4 
TRANSACTIONS OF THE TEXAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 
the Johns Hopkins University. No one who saw will ever forget the 
emotion and astonishment exhibited by James Russell Lowell .while 
listening to this unexpected climax. Thus barred from Cambridge, he 
accepted a call to America from the University of Virginia. 
The cause of his sudden abandonment of the University of Virginia 
is often related by the Rev. Dr. R. L. Dabney, as follows: In Sylvester’s 
class were a pair of brothers, stupid and excrutiatingly pompous. When 
Sylvester pointed out one day the blunders made in a recitation by the 
younger of the pair, this individual felt his honor and family pride ag¬ 
grieved, and sent word to Professor Sylvester that he must apologize or 
be chastized. 
Sylvester bought a sword-cane, which he was carrying when waylaid 
by the brothers, the younger armed with a heavy bludgeon. 
An intimate friend of Dr. Dabney’s happened to be approaching at 
the moment of the encounter. The younger brother stepped up in front 
of Professor Sylvester and demanded an instant and humble apology. 
Almost immediately he struck at Sylvester, knocking off his hat, and 
then delivered with his heavy bludgeon a crushing blow directly upon 
Sylvester’s bare head. 
Sylvester drew his sword-cane and lunged straight at him, striking 
him just over the heart. With a despairing howl, the student fell back 
into his brother’s arms, screaming out, “I am killed!” “Pie has killed 
me! ’’ Sylvester was urged away from the spot by Dr. Dabney’s friend, 
and without even waiting to collect his books, he left for New York, 
and took ship back to England. 
Meantime a surgeon was summoned to the student, who was lividlv 
pale, bathed in cold sweat, in complete collapse, seemingly dying, whis¬ 
pering his last prayers. The surgeon tore open his vest, cut open his 
shirt, and at once declared him not in the least injured. The fine point 
of the sword cane had struck a rib fair and caught against it, not pene¬ 
trating. 
When assured the wound was not much more than a mosquito bite, the 
dying man arose, adjusted his shirt, buttoned his vest, and walked off, 
though still trembling from the nervous shock. Sylvester was made 
head professor of mathematics of the Royal Military Academy at Wool¬ 
wich, a position which he held until the early period set by the English 
military laws for conferring the life pension. 
He thus happened to be free to accept a position at the head of mathe¬ 
matics in the Johns Hopkins University at its organization. With British 
conservatism, he stipulated that his traveling expenses and annual salary 
of five thousand dollars should be paid him in gold, and this fixed, he 
came a second time to America. 
The fame of his coming preceded him, for by this time he was ranked 
