1862-64 
LECTURES IN THE NORTH 
129 
He sends a special note with a message for Mr. 
Liddell, to say that he won a game of chess from 
Lord Ravensworth, and read ‘ Guinevere’ to the 
ladies. His letters are full of the interest he found 
in the Elswick Works and his astonishment at the 
methods of manufacture of the guns. 
While in the North of England Owen notes 
in his diary that he gave four lectures at New- 
castle and one at Shields. Mrs. Owen writes 
that her husband, on his return home, showed her 
an interesting letter sent him, after one of his 
Newcastle lectures, by a ‘clever and evidently 
deep-thinking, though uneducated, working man,’ 
in which he thanks Professor Owen for his lectures, 
and expresses his admiration of his powers of 
niind. ‘ It was an uncommon letter,’ Owen re- 
niarks, ‘ and was very agreeable to receive.’ 
The following record of one of Dickens’s 
readings at St. James’s Hall, to which he invited 
Professor and Mrs. Owen, occurs in the diary : — 
'April 10. — Yesterday evening there came 
3 - note from Charles Dickens, asking us if we 
^’ould like to come to St. James’s Hall to hear 
one of his readings. I met R. at the Athenmum, 
9 -nd then we drove together to St. James’s Hall, 
'vhere we were welcomed by Miss Dickens and 
Miss Hogarth, who sat with us just in front of 
Charles Dickens, whose reading, or rather acting, 
^as wonderful, and the immense audience seemed 
feel it to be so. They applauded at parts 
VOL. II. ic 
