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LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 


LIFE 


BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN,  M.D.,  LL.D. 

LATE    PROFESSOR    OF    CHEMISTRY,    MINERALOGY,  AND    GEOLOGY    IN 
YALE  COLLEGE. 


CHIEFLY  FROM  HIS  MANUSCRIPT  REMINISCENCES,  DIARIES, 
AND  CORRESPONDENCE. 


BY 

GEORGE  P.   FISHER, 

PROFESSOR  IN  YALE  COLLEGE. 


IN  TWO   VOLUMES. 
VOLUME  n. 


NEW  YORK: 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER  AND   COMPANY. 

124  GRAND  STREET. 

1866. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1866,  by 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER  AND  COMPANY. 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern 
District  of  New  York 


V 


1/^3 
ft/8 

*2 


RIVERSIDE,  CAMBRIDGE: 
STKREOTYPED  AND  PRINTED  BY 

II  it.  HOUQHTON  AND  COMPANY. 


CONTENTS  OF   VOL.  II. 


PART  in.    (CONTINUED.) 


FROM  THE  COMMENCEMENT  OF  HIS  CAREER  AS  A  PUBLIC  LECTURER 
TO  THE  RESIGNATION  OF  HIS  COLLEGE  OFFICE. 

1834-1853. 


CHAPTER  XVH. 

LECTURES  IN  SOUTHERN  CITIES. 

Course  of  Geology  in  Pittsburg.  —  Gratification  of  his  Audience.  — 
Course  of  Geology  in  Baltimore.  —  Dr.  Nathan  R.  Smith.  —  Suc- 
cess of  the  Course.  —  Social  Civilities  in  Baltimore.  —  Journey  to 
the  South.  —  Charleston.  —  Professor  Shepard.  — J.  B.  Legare,  Esq. 
—  Colonel  Ion.  —  Miss  Bowman.  —  Society  in  Charleston.  —  His 
Reception  in  New  Orleans.  —  Notices  of  the  Lectures  in  the  News- 

.  papers.  —  Social  Attentions.  —  Bishop  Polk  and  Lady.  —  Lectures 
in  Mobile.  —  Lectures  in  Natchez.  — Visit  to  Mr.  Murdock's  Planta- 
tion. —  Lectures  before  the  Smithsonian  Institution.  —  Lectures  in 
St.  Louis.  —  Bishop  —  —  on  Geology.  — Remarks  on  his  Work 
as  a  Lecturer.  —  Connections  of  Science  and  Religion.  —  Corre- 
spondence with  Professor  Kingsley,  &c 1 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

CORRESPONDENCE  WITH   SCIENTIFIC  MEN. 

Letters  of  Berzelius.  —  Berzelius  proposes  a  Correspondence ;  Alludes 
to  his  own  Work  on  Chemistry,  to  Professor  Silliman's  Experi- 
ments with  the  Deflagrator,  to  the  "Journal  of  Science,"  to  Dr. 
Hare.  —  Letter  from  Dr.  Henry.  —  Correspondence  with  Mr.  Mac- 
lure. —  Mr.  Maclure  on  the  Subject  of  Education:  Professor  Silli- 
man  on  Owen,  on  Speculative  Opinions  in  Politics  and  Religion ; 
Recommends  a  Benefaction  to  Science ;  on  Mr.  Lyell's  Geology,  on 
European  Politics,  on  the  Tariff,  Slavery,  and  Nullification.  —  Let- 


vi  CONTENTS. 

ters  of  Robert  Bakewell. — Mr.  Bake-well  on  the  Mosaic  Cosmog- 
ony, on  Lycll  and  Buckland,  on  Lyell's  f /<"%#,  on  his  own  Geoloyy, 
on  Scientific  Journals,  on  Oxford  and  Dr.  Buckland,  on  Mantell  and 
his  Museum,  on  Coal-Beds  in  America,  on  Storms,  on  Murchison's 
Geological  Work,  on  a  Universal  Language,  on  the  Insect  Tree. ...  35 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

COLONEL  TRUMBULL  AND   HIS  PAINTINGS. 

Professor  Silliman's  Acquaintance  with  Colonel  Trumbull.— His  Inter- 
view with  Colonel  Trumbull,  in  1830.  —  Purchase  of  TnnnbulPs 
Paintings  by  Yale  College.  —  Colonel  Trumbull  on  his  Portrait  of 
Washington.  — The  Battle  of  Trenton.  —  The  Battle  of  Bunker 
Hill,  and  General  Warren.  —  Anecdote  of  Colonel  Small.  —  Taint- 
ing of  the  Battle  of  Princeton.  —  The  Death  of  General  Mercer. — 
Anecdotes  relating  to  this  Painting.  —  Anecdote  of  General  Mat- 
toon  and  Colonel  Trumbull.  —  The  Surrender  of  Cornwallis 66 

CHAPTER  XX. 

RESIGNATION  OF  PRESIDENT   DAY :     DOMESTIC  AFFLICTION. 

Resignation  of  President  Day.  —  Letter  of  Chancellor  Kent.  —  Visit 
to  Boston :  Agassiz.  —  Death  of  Mr.  Elihu  Chnuneey.  —  Visit  from 
Agassiz.— Birthday  Reflections  (1848).— Death  of  Jeremiah  Ma<on. 

—  Visit  to  his  Early  Home.  —  Proposal  to  Resign.  —  Death  of  Mrs. 
Silliman.  —  Religious  Thoughts.  —  Visit  to  Washington :  President 
Taylor;  Secretary  Clayton.  —  His  Consent  to  withdraw  his  Resig- 
nation       79 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

VISIT  TO  EUROPE:  SECOND  MARRIAGE:  RETIREMENT  FROM 
OFFICE. 

His  Second  Visit  to  Europe.  —  His  Reception  and  his  Travels.  —  Let- 
ters from  Ilumboldt  and  Carl  Ritter.  —  Letter  from  President  Day. 

—  His  Second   Marriage.  — Letters  to  Dr.  .lolm  Griscom.  —  Death 
of  I'rofe.-MU-  Stuart.  —  Death  of  Professor  Kingsley.  —  His  Renewal 
of  his  Resignation.  —  IntervicAV  with  Daniel   \Vebster.  —  Death  of 
Dr.  Mantell.  —  Proceedings  connected  with  his  Retirement  from 
Office.  —  His  Reflections  on  this  Event 101 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

CORRESPONDENCE   WITH    MK.    HITCHCOCK:    LETTERS   OF   AGASSIZ. 

Geology  and  Genesis. —  Vie v  or  Silliman.  — Dr.  llitelicock 

proposes  to  Study  in  New  Haven;  on  the  First  Chapter  of  Genesis 


CONTENTS.  vii 

PAQB 

—  Professor  Silliman  to  Dr.  Hitchcock  on  the  Death  of  his  Child; 
on  the  Method  of  Studying  Chemistry ;  on  Professor  Stuart's  Geolog- 
ical Kemarks ;  on  the  Bird-Tracks.  —  Dr.  Hitchcock  on  his  Geolog- 
ical Critics;  on  the  Spirit  of  his  Writings.  —  Professor  Silliman  on 
the  Clergy;  ou  Wiseman's  Book;  on  the  Bird-Tracks.  —  Letters  to 
Dr.  Spring  on  Geology  and  Scripture. — Letters  from  Agassiz. — 
Agassiz  on  his  own  Visit  to  England;  on  his  Studies;  on  Mr.  Red- 
field;  on  the  "Journal  of  Science";  on  his  Work  on  Glaciers;  on 

his  Proposed  Visit  to  America ;  announces  his  Arrival  in  Boston . . .  132 

CHAPTER  XXIH. 

LETTERS  FROM  LYELL,  MURCHISON,  OWEN,  DAUBENY,  HERSCHEL, 
ETC. 

Lyell  on  Professor  Silliman's  Lectures;  on  his  own  Geology;  on  Pro- 
fessor Silliman's  Influence;    on  Revisiting  America;  on  Mantell. 

—  Lady  Lyell  on  Professor  Silliman's  Travels;  on  the  Marriage  of 
her  Sister.  —  Murchison  on  the  Geology  of  Russia  and  of  America; 
on  Dana's  Work  on  Corals;  on  Colonel  Fremont.  —  Owen  on  the 
Footprints  of  the  Connecticut  Valley;  on  his  own  Labors  in  Anat- 
omy. —  Daubeny  on  his  own  Journal  in  the  United  Stales ;  on  Lie- 
big;  on  the  Revolution  in  France  (1848);  on  the  Relations  of  Eng- 
land and  America ;  on  Education  at  Oxford.  —  Sir  J.  F.  W.  Her- 
schel  on  the  late  Mr.  E.  P.  Mason.  —  Letter  from  Professor  Haid- 
inger.  —  Letter  from  Professor  Coneybeare.  —  Letter  from  Pro- 
fessor J.  F.  W.  Johnston  on  Russia.  —  Letter  from  Professor  W.  B. 
Rogers 161 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.   MANTELL. 

Origin  of  the  Correspondence.  —  Dr.  Mantell  on  the  Vicissitudes  of 
Fortune  among  English  Families;  on  Tariffs.  —  Professor  Silliman 
on  Nullification  and  Slavery ;  on  Mrs.  Trollope's  Book  on  the  United 
States;  on  Captain  Hamilton's  Book  on  the  United  States-.  —  Dr. 
Mantell  on  the  Duke  of  Wellington;  on  Agassiz's  Visit  to  him;  on 
Mr.  Ly ell's  History.  —  Professor  Silliman  on  the  Means  of  Health; 
on  the  Bird-Tracks  of  the  Connecticut  River  Valley ;  on  the  Visit 
of  Dickens,  and  that  of  Lyell,  to  the  United  States.  —  Dr.  Mantell 
on  Mr.  Bakewell,  his  Infirmities,  his  Death.  —  Professor  Silliman  on 
Dr.  Mantell's  Disease. — Dr.  Mantell  on  the  Medals  of  Creation; 
on  Sir  R.  Peel;  on  Dr.  Lardner.  —  Professor  Silliman  on  Equiv- 
ocal Generation  and  the  Nebular  Theory;  on  Lyell's  Visit. — Dr. 
Mantell  on  the  Potato-rot  and  the  Condition  of  the  English  Poor; 
on  his  Geology  of  the  Isle  of  Wight.  —  Professor  Silliman  on  Dr. 
Mantell's  Sufferings;  on  Mr.  Lyell's  Reference  to  Dr.  Mantell  (in 


viii  CONTENTS. 

PAGI 

his  Geology,  Second  Edition);  on  the  Mexican  War  and  European 
War.  —  Dr.  Mantell  on  the  Dinner  of  the  Geological  Society.  — Pro- 
fessor Silliman  on  California.  —  Dr.  Mantell  on  Faraday ;  on  the 
Death  of  Sir  Robert  Peel;  on  his  Annuity  from  the  Queen. — Dr. 
J.  C.  Warren  on  the  Death  of  Dr.  Mantell 183 


FAKT  IV. 

FKOH  THE  RESIGNATION  OF  HIS  COLLEGE  OFFICE  TO  HIS  DEATH. 
1853-1864. 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

HIS  LAST  LECTURE  IN   COLLEGE:    THE  TROUBLES  IN  KANSAS: 
SLAVERY. 

Reception  of  his  Travels  in  Europe :  Letter  from  President  Sparks.  — 
His  Birthday,  (1854).  —  Conclusion  of  his  College  Lectures. — Mr. 
Gajani.  —Death  of  Friends.  —  Induction  of  Mr.  Dana  into  Office. — 
Professor  Silliman's  Views  on  Slavery.  —  The  Meeting  in  Aid  of 
the  Kansas  Settlers.  —  Encomium  upon  Profesor  Silliman  by  Sen- 
ator Foster.  —  His  Letter  to  the  National  hthlliyaicer.  —  Letter 
from  Senator  Hale.  —  Letters  from  Josiah  Quiney.  —  His  Birthday 
(1856).  —  Interviews  with  Washington  Irving.  —  The  New  Year 
(1857).  —  Letter  on  the  Claims  of  Christianity.  —  The  Xew  Haven 
Correspondence  with  Mr.  Buchanan.  —  Vindication  of  Professor  Sil- 
liman by  Senator  Dixon.  —  Letter  from  Senator  Trumlmll.  —  Letter 
from  Senator  Sumner.  —  Letter  to  Dr.  Hitchcock.  —  Letters,  chiefly 
on  Politics  and  Slavery,  to  Mr.  John  Taylor  231 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

HIS  CLOSING  YEARS:  THE  WAR:  HIS  RELIGIOUS  THOUGHTS- 

Thc  Agreeable-ness  of  his  Home:  His  Occupations. — Progress  of  Science 
in  Vale  College. —  The  Scientific  School.  —  Benefactions  of  Mr. 
Sheflield. — Honors  from  the  Scientific  Association.  — Tributes  of 
,  iotle  Interest,  in  the.  \Var.—  Letters  to  Miss  Kli/a 
Quincy:  Reminiscences  of  Lafayette;  Kmancipation  ;  ( 'liaracter  of 
the  Rebellion;  ( "onduct  of  Krai  ice  and  Kngland  ;  the  Oeath  of  Pres- 
ident Quincy.— Letters  to  Rev.  Dr.  Spra.^ue. — Letters  In  M|-.>  V 

Nashville.  —  The  New  Year  (1M1 ).  —  I'ealh  of  Judge 
Williams  and  President  Fcltou.  —  Birthday  '  (1802).  —  New  Year 


CONTENTS.  IX 

PAOE 

,  (1863).  —  Birthday  (1863).  —  Commemoration  of  his  Grandfather, 
(Mr.  Fish,)  at  Stonington.— Letter  from  Dr.  Hitchcock.  —  Letter 
from  Mr.  S.  F.  B.  Morse.  —  Birthday  (1864).  —  Death  of  Dr. 
Knight  271 

CHAPTER  XXVH. 
HIS  DEATH:  HIS  CHARACTER  AND  SERVICES. 

His  Last  Days.  —  Circumstances  of  his  Death.  —  His  Funeral.  —  The 
Character  of  his  Mind.  —  His  Work  as  a  Man  of  Science :  Remarks 
of  President  Woolsey :  Letter  from  Professor  Jeffries  Wyman :  Re- 
marks of  Professor  J.  P.  Cooke :  Letter  from  Professor  Joseph  Henry. 
— His  Services  to  Yale  College  and  Character  as  a  College  Officer: 
Remarks  of  President  Woolsey:  Letter  from  Professor  Thacher: 
Letter  from  Professor  Porter:  Remarks  of  Dr.  Bacon.  —His  Kind- 
ness: Letter  from  Dr.  Charles  Beck:  Letter  from  Mr.  S.  F.  B. 
Morse. — The  Courtesy  of  his  Manners :  Remarks  of  President  Wool- 
sey: Letter  from  Rev.  George  Jones.  —  His  Love  of  Esteem. — 
His  Domestic  Virtues:  Communications  from  Mrs.  Church,  Mrs. 
Hubbard,  and  Mrs.  Dana:  Letter  from  Judge  S.  J.  Andrews. — 
His  Impression  upon  others :  Remarks  of  Professor  Wyman :  Letter 
from  Professor  C.  U.  Shepard:  Letter  from  Rev.  Dr.  Sprague 311 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 
CHAPTER  XVII. 

LECTURES  IN  SOUTHERN  CITIES. 

Course  of  Geology  in  Pittsburg.  —  Gratification  of  his  Audience.  —  Course 
of  Geology  in  Baltimore.  —  Dr.  Nathan  R.  Smith.  —  Success  of  the 
Course.  —  Social  Civilities  in  Baltimore.  —  Journey  to  the  South.  — 
Charleston — Professor  Shepard.  —  J.  B.  Legare,  Esq.  —  Colonel  Ion. 
—  Mi-s  Bowman.  —  Society  in  Charleston.  —  His  Reception  in  New- 
Orleans.  —  Notices  of  the  Lectures  in  the  Newspapers.  —  Social  Atten- 
tions. —  Bishop  Polk  and  Lady.  —  Lectures  in  Mobile.  —  Lectures  in 
Natchez.  —  Visit  to  Mr.  Murdock's  Plantation.  —  Lectures  before  the 
Smithsonian  Institution.  —  Lectures  in  St.  Louis.  —  Bishop  —  —  on 
Geology.  —  Remarks  on  his  Work  as  a  Lecturer.  —  Connections  of 
Science  and  Religion.  —  Correspondence  with  Professor  Kingsley,  &c. 

PROFESSOR  SILLIMAN  continues  the  narrative  of 
his  public  labors:  — 

I  had  now  been  nine  years  before  the  public  as  a  lecturer 
on  science,  to  popular  audiences,  and  had  been  successful 
in  making  the  subjects  on  which  I  had  spoken  intelligible 
and  attractive,  without  diminishing  the  dignity  of  science  or 
neglecting  Yale  College.  With  the  exception  of  a  single 
spontaneous  address  before  the  Geological  Association  in 
Philadelphia,  in  the  spring  of  1841,  when  I  presided,  my 
efforts  had  been  mostly  confined  to  New  England,  —  chiefly 
to  Massachusetts  and  the  city  of  New  York.  By  these  and 
similar  labors  of  other  gentlemen,  both  of  earlier  and  co- 
incident periods,  a  strong  impression  had  been  produced 
on  the  public  mind,  and  overtures  were  made  from  time 

VOL.   II  1 


2  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

to  time  for  scientific  lectures  in  other  places.  Among 
them  the  City  of  Pittsburg  offered  strong  claims,  which 
were  presented  by  W.  W.  Wilson,  Esq.,  in  a  correspondence 
on  behalf  of  his  fellow-citizens.  I  felt  myself  drawn  that 
way  by  the  interesting  historical  associations,  and  the  rich 
geological  and  picturesque  features  of  that  grand  region. 
No  definite  pecuniary  offer  was  made.  I  was  to  take  my 
chance  of  success  ;  and,  presuming  that  the  lectures  would 
pay  the  expenses  of  the  journey,  I  gave  an  affirmative 

answer  to  the  proposal  of  Mr.  Wilson It  was  a 

source  of  satisfaction  to  my  good  wife  and  my  children,  as 
well  as  to  myself,  that  I  was  not  to  travel  alone.  My  kind 
friend,  Mr.  Robert  Bakewell,  the  skilful  artist,  to  whom  I  had 
been  long  indebted  for  many  most  useful  as  well  as  beauti- 
ful drawings,  illustrative  of  geology,  was  willing  to  accom- 
pany me  to  Pittsburg,  to  which  he  was  drawn  by  his 
brother  *  and  his  family,  who  had  made  that  city  their 
temporary  home.  Mr.  William  L.  Kingsley,  also,  youngest 
son  of  my  friend  and  colleague,  Professor  James  L.  Kings- 
ley,  decided  to  accompany  us  over  the  mountains  on  his 
way  to  the  River  Ohio. 

Mr.  Silliman  proceeded  to  Washington,  by  the 
way  of  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore,  and  thence  to 
Pittsburg. 

I  find  the  following  in  a  rough  sketch  of  part  of  the 
course,  under  date  of  Saturday,  May  6:  —  "My  second 
week  concluded  with  great  mercy.  I  am  well,  and  have 
sustained  my  anxious  but  now  successful  labor.  Great 
interest  is  excited ;  the  regular  attendance  is  about  six 
hundred  ;  people  go  an  hour  or  more  beforehand,  and, 
although  the  lectures  are  from  an  hour  and  a  quarter  to  an 
hour  and  three  quarters  long,  they  listen  patiently,  and  are 
very  decorous,  and  as  attentive  as  ever.  Three  lectures 

more,  and  my  work  will  be  done 

*  The  Rev.  William  L.  Bakewell. 


LECTURES  IN  SOUTHERN"  CITIES.  3 

May  11. —  This  evening  my  course  was  finished,  and  I 
touched  the  polemical  question  more  to  my  own  satisfaction 
than  at  any  time  before.  I  gave  full  scope  to  time  prece- 
dent to  man,  but  omitted  any  discussion  of  the  days 

At  the  conclusion,  many  persons  pressed  forward  towards 
me,  and  almost  overwhelmed  me  with  their  affectionate 
adieu,  with  their  warm  expression  of  approbation,  and  their 
best  wishes  for  my  welfare.  Many  ladies  came  to  bid  me 
farewell,  and  manifested  strong  emotion  as  they  shook  me 
warmly  by  the  hand.  I  was  quite  unmanned  by  such  ex- 
pressions of  grateful  feeling,  and  wanted  words  adequately 
to  respond.  I  never  ended  any  course  of  lectures  with 
such  vivid  demonstrations  of  kind  and  gratified  feelings. 
The  gentlemen  attending  the  course  were  not  wanting  in 
similar  demonstrations;  and  that  evening  has  ever  re- 
mained a  bright  spot  in  my  reminiscences  of  life. 

May  27,  Saturday.  —  We  arrived  at  our  dear  home  to 
dinner  ;  and,  to  our  great  joy,  we  found  all  well,  especially 
the  beloved  lady,  and  rejoicing  in  our  safe  return,  and 
grateful  that,  by  the  goodness  of  God,  my  tour  of  fifteen 
hundred  miles  and  forty-four  days,  by  land  and  water,  had 
terminated  prosperously,  —  without  accident,  or  hindrance, 
or  molestation.  In  my  numerous  journeys  already  made, 
and  in  other  travels  and  labors  that  remain  to  be  recorded, 
I  ever  committed  my  dear  wife  and  family,  myself  and  my 
companions  in  travel,  devoutly  to  the  care  of  a  kind,  pro- 
tecting Providence,  and  never  did  I  fail  to  experience  it  in 
every  vicissitude.  Certainly  I  was  not  indifferent  to  the 
acquisition  of  means  for  the  education  of  my  children,  and 
for  their  outfit  in  life,  as  well  as  to  fulfil  all  my  other  pecu- 
niary obligations ;  but  I  can  truly  say  that  it  was  my  delight 
to  honor  God  by  unfolding,  in  the  most  lucid  form  of  which 
I  was  capable,  the  wonderful  illustrations  of  His  power,  wis- 
dom, and  goodness,  which  science  reveals  ;  and  no  depart- 
ments of  science  are  more  rich  in  such  proofs  than  those 


4  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

which  it  was  my  duty  to  explain.  Astronomy  stands  side 
by  side  with  them  in  these  respects  ;  while,  in  grandeur 
and  awful  sublimity,  as  it  presents  in  the  starry  heavens  a 
splendid  record  of  the  thoughts  of  God,  it  takes  rank  of  all 
other  departments  of  physical  science. 

Excepting  a  single  spontaneous  address  before  the  Geo- 
logical Association  in  Philadelphia,  in  April,  1841,  I  had 
never  spoken,  as  a  lecturer,  in  any  place  south  of  New 
York,  except  when  I  was  in  Baltimore.  On  my  tour  to 
Pittsburg  in  April,  1843,  my  good  friend,  Dr.  Nathan  R. 
Smith,  expressed  a  wish  that  I  might  lecture  in  Baltimore, 
and  intimated  that  he  might  originate  an  effort  to  have  me 
invited  to  address  an  audience  in  that  city  in  the  ensuing 
year.  To  this  suggestion  I  did  not  raise  any  objection,  and 
the  effort  was  made  by  Dr.  Smith  and  his  friends,  and 
especially  his  son-in-law,  Dr.  Theobald,  in  the  winter  of 
1843_44.  Accordingly,  in  December,  1843, 1  received  an 
earnest  invitation  from  Baltimore  to  deliver  a  course  of 
geological  lectures  there.  The  letter  was  couched  in  cour- 
teous language  and  in  gratifying  terms,  and  was  signed  by 
seventeen  of  the  most  eminent  citizens.  Several  of  these 
gentlemen  were  distinguished  as  men  of  science  or  for  pro- 
fessional eminence,  and  most  of  them  by  social  position. 

The  course  in  Baltimore  was  opened  on  the  4th 
of  March,  1844. 

My  residence  was,  by  previous  invitation,  at  the  house  of 
Dr.  Nathan  R.  Smith,  the  most  celebrated  surgeon  of  this 
part  of  the  United  States.  Dr.  Smith  and  his  father  and 
family  had  been  guests  in  my  house,  and  they  appeared,  I 
doubt  not  truly,  to  be  happy  in  reciprocating  the  hospi- 
tality. 

