392 LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN. 



February 19. The course of lectures on Natural Re- 

 ligion, in the Odeon, by the Rev. Dr. Walker of Harvard 

 College, on the Lowell foundation, was to be finished the 

 evening of our arrival, and we availed ourselves of the op- 

 portunity to hear that eminent man. His lecture was able, 

 instructive, and interesting, and his manner was dignified 

 and impressive. One year and one week had elapsed 

 since I finished the course of geology in the Odeon ; and, 

 as we entered this evening by the private door facing the 

 audience, there was a quiet movement of welcome, which 

 showed that we were not forgotten. It was significant, 

 although not boisterous, and was returned by me with a 

 bow of acknowledgment. Rev. Dr. Walker did not par- 

 take of any narrow feelings towards me ; but, on the con- 

 trary, when I afterwards saw him at Cambridge, he ex- 

 pressed much satisfaction that I was a fellow-laborer with 

 him in the Lowell Institute. 



February 22, Monday. This being the day for the be- 

 ginning of the course, I passed the time in revising, correct- 

 ing, and reading my introductory. It was written with 

 great care, and contained a comprehensive generalization 

 of all science, with a portraiture of physical science in all 

 its departments, divided and mapped out, so as to show the 

 distinctive features and boundaries and connections of 

 each, coming down finally to the one science chemistry 

 which was to engage our immediate attention. This 

 lecture was read, quite audibly, I believe, to an audience 

 estimated to amount to fifteen hundred persons or more. 

 They were very attentive, and perfectly quiet during the 

 hour and a quarter which the discourse occupied. I 

 was glad to have got well through this lecture, the 

 only one in the course which I expected to read, which 

 I very much dislike to do, as in reading my manner is 

 artificial, and lacks the genial tone and expression which 

 an earnest speaker, full of his subject, and looking his 

 audience in the face, naturally assumes. I had, how- 



