1855-56 MRS. LIVINGSTONE 25 



diately ; although it is now near twenty years since 

 he took leave of me in the College museum, 

 where, as a young medical missionary, he called 

 for instruction as to observing and collecting 

 natural history. He has not been able, poor 

 fellow, to do much in that way : his chief zoolo- 

 gical experience being the grip of his left arm 

 by a lion, which he had wounded with his pistol. 

 The arm was broken and badly set.' 



In a letter written not long after he narrates an 

 incident which happened to Mrs. Livingstone and 

 himself, which evidently entertained him vastly : — 



' After the lecture [by Livingstone at the 

 Society of Arts], Colonel Sykes asked me if I had 

 a ticket for the Photographic Soiree at King's 

 College. I had ; so had he ; and as each ticket 

 admitted two, he took the Doctor, and /, Mrs. 

 Livingstone. It was a dress assembly in the 

 grand hall. Mrs. L., with a straw-bonnet of 1846, 

 and attired to match, made a most singular excep- 

 tion to the brilliant costumes. Who can that 

 odd woman be that Professor O. is taking round 

 the room and paying so much attention to ? I 

 caught sight of Will's countenance (he and Carry 

 had gone with Dr. Farre, before I arrived). 

 Disgust and alarm most strongly portrayed. He 

 could not conceive what badly dressed house- 

 maid I had picked up to bring to such a place ! 

 Carry equally mystified. The extraordinary 

 scrutinies of many fine ladies as they shrank, at 