As  at  Pittsburg,  I  opened  the  entire  subject,  —  the  ob- 
ject of  Geology,  the  means  and  the  results  already  at- 
tained ;  also,  the  relation  of  the  subject  to  the  interests  of 


LECTURES   IN   SOUTHERN  CITIES.  O 

human  society,  both  moral  and  physical.  These  topics, 
with  some  aid  from  the  charts,  enabled  me  to  speak  with 
freedom  and  evident  effect.  If  I  may  judge  from  the 
notices  in  the  Baltimore  prints,  the  first  impression  was 
very  favorable.  "  A  large  and  highly  respectable  audience 
greeted  the  distinguished  Northern  Professor  at  his  intro- 
ductory lecture.  His  high  reputation  rendered  it  no  easy 
task  to  meet  the  expectations  of  such  an  auditory  ;  but  they 
were  more  than  realized.  The  discourse  was  so  philosoph- 
ical, yet  so  perspicuous  and  intelligible  ;  the  style  so  un- 
affected, so  easy,  graceful,  and  impressive,  as  to  rivet  the 
attention  to  the  very  moment  of  the  conclusion.  The  lec- 
ture was,  moreover,  illustrated  by  a  large  collection  of  ex- 
ceedingly beautiful  and  instructive  paintings,  which  added 
greatly  to  the  interest  of  every  topic.  "  He  dwelt  on  the 
physical  history  of  the  earth  as  it  is  indelibly  written  in 
the  rocks ;  on  the  means  of  inspecting  the  interior  of  the 
globe,  and  of  inferring  its  structure  far  below  the  visible 
surface  ;  the  changes  wrought  by  physical  laws,  from  one 
epoch  to  another,  having  fitted  the  earth  first  for  the  least 
perfect  of  beings,  then  for  those  of  a  higher  order,  and 
finally,  after  ages  have  passed,  it  became  a  fit  abode  for 
man."  Another  writer  says :  —  "  The  discourse  last  night 
was  of  surpassing  eloquence  and  interest,  and  clearly  dem- 
onstrated that  the  study  of  Nature  tends  to  impress  us  with 
suitable  ideas  of  the  power  and  attributes  of  the  Creator. 
Who  did  not  feel  a  thrilling  sensation  as  the  lecturer  elu- 
cidated with  such  simplicity  the  remote  and  proximate 
causes  of  earthquakes  and  volcanoes  ?  "  I  have  condensed 
and  softened  these  citations,  omitting  the  most  eulogistic 

parts 

The  success  of  the  course  was  early  decided.  In  a  let- 
ter home,  dated  March  10,  after  lecture  fourth,  I  remark  : — 
"  I  am  very  well,  and  all  anxiety  as  to  the  respectable  prog- 
ress of  the  lectures  is  over.  People  who  come  for  once, 
stay.  A  lady  came  to  oblige  her  husband,  but  was  sure 


6  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

she  should  neither  understand  nor  care  for  the  subject,  Lut 
found  that  she  was  under  a  mistake  in  both  these  respects, 
and  remained,  an  engaged  and  excited  hearer. 

March  10. —  I  wrote  to  my  son:  —  "There  is  now  an 
intense  interest,  and  they  talk  of  calling  me  another  year. 
The  audience,  as  I  have  before  remarked,  is  of  a  high  order 
of  intelligence  and  social  position,  of  the  most  perfect  good 
breeding,  and  during  the  lectures  there  is  a  breathless 
attention. 

"  I  spoke  last  night  two  hours  to  the  fullest  audience  I 
have  yet  had,  —  believed  to  be  six  hundred,  and  I  am 
treated  with  the  greatest  consideration.  Mr.  Gilmer  is 
highly  delighted,  and  says  to  me,  that  he  cannot  anyhow 
lose  a  lecture." 

Richard  Caton,  Esq.,  an  Englishman,  married  a  daughter 
of  the  Hon.  Charles  Carroll,  who  was  the  last  survivor  of 
the  men  who  signed  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  I 
had  met  Mr.  Caton  in  New  Haven,  and  he  had  been  very 
courteous  to  me  in  Baltimore ;  had  called  on  me  repeatedly 
at  Dr.  Smith's,  although  eighty  years  of  age.  He  always 
came  on  horseback,  and  generally  on  Sunday  noon.  I 
dined  in  his  family  at  the  Carroll  House,  and  Mrs.  Caton, 
being  quite  blind,  was  assigned  to  my  care,  my  seat  being 
next  to  her  at  table ;  and  1  had  the  honor  of  leading  her  in 
and  out,  and  enjoyed  her  sensible  and  enlightened  conversa- 
tion, her  mind  being  in  full  vigor.  The  family  are  Catholics. 
Two  of  the  sisters  married  English  noblemen  ;  one  is  the 
wifn  of  the  Marquis  of  Wellesley,  brother  of  the  Duke  of 
Wellington,  and  another  of  a  nobleman  whose  name  I  have 
forgotten.  Mrs.  Caton  told  me  that  the  house  or  castle  of 
her  sister's  husband  was  constantly  thronged  with  visitors, 
who  enjoyed  the  liberty  of  the  house  in  the  highest  degree, 
coining  and  goin^  as  they  please,  —  the  Marquis  not  being 
responsible  to  entertain  them,  but  only  seeing  them  once 
or  twice  in  a  clay.  Mr.  Caton  was  a  gentleman  of  courtly 
manners,  but  visionary  in  his  scientific  views. 


LECTURES  IN  SOUTHERN  CITIES. 


During  the  delivery  of  this  course  in  Baltimore, 
Mr.  Si  Hi  man  was  the  recipient  of  the  most  cordial 
attentions  and  civilities. 

In  February,  1846,  on  the  invitation  of  a  consider- 
able number  of  gentlemen,  he  again  repaired  to  Bal- 
timore, and  gave  a  second  course  on  the  same  sub- 
ject. But  owing  to  various  causes,  one  of  which 
was  the  neglect  on  the  part  of  these  persons  to  make 
the  necessary  preparations  for  the  lectures,  the  at- 
tendance was  smaller.  Yet  the  lectures  were  heard 
with  delight.  During  his  stay  in  Baltimore,  he  made 
an  excursion  to  Washington.  This,  as  well  as  a 
dinner-party  at  Baltimore, — one  of  many  social  en- 
tertainments at  which  he  was  a  guest,  —  are  men- 
tioned in  the  passages  which  follow  :  — 

In  Washington,  Sabbath,  February  5.  I  was  at  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  B. ;  —  a  fervent  and 
powerful  sermon  by  Mr.  Sproal.  President  Polk  and  lady 
were  near  us,  with  many  members  of  the  government. 
The  President  and  lady  were  sedate  and  dignified.  I  con- 
versed with  him  at  New  Haven  several  years  ago.  He 
was,  in  his  manners,  a  gentleman,  and  she  a  polished  lady. 
Sometime  after,  with  some  lady  friends,  I  had  an  introduc- 
tion to  her  at  the  White  House  on  reception  day. 

March  6. — Dinner  at  Mr.  Samuel  Smith's,  near  the  Battle 
Monument,  —  a  dinner  of  style  and  splendor.  Among  the 
guests  were  Mr.  Frank  Granger  and  Monsieur  Bonaparte, 
son  of  Jerome  Bonaparte,  and  his  wife,  Miss  Patterson,  of 
Baltimore.  He  was  born  in  London,  in  the  summer  of 
1805,  when  I  was  residing  there.  He  is  an  unassuming 
gentleman,  and  in  person  and  features  is  pronounced  to  be 
the  very  image  of  his  uncle,  Napoleon  I.  He  leads  a  quiet 
life,  —  amusing  himself  with  riding  and  other  active  occu- 
pations. 


8  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

The  reputation  of  Mr.  Silliman  as  an  attractive 
teacher  of  science  had  now,  through  his  pupils  and 
in  consequence  of  his  popular  courses,  spread  to  the 
remotest  parts  of  the  country.  The  passages  which 
follow  are  a  part  of  his  record  of  an  extensive  tour 
in  the  South,  and  of  his  successful  labors  in  several 
of  its  principal  cities. 

A  correspondence  had  been  sustained  between  several 
personal  friends  and  myself,  founded  on  interviews  here  in 
New  Haven,  regarding  courses  of  lectures  to  be  delivered 
by  me  in  the  cities  of  Mobile  and  New  Orleans.  Much  in- 
terest was  manifested  to  have  me  undertake  this  tour,  and 
preliminary  investigations  were  made  by  my  friends  as  to 
the  patronage  that  might  be  expected,  which,  in  their  judg- 
ment, appeared  to  be  sufficient  to  justify  the  undertaking. 
In  Mobile,  Mr.  Milton  Pope  acted  as  my  friend,  and  in 
New  Orleans,  Messrs.  Lucius  C.  and  Grier  Duncan,  broth- 
ers, and  Alfred  Hennen,  Esq.,  were  my  most  active  sup- 
porters. In  both  cities  there  were  Northern  men,  and  sev- 
eral from  Connecticut,  who  took  an  interest  in  the  matter  ; 
and  as  I  had  never  travelled  in  the  far  South  and  South- 
west, I  decided,  after  mature  consideration,  to  make  the 
effort,  —  my  son  going  with  me,  both  as  a  companion  and 
assistant. 

He  took  Charleston  on  his  way,  where  he  was  hos- 
pitably received. 

Sabbath,  February  2.  —  A  happy  meeting  with  our  New 
Haven  friends,  Professor  C.  U.  Shepard  and  lady,  cheered 
us  on  our  arrival,  and  we  resorted  at  once  to  their  tempo- 
rary home,  at  Miss  Smith's,  in  Broad  Street.  We  rested  in 
the  forenoon  in  our  warm  and  comfortable  chamber,  and  in 
the  afternoon  we  resorted  to  a  small  free  Episcopal  Church, 
because  its  air  was  tempered  by  a  stove.  We  were  told  that 


LECTURES  IN  SOUTHERN  CITIES.  9 

ie  other  churches  were  without  fire,  and  I  had  a  cold  upon 
ic.  The  service  was  solemn ;  and  one  gallery  was  filled 
servants  of  all  shades  of  color,  from  jet  black  to  almost 
nglo-Saxon  white.  They  seemed  very  devout. 
Among  the  friends  whom  I  was  happy  to  meet  in  this 
:ity  was  John  Berwick  Legare,  Esq.,  a  graduate  of  Yale 
College  in  1815,  a  ward  of  mine.  By  kind  treatment,  I 
attached  him  to  me,  and  I  rendered  him  some  personal  ser- 
vices for  which  he  was  grateful.  In  1839,  he  visited  New 
Haven,  with  his  wife  and  her  sister,  and  they,  with  other 
Carolinians,  were  received  in  hospitality  at  our  house.  I  was 
pleased  there  to  meet  them,  the  ladies  being  lovely  women, 
and  the  sister,  Miss  Elizabeth  Jones,  was  eminently  lovely 
and  beautiful.  It  was  Mr.  Legare  who  conducted  us  to 
church ;  and  in  the  vestibule  of  his  ancient  family  church, 
that  of  Dr.  Post,  the  congregation  being  not  yet  assembled, 
I  there  met  Miss  Jones,  who  received  me  as  an  affectionate 
daughter  would  do.  We  had  interchanged  letters,  and 
occasionally  little  souvenirs  of  kind  remembrance  passed 
between  her  and  my  good  wife,  as  well  as  myself.  Six 
years  had  passed  since  we  parted  at  New  Haven,  and  it 
was  agreeable  to  me  to  find  that  I  was  still  most  kindly 
remembered.  Two  of  Mr.  Legare's  brothers  had  been 
under  my  care,  and  his  cousin,  John  Bassnett  Legare,  also. 
I  was  in  correspondence  with  the  heads  of  these  families 
many  years,  and  for  all  these  reasons,  and  more,  I  was  wel- 
comed warmly. 

February  3. —  Mr.  Legare  took  us  in  his  carriage,  and 
we  rode  until  two  P.  M., — five  hours.     We  made  the  circuit 
of  the  city  and  its  environs;  we  threaded  it  through  and 
irough  in  various  directions.    It  is  a  fine  old  city,  contain- 
ig  many  grand  families,  especially  of  the  last  age,  —  the 
>inckneys,  the  Rutledges,  the  Grimkes,  and  others  :  every- 
thing, however,  wears  a  sombre  aspect,  partly  the  effect  of 
climate ;  but  the  people  remark  that  the  prosperity  of  the 
place  appears  to  be  on  a  decline,  —  still  it  has  a  pleasing 
appearance. 


10  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   SILLIMAN". 

A  dinner  at  the  Charleston  Hotel,  by  invitation  of  Rev. 
George  Shepard,  gave  us  pleasant  interviews  with  him  and 
his  lady,  and  a  pleasing  circle  of  friends,  —  Judge  Gilchrist 
and  lady,  Bishop  Gadsden,  Rev.  Mr.  Hinckel  and  lady,  and 
my  friend,  Miss  Elizabeth  Jones,  and  a  sister  who  had  high 
conversational  powers.  This  hotel  was  the  home  of  Judge 
Hoar  and  his  daughter,  when  a  few  weeks  before  they  were 
so  inhospitably  expelled  from  Charleston. 

Our  friends,  the  Shepards,  invited  a  large  circle  of  their 
friends,  —  one  hundred,  as  was  said,  to  meet  us  at  their 
lodgings.  Those  whom  we  had  lately  met  at  dinner  were 
there,  and  many  other  persons  of  distinction.  All  were 
very  agreeable,  and  gave  us  a  warm  reception ;  and  we  were 
most  favorably  impressed  by  their  kind  and  agreeable 
manners 

Colonel  Ion,  a  most  respectable  gentleman,  was  a  graduate 
in  the  class  of  1803  in  Yale  College,  which  I  instructed  as 
a  tutor,  having,  according  to  the  practice  of  that  day,  the 
entire  charge  of  them  in  all  their  studies.  His  conduct  was 
very  manly,  his  attainments  highly  respectable,  and  his 
deportment  towards  myself  perfectly  respectful  and  gentle- 
manly ;  so  that  a  friendly  feeling  was  mutually  cherished. 
Hearing  that  I  was  expected,  he  had  arranged  to  meet  me 
with  his  carriage  on  my  arrival  in  the  boat ;  but  our  coming 
on  Sabbath  morning  prevented  the  execution  of  his  purpose 
to  take  us  to  his  house  as  his  guests.  At  his  house,  on  the 
occasion  of  a  dinner  to  which  we  were  invited,  we  met  a 
most  friendly  reception.  Colonel  Ion  being  a  bachelor,  his 
sister  .Mrs.  Wrag  and  her  daughter  or  daughters  did  the 
honors  of  his  house.  They,  with  Colonel  Ion,  had  been 
hospitably  entertained  at  our  house  in  New  Haven,  so  that 
this  meeting  seemed  as  a  reward  of  our  previous  friendly 
relations.  Colonel  Ion  had  a  command  in  the  army  during 
the  late  war  with  Kngland,  and  was  long  Speaker  of  the 
House  of  Representatives  of  South  Carolina,  and  was  still 
distinguished  for  his  early  traits  of  candor,  impartiality,  and 


LECTURES  IN  SOUTHERN  CITIES.  11 

kindness.  Sitting  at  table  between  Miss  Wrag  and  her 
mother,  the  young  lady  asked  me  to  give  her  my  candid 
opinion  of  Slavery,  which  I  did  in  kind  but  ingenuous  terms, 
saying  at  the"  same  time  that  I  should  never  have  alluded 
to  it  but  for  her  request.  She  made  no  reply,  but  her 
countenance  fell 

In  the  family  of  Mr.  John  Bowman,  the  late  father  of 
Miss  Lynch  Bowman,  my  brother  Gold  S.  Silliman,  soon 
after  our  leaving  Yale  College  in  1796 — i.  e.  in  1797  and 
'98  —  was  engaged  as  a  family  instructor,  and  remained 
with  them  nearly  two  years.  His  pupils  were  three  daugh- 
ters and  a  son,  who  with  the  parents  and  a  maiden  aunt, 
constituted  the  family.  They  all  treated  him  most  kindly, 
ur.d.  in  a  dangerous  sickness  of  yellow  fever,  affectionately. 
The  family  passed  a  part  of  the  summer  of  1802  in  New 
Haven,  when  I  was  tutor  in  Yale  College,  and  my  brother, 
then  in  Providence,  R.  I.,  consigned  them  to  my  care, 
which  was  rather  embarrassing,  as  I  had  no  family  to  show 
them  civilities ;  but  I  was  very  attentive  to  them,  and  the 
more  so  as  Mr.  Bowman  was  not  with  them  until  late  in 
the  season.  The  older  ladies  were  most  respectable  ma- 
trons —  the  son  and  older  sister  eccentric  and  peculiar,  — 
(she  was  afterwards  Mrs.  Bishop  Gadsden).  The  youngest 
sister,  of  fifteen  or  sixteen,  was  pretty  and  amiable  ;  but  Miss 
Lynch  Bowman,  of  the  age  of  eighteen,  was  the  flower  of 
the  family.  She  was  a  most  beautiful  and  lovely  woman, 
with  a  winning  grace  in  her  manners  which  conciliated 
every  one,  and  quite  charmed  me,  then  twenty-two  years 
old.  Her  kindness  (they  were,  as  I  have  said,  placed 
under  my  care,)  repaid  me  for  my  devotion  to  the  family, 

id  I  parted  from  them  with  regret,  as  I  never  expected  to 
see  any  of  them  again.  On  making  inquiry,  however,  in 
Charleston  when  I  arrived  there,  I  was  pleased  to  learn 
that  the  lady  was  living  and  well,  and  was  very  highly 
esteemed.  I  sought  her  residence,  and  sent  in  my  card 
and  waited  at  the  door ;  the  response  came  quickly.  I  was 


12  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

admitted,  remembered  and  welcomed.  Recognized  I  could 
not  expect  to  be  after  a  separation  of  forty-three  years,  —  I 
having  attained  to  sixty-six  years,  and  she,  as  I  judged, 
having  just  turned  threescore.  I  found  her  still  a  hand- 
some woman  of  noble  mien.  Age  did  not  tell  upon  her 
features  ;  but  there  was  a  pensiveness  of  manner  which 
told  of  sorrows  past.  All  the  members  of  her  family  were 
dead,  except  the  eccentric  brother,  who  had  married  below 
his  rank,  and  was  living  in  Louisiana,  odd  as  ever,  and  the 
gentle  young  Mary,  now  an  old  and  infirm  lady.  Miss 
Lynch  Bowman  retained  one  trait  unchanged  by  time. 
She  had  preserved  her  musical,  mellifluous  voice  to  which 
forty-three  years  ago  I  was  delighted  to  listen.  When  I 
remarked  that  doubtless  she  would  not  have  recognized  me, 
she  replied  that  had  she  been  told  that  I  was  in  a  particular 
circle  of  gentlemen,  she  thought  she  could  have  picked  me 

out She  inquired  after  my  brother,  Gold  S.  Silli- 

man,  her  early  teacher,  and  said  she  would  have  seen  him 
last  summer  when  she  was  in  New  York,  on  the  way  to 
Boston,  had  she  known  his  residence.  She  left  the  room 
for  a  few  moments,  doubtless  to  order  tea,  but  I  was  obliged 
to  decline.  She  expressed  a  wish  to  see  my  son,  and  it  was 
my  intention  to  renew  my  call,  and  to  see  her  again  on  my 
return  from  New  Orleans  in  the  Spring ;  but  this  design 
was  frustrated  by  our  ascending  the  Mississippi.  I  greatly 
regretted  the  change,  as  my  renewed  acquaintance  with 
Miss  Bowman  was  confined  to  a  brief  interview. 

He  attended  a  party,  composed  of  leading  gentle- 
men of  the  city,  at  the  house  of  Dr.  Samuel  H.  Dick- 
son,  a  graduate  of  Yale  College,  in  the  class  of  1814. 
From  Mr.  Legare's  family,  whose  home  "  was  a 
model  of  taste,  order,  and  beauty,"  he  received  grati- 
fying manifestations  of  regard ;  and  he  carried  away 
pleasant  impressions  of  Charleston  society. 


LECTURES  IN  SOUTHERN  CITIES.  13 

Our  visit  in  this  celebrated  city  had  been  most  agreeable. 
Our  friends,  the  Shepards,  had  treated  us  with  all  possible 
kindness,  and  we  had  met  similar  treatment  from  all  with 
whom  we  were  conversant.  Of  their  peculiar  institution  I 
thought  not  more  favorably  from  seeing  it  more  intimately, 
and  it  was  no  very  pleasant  comment  upon  it  that  a  strong 
guard-house  was  maintained  next  to  the  house  where  we 
lodged.  Here  a  corps  of  armed  men  are  always  found  with 
weapons  in  their  hands.  At  night  a  sentinel  in  St.  Michael's 
tower,  near  by,  is  ready  to  give  the  alarm,  and  caparisoned 
horses  are  waiting  for  riders  to  vault  into  the  saddle  the 
moment  the  bell  strikes ;  and  thus  the  messenger  flies  to 
the  suspected  place,  and  returns  with  the  tidings.  All  this 
passes  under  the  name  of  the  city  police,  but  it  has  servile 
insurrection  for  its  immediate  object. 

Remarks.  —  April  29,  1861.  —  I  have  sketched  the  state 
of  society  in  Charleston  as  we  saw  it  sixteen  years  ago,  be- 
fore it  was  demoralized  by  agitations  on  slavery  and  the 
subjects  with  which  it  is  connected.  It  is  pleasant  to  me 
to  look  at  the  picture  as  it  then  appeared,  and  it  is  but 
justice  to  view  the  favorable  side,  although  it  is  now  pain- 
fully reversed. 

From  Charleston  he  proceeded  to  a  city  which  has 
since  become  more  famous. 

Montgomery  stands  on  a  bluff  of  land  at  the  head  of 
steam  navigation  on  the  Alabama  River.  The  morning 
showed  all  the  trees  white  as  snow,  —  being  frosted  by  the 
night  air.  In  1845  it  contained  three  thousand  inhabitants, 
ind  the  aspect  of  the  place  was  agreeable,  except  the  slave- 
market,  so  revolting  to  behold.  In  a  walk,  otherwise  pleas- 
ant, on  Monday  morning,  we  saw  a  collection  of  slaves  of 
both  sexes  and  different  ages,  but  chiefly  young,  in  their 
best  dress,  standing  to  tempt  purchasers.  The  same  spec- 
tacle was  exhibited  in  Charleston,  and  we  saw  it  again  in 


14  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   SILLIMAN. 

New  Orleans  and  Mobile,  and,  on  another  occasion,  in 
Richmond.  It  appears  to  be  no  more  thought  of  in  the 
South  than  a  market  for  horses,  mules,  or  cattle.  I  thank 
God  that  my  children  have  not  been  brought  up  under  such 
influences. 

Of  his  arrival  and  stay  in  New  Orleans  he  thus 
speaks : — 

When  we  arrived  in  the  city,  the  first  person  whom  we 
met  who  was  known  to  us  was  Sidney  Johnson,  of  New 
Haven,  who  had  been  a  tutor  in  Yale  College,  and  was  very 
friendly  ;  but  the  Duncans  were  our  chief  reliance.  When 
we  entered  the  office  of  Lucius  C.  Duncan,  Esq.,  he  advanced 
promptly,  and,  taking  one  of  my  hands  between  both  of  his, 
with  a  warm  pressure,  he  said :  "  Welcome,  thrice  welcome 
to  New  Orleans  ;  "  and  both  he  and  his  brother,  throughout 
our  stay,  proved  themselves  friends  indeed.  At  the  hotel 
several  gentlemen  called ;  and,  in  the  evening,  we  met  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Wheaton,  formerly  of  Hartford,  and  that  excel- 
lent gentleman,  General  Cocke,  of  Virginia,  whom  I  had 
met  twice  at  New  Haven,  —  once  in  my  own  house,  and 
elsewhere  on  occasions  of  religious  anniversaries.  Mr. 
Grier  B.  Duncan  took  us  to  see  several  public  rooms ;  but 
all  discussion  was  ended  by  the  agreeable  information  that 
Mr.  Lucius  C.  Duncan  had  obtained  permission  for  us  to 
occupy  the  First  .Presbyterian  Church  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Scott.  A  very  courteous  letter  from  the  trustees,  through 
their  secretary,  announced  their  kind  and  liberal  intentions, 
which  were  gratefully  acknowledged  by  me. 

