448 MEMOIll OF GEORGE WILSON. CHAP. X. 



manding leeches, and other medical delectations. I told you 

 that the doctors had discovered a new malady in my distempered 

 body, a swelling in the side, which I knew too well was likely 

 to be used as a pin-cushion to stick thorns into by Satan. And 

 so it was, but thanks to the leeches, and the medicines, and the 

 doctor, and the good nursing, and, above all, to the mercies of 

 God, I am back to my desk, warned in time to be very wary 

 this winter. 



" I ought to be very thankful that the attack did not occur at 

 Dublin, or on the journey to and fro. I knew the risk I ran, 

 but the consciousness of duty, and the forgetfulness of that risk 

 which I made a point of fostering, lest hypochondriasis should 

 get the upper hand, set me at ease, and would again in similar 

 circumstances. Break the news gently to A., and if she takes 

 it too much to heart, remind her that I subscribe to the Widows' 

 Fund." A. was one of his little wives, then about three years of 

 age. 



To another friend Miss Otte, St. Andrews he speaks of the 

 great risk of fatal haemorrhage from sea -sickness, as a source of 

 anxiety to him while travelling, while he adds, " I am very glad 

 that I was compelled to travel, and I will go anywhere on duty, 

 but mere travelling is to me a burdensome effort. My cup is 

 full of blessings, and the tonic bitter-sweet infused into it is all 

 needed to temper the pleasant draught." 



Amidst the varieties simmering in his brain, we have re- 

 marked a lecture on Industrial Museums. It was undertaken 

 by request of the Merchant Company of Edinburgh, and de- 

 livered to its members and a large circle of guests in December ; 

 the special subject being, ' The Industrial Museum of Scotland 

 in its relation to Commercial Enterprise/ Through the liberality 

 of Mr. James Eichardson, Master of the Company, it was printed 

 and distributed widely throughout the country, and was the 

 means of securing valuable specimens. The birth of the Museum 

 he attributes to a conviction, slowly reached, and lying deep in 

 the hearts of men, that industrial museums were a want of the 

 age. The idea embodied in it he represents as fourfold, includ- 

 ing the conception of 1. An ample Exhibitional Gallery ; 2. 

 Laboratory and Workshop ; 3. A Library ; and 4. Systematic 



