 



after all the three lectures had been given and repeated, I 

 find the following passage. In reference to the severe 

 labor of the double course it is said : " I assure you that I 