The  newspapers  were  enthusiastic  in  their  praise 
of  the  lectures. 

Not  in-  <>f  tin-  Introductory  Lecture  from  the  "Picayune" 
of  Fchriiori/  \  1).  —  Professor  Silliman's  introductory  lecture 
was  attended  by  one  of  the  largest  and  most  intelligent 


LECTURES   IN  SOUTHERN  CITIES.  15 

audiences  ever  convened  in  this  city,  and  they  were  thor- 
oughly enchained  by  words  of  wisdom  and  truth.  The 
Professor's  manner  is  dignified  and  commanding  in  an  emi- 
nent degree.  His  style  is  simple  and  impressive,  and, 
without  any  affectation  of  oratory,  he  is  truly  eloquent.  He 
insisted  upon  the  development  of  the  means  of  knowledge 
of  the  superficial  and  internal  structure  of  the  globe,  and 
upon  some  of  the  more  important  uses  of  geological  science, 
—  upon  the  influences  of  physical  conformation,  in  connec- 
tion with  moral  and  social  causes,  in  producing  national 
character  and  the  distinctive  qualities  and  pursuits  of  a 
people.  He  glanced  at  the  coincidence  of  geology  with 
Holy  "Writ  and  with  the  various  phenomena  of  creation  in 
the  earth ;  and  he  promised  more  fully  to  illustrate  the  har- 
mony of  science  with  the  statements  of  the  inspired  writers. 
We  predict  that  these  lectures  will  prove  in  a  high  degree 
instructive  and  interesting,  and  one  of  the  most  gratifying 

sources  of  popular  entertainment 

March  12,  Wednesday.  —  The  last  lecture  was  given  this 
evening  to  a  good  audience,  considering  the  weather,  which 
was  rainy  all  day,  as  yesterday,  and  the  clouds  did  not  hold 
up  until  towards  evening.  I  spoke  one  hour  and  three 
quarters  to  a  most  attentive  audience,  allowing  a  short 
pause  at  the  end  of  an  hour.  At  the  close,  my  constant 
friend,  Lucius  C.  Duncan,  Esq.,  rose  and  moved  a  series  of 
approbatory  resolutions,  prefaced  and  sustained  by  an  ex- 
tempore address,  and  I  made  a  brief  extempore  reply. 
The  resolutions  were  of  course  adopted.  The  concluding 
lecture  had  been  carefully  considered ;  and,  being  in  good 
physical  power,  I  made,  I  believe,  a  happy  finishing  impres- 
sion. 

From  his  notices  of  New  Orleans  society,  a  single 
paragraph  is  extracted  :  — 

On  our  return  from  the  visit  to  the  battle-ground  with 
Mr.  Hennen,  we  dined  with  our  friend  Mr.  Lucius  C.  Dun- 


16  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

can,  whose  hospitality  to  us  is  large  and  free,  and  at  his 
table  we  met  Bishop  Polk  and  lady,  —  she,  a  Devereux. 
She  is  of  the  North  Carolina  Devereuxs,  and  he  a  relative 
of  President  Polk.  The  party,  including  several  gentle- 
men, was  agreeable ;  the  bishop  and  lady  were  affable  and 
kind,  and  Mrs.  Polk  mentioned  to  me  an  amusing  poetical 
epitaph  which  Archbishop  Whately  has  written  upon  his 
geological  friend  Professor  Buckland,  then  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Oxford,  and  afterwards  Dean  of  Westminster.  Hav- 
ing been  a  diligent  student  of  Professor  Buckland's  "  Re- 
liquiae Diluvianae,"  and  of  other  writings  of  his,  and  having 
had  some  personal  communications  with  him,  I  expressed 
a  desire  to  see  this  effusion  of  Bishop  Whately,  a  gentle- 
man justly  renowned  for  his  truly  Catholic  religious  char- 
acter and  publications  ;  but  I  had  never  before  heard  of 
this  extra-Episcopal  effusion.  Mrs.  Polk  was  so  kind  as  to 
say  that  she  would  send  me  a  copy,  —  a  promise  which  she 
remembered.  It  lies  before  me  now.  I  never  saw  Dr. 
Buckland,  although  I  have  interchanged  works,  and  occa- 
sionally letters,  with  him.  He  is  represented  to  have  been 
one  of  the  most  joyous  of  men,  with  inexhaustible  kindness 
and  wit,  and  social  in  a  high  degree.  His  faculties  were  in 
various  ways  subjected  to  too  severe  a  pressure,  especially 
after  he  became  Dean  of  Westminster,  and  his  mind  broke 
down  in  1850,  six  years  before  his  death,  when  he  was  sixty- 
six  years  of  age.  He  died  in  1856. 

"  Bishop  Polk  and  lady,  whose  home  is  at  Thibodeaux- 
ville,  one  hundred  and  six  miles  down  the  river,  are  passing 
the  winter  in  New  Orleans,  and  I  meet  them  at  the  houses 
of  our  friends.  They  do  me  the  honor  to  attend  my  lec- 
tures ;  and  Mrs.  Polk,  at  the  dinner  at  Mr.  Duncan's,  said 
to  me  that  she  did  not  see  how  the  geological  conclusion 
that  the  death  of  animals  had  preceded  man,  could  be  rec- 
onciled with  the  Scriptures,  which  said  that  "  sin  brought 
death  into  the  world  and  all  our  woe."  I  replied  that  she 
was  quoting  Milton,  and  not  the  Bible;  and  that  even 


LECTURES   IN  SOUTHERN  CITIES.  17 

the  poetical  quotation  referred  to  our  race  and  not  to 
animals,  myriads  of  which  were  created,  died,  and  were 
buried  in  the  forming  strata  where  we  now  find  their  re- 
mains, before  man  was  called  into  being.  Bishop  Polk 
sustained  my  views,  and  his  lady  appeared  to  acquiesce." 

In  connection  with  his  lectures  in  New  Orleans,  a 
circumstance  occurred  which  gave  him  peculiar  pleas- 
ure. Among  his  auditors  was  a  young  lady,  who, 
in  consequence  of  bereavement  in  her  family,  was 
suffering  under  depression  of  spirits,  without  the 
consolations  of  religion.  His  animated  descriptions 
of  Nature,  with  the  religious  reflections  by  which 
they  were  attended,  gave  a  new  tone  to  her  feelings, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  awakened  a  practical  interest 
in  religion.  Becoming  aware  of  this  fact,  and  having 
an  acquaintance  with  herself  and  her  family,  he  en- 
deavored to  lead  her  in  the  right  path.  From  the 
correspondence  which  ensued  with  this  accomplished 
young  person,  brief  extracts  are  here  given.  The 
first  is  from  a  letter  of  Mr.  Silliman,  written  shortly 
after  his  departure  from  New  Orleans. 

On  the  Mississippi  River,  April  1,  1845.  —  "I  am  sure, 

dear  Miss  H ,  you  will  pardon  me  while  I  wish  gently 

to  encourage  those  happy  movements  which  I  trust  are 
divinely  prompted,  and  that  our  heavenly  Father  is  gently 
drawing  you  to  Himself  by  the  cords  of  love,  and  this  may 
be  a  happy  crisis,  not  to  be  safely  neglected.  The  fears  en- 
tertained by  you  are  natural  to  a  delicate  and  susceptible 
mind  and  a  sensitive  conscience ;  but  they  are  allayed  if 
we  look  at  the  invitation,  —  so  earnest,  so  comprehensive, 
and  kind :  *  Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy 
laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest.'  *  Yea,  come  and  buy  wine 
and  milk  without  money  and  without  price.'  In  compli- 

VOL.  II.  2 


18  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

ance  with  this  invitation,  come  as  you  are,  fresh  from  the 
tenderness  of  recent  affliction,  and  fresh  from  the  move- 
ment of  God's  spirit  in  your  heart.  Do  not  wait  to  be 
perfect,  nor  even  to  be  assured  beyond  a  doubt ;  come,  and 
your  doubts  will  vanish.  When  you  have  united  yourself 
to  the  followers  of  the  Redeemer,  you  will  find  comfort  in 
your  decision,  and  grace  to  sustain  you  in  a  Christian 
course.  The  sweet  influence  of  Christian  affections  will 
give  an  additional  charm  to  a  fine  mind,  and  increased  at- 
tractions to  natural  loveliness.  Our  merciful  Redeemer  is 
mild  and  gentle.  He  was  indeed  severe  upon  hypocrisy 
and  self  -  righteousness,  but  gentle  towards  the  humble 
and  timid ;  a  bruised  reed  He  never  breaks,  nor  will  He 
quench  the  smoking  flax.  Take  Him,  therefore,  at  His 
word,  and  He  will  receive  you,  while  no  source  of  real  hap- 
piness will  be  closed  or  abridged  for  the  present  life,  and 
the  bright  reversion  beyond  the  dark  valley  will  be  held  in 
reserve  for  you.  These  mortal  bodies  will  be  superseded 
by  new  and  glorious  forms,  —  spiritual,  incorruptible,  and 
worthy  to  inhabit  the  celestial  world.  If  I  have  any  right 
to  entertain  the  hopes  which  I  recommend  to  you,  I  may 
be  permitted  to  add,  that  they  have  produced  no  gloom  or 
depression  of  energy  in  the  duties  of  life,  or  cast  discour- 
aging shadows  over  a  temper  and  temperament  naturally 
cheerful  and  hopeful.  In  every  vicissitude,  I  am  encour- 
aged and  sustained  by  the  revelations  of  the  Bible  ;  and 
my  entire  family,  I  trust,  with  good  hopes  are  grouped 
within  the  Christian  fold.  Accept,  I  pray  you,  these  few 
suggestions,  prompted  by  an  earnest  desire  to  promote 
your  happiness  ;  and  I  trust  I  shall  have  the  pleasure  of 
hearing  in  due  time,  that,  under  the  guidance  of  your  ex- 
cellent minister,  you  will  have  found  your  doubts  removed, 
and  yourself  happy  in  the  decision  to  walk  with  those  who 
have  chosen  the  good  part  that  shall  not  be  taken  away 
from  them.  You  will  not  hear  from  me  again  until  I  have 
seen  the  green  hills  of  New  England,  now  two  thousand 


LECTURES  IN  SOUTHERN  CITIES.  19 

five  hundred  miles  from  me.  Till  then,  and  at  all  times, 
believe  me  your  very  affectionate  and  faithful  friend." 

From  the  Reply  of  Miss  II .     "  Since  I  received  your 

letter,  expressing  such  affectionate  solicitude  for  my  welfare, 
I  have  had  a  long  conversation  with  Dr.  Hawks,  and  his 
kind  convincing  arguments,  with  yours,  persuaded  me  of  my 
duty  ;  but  still  I  hesitate  to  receive  such  a  gift  unworthily. 
I  know  you  will  blame  my  delay,  my  dear  sir,  but  not  more 
than  I  do  myself.  I  cannot  tell  why  it  is  that  I  so  long  to 
join  myself  to  those  who  belong  to  our  Saviour's  supper, 
and  yet  shrink  from  it ;  but  I  look  forward  with  an  earnest 
hope  that  I  may  be  fully  prepared  for  the  next  communion. 
Dr.  Hawks  seems  to  be  all  we  could  look  for  or  wish  in  a 
pastor,  but  still  I  cannot  talk  to  him  with  the  freedom  I  can 
write  to  you.  You  claim  my  first  gratitude  for  exciting 
feelings  which  have  added  much  to  my  happiness,  and  I 
trust  that  in  time  they  will  perfect  it  here  and  hereafter." 

In  a  subsequent  letter,  under  date  of  June  4,  1845, 
she  writes :  — 

"  Your  visit  here  was  gratifying  to  many,  but  I  think  to 
few  more  than  to  myself.  I  shall  never  forget  the  hope 
that  your  lectures  opened  to  me  of  higher  sources  of  enjoy- 
ment than  any  I  had  ever  known.  I  saw  you  so  cheerful 
and  gay,  and  withal  so  devout  whenever  a  serious  thought 
could  be  introduced  with  reverence,  that  I  began  to  feel 
how  much  of  my  life  had  been  wasted  on  trifles  to  the 
neglect  of  higher  privileges.  You  will  be  glad,  my  dear 
sir,  and  sympathize  with  me  in  the  increased  happiness  I 
now  feel,  when  I  tell  you  that  last  Sabbath  I  joined  the 
communicants.  My  mother,  (mother-in-law,)  and  I  went  to 
the  table  together.  Dr.  Hawks  interested  himself  very 
much  in  us,  and  his  persuasive  arguments  dispelled  all  my 
doubts." 


20  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

At  the  request  of  ladies  who  had  attended  his 
lectures,  he  sat  for  a  full-length  portrait,  which  was 
painted  with  skill  by  an  English  artist,  Mr.  Wilson. 

On  concluding  his  course,  Mr.  Silliman  repaired 
to  Mobile,  where  he  also  gave  a  series  of  lectures  on 
geology,  which  were  received  with  the  favor  that 
attended  him  throughout  his  Southern  tour. 

Returning  to  New  Orleans,  he  ascended  the  Mis- 
sissippi, stopping  at  Natchez,  where  he  gave  a  brief 
geological  course,  and  also  at  Rodney,  about  twenty 
miles  above  Natchez,  the  residence  of  Mr.  John 
Murdock,  a  graduate  of  Yale  College.  He  had  the 
opportunity,  in  the  company  of  this  gentleman,  to 
inspect  one  of  his  plantations. 

April  8,  Tuesday.  —  We  went  with  Mr.  Murdock  to  see 
one  of  his  plantations,  and  to  observe  the  culture  of  cotton 
and  the  management  of  the  slaves,  of  whom  there  are  here 
more  than  two  hundred,  but  only  one  hundred  of  them  are 
available  for  plantation  work.  We  saw  a  woman  holding  a 
plough  drawn  by  a  pair  of  mules  ;  she  was  covered  by  a 
long  robe,  but  had  a  disconsolate  look  which  is  often  visible 
in  those  who  are  of  sufficient  age  to  realize  their  condition. 
I  observed  the  same  fact  among  the  domestic  slaves*  in  my 
father's  house.  The  adults  were  sometimes  sorrowful  or 
sullen,  while  the  children  were  bright  and  playful.  From  my 
observations  on  slavery,  which  I  have  now  seen  in  all  the 
old  Slave  States, — that  is,  in  all  those  in  which  it  existed  on 
a  considerable  scale,  —  I  do  not  think  more  favorably  of  it 
than  before.  Many  proprietors,  however,  treat  their  slaves 
with  as  much  lenity  as  is  consistent  with  coerced  bondage, 
and  Mr.  Murdock  appears  to  be  a  kind  master.  I  am  told 
that  he  himself  solemnizes  the  marriages  of  his  people, 

*  Slavery  then,  soon  after  (lie  Revolution,  existed  in  many  families  of  New 
England,  New  York,  and  other  States,  from  which  it  was  early  banished. 


LECTURES  IN  SOUTHERN    CITIES.  21 

acting  as  priest  as  well  as  master. — We  observed  that  they 
were  using  guano  in  the  culture  of  cotton,  and  we  under- 
stood, with  advantage. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  present  further  details  of  the 
work  done  by  Mr.  Silliman  as  a  lecturer,  in  many 
other  cities  and  towns.  In  1852  he  was  called  upon 
to  deliver  a  geological  course  in  the  Smithsonian 
Institution,  and  complied  with  the  request.  In  1855, 
when  he  had  reached  the  age  of  seventy-five,  he  re- 
luctantly acceded  to  an  earnest  and  reiterated  request 
that  he  would  lecture  in  St.  Louis.  He  made  the 
long  journey  and  performed  this  duty,  receiving 
marked  attentions  during  his  stay  in  that  place.  An 
incident  occurred  which  served  to  prove  that  some 
theological  enemies  of  geology  still  remained.  Hav- 
ing mentioned  that  the  hall  originally  provided  was 
inconveniently  large,  he  adds  :  — 

There  was  another  coincidence  that  was  far  from  being 
agreeable,  and  the  only  discourtesy  I  ever  met  with  as  a 
geologist.  An  association  of  young  men,  —  I  believe  the 
Christian  Association,  —  occupied  another  lecture-room  in 

the  same  building,  and  there    Bishop  of 

addressed  them  in  anticipation  of  my  course,  and  his  first 
subject  was  "  On  the  Assumptions  of  Geology."  The  Bishop 
said  in  his  lecture  that  half  the  geologists  were  infidels,  and 
the  other  half  he  pitied.  A  gentleman  who  heard  him  said 
that  the  lecture  was  crude,  ignorant,  and  of  course  denun- 
ciatory. As  my  course  had  been  for  some  time  announced, 
he  must  have  been  aware  of  the  fact,  and  I  thought  it  was 
rude  and  uncandid  to  endeavor  to  give  the  public  mind  an 
unfavorable  bias  ;  and  this  conclusion  seemed  unavoidable, 
as  his  introductory  lecture,  containing  his  protest  against 
geology,  was  given  on  the  evening  before  my  first  lecture. 


22  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

I  afterwards  met  him  at  the  house  of  Dr.  Pope.  We  were 
introduced,  but  he,  although  a  polite  gentleman,  addressed 
no  remark  to  me,  nor  did  I  to  him. 

Mr.  Silliman  felt  that  the  time  had  come  for  him 
to  cease  from  these  exciting  efforts  in  public,  which 
required  a  greater  strength  of  voice  than  he  could 
longer  command.  He  adds  to  the  record  some  in- 
teresting reflections. 

March  1,  1862.  —  I  may  be  allowed  to  record  my  own 
views  of  the  spirit  in  which  these  labors  were  undertaken, 
and  have  been  successfully  performed.  Of  course  the  first 
requisite  in  a  public  speaker  is  that  he  himself  understands 
the  subject  which  he  proposes  to  explain  ;  the  second,  that 
a  transparent  perspicuity  shall  enable  every  intelligent  and 
attentive  hearer  to  comprehend  his  teachings  ;  and  a  third, 
that  a  vivid  animation  should  excite  the  speaker,  and  thus 
warm  the  hearer. 

These  traits  will  appear,  if  the  speaker,  being  a  person 
of  competent  mental  power,  has  been  happy  in  the  choice 
of  his  subject,  has  studied  it  faithfully,  and  arranged  it  skil- 
fully ;  and  moreover,  if  he  speaks  under  a  strong  conviction 
of  the  truth  and  importance  of  that  which  he  propounds,  — 
then  perspicuity,  truthfulness,  and  vivacity,  will  arrest  and 
secure  his  audience. 

These  are  the  views  by  which  I  have  been  governed. 
It  is  not  for  me  to  say  that  I  have  reached  the  standard 
which  I  have  proposed  ;  but  the  successful  results  of  the 
labors  of  twenty-three  years,  in  communities  widely  different 
in  mental  culture  and  geographical  position,  justify  me  in 
saying  that  I  have  zealously  put  forth  my  best  efforts. 

I  have  been  deeply  impressed  with  the  high  responsibility 
of  my  position  in  the  labors  which  I  have  performed.  A 
responsibility,  first,  to  the  infinite  Creator  for  the  sincere 
and  truthful  investigation  and  exhibition  of  the  laws  of  that 


LECTURES  IN  SOUTHERN  CITIES.  23 

rtion  of  His  works  which  I  took  it  upon  me  to  explain  ; 

d,  secondly,  responsibility  to  those  who  did  me  the  honor 

call  me  from  my  distant  home. 

My  subject  being  physical  science,  and  almost  invariably 
demanding  proof  by  experiment,  and  illustration  by  speci- 
mens, I  have,  therefore,  with  able  assistance,  always  pre- 
pared my  lectures  with  all  possible  care,  and  arranged  every 
experiment  and  illustration  so  as  to  insure  success.  Then 
I  could  stand  before  the  largest  audiences  without  anxiety 
or  embarrassment ;  could,  without  manuscript,  clearly  state 
and  explain  my  subject,  and  when  the  proof  became  neces- 
sary, I  could  perform  the  experiments  successfully  and  even 
beautifully,  and  exhibit  the  specimens  which  some  other 
truth  demanded,  to  insure  conviction. 

Now,  at  eighty-two  and  a  half  years  of  age,  still  by  God's 
forbearance  and  blessing,  possessing  my  mental  powers 
unimpaired,  and  looking  over  the  barrier  beyond  which  I 
must  soon  pass,  I  can  truly  declare,  that  in  the  study  and 
exhibition  of  science  to  my  pupils  and  fellow-men,  I  have 
never  forgotten  to  give  all  the  honor  and  glory  to  the  infin- 
ite Creator,  —  happy  if  I  might  be  the  honored  interpreter 
of  a  portion  of  His  works,  and  of  the  beautiful  structure 
and  beneficent  laws  discovered  therein  by  the  labors  of 
many  illustrious  predecessors.  For  this  I  claim  no  merit. 
It  is  the  result  to  which  right  reason  and  sound  philosophy, 
as  well  as  religion,  would  naturally  lead. 

'While  I  have  never  concealed  my  convictions  on  these 
subjects,  nor  hesitated  to  declare  them  on  all  proper  occa- 
sions, I  have  also  declared  my  belief  that  while  natural 
religion  stands  as  the  basis  of  Revelation,  consisting  as  it 
does  of  the  facts  and  laws  which  form  the  domain  of  science, 
science  has  neve:  revealed  a  system  of  mercy  commensu- 
rate with  the  moral  wants  of  man.  In  Nature,  in  God's 
creation,  we  discover  only  laws,  —  laws  of  undeviating 
strictness,  and  sure  penalties  annexed  for  their  violation. 
There  is  associated  with  natural  laws  no  system  of  mercy ; 


24  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

that  dispensation  is  not  revealed  in  Nature,  and  is  contained 
in  the  Scriptures  alone. 

With  the  double  view  just  presented,  I  feel  that  science 
and  religion  may  walk  hand  in  hand.  They  form  two  dis- 
tinct volumes  of  revelation,  and  both  being  records  of  the 
will  of  the  Creator,  both  may  be  received  as  constituting  a 
unity  declaring  the  mind  of  God ;  and  therefore  the  study 
of  both  becomes  a  duty,  and  is  perfectly  consistent  with  our 
highest  moral  obligations. 

I  feel  that,  as  this  subject  respects  my  fellow-men,  I  have 
done  no  more  than  my  duty ;  and  I  reflect  upon  my  course 
with  subdued  satisfaction,  being  persuaded  that  nothing  I 
have  said  or  omitted  to  say  in  my  public  lectures,  either 
before  the  College  classes  or  before  popular  audiences,  can 
have  favored  the  erroneous  impression,  that  science  is  hos- 
tile to  religion. 

My  own  conviction  is  so  decidedly  in  the  opposite  direc- 
tion, that  I  could  wish  that  students  of  theology  should  be 
also  students  of  natural  science,  —  certainly  of  astronomy, 
geology,  natural  philosophy,  and  chemistry,  and  the  out- 
lines of  natural  history. 

In  concluding  my  summary  of  these  labors,  I  will  add, 
that  I  have  derived  no  small  satisfaction  from  the  intense 
interest  excited,  especially  in  popular  audiences,  by  the 
exhibition  of  the  truths  of  science,  —  and  especially  when 
they  were  illustrated  by  experiments  and  by  specimens. 
Among  the  many  thousands  to  whom  I  have  spoken,  and 
in  many  different  places,  I  have,  with  hardly  an  exception, 
seen  the  most  riveted  attention,  the  most  perfect  silence, — 
except  for  occasional  applause,  which  I  never  desired,  — 
and  the  most  exact  decorum.  When  some  surprising  illus- 
tration has  been  given,  perhaps  contravening  our  usual  ex- 
perience ;  when  some  grand  principle  has  been  announced 
of  wide  application,  and  when  some  happy  appliance  to 
human  wants,  or  to  the  furtherance  of  art,  has  been  an- 
nounced, and  the  fruitfulness  of  science  in  its  power  to 


LECTURES  IN  SOUTHERN  CITIES.  25 

improve  the  condition  of  man  has  been  proved,  a  beam 
of  delight  has  often  illuminated  an  amphitheatre  of  human 
faces,  and  earnest  inquiries  have  followed  the  close  of  the 
lecture,  —  inquiries  to  which  I  was  always  ready  to  listen 
and  to  answer  as  far  as  lay  in  my  power. 


