112 
PROFESSOR OWEN 
CH. IV. 
a corresponding reaction upon Owen, for he was 
at first much more nervous than he appeared to 
be. After one of his early lectures (May 30) his 
wife writes : ‘ R. very queer on coming back from 
lecture ; if he is not better by next lecture I shall 
try and get it postponed.’ On June 8 she says : 
‘ R. was scarcely well enough to lecture to-day 
owing to a chill which he got last time by stand- 
ing in the theatre after his lecture. He gets 
very hot while he is speaking, and then is upset 
by the after-chill.’ However, as Owen became 
more accustomed to lecturing, his nervousness to 
a great extent wore off Soon afterwards Lyell 
wrote to congratulate him upon his delivery, 
saying that his voice was so clear and distinct that 
he could be plainly heard without effort by every- 
one in the room. ‘ I always picked out the person 
whom I saw was in the worst place in the room 
for hearing,’ Owen used to say, ‘ and then I talked 
at him.’ 
On June 9 an account is given in the diary of 
one of Faraday’s lectures: ‘To the Royal Insti- 
tution to hear Faraday lecture. Went with my 
father, as R. was not well enough to go. In the 
ante-room I had some convensation with Mr. F., 
who said this lecture was the last of his course for 
the season. It was chiefly on arrows and weapons. 
Faraday showed us the various flints used in dif- 
ferent times and different countriesfor arrow-heads, 
knives, &c. It was most interesting and amusing, 
