406 LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN. 



yet I feel humble at the reflection how little I know of the 

 sciences in which you are so great a master. But you must 

 pardon my intrusion. I ventured lately, for the first time 

 in my life, to address an English judge, and I stated in a 

 letter to Lord Denman, (Lord Chief Justice of the King's 

 Bench,) that " though I had never the honor of a per- 

 sonal acquaintance with any judicial character in Eng- 

 land, yet, that my familiarity with the English law, and 

 with the decisions of the English courts for the last half 

 century, made me feel as if I was in some degree address- 

 ing a companion." He replied more liberally, and said, 

 " He adopted the expression, and desired to add to it " (in 

 its application to me) " a Guide and a P'riend." Now, after 

 that, I need not be afraid of addressing you as familiarly 

 as I do. I have long since made up my mind that the 

 discoveries in geology are not unfavorable to the Christian 

 faith in the Bible. The argument is conclusive, that the 

 Holy Scriptures were intended for man as a moral and ac- 

 countable being, and not to teach him physical philosophy. 

 The boundless antiquity of the elements of geology, and 

 the recent creation of man, are indisputable facts. No fos- 

 sil evidences of the existence of man, prior to the Mosaic 

 date, are to be found, and that fact discloses awful and sub- 

 lime results, and shows that man might have been created 

 perfect in his mind and body, by extraordinary and omnipo- 

 tent agency, as told in Genesis. The fact gives vast energy 

 to the doctrine of the immaterial soul and immortal destiny 

 of man, as disclosed in the Scriptures. 



Wishing you every success and every happiness, I am, 

 with my best respects to Mrs. Silliman, 



Your obedient servant, 



PROFESSOR SILLIMAN. JAMES KENT. 



English travellers, not unfrequently, brought to him 

 letters of introduction. His kindness and hospitality 

 never failed to leave upon them agreeable impressions. 