The  annexed  passage  is  from  a  letter 

TO    PROFESSOR    KINGSLEY. 

NEW  ORLEANS,  March  1,  1845. 

TEXAS  excites  very  little  interest  here  or  any- 
where else  where  we  have  been.  Except  to  the  party  paper, 
there  is  not  the  slightest  appearance  of  enthusiam  about 
the  matter,  and  the  only  instance  in  which  it  has  been  men- 
tioned to  me  with  approbation,  was  by  a  very  able  and  ex- 
cellent clergyman,  whose  church  we  occupy,  —  Dr.  Scott, 
who  is  the  Dr.  Bacon  of  New  Orleans.  He  is  personally 
much  attached  to  General  Jackson ;  has  been  in  his  fam- 
ily, and  received  much  kindness  from  him.  This  gentleman 
said,  that  the  only  reason  that  made  him  care  about  Texas 
was,  that  it  would  drain  slavery  from  the  Southern  States  ; 
and  he  said  it  was  impoverishing  that  State,  and  that  they 
must  get  rid  of  it ;  that  Texas  was  a  proper  country  for 
them  ;  and  that  the  Mexicans,  with  whom  they  would  be 
eventually  blended,  felt  no  objection  to  color  in  any  tint 
or  variety,  and  all  shades  are  here,  from  bright  dawn  to 
deep  midnight 

Professor  Kingsley  was  in  Europe  in  1845.  His 
impressions  were  communicated  to  Professor  Silli- 
man  in  his  usual  concise  and  finished  style. 

FROM   PROFESSOR   KINGSLEY. 

LONDON,  August  26, 1845. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  Your  letter,  written  in  June,  I  received 
in  Paris  just  as  I  was  leaving  that  city  for  Belgium.  I  feel 


26  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

much  obliged  to  you  for  this  communication.  You  have 
been  often  from  home,  and  need  not  be  told  what  gratifica- 
tion the  reception  of  letters,  especially  in  a  foreign  coun- 
try, from  an  old  friend  affords.  It  has  given  me  great 
pleasure  from  time  to  time  to  learn,  by  letters  from  New 
Haven,  not  only  of  the  health  of  my  own  family,  but  of 
that  of  most,  or  all,  of  my  friends  and  acquaintances.  The 
affairs  of  the  College,  I  understand,  have  been  generally 
prosperous ;  and  I  am  now  waiting  with  some  impatience 
to  hear  of  the  Commencement  which  has  just  passed. 

You  have  known  from  my  letters  to  members  of  my  fam- 
ily how  I  have  employed  myself,  where  I  have  been,  and 
whom,  to  some  extent,  I  have  seen,  since  I  have  left  Amer- 
ica. The  scene  has  been  pretty  constantly  shifting ;  one 
new  object  of  interest  has  been  following  another  in  rapid 
succession,  and  my  health  and  strength  have  not  yet  foiled. 
I  feel,  however,  that  at  my  time  of  life,  the  substantial 
advantages  of  such  a  tour  as  I  have  taken,  are  not  to  be 
expected.  If  I  could  have  visited  Europe  forty  years  ago, 
and  spent  a  year  or  two  in  different  countries,  I  have  no 
doubt  that  it  would  have  been  of  important  use  to  me.  As 
the  case  is,  the  whole  terminates  too  much  in  the  sight  of 
the  eyes.  But  I  have  not  found  that  my  previous  notions 
of  the  state  of  things  in  the  countries  I  have  visited,  were 
very  erroneous.  Much  of  the  character,  as  well  as  the 
literature  of  foreign  countries,  may  be  learned  at  home. 
There  is  a  freshness,  however,  in  actual  inspection,  which 
the  perusal  of  books  cannot  reach.  I  am,  as  you  know, 
no  geologist;  but  I  was  struck,  on  landing  at  Dieppe  in 
France,  and  in  travelling  to  Rouen,  with  the  great  similarity 
of  the  general  structure  of  the  country  to  that  of  the  oppo- 
site coast  of  England  ;  the  whole  seemed  like  one  coun- 
try, except  in  the  inhabitants  and  the  appearance  of  their 
towns  and  villages.  The  country  about  Paris  is  picturesque 
and  pleasant ;  but  the  numerous  associations  connected 
with  every  spot,  would  give  it  interest  even  if  the  natural 
scenery  were  ever  so  tame. 


T 


CORRESPONDENCE.  27 


The  peculiar  mode  of  building  in  France  and  Germany, 
that  is,  of  having  all  their  houses  in  towns  and  villages,  gives 
the  country  to  a  traveller,  especially  to  one  accustomed  to 
the  residences  of  New  England,  the  appearance  of  solitude 
and  desertion.  One  is  often  disposed  to  look  round  and 
inquire,  where  are  the  people?  This  mode  of  living  was 
adopted,  I  suppose,  when  a  residence  remote  from  others 
was  insecure,  and  it  is  hard  to  change  old  customs.  Labor- 
ers must  often  go  miles  to  cultivate  their  grounds.  I  have 
seen  nowhere  much  country,  which  you  would,  I  suppose, 
call  primitive ;  that  is,  such  a  country  as  is  most  of  New 
England.  I  have  seen  few  considerable  hills,  except  on 
the  Rhine,  between  Mayence  and  Bonn,  and  in  a  part  of 
Belgium.  The  streams  on  the  Continent,  as  in  England, 
are  universally  muddy.  I  have  not  seen  any  running 
water,  clear  and  transparent,  like  the  brooks  and  rivers  of 
New  England,  since  I  left  home.  I  have  nowhere  found 
water  that  I  could  drink  with  a  relish  ;  or,  indeed,  drink  at 
all.  Hence  in  France,  and  in  some  other  countries,  I  have 
found  it  necessary,  occasionally,  for  my  u  stomach's  sake," 
to  drink  some  of  the  light  wines  which  are  abundant  and 
pleasant.  Bavarian  beer  in  Germany  is  a  good  substitute 
for  their  bad  water.  I  have  not  had  or  sought  opportuni- 
ties to  see  many  scientific  and  literary  men  where  I  have 
been.  I  saw  Arago  twice  in  Paris,  and  might,  I  suppose, 
have  been  introduced  to  him ;  but  I  saw  no  use  in  it.  In 
Berlin,  I  attended  one  of  the  meetings  of  the  Academy, 
where  I  saw  most  of  the  savans  of  the  city.  Professor 
Rose  read  a  dissertation  on  the  effect  of  fire  on  porcelains, 
which  was  listened  to  with  attention  ;  but  my  knowledge  of 
German  was  too  limited  for  me  to  understand  well  the  drift 
of  the  piece.  I  was  told,  that  his  object  was  to  explain,  how 
it  happens  that  porcelain,  in  the  burning,  contracts  in  bulk, 
and  still  has  less  specific  gravity.  Perhaps  I  err  in  the 
statement.  There  are  two  professors  of  the  name  of  Rose, 
who  are,  I  understand,  brothers.  The  one  who  read  the 


28  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

dissertation  was,  I  believe,  the  chemist.  I  attended  two 
meetings  of  the  Geological  Society  in  London,  some  ac- 
count of  which  I  gave  in  a  letter  to  my  family,  with  a  direc- 
tion to  have  it  read  to  you  ;  so  that  it  is  unnecessary  to 
repeat  what  yon  have  already  heard.  I  was  struck  with  the 
business  character  of  these  meetings.  The  members  ap- 
peared to  be  all  interested  in  what  was  read  or  spoken. 
They  canvassed  each  other's  opinions  with  freedom,  but 
with  entire  civility.  I  was  much  pleased  with  your  old 
friend  and  correspondent,  Dr.  Mantell.  He  is  very  gentle- 
manly in  his  appearance  and  manners, —  has  no  stiffness 
or  formality,  and  is  easy  of  access.  He  has  a  beautiful 
residence  in  Chester  Square,  Pimlico.  Among  the  articles 
which  I  saw  in  his  house,- — and  I  suppose  I  entered  almost 
every  room,  —  I  was  not  a  little  amused  to  see  his  Diploma 
of  Doctor  of  Laws,  in  a  handsome  frame,  suspended  in  his 
parlor.  This  important  instrument,  yon  may  recollect,  I 
made  out  and  wrote  myself,  and  I  was  at  first  a  little  start- 
led to  see  my  fair  hand  advanced  to  such  honor.  I  can 
give  you  some  more  particulars  of  the  Doctor  when  we 
meet.  Mr.  Lyell,  as  you  probably  know,  is  to  lecture  again 
this  winter  in  Boston.  He  and  Mrs.  Lyell  go  to  America 
in  the  steamer  from  Liverpool,  the  4th  of  next  month.  I 
called  on  Mr.  Lyell  yesterday ;  but  he  was  out.  I  saw  his 
wife,  however,  who  appeared  pleased  with  the  prospect  of 
another  visit  to  the  United  States.  She  said  that  after  the 
lectures,  she  and  her  husband  would  probably  visit  New 
Haven.  They  are  intending  to  go  South  as  far  as  New 
Orleans.  She  had  got  the  impression  that  your  journey,  or 
some  part  of  it,  to  that  city,  was  unpleasant;  but  I  told  her 
that  I  had  heard  nothing  of  the  kind.  I  notice  your  men- 
tion of  having  your  children  and  grandchildren  about  you 
this  summer.  This  must  have  been  to  you  and  Mrs.  S.,  a 
source  of  much  enjoyment.  We  have  it  on  high  authority. 
that  children  are  "  as  arrows  in  the  hand  of  a  mighty  man," 
and  that  'k  happy  is  the  man  that  hath  his  quiver  full  of 


CORRESPONDENCE.  29 

them."  You  and  I,  as  you  are  without  doubt  fully  aware, 
are  on  the  shady  side  or  down-hill  of  life,  and  to  see  our 
children  virtuous  and  happy,  is  one  of  the  chief  enjoyments 
which  one  can  anticipate,  in  the  little  time  that  remains  to 
us.  My  best  respects  to  Mrs.  Silliman  and  to  the  other 
members  of  your  family.  I  hope  to  be  home  sometime  in 
the  approaching  autumn,  but  cannot  fix  the  time  of  my 
return  with  certainty.  It  takes  time  to  pick  up  books,  if 
the  work  is  to  be  done  advantageously.  I  should  like,  on 
some  accounts,  to  travel  more  on  the  continent  of  Europe, 
and  to  visit  more  particularly  Switzerland  and  Italy  ;  but 
for  reasons  mentioned  above,  I  shall  not  enter  on  such  a 
tour.  I  shall  hasten  my  return  as  early  as  it  can  be  done, 
with  a  proper  regard  to  the  business  I  have  undertaken. 

Yours  truly, 
PROF.  B.  SILLIMAN.  J.  L.  KINGSLEY. 

About  the  same  time  another  associate  and  friend 
was  travelling  abroad  ;  and  from  a  letter  of  his  the 
following  extract  is  taken  :  — 

FROM    PROFESSOR   T.   D.    WOOLSEY. 

ATHENS,  March  12, 1845. 

The  Piraeus  seemed  much  larger  than  I  had 

expected  to  find  it.  Though  the  entrance  is  narrow,  it  is  a 
very  commodious  harbor,  and  a  very  deep  one.  Several 
ships  of  war  were  at  anchor  within  its  mouth  ;  although  the 
more  favorite  place  for  large  ships  is  outside  of  the  harbor, 
in  the  roadstead  between  Salamis  and  the  main  land,  just 
where  the  sea-fight  between  Xerxes  and  the  Greeks  was 
fought.  And  in  fact  at  this  time  two  large  ships  are  lying 
in  this  very  roadstead.  It  is  about  five  miles  from  the  port 
to  Athens,  by  a  road  which  ascends  a  little  all  the  way. 
The  height  of  the  plain  above  the  sea  is  considerable,  if,  as 
is  stated  in  works  of  authority,  the  height  of  the  Acropolis 
is  more  than  five  hundred  and  thirty-four  feet  above  the 


30  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

sea ;  for  the  Acropolis  cannot  be  more  than  two  hundred 
feet  above  the  plain.  The  modern  city  now  contains  about 
twenty-five  thousand  inhabitants,  and  is  in  general  miserably 
built,  resembling  much  one  of  our  Western  towns,  which 
have  arisen  in  a  hurry  amid  the  stumps  of  newly-felled 
wood.  There  are,  however,  some  good  houses,  and  the 
palace  is  quite  a  respectable  building.  You  are  acquainted 
with  our  Missionaries,  Mr.  Hill  and  Mr.  King.  They  have 
both  treated  us  with  every  kindness,  and  in  the  ladies  of 
the  former  family  my  wife  finds  polished  and  excellent 
friends,  whose  society  she  can  enjoy.  The  scenery  here 
has  far  surpassed  my  expectations  in  its  beauty,  I  may  say 
its  loveliness.  The  plain  is  far  greater  in  extent  up  the 
valley  of  the  Cephissus  than  I  had  imagined,  and  forms  a 
most  agreeable  contrast  to  the  sterile  mountains,  Hymettus, 
Pentelicus,  Fames,  JEgaleus,  which  enclose  the  landscape 
on  three  sides.  The  fourth  side,  as  seen  from  the  Acropolis, 
is  that  where  the  beautiful  indentations  forming  the  ports 
of  Phiilcrum,  Munychia,  and  Piraeus,  and  the  vicinity  ap- 
pear in  sight,  while  beyond  lie  Salamis,  JEgina,  Poms,  and 
the  Epidaurian  coast,  and  the  island  of  Hydra.  At  a  dis- 
tance we  saw  the  Acropolis  of  Corinth,  and  above  Mount 
-ZEgaleus  appear  the  tops  of  Cithaeron  and  Mount  Geranea. 
I  have  gazed  upon  few  landscapes  with  more  pleasure  than  I 
did  upon  this  yesterday  from  the  threshold  of  the  Parthenon, 
—  or,  to  speak  more  accurately,  from  a  spot  just  behind  the 
rear  of  this  building 

The  induction  of  Edward  Everett  into  the  office 
of  President  of  Harvard  College,  is  thus  described  in 
a  letter  of  Professor  Silliman. 

TO    PROFESSOR   KINGSM 

BOSTON,  April  30,  1846,  9  P.  M. 

MY  I>I:AU  SIR,  —  I  have  had  a  busy  day  at  Cambridge, 
and  now  devote  the  remainder  of  it  to  you,  agreeably  to 


CORRESPONDENCE.  31 

your  request  and  my  promise.  I  forwarded  from  New 
II uveii  President  Day's  letter,  announcing  my  coining,  and 
on  my  return  from  Salem  on  Tuesday  evening  I  found  a 
special  invitation  to  myself  to  attend  the  ceremony  and  the 
dinner.  This  morning  at  nine,  I  went  over  in  an  omnibus, 
and  was  seasonably  in  Gore  Hall,  — a  very  magnificent 
room,  and  soon  filled  with  Alumni  and  others.  I  saw  many 
whom  I  knew,  and  had  agreeable  renewals  of  old  acquaint- 
ance. Professor  Levering  took  me  in  charge  in  the  pro- 
cession, and  I  got  a  berth  for  Tutor  Noyes  with  Professor 

Pierce,  and  we  were  placed  on  the  stage I  enclose 

a  programme  of  the  exercises,  and  you  will  find,  no  doubt, 
a  full  account  in  the  "  Boston  Atlas  "  at  our  house,  or  at 
Benjamin's.  The  procession  was  very  extensive,  and  the 
house  perfectly  filled,  —  particular  ladies  being  admitted  to 
the  galleries  by  tickets,  and  other  ladies  taking  their  chance. 
There  was  the  most  perfect  order,  with  an  audience  as  large 
as  our  fullest  Commencements ;  the  only  exception  was 
from  the  uproarious  clapping  and  stamping,  —  sometimes 
continued  a  long  time,  so  as  to  raise  the  very  dust  from  the 
floor  in  clouds.  This  was  particularly  the  fact  just  as  Pres- 
ident Everett  began  his  address ;  the  students  were  so 
noisy  and  tempestuous  that  the  President  sat  down,  as  it 
was  impossible  to  hear  anything.  It  seemed  at  first  dis- 
respectful, but  it  was  presently  explained  by  Mr.  Webster's 
mounting  the  stage,  and  the  applause  was  meant  for  him,  — 
and,  by-the-by,  he  was  attended  recently  on  his  arrival  here 
in  the  cars  by,  it  is  said,  ten  thousand  people,  enthusiasti- 
cally cheering  him  to  his  lodgings.  When  Mr.  Everett  re- 
sumed his  address  he  very  adroitly  alluded  to  Mr.  Webster, 
wishing  that  the  duty  of  addressing  them  had  been  assigned 
to  his  illustrious  friend,  who,  he  was  sure,  would  perform 
the  duty  to  their  perfect  satisfaction  ;  this  then  was  tre- 
mendously cheered,  and  it  was  sometime  before  the  Presi- 
dent was  very  fairly  launched.  He  then  went  on  for  one 
and  a  half  hours,  with  frequent  applauses,  in  a  very  able 


32  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

and  eloquent  discourse,  pronounced  in  his  splendid  manner, 
—  without  a  MS.,  and  with  the  utmost  readiness,  and  yet 
with  perfect  deliberation.  You  will  see  it  by  and  by  in 
print.  The  subject  was  learning,  and  its  influence  ;  Colleges 
and  Universities,  —  their  proper  objects  ;  discipline  (mental) 
and  course  of  instruction.  He  based  the  whole  upon  a 
proper  moral  and  religious  influence  which  he  regarded  as 
more  important  than  all  the  rest.  This  discourse  was  en- 
tirely worthy  of  himself,  and  fully  sustained  his  high  reputa- 
tion. Governor  Briggs  inducted  him  into  office  in  a  very 
dignified  manner,  and  with  very  impressive  remarks. 

At  the  dinner  I  was  taken  by  Dr.  Pierce  of  Brookline, 
and  placed  with  the  overseers,  or  corporation,  (I  do  not 
know  which,)  between  Dr.  P.  and  Judge  Fay,  and  in  the 
society  of  Professor  Beck,  Dr.  Harris,  Professor  Pierce,  &c. 
The  dinner  was  served  in  a  fine  room  constructed  for  a 
picture-room  and  banqueting-hall  in  old  Harvard.     There 
was  no  wine,  —  only  lemonade  ;  the  very  first  instance  of 
the  kind  that  has  ever  occurred  here,  but  they  were  quite 
as  joyous  in  their  toasts  and  speeches  as  if  excited  by  alco- 
hol, and  as  it  was  all  moral  and  intellectual  excitement,  it 
was  all  so  much  the  better.     Among  the  speakers  was  the 
President  himself,  who  conducted  the  ceremonial  with  ad- 
mirable tact ;  then  the  ex-President,  speaking  partly  from 
notes  and  with  some  hesitancy,  but  with  very  good  effect, 
and  no  small  share  of  humor,  of  which  I  may  give  some 
account  in  conversation  ;  it  would  take  too  much  time  and 
paper  now.     Mr.  Webster  was  lauded  and  superlauded,  — 
and  indeed  they  all  "  put  it  on  very  thick  upon  "  each  other. 
Mr.  W.  disclaimed  speaking  on  politics,  especially  on  party 
politics,  but  evidently  alluding  to  Ingersoll,  he  said  that  if 
he  were  to  speak  on  politics  it  would  not  be  in  the  lingua 
academica^  nor   in  the  vernacular,  but  in  HIKJIKI  pcssima 
jfir(/nnce.     They  say  he  does  not  excel  on  such  occasions, 
and  I  did  not  think  he  was  sibi  cequalis.     Dr.  Holmes  read 
a  very  humorous  poem,  —  full  of  fun  and   full   of  puns. 


CORRESPONDENCE.  33 

jbert  C.  Winthrop   made   a  capital   speech.     Professor 
[itchcock  spoke  sensibly,  but  with  some  embarrassment, 
being  toasted,  and  I  was  called  up  and  did  as  well  as  I 
ild  in  such  a  conjuncture.    I  was  thanked  by  Mr.  Everett, 
id  by  many  of  the  Cantabs  on  account  of  the  spirit  of  my 
miarks,  which  were  conciliatory  and  friendly.     On  the 
lole  the  occasion  went  off  admirably,  and  the  utmost  good 
jling  prevailed  among  old  and  young,  Cantabs  and  stran- 
;rs.    I  went  with  Professor  Pierce  to  see  their  new  Obser- 
>ry,  which  is  fine,  and  reproaches  us.     I  ended  with  the 
sident's  levee,  and  returned  to  town,  highly  gratified. 
rery  many  inquiries  were  made  about  our  good  President 
id  you,  and  kindest  messages  sent.     They  have  now  brill- 
it  prospects   at  Harvard,   and   are   all   in  high  spirits. 
Jlease  show  this  to  my  family  and  the  President,  if  he 
should  call  for  it ;  my  coining  on  was  happy,  as  it  was 
evidently  very  acceptable.     Please  tell  B.,  my  son,  that  his 
letter  is  just  received,  and  will  be  attended  to.     I  wrote 
a  little  brief*  of  remarks  which  I   enclose  ;   my   spoken 
address  was  more  copious  and  more  mellow  and  flowing ; 
please  leave  the  paper  with  the  family.     If  they  should 
report  anything  in  the  Boston  papers,  you  can  observe 
whether  the  train  of  thought  is  similar.    To-morrow  I  shall 
devote  to  calls  and  a  little  business,  and  the  next  day  be 
off  for  Hanover. 

The  letter  which  follows  adverts  to  investigations 
in  which  the  writer  was  engaged  respecting  the  Pil- 
grims during  their  stay  in  Holland. 

FROM   MR.    GEORGE    SUMNER. 

PARIS,  July  1, 1846. 

You  were  so  kind,  by  your  letter,  as  to  offer  me 

the  services  of  yourself  and  son  "  whenever  they  might 

prove  available."     Such  offers  are  not  to  be  neglected.     I 

*  Not  used  but  merely  as  a  basis. 


34  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

have  begged  my  brother,  Mr.  Charles  Sumner,  to  send  you 
from  Boston  two  copies  of  a  memoir  upon  the  ten  years' 
residence  of  the  "  Pilgrims "  in  Holland,  which  is  the  re- 
sult of  researches  made  by  me  in  Leyden  and  elsewhere, 
with  the  hope  of  clearing  up,  in  part,  the  obscurity  that 
hangs  over  an  important  portion  of  the  early  history  of  the 
settlers  of  New  England.  I  should  be  gratified  if  you 
would  do  me  the  honor  to  accept  one  of  these  copies,  and 
(if  it  be  not  giving  you  too  much  trouble)  to  present  the 
other,  de  ma  part,  to  the  Historical  Society  of  Connecticut. 
Some  of  the  conclusions  of  this  memoir  are  not  in  exact 
harmony  with  the  statements  of  many  of  our  writers  ;  and 
it  was  with  some  hesitation  —  and  only  after  a  good  deal 
of  labor,  which,  however,  brought  to  light  little  but  negative 
evidence  —  that  I  found  myself  compelled  to  adopt  them. 
One  thing  which  it  perhaps  shows,  is  the  error  of  those 
who  have  so  often  harped  upon  an  imaginary  sympathy  be- 
tween the  Pilgrims  and  the  shrewd,  beer-drinking  Burgh- 
ers of  Leyden I  might  give  you  some  details  of 

the  present  scientific  movement  in  Paris,  which  would  per- 
haps interest  you ;  but  this  is  the  last  moment  for  writing 
by  the  steamer  of  the  4th,  and  I  must  make  my  letter  as 
short  as  possible.  The  news  of  the  settlement  of  the  Ore- 
gon limit  and  of  the  progress  of  the  Mexican  war,  have 
made  considerable  sensation  in  Paris.  The  French  press 
in  general  is  delighted  with  the  reculade  which  England 
has  made,  in  accepting  in  1846  that  which  twenty  years 
ago  it  declared,  through  Canning  and  Huskisson,  could 
never  be  accepted,  and  that  which  less  than  a  twelvemonth 
since  it  declared  "  inconsistent  with  its  just  expectations, 
with  fairness,  and  with  equity."  The  journals  which  have 
occasionally  reproached  the  United  States  with  inertness 
and  inability  to  act  in  an  emergency,  seem  surprised  by  the 
energy  developed  on  the  Mexican  frontier 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  SCIENTIFIC  MEN. 

