Trinity College, Cambridge, 



March 16, 1858. 



My Dear Sir, 



A few days after Dr Livingstone's visit to Cam- 

 bridge, you informed me that you were about to publish the 

 Reports of the two Addresses he had made (in the Senate- 

 House and Town-Hall), with some notes and explanatory 

 matter of your own. At the same time you asked me to 

 write an account of what took place in our Senate- House, on 

 the occasion of his Address to the University, with any com- 

 ments I might think fit to offer for the use of your little 

 Volume. I promised to comply with your request ; for you 

 told me that by so doing I should gratify my honoured friend 

 Dr Livingstone: but my prefatory letter, I added, must be 

 short; as I disclaimed all purpose of writing a formal review 

 of Dr Livingstone's labours. I should indeed have thought 

 such a task delightful, had I possessed health and leisure for 

 its performance ; but I had neither the one nor the other. 



Three months have passed away since you first spoke 

 to me of your intended publication. The delay cannot be 

 a cause of regret to you if it has enabled you to improve 

 the matter of your work. For your subject is not one of 

 a momentary and local interest; but is connected with the 

 advance of physical knowledge; and, under God's blessing, 

 with the progress of humanity and Christian truth. You 

 now tell me that, with the exception of a few pages, your 

 work is all in type; and you again claim my promise. I 

 ought to be ashamed of my long delay were I not able to 

 reply, that, after the duties of the Michaelmas term were 

 ended, my health for many weeks was in a state which made 



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