ii6 PROFESSOR OWEN CH. IV. 
made a short speech, I took the opportunity of 
saying a word on the subject of such valuable 
acquisitions to science not having proper accom- 
modation, &c., at the Museum.’ 
‘ On March i8,’ Mrs. Owen writes in her diary, 
‘ R. and 1 drove to the Royal Institution, to hear 
another of M . Du Chaillu’s lectures. A tremendous 
crowd filled the theatre, Sir Roderick Murchison 
in the chair. M. Du Chaillu gave a very quaint, 
clear, and interesting account of his travels in 
Africa, and his meeting with the gorillas, a row 
of which hideous creatures was overhead : some 
skulls were before the lecturer, who traced his pro- 
gress on a large map as the lecture proceeded.’ 
A few days after this lecture Owen received 
the following letter from M. Du Chaillu : — 
129 Mount Street : March 22, 1861. 
‘ My dear Sir,— Allow me to present you with 
a gorilla skin. . . . When I prepared it in Africa 
it was with the intention that I should present it 
to you myself, and on this account 1 did not send 
it to you from America. 
‘ 1 think that it is quite time that you should 
put your foot on the skin of an animal the anato- 
mical character of which you have so thoroughly 
described in several of the memoirs you have 
published, and the reading of which has delighted 
me so much. 
‘ Yours very truly, 
‘ P. B. Du Chaillu.’ 