Letters  of  Berzelius.  — Berzelius  proposes  a  Correspondence;  Alludes  to 
his  own  Work  on  Chemistry,  to  Professor  Silliman's  Experiments  with 
the  Deflagrator,  to  the  "  Journal  of  Science,"  to  Dr.  Hare.  —  Letter 
from  Dr.  Henry.  —  Correspondence  with  Mr.  Maclure.  —  Mr.  Maclure 
on  the  Subject  of  Education:  Professor  Silliman  on  Owen,  on  Specula- 
tive Opinions  in  Politics  and  Religion  ;  Recommends  a  Benefaction  to 
Science;  on  Mr.  Lyell's  Geology,  on  European  Politics,  on  the  Tariff, 
Slavery,  and  Nullification.  —  Letters  of  Robert  Bakewell.  —  Mr.  Bake- 
well  on  the  Mosaic  Cosmogony,  on  Lyell  and  Buckland,  on  Lyell's  Geol- 
ogy, on  his  own  Geology,  on  Scientific  Journals,  on  Oxford  and  Dr. 
Buckland,  on  Mantell  and  his  Museum,  on  Coal-Beds  in  America,  on 
Storms,  on  Murchison's  Geological  Work,  on  a  Universal  Language,  on 
the  Insect  Tree. 

AMONG  the  scientific  men  of  Europe  with  whom 
rofessor  Silliman  occasionally  corresponded  for  a 
>ng  series  of  years,  was  the  eminent  Swedish  chem- 
5t,  Berzelius.  This  correspondence  began  at  the 

[nest  of  the  latter,  a  few  of  whose  letters  are  given, 
Lther  entire  or  in  extracts,  below  :  — 

STOCKHOLM,  July  13, 1820. 

.   .   .  You  cultivate  a  science  to  which  I  have  de- 
the  greater  part  of  my  time.     It  would  be  very  pleas- 
it  to  me  if  you  could  maintain  a  literary  correspondence 
rith  me.     I  cannot  promise  you  that  my  letters  will  have 
same  interest  as  those  of  an  inhabitant  of  France  or 
England ;  but,  as  we  are  not  entirely  confined  to  Sweden, 
I  can  perhaps  from  time  to  time  furnish  you  with  interest- 
ing news. 


36  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

If  Mr.  Griscom,  whose  acquaintance  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  making  in  Paris,  has  returned  to  New  York,  I  beg  you 
to  remember  me  to  him.  If  an  exchange  of  the  minerals 
of  America  for  those  of  Sweden  and  Norway  would  be 
agreeable  to  you,  you  have  only  to  let  me  know,  and  to  tell 
how  you  would  like  this  exchange  to  be  effected. 

Receive,  Sir,  the  assurance  of  the  high  consideration 
with  which  I  have  the  honor  to  be 

Your  very  humble  and  very  obedient  servant, 

JAC.  BERZELIUS. 

STOCKHOLM,  March  20,  1822. 

Sm, — I  am  very  happy  to  learn  that  the 

minerals  have  arrived  in  safety,  and  that  you  are  satisfied 
with  them.  I  willingly  take  advantage  of  your  kind  offer, 
to  ask  from  you  some  American  minerals,  of  which  almost 
any  would  be  welcome  for  a  beginning,  since  we  have  but 

but  very  few  here I  take  the  liberty  of  sending 

you  a  copy  of  the  French  translation  of  my  work  upon  the 
Blow-pipe,  since  you  do  not  read  German.  I  am  particu- 
larly interested  to  have  you  judge  my  work  as  it  is,  and  not 
as  Mr.  Children  has  rendered  it ;  for  some  of  my  pupils 
now  in  England  write  me  that  Mr.  Children,  whose  trans- 
lation of  my  work  I  have  not  yet  seen,  has  injured  it  in 
several  places,  sometimes  by  changes,  in  others  by  abbrevia- 
tions, and  in  others  by  his  own  notes.  I  hope  soon  to  be 
enlightened  on  this  subject  through  my  own  eyes. 

Your  experiments  with  the  deflagrator  have  interested 
me  much.  I  have  one  almost  completed,  and  I  look  for- 
ward with  pleasure  to  the  brilliant  phenomena  which  I  am 
about  to  witness.  The  discordance  of  the  ordinary  pile 
with  the  deflagrator  appears  inexplicable  to  me,  except  by 
the  theory  of  Mr.  Hare,  which,  though  ingenious,  I  find  it 
difficult  to  admit,  since  the  electro-magnetic  phenomena 
are  in  all  their  characters  the  same  as  in  the  ordinary  elec- 
tricity. I  have  nothing  important  to  communicate  to  you 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  SCIENTIFIC  MEN.  37 

from  my  laboratory,  except  that  in  the  analysis  of  the 
waters  of  Carlsbad,  in  Bohemia,  which  I  visited  the  lust 
summer,  I  discovered  several  substances  which  have  not 
before  been  found  in  solution,  such  as  the  fluate  of  lime, 
the  carbonate  of  strontian,  the  phosphate  of  lime,  and  that 
of  alumina.  These  substances  are  found  dissolved  in  free 
carbonic  acid.  The  tufa  which  these  waters  deposit  are 
like  arragonite,  which  establishes  the  idea  of  Mr.  Stro- 
meyer,  that  it  is  the  carbonate  of  strontian  which  deter- 
mines the  arragonite  form  of  this  species  of  the  carbonate 
of  lime. 

I  do  not  possess  the  work  of  Mr.  Cleaveland, 

and  I  doubt  whether  it  is  to  be  procured  in  London.  I 
venture  to  beg  you  to  purchase  a  copy  for  me ;  I  have  re- 
quested Mr.  Hughes  to  repay  you  the  cost 

STOCKHOLM,  June  28, 1832. 

SIR,  —  I  pray  you  to  accept  the  accompanying  five  vol- 
umes of  my  Chemistry,  as  a  testimonial  of  my  esteem  and 
consideration,  not  to  say  gratitude,  for  your  kindness  in 
sending  us  your  excellent  Journal.  The  work  which  I 
send  you  is  not  yet  finished ;  but  I  thought  it  best  not  to 
wait  longer,  that  you  may  not  lose  entirely  the  gratia  novi- 
tatis  of  the  first  volumes.  The  sixth  volume  should  already 
be  out,  although  I  have  received  no  notice  of  it,  nor  had 
any  copy  sent.  The  entire  work  will  consist  of  eight  vol- 
umes. The  sixth  will  still  be  on  vegetable  chemistry ;  the 
seventh  on  animal  chemistry ;  and  the  eighth  on  the  oper- 
ations, manipulations,  and  instruments  of  the  laboratory,  as 
well  as  a  treatise  on  crystallography,  of  which  Mr.  Mitscher- 
lich  is  the  author.  My  translator  having  been  seized  by 
the  cholera,  has  been  for  a  long  time  dangerously  ill  from 
the  consequences  of  this  dreadful  disease,  which  has  been, 
especially  in  France,  so  disastrous.  The  work  is  therefore 
suspended  for  the  moment,  and  I  shall  probably  not  have 
the  pleasure  of  sending  the  rest  to  you  till  the  next  year. 


38  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

Accept  the  expression  of  the  sentiments  of  esteem  and 
consideration  with  which  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  Sir, 
Your  very  humble  and  obedient  servant, 

JAC.  BERZELIUS. 

STOCKHOLM,  March  10, 1846. 

SIR,  —  I  embrace  the  opportunity  offered  by  Mr.  Ells- 
worth, to  thank  you  for  two  letters,  one  of  which  reached 
me  by  Mr.  Ellsworth,  and  the  other  arrived  a  few  hours 
after.  I  was  much  flattered  by  what  Mr.  Ellsworth  made 
known  to  me  of  your  wish  to  possess  a  likeness  of  me.  I 
gave  him  one  which  they  pretend  is  successful,  and  I  sup- 
pose he  will  forward  it  to  you  by  this  same  opportunity. 

We  have  many  thanks  to  present  to  you  for  the  con- 
tinued remittance  of  your  Journal,  —  the  Academy  of  Sci- 
ences as  well  as  myself.  The  last  number  which  reached 
us  is  No.  94;  so  it  seems  that  there  are  still  wanting  six 
numbers  before  the  termination  of  the  Journal  under  the 
old  form.  Professor  Sefstrom,  to  whom  you  have  sent 
your  Journal,  has  been  taken  from  us  by  a  stroke  of  apo- 
plexy, towards  the  close  of  the  last  year.  This  loss  is 
greatly  felt,  for  he  was  an  active  man,  full  of  zeal,  especially 
in  the  application  of  the  sciences  to  the  arts. 

In  the  knowledge  of  what  pertains  to  the  manufactory  of 
iron,  we  have  no  one  to  be  compared  with  him.  His  suc- 
cessor in  the  School  of  Mines  is  Professor  Akermann,  who 
is  on  the  point  of  transferring  the  School  of  Mines  of 
Fahlun,  where  he  is  at  present,  to  the  capital,  considering 
this  change  to  be  advantageous,  since  the  mines  at  Fahlun 
begin  to  be  exhausted. 

I  am  under  great  obligations  to  you  for  the  trouble  you 
have  taken  to  distribute  the  copies  that  were  sent  of  my 
paper  on  the  Blow-pipe.  Will  you  be  good  enough,  when 
an  opportunity  offers,  to  present  my  respects  to  our  friend 
Mr.  Hare.  I  owe  him  a  long  controversial  letter  on  scien- 
tific matters ;  but,  to  tell  the  truth,  my  time  is  so  much  oc- 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  SCIENTIFIC  MEN.  39 

cupied  by  the  new  edition  of  my  "  Treatise  on  Chemistry," 
that  I  can  hardly  find  time  for  anything  else,  especially  at 
the  age  of  sixty-seven  years,  when  one  cannot  hope  to  have 
the  necessary  vigor  to  undertake  again  a  work  of  ten  vol- 
umes. Nearly  two  thirds  of  this  edition  I  have  still  to 
compose.  Besides,  it  is  a  little  hazardous  to  enter  into  a 
private  discussion  with  this  savant,  because  he  immediately 
prints  all  that  is  written  to  him,  followed  by  a  refutation.  I 
have  sometimes  been  surprised  to  read  in  your  Journal  a 
reply  to  my  ideas  that  I  had  never  seen  except  there.  One 
cannot  be  angry,  however,  for  Mr.  Hare  is  a  good  man, 
and  seeks  the  truth  before  everything  ;  but  that  makes  one 
desire  not  to  turn  a  private  controversy  into  a  public  one. 
But  much  depends  on  the  habits  of  different  countries.  .  .  . 

Will  you  have  the  goodness  to  give  the  enclosed  note  to 
your  son. 

Receive,  I  beg  you,  my  dear  Sir,  the  assurance  of  the 
high  consideration  with  which  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  Sir, 
Your  very  devoted  servant, 

JAC.  BERZELIUS. 

Professor  Silliman's  "  Chemistry "  was  received 
with  approbation  by  the  veteran  chemist,  whose  own 
work  he  had  introduced  to  American  readers. 

FROM   DR.    WILLIAM   HENRY. 

MANCHESTER,  May  9, 1831. 

MY  DEAR  SIR, — I  avail  myself  of  the  earliest  opportunity 
of  offering  you  my  best  thanks  for  the  obliging  present  of 
your  "  Elements  of  Chemistry,"  which  reached  me  from 
London  only  a  few  days  ago ;  and  I  am  induced  to  offer 
my  acknowledgments  thus  early,  because  to-morrow  I  am 
about  to  leave  home  for  some  time,  and  may  not  soon  again 
have  an  opportunity  of  getting  my  letter  conveyed  to  Liv- 
erpool. Of  course  I  have  only  had  time  as  yet,  especially 


40  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

as  I  have  been  occupied  in  preparations  for  my  departure, 
to  give  more  than  a  cursory  glance  over  your  pages.  This, 
however,  has  been  sufficient  to  convince  me  that  you  have 
exerted  great  industry  in  collecting  the  materials  of  your 
volumes,  and  great  skill  and  judgment  in  condensing  and 
arranging  them.  Immediately  on  my  return,  I  shall  have 
much  gratification  in  going  over  your  volumes,  with  the 
leisure  and  attention  which  are  necessary  to  enable  one 
fully  to  profit  b$  them.  In  this  country  very  little  has 
been  done  lately  —  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  is  now  doing  — 
that  is  adapted  to  extend  the  boundaries  of  chemical 
science.  We  have  had  for  some  time  past  one  of  those 
seasons  of  repose  of  which  the  history  of  Natural  Philos- 
ophy furnishes  many  examples.  We  may  hope  that  it  will 
be  followed,  as  heretofore,  by  one  of  those  seasons  of  ar- 
dent and  fruitful  invention  and  discovery,  during  which 
science  springs  forward  with  the  greatest  eagerness  and 
success.  I  cannot  close  this  letter  without  thanking  you 
for  the  very  handsome  terms  in  which  you  have  spoken  of 
my  labors  in  the  field  which  we  all  water  in  common.  To 
be  so  estimated  by  one  so  capable  of  judging  is  both  a  re- 
ward for  the  past  and  an  incitement  for  the  future.  I  beg 
to  assure  you  that  I  am,  with  sincere  respect  and  esteem, 
dear  Sir, 

Very  respectfully  yours, 

WM.  HENRY. 

With  Mr.  William  Maclure  Professor  Silliman 
maintained  a  correspondence  for  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  years.  His  estimate  of  the  character  and  ser- 
vices of  Mr.  Maclure  is  given  on  a  previous  page. 
The  religious  views  of  the  latter  were  far  from  being 
consonant  with  his  own ;  nor  did  Mr.  Maclure's 
schemes  for  social  reorganization  commend  them- 
selves to  his  judgment.  Yet  there  was  much  in  his 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  SCIENTIFIC  MEN.  41 

spirit,  and  in  what  he  did  for  science,  which  Professor 
Silliman  honored. 


FROM   MR.    WILLIAM   MACLURE. 

October  19, 1822. 

YOUR  ideas  concerning  the  utility  that  would 

result  to  mankind  by  a  more  strict  attention  to  positive 
knowledge  in  our  Colleges,  agree  perfectly  with  my  own, 
and  I  think  that  the  means  you  propose  would  much  tend 
to  produce  that  desirable  effect.  I  only  regret  that  my  cir- 
cumstances are  not  adequate  to  the  accomplishment  of  so 
beneficial  a  change.  When  I  retired  from  commerce  about 
twenty-five  years  ago,  I  looked  round  for  some  occupation 
that  might  amuse  me  always,  convinced  that  a  man  had 
the  choice  of  his  amusements  as  well  as  of  his  profession, 
and  that  common  sense  dictated  an  amusement  that  would 
produce  the  greatest  good,  for  it  is  an  axiom  with  me  that 
it  is  the  positive  and  real  interest  of  every  individual  in 
society  to  have  as  many  friends  and  as  few  enemies  as 
possible.  To  obtain  them  he  must  do  as  much  good  and 
as  little  harm  as  possible.  In  reflecting  upon  the  absurdity 
of  my  own  classical  education,  launched  into  the  world  as 
ignorant  as  a  pig  of  anything  useful,  not  having  occasion 
to  practice  anything  I  had  learned,  except  reading,  writing, 
and  counting,  which  any  child  could  now  acquire  in  six  or 
eight  months  of  a  Lancasterian  School,  • —  I  had  been  long 
in  the  habit  of  considering  education  one  of  the  greatest 
abuses  our  species  were  guilty  of,  and  of  course  one  of  the 
reforms  the  most  beneficial  to  humanity,  and  likewise  offer- 
ing to  ambition  a  fair  field.  Almost  no  improvement  had " 
been  made  in  it  for  two  hundred  or  three  hundred  years ; 
there  was  immense  room  for  change  to  put  it  on  a  par  with 
the  other  functions  of  civilization.  The  task  appeared  easy, 
and  the  credit  to  be  acquired  by  any  change  considerable, 
for  nearly  the  same  reasons.  I  adopted  rock-hunting  as 


42  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

an  amusement  in  place  of  deer  or  partridge  hunting,  con- 
sidering mineralogy  and  geology  as  the  sciences  most  ap- 
plicable to  useful  practical  purposes,  but,  like  most  of  the 
things  of  the  greatest  utility,  neglected,  —  having  long  given 
up  all  idea  of  changing  the  opinions  of  man  as  a  labor  far 
above  my  abilities.  I  have  been  endeavoring,  for  some 
twenty  years,  to  change  the  education  of  children,  and 
stumbled  by  accident  about  eighteen  years  ago  on  the 
school  of  Pestalozzi  in  Switzerland,  which  subserved  the 
useful  purposes  that  I  had  formed  to  myself  of  a  rational 
education.  I  have  been  ever  since  doing  something  towards 
propagating  and  improving  the  scheme,  and  the  success  in 
the  fruits  are  more  than  I  expected ;  for  it  has  won  some  of 
the  most  promising  young  men  in  our  country,  such  as 
Henry  Sybert,  &c.,  &c.,  but  has  not  been  able  to  penetrate 
deep  into  the  crust  of  prejudices  which  is  early  interwoven 
with  our  self-love,  so  as  to  make  the  greatest  part  of  man- 
kind jealous  and  inveterate  enemies  of  any  system  that 
gives  knowledge  on  cheaper  terms  than  they  themselves 
paid  for  it ;  though  I  have  little  doubt  that  in  time  some 
such  system  will  generally  prevail  in  our  country,  where  the 
power,  being  in  the  hands  of  the  people,  through  the  medium 
of  our  popular  governments,  renders  a  diffusion  of  knowl- 
edge necessary  to  the  support  of  freedom,  and  of  course  the 
necessity  of  an  almost  equal  division  of  both  property  and 
knowledge,  which  the  advantages  given  to  those  who  can 
afford  to  send  their  sons  to  colleges  very  naturally  counter- 
acts. In  the  letter  enclosed  in  the  small  box  of  lavas,  you 
will  receive  four  of  my  political  essays  translated  into 
Spanish,  by  which  you  will  perceive  the  consequence  I 
attach  to  an  almost  equal  division  of  property,  knowledge, 
and  power,  as  the  only  firm  foundation  of  freedom  which 
includes  the  happiness  of  mankind.  The  disgraceful  ignor- 
ance of  the  higher  orders  in  this  country  *  is  the  most  for- 
tunate circumstance  in  favor  of  the  freedom  of  the  Spanish 

*  Spain.  —  F. 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  SCIENTIFIC  MEN.  43 

nation,  for  they  are  all  enemies  to  the  liberties  of  the  people, 
and  friends  to  despotism,  but  from  their  imbecility  all  their 
plans  of  destroying  the  happiness  and  freedom  of  their 
nation  fail,  and  have  as  yet  strengthened  the  constitution 
which  they  were  laboring  to  destroy.  The  reform  in  the 
common  schools  is  the  only  mode  of  equalizing  knowledge. 
Not  one  in  a  thousand  in  any  country  can  have  a  college 
education,  and  when  once  the  schools  are  modelled  upon  the 
forms  of  utility  the  colleges  must  follow,  or  none  will  attend 
them.  That  knowledge  can  be  obtained  in  a  twentieth  part 
of  the  time  that  is  wasted  by  the  ancient,  monkish  system, 

there  can  be  no  doubt.     Mr. has  a  school  in  my 

house  at  Paris,  for  the  last  two  years,  and  boys  from  eight 
to  ten  years  old  become  good  mineralogists  and  chemists, 
almost  equal  to  the  analysis  of  rocks,  and  speak  and  gram- 
matically understand  three  to  four  modern  languages, 
Mathematics  in  all  its  branches,  are  good  arithmeticians, 
and  in  short  before  the  arrival  of  that  critical  time,  the  age 
of  puberty,  they  will  possess  more  useful  knowledge  than 
they  could  have  had  by  the  old  system  at  the  age  of  thirty 
or  forty 

TO    MR.    WILLIAM   MACLURE. 

NEW  HAVEN,  March  23, 1825. 

MR.  OWEN,  I  hear  of  frequently  through  the 

papers,  but  have  not  seen  him  yet.  I  observe  he  has  given 
a  lecture  or  lectures  to  Congress,  but  with  what  success  I 
know  not.  In  this  country,  and  especially  in  that  part  of 
it  where  he  has  fixed  his  destination,  there  will  be  at  least 
a  perfect  freedom  from  any  opposition,  —  no  corporations, 
no  prescriptions,  no  inveterate  habits,  and  no  legal  im- 
pediments to  oppose  his  success.  You  have  heard  of  the 
noble  treatment  which  Congress  has  given  to  General 
Lafayette,  and  of  the  perfect  quiet  and  good  feeling  with 
which  a  new  President  was  elected  by  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives. The  friends  of  legitimacy  must  now  despair  of 


44  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

the  instability  of  our  institutions,  since,  without  force  to 
support  them,  they  are  more  firm  than  the  monarchical 
establishments  are  with  all  their  military  array 

TO    MR.    WILLIAM   MACLURE. 

NEW  HAVEN,  April  18,  1825. 

I  AGREE  with  you  substantially  as  to  the  im- 
portance and  efficacy  of  knowledge,  and  the  baneful  effects 
of  ignorance,  but  in  the  idea  of  knowledge  I  include  that 
of  our  duties  as  moral  and  accountable  beings,  in  which  I 
trust  you  will  agree  with  me,  and  therefore  I  presume  that 
when  you  speak  of  speculative  opinions  on  politics  and 
religion  as  the  greatest  bar  to  civilization,  you  rather  refer 
to  the  abuse  too  often  made  of  a  good  thing  than  to  the 
employment  of  one  intrinsically  bad.  Correct  speculative 
views  in  politics  are  most  likely  to  lead  to  correct  practice, 
and  it  is  the  same  with  religion.  A  bad  or  false  system  of 
either  will  almost  necessarily  lead  to  bad  practical  conse- 
quences, but  a  true  and  correct  view  will  most  probably 
lead  to  happy  results.  It  is  possible  that  our  opinions  on 
some  of  these  subjects  may  differ,  but  we  agree  on  so  many 
important  ones  that  I  cannot  doubt  we  shall  mutually 
grant  to  each  other  the  liberty  to  differ,  where  we  actually 
entertain  different  views.  Everything  is  going  on  very 
happily  in  this  country,  in  our  political  and  literary  and 
social  institutions,  and  I  trust  you  will  find  that  during  the 
years  that  have  passed  since  you  last  left  us,  we  have  made 
considerable  advances.  Wishing  you  a  safe  passage  and 
happy  arrival, 

I  remain,  dear  sir,  very  truly  yours. 

TO    MR.    WILLIAM    M  ACL  TIM,. 

NEW  HAVEN,  April  13,  1829. 

YOUR  kindness  and  uniformly  cool  and  consid- 
erate attention  to  the  subjects  suggested  by  your  friends 
will,  I  doubt  not,  pardon  my  alluding  again  to  a  subject 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  SCIENTIFIC  MEN.  45 

about  which  we  corresponded  when  you  were  in  Spain.  I 
have  no  direct  personal  interest  in  it,  except  as  a  cultivator 
of  mineralogy  and  geology,  but  I  have  always  wished  that 
there  might  eventually  be  an  establishment  on  that  subject 
to  bear  your  name,  and  to  diffuse  knowledge  and  benefit  to 
this  country,  when  you  and  I  are  gone.  Even  a  posthumous 
dedication  of  a  small  portion  of  your  fine  Western  or 
Spanish  territories  would  accomplish  the  object  without 
seriously  interfering  with  your  great  and  interesting  under- 
taking at  New  Harmony.  Forgive  this  liberty,  and  take  no 
notice  of  this  part  of  my  letter  in  your  reply,  unless  it  is 
altogether  agreeable  to  you  to  do  so.  I  shall  certainly  take 
no  exceptions  at  your  silence  on  this  subject,  if  you  take 

none  at  my  freedom Our  great  scramble  for  the 

Presidency  is  over,  and  General  Jackson  is  crowned.  Hap- 
pily the  institutions  of  this  country  are  so  established  in 
the  habits  and  affections  of  the  people  that  a  change  of  men 
makes  little  change  in  measures.  There  are  removals  from 
office,  inconvenient  to  individuals,  and  often  injurious  to 
them  and  the  country,  but  there  seem  to  be  in  this  country 
no  elements  of  discord  leading  to  anarchy  and  bloodshed. 
If  any  expedient  can  be  devised  by  which  our  domestic 
slavery  can  be  removed,  it  would  avert  what  is  in  my  mind 
an  incessant  source  of  anxiety,  and  I  think  that  the  plan 
which  you  once  suggested  of  removing  them  West  —  at 
least  in  part  —  to  labor  voluntarily  as  freemen,  is  worthy 
of  more  attention  than  it  has  received 

TO    MR.    WILLIAM    MACLURE. 

