1850-51 HIS ELOCUTION 371 



gone into details of which the many could not 

 sufficiently see the bearing, and at other times you 

 have been too technical. Everyone last night 

 felt that such was not the case, and when I re- 

 marked to Colonel Reid that no one of the ladies 

 could ever have been even alarmed when you 

 were propounding so many novel theories of re- 

 production, he said : " The delicacy with which he 

 treated those subjects was as remarkable as any 

 other excellence in the whole discourse." I was 

 afraid, as your voice was just at the proper pitch 

 for me who sat near, that the distant auditors must 

 have lost some, but Dr. Roget, who was much 

 farther off, told me that you were " distinct and 

 space-penetrating ; " and Sir C. Fellowes said he 

 watched the remoter parts of the room and ob- 

 served that they were never talking — a clear proof 

 that they heard. 



' Lady Cullum brought me home last night, 

 and when she was expressing her delight at the 

 lecture I told her how glad I was I had not dined 

 at Shrublands, and that I had fairly said to Sir 

 W. Middleton that I could not give up Owen's 

 lecture for his dinner, and that Airy had done the 

 same. She observed : " I wish more independence 

 of this kind had been shown by scientific men." 

 What good can you do if our country gentlemen 

 here can derange all the week your most impor- 

 tant proceedings. . . . ? ' 



At Lockhart's request Owen wrote the review 



B B 2 