NEW  HAVEN,  June,  7, 1831. 

I  KNOW  not  whether  the  most  recent  geological 

works  are  sent  out  to  you  by  your  friends ;  that  of  Mr. 
Lyell  now  occupies  a  good  deal  of  the  attention  of  Euro- 
pean geologists.  I  have  not  yet  quite  finished  the  perusal 
of  it  (viz.,  Vol.  I., — Vol.  II.  has  not  appeared  yet).  I  see, 
however,  the  drift  of  his  argument,  which  is  to  prove  that 


46  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

great  effects  are  produced  by  existing  causes,  such  as  we 
now  see  operating  around  us,  in  modifying  the  crust  of  our 
planet,  and  even  in  generating  geological  formations,  and 
he  has  indeed  made  out  his  case  more  fully  than  one  would 
have  imagined  that  he  could.  Although  rather  diffuse,  it 
is,  on  the  whole,  an  interesting  and  instructive  work  ;  but  I 
think  he  has  only  altered  the  relative  order,  not  changed 
the  nature,  of  geological  evidence.  If  he  is  correct,  we 
must  impute  more  to  causes  now  in  operation,  and  less  to 
ancient  catastrophes  than  we  have  been  accustomed  to 
believe.  Everything  of  public  news  you,  of  course,  obtain 
from  the  papers ;  and  you  doubtless  observe,  with  great  in- 
terest, the  progress  of  the  Polish  struggle,  and  of  the  course 
of  popular  liberty  throughout  Europe.  To  us,  that  strug- 
gle is,  on  many  accounts,  very  interesting,  not  merely  from 
our  sympathy  with  our  fellow-men,  but  because  it  would 
now  appear  that  the  great  problem  of  the  stability  of  our 
institutions  is  settled,  and  if  we  are  faithful  to  ourselves  in 
vigorously  pushing  the  great  interests  of  education,  and 
thus  causing  the  rising  generation  to  be  what  they  should 
be,  we  are  safe  ;  for  our  government  and  administration, 
being  what  the  most  numerous  class  of  voters  choose  they 
should  be,  there  is  neither  cause  nor  means  of  revolution 
other  than  in  changing  officers  by  elections.  Thus  a  gov- 
ernment which  seemed  in  theory  the  most  feeble,  proves  in 
practice  the  most  stable,  and  I  trust  it  will  ever  endure. 

TO   MR.    WILLIAM   MACLURE. 

NEW  HAVEN,  January  25, 1832. 

IN  this  country  there  is  at  present  great  agita- 
tion in  the  public  mind  on  the  subject  of  the  tariff,  but  all 
this  you  will  see  in  the  public  prints.  What,  however,  will 
interest  you  much  more  is,  that  the  public  mind  is  awa- 
kened, more  than  it  ever  was  before,  to  the  dangers  of  slav- 
ery. This  state  of  feeling  has  been  produced  evidently  by 
the  bloody  insurrection  in  Southampton  County,  Va.,  dur- 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  SCIENTIFIC  WEN.  47 

ing  the  late  autumn.  The  subject  is  now  in  the  progress 
of  the  most  animated  and  thorough  and  courageous  discus- 
sion in  the  Virginia  Legislature,  and  it  seems  to  be  con- 
ceded on  all  hands  that  something  must  be  done.  Colon- 
ization in  Africa,  colonization  in  some  of  our  Western 
territories,  emancipation  en  masse,  gradual  emancipation, 
holding  on  under  the  present  system,  —  these  seem  to  be 
the  alternatives,  and  you  will  agree  with  me  that  they  are 
sufficiently  appalling.  There  are  two  millions  now,  and 
there  will  be  three  millions  by  the  next  census,  and  five  by 
the  time  the  children  are  men  and  women.  What  has 
been  found  to  be  the  effect  of  general  and  sudden  emanci- 
pation in  Mexico  ?  Have  the  quondam  slaves  become  more 
turbulent  and  vicious,  and  less  industrious  ?  I  suppose, 
however,  that  the  slaves  there  were  not  to  any  great  extent 
negroes,  but  rather  Indians.  You  may  observe  that  there 
is  now  a  great  effort  making  in  England  to  obtain  emanci- 
pation for  their  slaves  in  the  West  Indies,  not  gradually, 
but  in  mass.  This  is  a  great  question,  and  it  must  very 
soon  engage  the  attention  of  mankind  where  there  are 
slaves,  or  those  who  are  held  in  virtual  bondage,  as  in  Rus- 
sia. The  cruel  oppression  exercised  over  Poland,  and  re- 
cently consummated  in  blood,  must  sooner  or  later  be  vis- 
ited upon  that  proud  and  wicked  monarchy 

TO    MR.    WILLIAM   MACLURE. 

NEW  HAVEN,  April  16, 1833. 

You  will  have  observed  that  we  have  been  ap- 
parently on  the  eve  of  similar  convulsions,  but  the  storm 
has  for  the  present  blown  by,  although  I  am  by  no  means 
sure  that  it  will  not  gather  again.  Possibly,  not  on  the 
subject  of  the  tariff,  for  the  opposition  on  that  ground  being 
avowedly  withdrawn,  there  will  be  no  decent  pretence  for 
getting  it  up  again,  unless  the  duties  should  be  again  in- 
creased, and  against  this,  I  think  that  the  voice  of  the  country 
would  be  generally  raised ;  for  even  the  friends  of  the  pro- 


48  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

tective  system  think  that  the  policy  has  been  stretched  too 
far,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  the  suffering  that  has  been 
proclaimed  so  loudly  is  pronounced  by  the  Union  party  of 
South  Carolina  to  be  ideal,  because  their  crops  sell  as  well 
as  before  the  tariff,  and  their  expenses  for  the  clothing  of 
their  negroes,  &c.,  are  not  more  than  half  what  they  were 
in  years  gone  by.  I  suspect  that  the  real  danger  to  the 
Union  grows  out  of  quite  another  subject, —  namely,  the  in- 
stitution of  slavery  itself,  against  which  you  so  justly  and 
decidedly  protest.  The  rapid  progress  of  public  opinion 
in  Great  Britain,  which  has  already  denounced  slavery  in 
the  West  Indies,  and  will  probably  not  permit  it  to  exist 
more  than  a  very  few  years  at  the  utmost,  greatly  alarms 
our  Southern  slaveholders.  They  had  a  dreadful  example 
of  domestic  insurrection  in  Virginia,  in  the  autumn  of  1831  ; 
not  a  few  persons  are  engaged  in  various  parts  of  the  Union 
in  denouncing  slavery,  and  in  urging  its  abolition  in  toto 
and  at  once  ;  and  although  this  may  be  premature,  and,  in 
our  actual  circumstances,  unjustifiable,  it  has  its  effect.  It 
seems  now  apparent  that  slavery  cannot  be  sustained  in- 
definitely in  this  country.  But  the  effort  which  I  fear  will 
be  made  before  many  years  to  sustain  it  will,  I  also  fear,  take 
the  form  of  attempting  to  rear  in  the  South  a  distinct  em- 
pire, embracing  as  many  slave  States  as  can  be  induced  to 
join  it,  and  embracing,  perhaps,  all  except  Maryland,  West- 
ern Virginia,  and  possibly  Kentucky;  and  then  they  must 
have  Texas  per  fas  aid  nefas  ;  and  the  great  features  of  this 
confederacy  will  be  slavery,  and  dependence  on  the  favor 
and  protection  of  a  foreign  power,  which  must,  I  suppose 
of  course,  be  England.  They  do  not  seem  to  take  into 
view  at  all  the  tremendous  internal  danger  from  their  own 
efficient  physical  population,  the  rapid  increase  of  which  is 
encouraged,  and,  I  might  say,  insured,  by  humanity,  cupid- 
ity, climate,  plenty,  &c.  This  appears  to  be  the  aim  of  at 
least  the  most  violent  of  the  South  Carolina  nullifiers,  and, 
indeed,  they  do  not  hesitate  to  avow  it ;  b'ut  the  most  sober* 


CORRESPONDENCE   WITH  SCIENTIFIC  MEN.  49 

minded  people  in  the  other  Southern  States  will  probably 
be  slow  to  go  these  lengths,  and  I  trust  you  may  consider 
the  country  as  pacified  for  the  present. 

TO    MR.    WILLIAM   MACLURE. 

NEW  HAVEN,  October  31,  1833. 

YOUR  remarks  on  our  Federal  Union  and  political 

measures  certainly  deserve  serious  consideration,  although 
I  conceive  our  case  is  not  exactly  parallel  with  that  of 
Switzerland,  an  inland  country,  without  foreign  commerce, 
and  composed  of  members,  I  suppose,  much  more  discor- 
dant than  ours.  I  am  much  impressed  with  what  you  say 
as  to  the  tendency  which  the  duty  on  sugar  has  to  encour- 
age slavery.  I  think  that  must  be  true ;  but  I  suppose 
nothing  can  alter  the  policy.  It  is,  I  believe,  a  settled 
thing  that  the  cultivation  of  sugar  in  Louisiana  is  to  be 
thus  encouraged  at  whatever  hazard ;  the  singular  incon- 
sistency seems  to  have  been  overlooked  of  opposing  a 
Northern  tariff  for  encouraging  manufactures  by  freemen, 
while  a  manufacture  by  slaves  in  the  South  is  thus  sus- 
tained. For  myself,  however,  I  wish  to  see  as  little  as 
possible  of  tariffs,  and  would  prefer  to  have  individual  en- 
terprise and  industry  to  work  its  own  way  with  as  little  in- 
terference from  Government  as  may  be.  I  am  glad  to  hear 
that  your  distracted  country  —  Mexico  —  is  in  a  way  to 
get  settled  in  anything  like  permanent  order  and  tranquil- 
lity, and  hope  that  they  may  eventually  find  out  the  best 
method  of  governing  themselves.  At  present  everything 
appears  tranquil  in  this  country ;  the  high  excitement  in 
Carolina  seems  to  have  subsided,  and  it  will  not  be  easy  to 
get  up  such  a  state  of  things  again  very  soon.  Congress 
will  soon  meet  again,  and  you  will  see  in  the  annual  budgets 
of  the  President  and  his  officers  the  state  of  the  country. 
Collisions  and  excitement  must  of  course  be  expected  in  a 
country  where  there  is  freedom ;  at  one  time  it  will  run  on 

VOL.  II.  4 


50  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLLMAN. 

one  subject,  and  at  another  time  on  something  different. 
At  present  there  is  no  small  feeling  as  to  the  Bank  of  the 
United  States.  The  United  States  deposits  are,  or  are  to 
be,  removed  from  it  to  some  of  the  State  banks,  prepara- 
tory to  the  suppression  of  the  institution,  which  the  Presi- 
dent and  some  of  his  Cabinet  appear  to  have  much  at 
heart 

TO    MR.   WILLIAM   MACLURE. 

NEW  HAVEN,  July  24,  1835. 

THE  project  for  cheap  books  is  an  important 

one,  and  knowledge  ought  to  be  brought  home  as  much  to 
the  common  people  as  possible  ;  much  has  been  done  in  this 
way,  and  is  doing,  as  you  observe,  in  England,  and  much 
more  might  be  done  in  this  country.  The  great  question 
that  now  seems  likely  to  agitate  us  in  this  country  is  slav- 
ery. The  progress  of  moral  sentiment  on  that  subject, 
and  the  increasing  experience  of  the  mischiefs  of  slavery, 
are  producing  changes  in  the  public  mind  ;  and  although 
some  people,  as  you  may  perceive  by  newspapers,  are  going 
too  fast  and  too  far,  I  doubt  whether  the  subject  can  stand 
still  even  in  the  slaveholding  States.  Very  recently  there 
has  been  in  New  York  a  meeting  of  persons  from  those 
States,  whose  object  seems  to  have  been  to  oppose,  by  pub- 
lic speeches  and  resolutions,  the  movements  in  the  non- 
slaveholding  States  ;  they  have,  however,  manifested  such 
an  entire  aversion  to  approach  the  idea  of  freedom  for  the 
colored  race,  in  any  event  and  under  any  circumstances,  that 
I  fear  the  effect  will  recoil.  The  subject  will  not  rest ;  and  I 
am  apprehensive  that  if  nothing  is  done,  the  time  will  come 
when  scenes  like  those  of  Southampton,  Va.,  may  be  re- 
newed. The  example  of  the  British  West  Indies  is  fully 
before  us,  and  cannot  be  without  its  effects  here  for  good 
or  for  evil.  I  should  like  to  know  your  views  of  the  effects 
of  manumission  in  Mexico  and  Columbia,  and  whether  the 
condition  of  the  colored  races  has  been  improved  by  it.  .  . 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  SCIENTIFIC  MEN.          51 

TO    MR.    WILLIAM   MACLURE. 

NEW  HAVEN,  November  4, 1835. 

As  I  am  thus  successful  with  the  many,  I  have 

even  considered  whether  it  was  not  my  duty  to  throw  my- 
self abroad  and  loose  myself,  at  least  in  part,  from  rny  con- 
nection with  the  College,  that  I  might  benefit  the  people, 
while  I  impose  upon  them  a  trifling  tax.  I  think  I  might 
agree  with  the  College  to  be  absent  a  part  of  the  year,  but 
I  must  relinquish  a  part  of  my  salary ;  and  it  might  not  be 
prudent  to  risk  the  welfare  of  my  family  by  relinquishing  a 
certainty,  although  a  small  one,  for  the  caprice  of  popular 
favor,  which  may  change.  I  think,  however,  by  relinquish- 
ing $300  or  $400  per  annum  of  my  salary,  I  might  get 
liberty  to  be  absent  permanently  in  March  and  April, 
which  are  term-time,  and  the  only  part  of  the  year  when  I 
would  lecture  in  cities,  as  I  must  be  here  for  the  winter 
chemical  course 

The  high  respect  which  Professor  Silliman  enter- 
tained for  the  celebrated  geologist,  Robert  Bakewell, 
has  been  already  express'ed  in  a  passage  from  the 
"  Reminiscences."  Mr.  Bakewell  was  a  man  of 
marked  individuality,  an  original  explorer  and  thinker 
in  the  field  of  geology.  There  are  few  more  racy 
letters  among  Mr.  Silliman's  papers  than  those  from 
him,  portions  of  which  are  here  presented.  It  should 
be  stated  that  Mr.  Bakewell  was  attached  in  religion 
to  the  school  of  Priestley  and  Belsham,  with  which 
Mr.  Silliman,  of  course,  did  not  sympathize. 

FROM   MR.    ROBERT   BAKEWELL. 

HAMPSTEAD  (near  London),  February  2, 1830. 

THE  remains  of  the  enormous  Iguanodon  have 

at  length  been  discovered  out  of  Sussex  ;  a  portion  of  the 


52  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

Sussex  beds  extend,  as  has  been  some  time  known,  into  the 
Isle  of  Wight,  but  no  bones  were  found  in  them  till  the 
last  autumn.  The  condyle  of  a  thigh-bone  in  Mr.  Man- 
tell's  museum  at  Lewes  I  measured :  it  was  thirty-five 
inches  in  circumference  ! !  Have  you  seen  Dr.  Ore's  book 
on  geology  ?  It  was  intended  as  a  catch  for  religious  peo- 
ple to  satisfy  them  that  the  world  was  made,  as  he  says,  in 
"  six  working  days  "  ;  but  he  violates  the  Mosaic  account  as 
much  as  any  preceding  writer,  for  he  makes  a  seventh 
working-day  after  the  Deluge  to  create  the  present  race  of 
animals.  Dr.  Ure  is  profoundly  ignorant  of  practical  geol- 
ogy, and  places  the  lias  next  to  the  chalk.  Dr.  Ure  is  sajd 
not  to  be  a  practical  religionist  any  more  than  he  is  a  prac- 
tical geologist.  In  this  country  a  pretence  to  religion  and 
principle  is  more  often  esteemed  than  the  reality.  He  is 
no  true  friend  to  religion  who  would  force  astronomical 
and  geological  observations  to  coincide  with  the  literal 
Scripture  phraseology  addressed  to  mankind  in  their  infant 

state,  and  never  intended  to  teach  the  sciences 

I  live  rather  out  of  the  world,  and  have  little  new  to  com- 
municate. A  few  weeks  since,  Mr.  Mantell,  the  discoverer 
of  the  Iguanodon,  and  Mr.  Lyell,  foreign  secretary  to  the 
Geological  Society,  came  to  breakfast  with  me.  Mr.  Lyell 
has  published  a  work  in  two  volumes,  entitled  "  Principles 
of  Geology,"  being  an  attempt  to  trace  present  appear- 
ances on  the  globe  to  causes  at  present  existing  and  in  ac- 
tivity. There  is  on  this  subject  much  diversity  of  opinion. 
Dr.  Buckland  supports  the  opinion  that  the  surface  of  our 
planet  has  been  cut  out  and  made  by  causes  not  at  present 
going  on,  —  the  action  of  deluges.  I  have  not  yet  seen 
Mr.  Lyell's  book;  but  I  am  convinced  that  we  must  resort 
to  botli  ordinary  and  extraordinary  causes  to  explain  geol- 
ogical phenomena 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  SCIENTIFIC  MEN.  53 


FROM    MR.    BAKEWELL. 

November  16, 1830. 

I  HAVE  not  seen  Dr.  Morton's  paper  on  the  Jtertiary  for- 
mation of  New  Jersey ;  but  Mr.  Mantell,  who  has  read  it, 
does  not  consider  it  as  affording  satisfactory  proofs  of  such 
formations.  Mr.  Lyell's  book  is  out  in  the  first  volume. 
If  you  have  seen  it,  you  will  think  there  is  much  Scotch 
amplification.  A  Scotchman  can  never  write  briefly  and 
directly  to  the  point.  The  principal  merit  is  making  that 
part  of  the  Huttonian  system  more  clear  which  treats  of 
recent  formations  and  those  at  present  going  on ;  geolo- 
gists of  late  have  too  much  overlooked  the  extent  and  im- 
portance of  these  formations.  What  he  says  of  calcareous 
strata  forming  by  warm  springs  holding  calcareous  or  silici- 
ous  earth  in  solution,  is  a  modification  of  what  I  advanced 
in  1815,  second  edition  of  my  "  Geology,"  chap.  xvi.  The 
most  ingenious  part  of  the  book  is  that  on  temperature,  in 
which  he  endeavors  to  prove  that  the  polar  and  equatorial 
zones  of  the  globe  might  change  their  temperature  by  a 
transference  of  the  land.  Indeed,  he  has  shown  that  a  dif- 
ference of  temperature  equal  to  ten  or  fifteen  degrees  of 
latitude  is  at  present  produced  by  the  different  disposition 
of  the  land  and  sea  in  the  same  latitudes.  I  think  his 
arguments  against  the  progressive  development  of  organic 
beings  far  from  satisfactory,  and  that  the  chapter  on  the 
recent  formation  of  man  is  a  tissue  'of  far-strained  mystifi- 
cation and  special  pleading.  Not  that  I  deny  the  recent 
formation  of  man ;  but,  on  Mr.  Lyell's  own  principles,  we 
have  no  more  reason  for  thinking  him  a  recent  animal  than 
we  have  for  inferring  that  monkeys  and  all  the  mammalia 

are  as  ancient  as  the  globe  itself. I  am  afraid 

you  will  grow  tired  of  this  geological  gossip,  and  rejoice 
that  you  see  land 


54  MFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

FROM   MR.   BAKEWELL. 

HAMPSTEAD,  September  24, 1833. 

TViTH  respect  to  Mr.  Witham's  discoveries  I  was 

not  well  assured  of  their  correctness  when  my  account  of 
Is  passed  through  the  press.  Admitting  that 

i. tear  in  the  coal  strata,  their  appearance  is  so  rare, 
and  the  number  of  species  or  individuals  so  small,  compared 
with  the  other  fossil  species,  that  they  may  be  regarded  as 

•tions  ;  still,  however,  it  is  an  interesting  fact,  as  show- 
ing that  even  in  early  geological  epochs  the  condition  of 
some  parts  of  our  planet  bore  a  resemblance  to  the  present 
one.  But  this  again  makes  it  more  extraordinary  that  the 
animal  remains  should  be  wanting.  For  if  there  were  land 
with  trees  somewhat  like  the  present,  where  are  the  animals 
that  inhabited  this  land?  Up  to  the  present  time  no  re- 
mains of  terrestrial  mammalia  have  been  found  in  the 

tlary  strata,  except  the  little  creatures  at  Stonesfield. 
:  has  not  been  dredged  as  Mr.  Lyell  boasts, 
yet  tin-  beds  of  ancient  seas  have  been  repeatedly  laid  dry, 
and  an-  exposed  to  our  observation,  and  surely  some  re- 
mains would  have  been  found,  but  none  have  been  ;  and  I 
think  it  very  unfair  to  argue  that  we  don't  know  but  what 
they  may  be  found,  and  therefore  we  may  conclude  that 
pert'eet  terrestrial  mammalia  did  abound  in  the  secondary 
epot -li.  Vvhen  the  ancient  world  was  in  every  way  as  perfect 
as  the  present  one.  When  such  remains  are  found  in 
l>elo\v  ehalk,  it  will  be  time  to  change  our  views  on 
My  fourth  edition  has  had  a  more  courteous 

:i"ii  at  its  birth  than  the  third.  Professors  Buckland 
and  Si-dgwiek.  both  sent  me  their  congratulations  and  ap- 
probation, and  Professor  .Jameson,  who  was  formerly  much 

•led  by  my  attacks  on  the  Wernerian  system,  wrote  to 

uhlishers  saying  that  he  considered  it  one  of  the  best 

I  on  geology.     Professor  Buckland  also  told 

a  gentleman  whom  I  knew,  that  it  was  decidedly  the  book 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  SCIENTIFIC  MEN.  55 

ie  should  choose  to  place  in  the  hands  of  his  pupils.     My 
lird  edition  received  its  first  approval  from  you  five  months 
after  its  appearance. 

With  respect  to  publishing  any  part  of  my  letter  of  No- 
vember last,  I  really  do  not  recollect  on  what  subject  it  was 
that  I  made  any  observations  worth  a  place  in  your  Journal. 
I  might  immediately  recollect  if  the  subject  was  named.  .  . 

FROM   MR.   BAKEWELL. 

HAMPSTEAD,  July  16, 1834. 

I  AM  sorry  to  observe  that  you  have  to  tell  your 

readers  that  your  Journal  fails  in  subscribers.  I  have  no 
hesitation  in  asserting  that  it  possesses  much  more  inter- 
esting matter  than  any  of  our  English  scientific  journals 
which,  as  you  justly  observe,  are  on  the  decline  in  number, 
and  I  may  add  in  value.  If  your  Journal  declines  in  sale, 
I  will  freely  tell  you  the  cause,  —  you  do  not  endeavor  to 
make  it  sufficiently  suitable  to  the  market  you  have  to 
supply.  You  are  more  anxious  to  obtain  the  approbation  >. 
of  a  few  scientific  readers,  than  to  excite  and  gratify  the 
curiosity  of  those  who  are  most  in  want  of  information. 
This  is  a  rock  on  which  our  best  journalists  and  lecturers 
generally  strike.  They  think  only  to  please  the  few  pur- 
chasers who  are  full  and  disregard  the  many  purchasers 
who  are  empty  and  hungry. 

William  Nicholson  began  the  first  Scientific  Journal  in 
England  about  1800.  He  was  a  superior  man,  and  in  many 
respects  well  qualified  for  such  an  undertaking,  but  he 
aimed  too  high  for  the  then  state  of  information,  and  Mr. 
Tilloch,  greatly  his  inferior,  began  the  "  Philosophical  Mag- 
azine," conveying  much  information,  useful  to  artisans,  sur- 
veyors, and  half-informed  people,  and  he  soon  took  the 
lead  in  the  sale  very  much.  I  knew  them  both  ;  the  latter 
had  few  pretensions  to  science.  Our  present  Journals  are 
sleeping,  trading  concerns,  borrowing  from  foreign  Journals 


56  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN    blLLIMAN. 

without  acknowledgment When  I  say  your 

M..I  exactly  suited  to  the  United  States,  I  think 

a  formed  rather  too  much  on  our  English  patterns, 

whi.  :•  r  are  not  themselves  suited  to  the  general 

of  tlu-    Knglish  reader.     The  Journal   of  our  civil 

is   the  kind  of  book  that  America  wants,  and  I 

IK 'iid  its  information  might  be  combined  with  more 

:itic  articles.     The  Journals  in  France  have  also  de- 

.1  lately.  I  mean  of  course  the  scientific  ones.     But 

I  am  afraid  I  have  tired  you  with  hints  and  queries  that 

may  be  of  little  use. 

FROM   MR.    BAKEWELL. 

HAMPSTEAD,  July  28, 1836. 

<  IKOLOGY  is  in  a  rather  strange  state  in  England 

at  present ;  the  rich  clergy  begin  to  tremble  for  their  in- 

1   seek  to  avert  their  fate  by  a  revived  zeal  for 

orthodoxy,  and  arc-  making  a  great  clamor  against  geology 

poM-d  to  (Jenesis.     I  have  no  doubt  this  is  the  prime 

\\hy    Hnckland's    IJridgcwatcr    treatise,    though   an- 

•:.d  rcvieued  in  the,  "  Quarterly"  last  May,  has  not 

ppraml.     I  have  no  doubt  the  reviewer  was  

who  at   the  bottom  hates  liuckland  cordially,  as  I   am  in- 
formed  by    Mantell.     The    reviewer  brought   forward    all 
those  points  which  Auckland  would  have  been  glad  to  pass 
".  —  namely,    that    15.    had    now    given    up    the 
liian  delude,  so  far  as  it  was  to  explain  any  geological 
!atin«r  how  much  he  differed  from 
-tint  of  creation  in  (ienesis.     Oxford,  where 
is  a  ( 'anon,  has  been  thrown  into  a  great  fer- 
•  »  I>r.  Ilampdcn's  free  opinions,  and  the  geologists 
have  for  a  share  of  the  censure.     In  England  the 

B  new  names  and  new  theories  is  sinking 
n  the  opinion  of  well-judging  people.    The  Eocene, 
Mi"1  !    1  Miocene,  these  names,  as  Sedgwick  says, 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  SCIENTIFIC  MEN.  57 

with  Greek  heads  and  French  tails,  are  absurdly  intro- 
duced, as  they  assume  the  truth  of  a  theory  that  cannot  be 
proved,  —  that  the  age  of  tertiary  strata  can  be  determined 
by  the  proportions  of  recent  and  extinct  shells.  During 
the  inundations  and  changes  which  took  place  in  the  epoch 
of  the  tertiary  strata,  the  fossil  remains  of  distant  parts 
were  much  intermixed.  Indeed,  all  the  little  differences  of 
form,  which  make  cabinet  geologists  believe  shells  belong 
to  different  species,  are  often  exceeded  in  the  present  day 
by  removing  the  animal  into  a  new  situation. 

FROM   MR.   BAKEWELL. 

HAMPSTEAD,  (near  London),  February,  1838. 

M-&DEAR  SIR,  —  Having  for  the  last  three  months  been 
engaged  in  the  publication  of  the  fifth  edition  of  my  "  Geol- 
ogy," I  have  scarcely  written  to  any  of  my  friends,  except 
through  the  medium  of  my  good  secretary,  Mrs.  B.  The 
mechanical  labor  of  writing  is  a  greater  fatigue  than 
formerly,  and  I  find  that  one  subject,  when  I  enter  heartily 
into  it,  is  like  Aaron's  serpent,  it  swallows  all  the  rest ;  but 
this  is  a  constitutional  habit  of  mind.  I  have  long  been 
desirous  of  writing  to  you  to  thank  you,  first,  for  a  very 
kind  letter  I  received  from  you  long  since,  and  for  your 
kind  attentions  to  Mr.  Wood,  who  appears  to  have  received 
more  gratification  from  his  introduction  to  you  than  from 
almost  any  introduction  in  the  United  States.  My  fifth 
edition  is  about  two  thirds  through  the  press.  I  am  sorry 
to  say  that  it  will  be  larger  than  the  fourth,  considerably,  — 
by  about  eighty  pages.  There  is  one  new  chapter  on  a  sub- 
ject which  has  hitherto  been  neglected  by  all  geologists, 
myself  among  the  rest,  although  it  has  been  admitted  to 
be  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  phenomena  that  geology 
presents.  I  have  not  told  any  of  my  friends  here  what  it  is, 
there  is  such  sharp  work  in  catching  up  and  appropriating 
any  new  observations  or  discoveries ;  but  I  will  inform  you 


58  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

what  the  subject  of  the  chapter  will  be,  or  rather  is,  for  it 
,1  the  press,  —  "  On  the  disappearance  of  the  Coal 
Strata,  raised  above  the  surface  by  faults."  It  is  a  universal 
fart  in  all  the  Knglish  coal-fields,  that  whatever  disturbance 
of  the  strata  there  may  be  .under  the  surface,  whether  a 
series  of  strata  be  thrown  down  or  raised  up  one  hundred 
or  a  thousand  feet  on  one  side  of  a  fault,  the  surface  on  each 

\vill  be  on  the  same  level ;  the  upreared  mountain  has 

•  me  unknown  cause  been  carried  away,  and  has  not 
left,  as  Shakspeare  says,  a  reck  behind  (or  more  correctly, 
what  Shakspeare  certainly  wrote,  a  "  reek "  or  vapor,  this 
being  still  the  North  Country  name  for  smoke).  Where  is 
the  mountain  gone  to  ?  or  what  monster  has  devoured  it  ? 
The  universality  of  the  fact  seems  to  have  prevented  further 

inquiry I   am  afraid   our  friend  Mantell  ig  in  a 

world   of  perplexity,   both   respecting  his    removal   from 
!  Jrighton,  and  the  deposit  of  his  museum.    The  leading  mem- 

of  the  Brighton  Institution  now  decline  having  any- 
thing to  do  with  it.  I  always  told  Mr.  M.  that  if  he  could 
get  £2000  clear  of  all  further  trouble,  he  should  take  it ;  he 
has  In-fore  received  £1000,  or  a  gratuity  from  the  late  Lord 

nont,  which  would  make  £3000.  I  have  seen  some- 
thing of  the  fate  of  museums  ;  after  the  first  year  or  two 
of  their  popularity  they  become  flat  and  stale  to  the  public, 
and  unprofitable  to  the  proprietors.  I  hope  the  affair  of 
Canada  will  not  lead  to  a  breach  of  friendship  between 
I'.M-land  and  the  Tinted  States.  Hut  I  fear  the  whole  of 
the  rivili/.ed  world  is  upon  the  eve  of  some  great  commotion. 
There  is  something  wrong  in  the  state  of  society,  and  the 

me  inequality  of  the  rich  and  the  laborers,  in  almost 
part  of  Kurope.     Hut  my  paper  tells  me  to  conclude, 
with  great  esteem, 

Yours,  very  sincerely, 

R.   BAKEWELL. 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  SCIENTIFIC  MEN.  59 


FROM    MR.    BAKEWELL. 

HAMPSTEAD,  (near  London,)  January  8, 1839. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  It  gave  me  great  pleasure  to  receive  a 
r  from  you  about  three  weeks  since.  Mr.  Victor  Audu- 
who  will  take  this  to  you  is,  as  you  perhaps  know,  the 
son  of  Mr.  Audubon,  the  American  Ornithologist,  whose 
descriptions  and  drawings  have  been  most  favorably  re- 
ceived in  England  and  Europe,  by  our  learned  societies 
and  by  intelligent  naturalists  and  patrons  of  science.  Mr. 
Victor  Audubon  is  a  maternal  grandson  of  my  late  valued 
relative,  Mr.  Wm.  Bakewell,  once,  I  believe,  of  New  Haven. 
I  believe  him  to  be  a  truly  worthy  and  ingenious  young 
man.  I  have  now  known  him  for  several  years.  In  reply 
to  some  of  the  observations  in  your  letter,  I  am  pleased  to 
hear  of  the  vast  accumulation  of  coal  and  iron  in  Maryland. 
The  United  States  present  such  extensive  fields  for  the 
exertion  of  civilized  man,  that  imagination  toils  in  vain  to 
delineate  the  vast  accession  of  moral  power  and  happiness 
that  a  few  centuries  hence  may  present  in  your  hemisphere. 
You  say  that  there  are  no  faults  in  the  Maryland  coal- 
fields, but  as  faults  do  not  make  themselves  known  at  the 
surface,  they  can  only  be  ascertained  by  many  operations 
which,  I  presume,  are  yet  on  too  limited  a  scale,  to  have 
discovered  them  if  they  exist  beneath  the  surface.  In 
some  coal-fields  here  you  may  walk  over  beds  of  coal  six 
hundred  feet  or  more  below  the  soil,  and  yet,  a  few  steps 
further  on,  upon  a  horizontal  plane,  the  same  beds  are  not 
forty  feet  beneath  you,  and  you  have  no  indication  of  any 
displacement  visible  above  ground,  as  stated  in  my  ninth 
chapter.  In  your  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania  coal  -  fields, 
intersected  by  rivulets  and  ravines,  the  regularity  of  the 
beds,  on  each  side  of  the  ravine,  shows  that  there  has  been 
no  fault,  but  merely  an  excavation  in  the  strata  from 
above,  —  as  described  in  your  Journal,  —  and  the  same  may 
be  the  case  in  Maryland.  Since  publishing  my  fifth  edi- 


60  UFK   OF    IJKX.IAMIX   SILLIMAN. 

tion.  I  have  given  myself  a  temporary  holiday  from  geol- 
and  have  not  read  a  single  book,  not  even  Mantell's 
-  Wonders,"  which  he  sent  me,  nor  have  I  seen  a  copy  of 
Mr.  L.'s  "  Klemcnts"  ;  but  M.,  who  is  a  great  admirer  of 
MI,  writes  me,  "that  the  new  book  is  properly  a 
supplement  to  the  old  one,  and  by  no  means  what  the  title 
indicates,  a  book  for  beginners,  though  there  are  some  good 
things  in  it."  These  are  exactly  his  words.  My  health, 
tlu-  latter  part  of  last  year,  was  much  better  than  in  the 
previous  year,  but  the  late  weather  has  been  severely  felt 
by  invalids  here,  and  I  have  been  very  unwell  for  the  last 
month,  having  had  returns  of  incipient  dizziness,  with 
severe  attacks  of  flatulence  and  indigestion,  though  I  am 
very  careful  respecting  my  diet.  Mrs.  Hannah  More  allows 
of  two  evils  in  the  world,  —  sin  and  bile.  I  think  she 
might  have  admitted  wind  into  partnership.  Cowper,  in  his 
interesting  letters,  mentions  a  religious  friend  at  Hunting- 
don, who  kept  a  diary,  and  the  most  frequent  items  in  it 
thanksgivings  for  delivery  from  wind.  Cowper  ob- 
s  that  this  diary  was  more  rational  than  that  of  the 
Dr.  Johnson,  who  makes  frequent  entries  of  the 
lumps  of  sugar  which  he  left  out  of  his  tea  and  coffee  on 
saint-days  and  fasts.  I  am  quite  satisfied  that  many  cases 
of  demoniacal  possessions,  mentioned  by  heathens  and  Jews, 
were  cases  of  obstinate  flatulence;  everything  which  could 
be  heard  and  felt,  but  not  seen,  was  with  them  spirits. 

My  astronomical   friend  here,  Mr.  1 1 ol ford,  who  had  a 

splendid  observatory,  including  the  very  best  instruments, 

died  a  fortnight  since,  after  a  short  illness;  he  was  a  few 

"iv  junior.     My  health,  for  the  last  two  years,  has 

!  me  from  observations  of  the  heavens.     I  could 

wished   t«,  ,U>i:lv   writing  till  T  was  better  able,  but 

i lie  opportunity  of  sending  by  Mr.  V.  A.     I 

r,  to  write  you  more  fully  very  soon,  and  if 

!|>  Robert,*  by  the  conveyance,  please  to  tell 

*  I])  n -in  New  Haven.  — F. 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  SCIENTIFIC  MEN.  61 

him  that  I  find  writing  a  fatigue.     Believe  me,  with  every 
kind  wish  for  your  long  enjoyment  of  health  and  usefulness, 
Yours,  very  sincerely, 

ROBERT  J^AKEWELL. 

P.  S.,  January  9.  —  The  important  paper  on  the  law  of 
storms,  first  published  in  your  Journal,  has  not  been  entirely 
overlooked  in  the  late  discussion  on  that  subject  in  Eng- 
land ;  but  it  has  not  had  justice  clone  to  it.  When  I  first 
read  it,  I  told  a  gentleman  who  was  about  writing  on  the 
subject,  that  I  was  well  persuaded  the  writer  of  that  article 
had  discovered  a  most  important  fact,  and  directed,  but  in 
vain,  his  attention  to  the  subject.  It  appeared  to  me,  as 
soon  as  I  reflected  upon  the  article,  that  it  was  scarcely 
possible  for  great  agitations  to  take  place  in  the  atmos- 
phere along  longitudinal  lines,  but  they  must  move  in 
eddies  more  or  less  elliptical.  Water-spouts  and  local 
whirlwinds,  I  believe  to  be  electrical  phenomena,  particu- 
larly the  former.  When  a  boy,  my  attention  was  turned  to 
the  subject  by  a  remarkable  water-spout,  near  my  mother's 
residence,  at  Nottingham,  of  which  I  published  an  account 
in  the  "  Gentleman's  Magazine,"  about  1782.  I  was  then 
fifteen  years  of  age,  and  I  sent  a  long  theory  with  my  nar- 
rative, which  they  (properly  I  have  no  doubt)  omitted.  Ob- 
servations and  reflection  have,  however,  convinced  me  that 
the  leading  heads  of  my  electrical  theory  were  true.  This 
account  of  the  water-spout  was  my  first  essay  in  print. 
Have  we  any  further  information  of  the  periodical  appear- 
ance of  luminous  meteors,  of  which  the  first  account  was 
given  in  your  Journal  ?  My  dear  sir,  you  do  me  too  much 
honor  in  wishing  to  have  a  copy  of  my  portrait,  but  I  have 
no  portrait  to  copy  from.  My  features  may  be  called  reg- 
ular and  open.  I  have  always  preserved  an  appearance  of 
youth  not  corresponding  with  my  years.  My  brother  was 
only  seventeen  months  older  than  I,  but  when  I  lived  with 
my  mother,  and  was  then  twenty-one  years  old,  my  brother 


62  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

was  supposed,  by  strangers,  to  be  my  father ;  and  my  first 
will-  has  been  mistaken  for  my  mother  or  aunt.  If  I  had  a 
portrait  I  would  send  you  a  copy  of  it;  some  attempts  have 
been  made  to«take  my  picture  many  years  since,  and  the 
map  of  my  face  may  have  been  laid  down  correctly  in  lati- 
tude and  longitude,  but  the  expression,  depending  so  much 
on  the  state  of  my  mind,  was  entirely  wanting  to  give  a 
true  character.  When  I  was  about  twenty-six,  a  painter 
took  my  likeness,  with  that  of  a  particular  friend,  and  I 
believe  it  to  have  been  correct,  as  far  as  features  alone  could 
make  it,  but  it  has  the  look  of  a  school-boy  not  satisfied 
with  his  exercise.  It  is  still  in  the  possession  of  my  friend 
in  Yorkshire.  Neither  my  son  Robert  nor  William,  who  is 
about  to  visit  America,  have  much  of  any  resemblance  to 
me.  The  celebrated  Win.  Godwin,  about  three  years  since, 
met  my  sou  William  in  London,  and  said  to  him,  "  Pray, 
are  you  Mr.  Bakewell  the  father,  or  Mr.  Bakewell  the  son, 
for  I  really  cannot  make  out  which  you  are  ?  "  William, 
my  son,  having  dark  hair,  it  became  gray  very  early,  which, 
of  course,  made  him  appear  older  than  he  was. 

As  the  United  States  had  the  merit  of  first  making  steam 
available  successfully  as  a  locomotive  power,  I  have  some 
thought  of  sending  you  (if  my  health  permit)  a  short  essay 
for  your  Journal,  on  what  I  call  a  railroad  for  thought,  by 
which  people  in  distant  regions  may  communicate  with 
each  other  with  very  little  difficulty. 

FROM   MR.    BAKEWELL. 

HAMPSTEAD,  March  7, 1839. 

A  MAGNIFICENT  geological  work,  full  of  plates, 

•us,  maps,  and  outlines  has  recently  been  published, — 
price  rijjht  guineas  and  five  crowns  to  subscribers,—  by  Mr. 
Murchison,  a  gentleman  of  fortune,  whom  next  to  Professor 
\vi«-k,  I  consider  one  of  our  best  practical  geologists. 
It  is  a  labor  of  seven  years.  In  1811,  when  I  announced 
my  first  practical  investigations  of  an  unknown  district,  I 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  SCIENTIFIC  MEN.  63 

visited  Shropshire  and  Radnorshire,  and  was  then  con- 
vinced that  there  was  a  vast  extent  of  what  may  be  called 
a  transition  country,  that  had  never  been  noticed  by  Wer- 
ner and  the  wise  ones  of  that  time.  Some  of  my  obser- 
vations I  communicated  to  Dr.  Henry,  Dr.  Holland,  and 
Mr.  Greenough,*  and  gave  a  short  notice  of  the  country 
in  the  first  edition  of  my  "Geology"  in  1813.  The  latter 
observations  were  carped  at  or  disputed  by  Conybeare, 
and  I  have  never  since  had  the  opportunity  of  reviewing 
the  country  attentively,  or  even  visiting  the  greater  part 
of  it.  Mr.  Murchison's  views  confirm  all  my  first  conclu- 
sions. His  work  is  entitled  "The  Silurian  System,"  (a 
name  I  do  not  much  approve)  ;  it  comprises  the  regions 
occupied  by  the  ancient  Silures  (a  British  nation).  The 
great  basis  of  the  country  is  "  transition  "  between  the  coal 
and  the  most  ancient  slate  rocks,  comprising  also  several 
coal-fields  and  insulated  portions  of  secondary  formations. 
This  country  is  singularly  broken  by  the  protrusion  of 
remarkable  igneous  or  volcanic  rocks  of  whose  nature  I  had 
little  doubt ;  but  Dr.  Holland,  whom  I  showed  specimens 
to  in  1811,  although  he  was  just  returned  from  Iceland, 
declined  to  give  an  opinion.  I  had  then  never  seen  a  re- 
cent or  acknowledged  volcanic  rock  in  situ.  Mr.  Murchison 
has  kindly  presented  me  with  a  copy  of  his  work,  and  if 
my  health  and  strength  permit,  I  will  send  a  review  of  it  for 
your  Journal  (which  will  probably  be  the  last  labor  of  mine 

in  geology) I  don't  know  whether  Dr.  M.  has 

enclosed  you  a  little  tract  of  Horace  Smith  in  favor  of 
railroads.  In  the  conclusion,  he  says  we  have  been  all 
travelling  upon  a  fine  locomotive  system,  from  the  day  of 
our  birth,  68,000  miles  per  hour ;  the  comparison  with  rail- 
road speed  is  striking,  yet  how  few  think  about  it !  Mr. 
Hazlitt  said,  justly,  the  discoveries  in  astronomy  have  com- 
pelled bigots  to  lengthen  Jacob's  ladder.  Indeed,  such 

*  Greenough  set  off  immediately  to  Radnorshire,  but  brought  back  nothing 
but  doubts  and  puzzles. 


64  UFK   OF  BENJAMIN   SILLIMAN. 

•.  >nnlil  to  abhor  astronomy  much  more  than  geol- 
\\liich  only  relates  theologically  to  a  question  of  time 
on  one  subject.     But  I  must  conclude,  with  sincere  regard, 
Yours  very  truly, 

ROBERT  BAKEWELL. 

I',  s.     On  the  10th  of  this  month  I  believe  I  shall  stand 
on  the  seventy-first  arch  of  the  bridge. 

FROM    MR.    BAKEWELL. 

HAMTSTKAI.,  (near  London,)  October  30,  1839. 

I  HAVE  often  thought  of  what  I  mentioned  in  a 

former  letter,  —  the  formation  of  a  simple  universal  lan- 
guage for  correspondence  among  all  Europeans  and  their 
ndants.     I  believe  it  might  easily  be  practised  and 
learned,  and  serve  also  as  a  commodious  short-hand  for 
all  nations.     I  hope  I  shall  be  able  to  explain  the  intro- 
ductory principles,  and  leave  it  to  be  worked  out  by  your- 
self, or  some  of  your  compatriots  who  take  the  lead  in  use- 
ful inventions.     What  think  you  of  the  insect-tree  lately 
discovered  in  South  America, — see  the  "Athenaeum,"  num- 
ber fnr  October.     We  have  something  analogous  in  the 
animalcul®  swimming  with  great  activity,  and  "then  fixing 
themselves  and  becoming  vegetables.    Young  sponges,  too, 
:<  scribed  as  extremely  frolicsome  for  some  time,  before 
(hey  <^row  steady  and  fix  themselves  to  one  place  for  life. 
Tin-  whole  of  animal  and  vegetable  life  is  truly  marvellous; 
the  propagation  of  species  by  common  natural  laws  is  as 
wondci Tul  as  their  instant  creation  out  of  nothing  could  be, 
or  that  an  oak  should,  at  a  certain  state  of  its  growth,  be- 
a  man.     Take  an  egg  in  your  hand  for  the  first  time ; 
could   you   believe  that  it  would  become  an  eagle?     To 
return    to   Mr.    M.'s  book.     I  exceedingly   regret  that   my 
health  will  not  allow  me  to  do  it  justice  in  a  review.     I 
'••Id  him  it  was  my  intention  to  send  you  an  ac- 
-\hich  I  am  not  now  equal  to. 
anxious  about  Dr.  Mantell.     I  have  not  seen  or 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  SCIENTIFIC  MEN.  65 

heard  of  him  since  his'son  sailed  for  New  Zealand  in  Sep- 
tember. I  wrote  to  him  last  week,  but  have  not  yet  had 
an  answer ;  during  the  summer  he  said  he  had  a  decided 
formation  of  pus  on  the  lungs,  but  when  he  was  last  here 
he  seemed  in  his  usual  state  of  health.  Excuse,  my  dear 
sir,  this  rambling  letter,  and  believe  me,  with  sincere  re- 
gard, 

Yours  most  truly, 

ROBERT  BAKEWELL. 

VOL.  IL.  5 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

COLONEL  TRUMBULL  AND  HIS  PAINTINGS. 

<>r  Silliman's  Acquaintance  with  Colonel  Trumbull.  —  His  interview 
with  Colonel  Trumbull,  in  1830.  —Purchase  of  Trumbull's  Paintings  by 
ollege.  —  Colonel  Trumbull  on  his  Portrait  of  Washington.  — 
'Ha-  Battle  of  Trenton.  —  The  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  General 
Warivn.—  Anecdote  of  Colonel  Small.  —  Painting  of  the  Battle  of 
Princeton.  —  The  Death  of  General  Mercer.  —  Anecdotes  relating  to  this 
Painting.  —  Anecdote  of  General  Mattoon  and  Colonel  Trumbull.  —  The 
Surrender  of  Cornwallis. 

IT  was  mainly  through  the  exertions  of  Mr.  Silli- 
man  that  the  historical  paintings  of  Colonel  Trum- 
bull, as  well  as  the  building  in  which  they  are  de- 
posited, were  procured  for  Yale  College.  The  artist 
himself  was  an  inmate  of  his  family  during  several 
of  the  closing  years  of  his  life.  It  was  at  Mr.  Sil- 
limnn's  request  that  he  composed  the  volume  of 
"  Reminiscences  of  his  own  Times."  Respecting  him, 
and  the  productions  of  his  pencil,  Mr.  Silliman  has 
left  a  small  manuscript  volume  of  interesting  anec- 
<>m  which  the  remainder  of  this  chapter  is 
extracted.* 


I'mmlniU  Gallery,  and  the  Artist  its  Founder.  —  Col. 
TrunitHill  was  already  a  man  in  full  life,  twenty-three  years 

>'l  Triiinbiill  scarcely  contain  materials  enough  to 

w*rra  I'uMi,  ation.     Yet  curious  and  valuable  Idlers  are  found 

•"••    Of    theae  —  letters    from    John    Adams,    Jefferson, 
l^fry  "  West,  and  Lord  Grenville  —  are  printed  in  the  Ap- 

pendix to  this  Memoir. 


COLONEL  TRUMBULL  AND  HIS  PAINTINGS.  67 

old,  when  I  was  born,  and  was  approaching  his  meridian 
while  I  was  still  a  youth.  As  I  came  into  early  manhood, 
I  heard  his  praise  from  eminent  men,  —  President  Dvvight, 
Hon.  James  Hillhouse,  and  others ;  for  his  country  was 
proud  of  him ;  and  his  fame,  as  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution, 
and  a  friend  and  aid  of  Washington,  his  celebrity  as  an 
artist,  were  cherished  at  home,  and  especially  in  his  native 
State  of  Connecticut.  It  was,  therefore,  no  small  gratifica- 
tion to  me,  and  was  felt  to  be  an  honor,  to  form  his  personal 
acquaintance.  Colonel  Trumbull  had  been  many  years  in 
England  cultivating  his  beautiful  art,  and  having  married  a 
lady  of  that  country,  when  he  was  already  in  middle  life, 
he  brought  her  to  America,  and  early  made,  with  her,  a  tour 
to  Quebec. 

My  first  interview  with  Colonel  Trumbull  was  in  one  of 
the  public  rooms  of  Yale  College,  in  which  institution  I 
was  then  a  tutor.  It  was,  I  believe,  in  October  1801,  dur- 
ing the  autumnal  session  of  the  Legislature,  when  his  distin- 
guished brother,  Jonathan  Trumbull,  Esq.,  was  in  attend- 
ance, as  Governor  of  the  State.  He  came  to  the  College 
with  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Trumbull,  and  I  was  introduced  in 
the  old  Philosophical  Hall,  over  the  former  chapel,  now  the 
Athenaeum.  The  brothers  were  elegant,  graceful  gentle- 
men, of  winning  manners,  and  their  familiarity  with  each 
other,  manifested  in  little  sallies  of  wit,  was  pleasing  to  me, 
who  had  regarded  them  only  as  grave,  dignified  men.  A 
picture  of  their  father  and  mother  was  hanging  on  the  wall. 
The  original  was  painted  by  Colonel  Trumbull,  and  this 
picture  was  a  copy  by  a  young  artist*  It  soon  caught  the 
attention  of  the  brothers,  when  the  artist  said,  referring  to 
the  wig  and  curls  on  his  father's  head,  —  "  Ay,  that  looks 
like  a  governor,  not  like  this  little  queue  of  yours,"  at  the 
same  moment  playfully  taking  it  up,  and  shaking  it  between 
his  fingers,  much  to  the  Governor's  amusement,  and  to  my 
surprise. 

*  Mr.  Fitch,  of  Lebanon. 


68  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

after  my  introduction  to  this  distinguished  man,  he 
;i  friend,  and,  when  in  1804,  I  was  preparing 
inland,  he  gave  me  valuable  letters  of  introduc- 
tion, and  still  more  valuable  written  instructions,  as  to  life 
in    1  .n-1  and.  and  especially  in  London,  embodying  the  re- 
sults oi'  his  own  long  experience  of  twenty  years.     In  fact, 
my   acquaintance  with  him  ceased  only  with  his  life,  al- 
though our  intercourse  was  mainly  suspended  during  a  pro- 
.1  absence  of  his,  in  England,  caused  chiefly  by  the 
of   LSI 2   to  1815.     In  the   mean   time,  I  had  been 
married  to  his   niece. 

The  idea  of  depositing  his  paintings  at  New  Ha- 
ven. \v:is  first  broached  in  a  conversation  with  Profes- 
sor Silliman. 

When  returning  from  a  journey  in  1830, 1  called  upon 

.-•I  Trumbull,  at  his  lodgings,  at  Miss  Lentner's, 
corner  of  Walker  Street  and  Broadway,  New  York,  it  being 
my  habit  to  pay  my  respects  to  him  when  I  was  in  the  city. 
Tin-  house  was  large,  the  apartments  spacious,  and  two  con- 
tiguous parlors,  of  uncommon  dimensions,  were  adorned  by 
the  paintings  of  Colonel  Trumbull,  which  were  advantage- 
ously suspended  all  around  upon  the  walls.  I  had  seen 
many  of  them  singly  before,  but  had  never  seen  them  all 

ber,  and  some  of  them  never  before.    I  was,  therefore, 

strongly  impressed  and  delighted  by  this  unexpected  vision, 

and  had  the  good  fortune  to  find  the  venerable  artist  in  the 

"f  his  treasures.     Friendly  salutations  were  followed 

Her  explanations  of  some  of  the  subjects  than  I  had 
'  ived  ;  but  I  \vas  sorry  to  find  that  the  great  artist, 

'•nty-four  years  of  age,  was  in  a  position  far  from  eli- 
gible, and  although  surrounded  by  the  splendid  productions 
of  his  own  skill,  talent,  and  taste,  he  was  without  a  sure 
n,  upm,  which  In-  might  repose  in  the  evening  of 
ms  llf(' ^  might  be  indelicate  in  me,  to  report  his 


COLONEL  TRUMBULL  AND  HIS  PAINTINGS.          69 

painful  remarks,  made  in  the  confidential  interview,  of 
which  I  am  now  writing.  He  then  lamented  his  poverty  in 
manly,  but  energetic  and  eloquent  language,  which  pain- 
fully touched  my  feelings.  The  very  expressions  which  he 
used,  and  his  energetic  action,  are  still  with  me,  vivid  as  at 
that  moment.  It  was  a  painful  one,  and  was  ended,  for  the 
time,  by  a  question  from  me,  and  an  answer  from  him.  Re- 
ferring to  the  paintings  around  us,  which  he  stated  were  his 
chief  resource,  I  said :  "  And  what,  sir,  do  you  intend  to  do 
with  them  ?  "  He  instantly  replied,  "  I  will  give  them  to 
Yale  College  to  be  exhibited  forever  for  the  benefit  of  poor 
students,  provided  the  College  will  pay  me  a  competent 
annuity  for  the  remainder  of  my  life."  "  Are  you  in  earn- 
est, sir  ?  "  "  Certainly  I  am."  "  Am  I  then  at  liberty  to  go 
home  and  act  upon  this  suggestion  ?  "  "  You  are  at  liberty, 
and  I  authorize  you  to  say  so  for  me."  "  The  proposition, 
sir,  is  as  grateful  to  me  as  it  is  surprising ;  I  will  return 
then,  forthwith,  to  New  Haven."  I  came  back  resolving, 
like  Colonel  Miller,  at  Lundy's  Lane,  that  I  would  try. 

Our  President,  the  Rev.  Jeremiah  Day,  and  my  immedi- 
ate colleagues  among  the  older  members  of  the  College 
Faculty,  as  well  as  the  officers  of  the  fiscal  department, 
were  men  of  liberal  minds,  and  I  found  no  difficulty  in  ex- 
citing in  them  a  lively  interest  and  a  strong  desire  to  ob- 
tain the  prize  that  was  thus  remarkably  offered  to  us.  It 
was  true  that,  being  as  yet  without  authority  from  the 
College  Senate,  the  Corporation  of  the  Institution,  we  had 
no  power  to  make  a  binding  contract ;  but  we  did  not  hesi- 
tate to  proceed  in  preparing  the  case,  not  doubting  that  we 
should  be  sustained. 

We  pass  over  the  circumstances  which  attended 
the  purchase  of  the  paintings  and  the  establishment 
of  the  Trumbull  Gallery  in  connection  with  Yale  Col- 
lege. Professor  Silliman  led  the  way  in  the  efforts 
which  secured  this  result.  His  comments  upon  the 


70  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

contents  of  this  collection  will  be  read  with  inter- 

irnlt  of  General  Washington.  —  The  artist   thought 
this  to  be  the  best  of  all  his  portraits.     Colonel  Trumbull 
in  ton  us  us  that  this  portrait  was  painted  for  the  City  of 
Charleston  in  17'.»2,  but  that  they  preferred  to  see  "VVasli- 
u  in  his  civil  character,  just  as  they  had  recently  seen 
him  in  his  visit  to  that  city.     For  this  preference  we  have 
11  to  be  grateful.     I  saw  the  Charleston  portrait  in  a 
public  hall  in  that  city,  in  February,  1845.     It  is  far  less 
interesting  than  the  military  portrait  in  the  Trumbull  Gal- 
lery.    In  the  latter  picture  the  perilous  crisis  and  the  lofty 
decision  which  it  produced,  are  happily  expressed  in  the 
countenance  of  the  General,  and  his  noble  figure  stands 
out   in   full   relief  upon   the   canvas.     Colonel   Trumbull, 
i  we  were  looking  at  the  paintings,  said  to  me :  "  You 
may  assure  your  young  men  that  they  here  see  the  General 
\V<  i  slil, i  I/tun  of  tl/c  Revolution,  exactly  as  he  appeared  at  the 
head  of  the  armies,  when  he  was  in  the  meridian  of  life. 
The  height  of  the  figure  is  six  feet  two  inches,  which  was 
!y  his  stature.     His  person,  his  spy-glass,  his  dress, 
and  all   the   appendages,  even  to  his  hat  and  gloves,  are 
faithful  copies  of  the  originals,  and  there  is  no  other  por- 
trait existing  which  does  justice  to  his  military  appearance 
and    character."       "  My    first    painting   of    Revolutionary 
•!ded  he,  "was  the  Battle  of  Bunker's  Hill,  on 
li  ncea.Mon  then- were  no  horses,  —  the  officers  being 
all  on   loot.     The   English,  who  had  no  conception  of  a 
without  horses,  when  they  saw  this  painting  at  the 
.hibitinn   in    Somerset    House  in    London,  said: 
:    this  American  painter  know  what  a  horse  is!' 
In  this  painting  of  Washington,  I  answered  that  question." 
'il«'d  by  the  cannonade,   is  firmly  held  by 
"in,   and    is  an    appropriate   companion   of 
who  had  always  the  finest  horses;  he  was  a 


COLONEL  TRUMBULL  AND  HIS  PAINTINGS.         71 

fearless,  graceful,  and  skilful  rider,  and  when  on  horseback 
his  appearance  was  magnificent.  At  Mount  Vernon,  his 
groom  said  to  Mr.  Daniel  Wadsworth,  that  the  only  objec- 
tion he  had  against  General  Washington  was,  that  he 
"  would  come  every  morning  to  the  stables,  and  see  with 
his  own  eyes  the  condition  of  the  horses,  and  know  that 
they  were  well  cared  for."  It  will  be  remembered  that  the 
sketch  in  the  field-ground  of  the  portrait  is  the  cannonade 
in  Trenton,  January  3,  1777,  at  the  stone  bridge  over  the 
Assunpink  River  ;  the  time  was  about  sunset,  the  evening 
before  the  battle  of  Princeton.  The  advance  of  the  army 
from  Princeton  had  been  vigorously  opposed  by  the  patri- 
ots through  the  preceding  day.  All  along  the  road,  espe- 
cially at  Maidenhead  (now  Lawrenceville,)  and  along  the 
margin  of  the  river,  and  on  to  Sabbakong,  near  Trenton, 
and  even  in  the  entrance  of  the  town,  the  British  army 
was  kept  in  check,  and  experienced  heavy  loss.  It  was 
said  that  they  lost  one  hundred  and  fifty  men.  In  Colonel 
Trumbull's  picture,  the  rays  of  the  setting  sun  have  gilded 
the  limbs  of  an  old  leafless  tree,  —  it  being  winter.  The 
cannonade  at  the  stone  bridge  prevented  the  enemy  from 
passing  over  to  storm  the  American  camp.*  Being  in 
Trenton  in  1823,  I  conversed  with  an  old  gentleman  who 
was  present  on  that  occasion.  "We  were  at  the  moment  in 
his  garden,  on  a  rising  ground,  and  he  said  to  me :  "  Here 
General  Washington  sat  on  his  horse,  on  the  very  ground 
where  we  now  stand,  and  I  heard  him  say,  during  the  can- 
nonade :  *  Give  them  plenty  of  grape.' "  This  was  justly 
regarded  by  the  artist  as  the  crisis  of  the  Revolution  and 
of  Washington's  fame This  painting  is  invalu- 
able, and  its  value  is  enhanced  by  the  uniform  testimony 
of  contemporary  American  officers  with  whom  I  have  vis- 
ited the  Gallery,  and  who  have  declared  that  the  portrait 
is  a  faithful  likeness  of  General  Washington  in  his  grand- 

*  See  an  interesting  summary  of  these  events  by  C.  C.  Haven,  Esq., 
Trenton.    1856. 


72  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

est  and  most  interesting  attitude.  The  portrait  was  painted 
at  Philadelphia  from  the  living  original,  during  his  first 

Presidency,  in   17D2 At  Fredericsburg,  where 

he  spent  his  early  youth,  and  where  I  passed  some  weeks 
in  ls:;i;  with  my  son  and  Mr.  Eli  Whitney,  they  related 
many  anecdotes  of  his  childhood  and  youth,  but  none  that 
were  marked  by  sin  or  folly.  Here,  also,  is  the  house  in 
which  his  mother  lived  and  died;  and  we  saw  at  the  Rev. 
Mr.  McGuire's,  in  the  possession  of  his  lady,  the  silk  velvet 
coat  which  Washington  wore  at  the  ceremony  of  his  first 
inauguration  as  President,  at  New  York,  in  1790.  A 
small  triangular  piece  had  been  cut  out  of  the  skirt  and 
carried  away  as  a  relic.  It  was  done  by  Le  Vasseur,  the 
private  secretary  of  Lafayette,  during  a  visit  of  that 
friend  of  Washington  in  1824,  —  the  ready  scissors  of  Le 
Yasseur  being  slyly  drawn  from  his  pocket  for  the  purpose. 
The  theft  was  not  discovered  until  the  party  were  gone, 
and  it  was  not  difficult  to  pardon  it.  This  is  the  coat  that 
is  painted  in  Stuart's  picture,  which  exhibits  Washington 
in  a  civil  capacity,  in  the  evening  of  life,  in  a  totally  differ- 
ent costume  and  association  of  circumstances  from  those  of 
the  military  era  ;  and  the  expression  of  his  face  is  altered 
by  a  recent  set  of  artificial  teeth,  pressing  the  lips  unduly 
outwards.  We  may  presume  that  the  art  of  making  and  set- 
ting  artificial  teeth  was  then  in  its  infancy  in  this  country, 
and  e\en  in  Kurope.  These  circumstances  will  account 
for  the  ditlerence  between  the  portraits  by  Trumbull  and 
Stuart,  Both,  we  believe,  were  excellent  likenesses  at  the 
time  they  were  {tainted. 

Hunkers  Hill,  June  17,  1775.— 

late    Dr.  .John   C.  Warren,  the  eminent  surgeon,  of 

DO,   had  at  his  house  an    interesting    portrait   of  his 
unele,    and    a    large    historical    picture,    showing    General 

ren  on  horseback,  guiding  the  provincials  to  the  battle- 
ground in    Lexington,  where  some  of  them  were  already 

-ed  with  the  British  troops.     I  saw  these  pictures  at 


COLONEL   TRUMBULL  AND  HIS  PAINTINGS.          73 

Dr.  Warren's  house,  and  there  he  showed  me  also  a  book 
of  prayer  and  hymns,  which  was  in  the  pocket  of  his  uncle 
when  he  fell.  It  was  taken  to  England  by  a  British  sol- 
dier, and  a  benevolent  clergyman  there  purchased  and 
transmitted  it  to  the  family  friends  in  Boston.  It  is  still  in 
good  preservation.  In  my  last  interview  with  Dr.  John  C. 
Warren,  two  or  three  years  ago,  at  his  house,  he  showed  to 
me  and  my  companion  the  skull  of  General  Warren,  and 
also  the  skull  of  his  own  father.  They  were  cleaned  as 
bones  usually  are  when  prepared  for  an  anatomical  museum. 
General  Warren's  skull  having  been  perforated  by  the  ball 
which  killed  him,  the  hole,  as  we  saw  it,  was  well  defined. 
He  fell  as  our  troops  were  returning,  and  the  ball  was 
found  in  the  skull.  Dr.  Warren  remarked  that  probably 
this  skull  might  be  wanted  again  on  Bunker  Hill.  I  sup- 
pose that  he  alluded  to  its  expected  association  with  the 
monumental  statue  which  we  had  seen  in  the  studio  of 
Mr.  Dexter,  the  sculptor,  in  Cambridgeport,  and  which  has 
been  recently  established,  with  imposing  ceremonies,  on 
Bunker  Hill.  He  gave  no  solution  of  his  having  disin- 
terred the  skull  of  his  own  father,  with  whom,  more  than 
fifty  years  ago,  I  passed  an  agreeable  and  instructive  even- 
ing at  his  house  in  Boston.  Now  the  eyeless  orbits,  the 
speechless  mouth,  and  the  vacant  skull,  once  belonging  to 
a  great  man,  could  assign  no  reason  why  they  were  evoked 
from  the  tomb.  Was  it  in  sympathy  with  that  ultra-profes- 
sional feeling  which  induced  the  late  distinguished  surgeon 
to  order  in  his  will,  regardless  of  family  claims,  that  his 
own  body  should  be  anatomically  prepared  and  placed  in 
the  anatomical  museum  ?  which  was  done  accordingly. 
General  Warren  was  buried  first,  I  believe,  on  the  battle- 
field, then  in  Park-Street  Cemetery,  from  which  his  re- 
mains were  disinterred  by  his  nephew,  —  I  suppose,  as 

remarked  above,  for  monumental  commemoration 

It  will  be  remembered  that  in  the  battle  of  Bunker's  Hill 
the  British  troops  were  twice  repulsed  with  great  slaughter. 


74  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

"Wln-ii  they  returned  the  third  time  to  the  onset,  Colonel 
Small  round  himself  almost  alone  in  front  of  the  patriots, 
Idlers  Inning  been  shot  down  around  him.  At  that 
moment  he  saw  several  Americans  levelling  their  pieces, 
apparently  at  him,  and  knowing  that  they  were  marksmen, 
he  already  considered  himself  a  dead  man;  but  at  that  in- 
liis  old  friend  Putnam  rushed  forward,  and  with  his 
sword  knocked  upward  the  American  guns,  exclaiming  at 
the  same  time :  "  My  dear  fellows,  for  God's  sake  do  n't 
shoot  that  man,  —  I  love  him  as  I  do  my  own  brother ! " 
Major  Small  bowed  and  waived  his  sword  in  acknowledg- 
ment ;  and  the  day  after  the  battle,  he  obtained  a  flag,  and 
went  over  to  the  American  lines  to  thank  his  generous 
friend  for  saving  his  life.  When  Major  Small  was  stand- 
ing in  London  to  be  painted  for  his  picture,  he  related  this 
ocenrrence  to  Colonel  Trumbull,  who,  in  presence  of  the 

painting,  related  it  to  me The  late  Colonel  Ches- 

ter.  nf  \\Ytliersfield,  commanded  on  that  day  a  volunteer 
company  of  young  men  drawn  from  his  own  town  and  the 
vicinity.  They  were  among  the  troops  that  manned  the 
lines  of  rail-fences  and  hay  stretching  from  the  redoubt  to 

Cystic-  Uiver.  A  large  and  powerful  man  stood  by  the 
side  of  a  pale-faced  youth  of  slender  figure,  when,  within 
the  hearing  of  Captain  Chester,  the  athletic  soldier  said  to 

"innidc  :  a  Man,  you  had  better  retire  before  the  fight 
"ii  will  faint  away  when  the  bullets  begin  to  whiz 
around  your  head."     The  pale-faced  man  replied  :  "  I  don't 
know  but  I  shall,  as  I  never  heard  one;  but  I  will  stay 
•and  sec."     Colonel   Chester,  from  whom  I  received  the 
told  me  that  he  observed  the  pale  man  doing  his 
duty  in  firing  and  loading  with  cool  deliberation;  but  the 
tul  man  of  muscle  and  bone,  but  without  moral  cour- 
age, was  missing  and  was  afterwards  found  alive,  unharmed, 
as  he  v.  «  rl  under  a  hay-cock. 

al  Mercer   at  the  Battle  of  Princeton. — 
...      -  A  tier  the  full  of  General  Mercer,  and  the  brief 


COLONEL  TRUMBULL  AND  HIS  PAINTINGS.          75 

retreat  of  his  corps  when  pressed  by  the  British  bayonets, 
while  they  had  only  rifles  without  bayonets,  General  Wash- 
ington, at  this  perilous  moment,  came  up  with  fresh  troops, 
rallied  the  fugitives,  and  turned  the  tide  of  battle.  This  is 
the  crisis  which  the  artist  chose,  and  most  skilfully  has  he 
wrought  out  the  fearful  drama.  General  Washington,  as 
he  himself  stated  to  the  artist,  was  here  in  more  peril  than 
in  any  other  conflict,  more  even,  he  said  to  Colonel  Trum- 
bull,  than  in  Bradclock's  defeat.  Rushing  at  the  head  of 
his  troops  into  the  space  between  the  two  armies,  the  volleys 
of  both  passed  by  him,  over  him,  around  him,  and  touched 
him  not ;  nor  was  he  ever  wounded  either  in  the  many 
battles  of  the  old  French  and  Indian  wars  on  the  frontiers, 
or  in  those  of  the  Revolution.  If  he  bore  a  charmed  life, 
it  was  charmed  by  the  good  providence  of  God,  which  re- 
served him  for  a  noble  destiny  in  the  cause  of  his  country 
and  of  mankind. 

Captain  Leslie  of  the  British  Army.  —  At  the  house  of 
Hon.  Henry  Thornton,  M.  P.,  in  October  1805,  I  sat  at 
dinner  next  to  Lord  Leven  and  Melville  of  Scotland,  who 
inquired  whether  I  had  ever  visited  the  battle-ground  near 
Princeton.  I  answered  that  I  had  twice  been  there  as 
an  interested  observer,  when  he  added,  with  a  sigh,  "  I  had 
a  brother,  Captain  Leslie,  who  was  slain  in  that  battle."  In 
the  picture  he  is  seen  on  the  right,  near  the  dark-visaged 
Colonel  Mawhood,  his  countenance  pale,  and  his  sword 
dropping,  held  only  by  a  leathern  thong.  Colonel  Trumbull 
told  me  that  when  he  was  painting  this  picture,  the  cele- 
brated traveller  and  artist,  Sir  Robert  Kerr  Porter,  came  in, 
and  Trumbull  said  to  him :  "  How  shall  I  best  express 
the  first  faltering  of  life  under  a  mortal  wound?"  He 
replied :  "  We  soldiers  usually  wear  a  leathern  thong  or 
strap  around  the  wrist  of  the  sword  hand,  and  in  battle  it 
is  connected  with  the  hilt  of  the  sword,  that  we  may  not 
drop  it,  if  wounded  in  that  arm."  This  advice  or  intimation 
was  followed,  as  seen  in  the  picture. 


76  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

When  Captain  Leslie  was  found  among  the  fallen,  Dr. 

Hush,  on  ascertaining  his  name  from  his  servant,  begged 

;i  of  General  Washington,  to  devote  himself  to  the 

dviiiLj  youth,  who  was  already  past  consciousness  ;  *•  for," 

••  1  was,  when  a  student  in  Edinburgh,  received 

alino-t  ;is  a  son  in  the  family  of  his  father,  Lord  Leven  and 

Mi  hille,  and  I  have  often,  when  he  was  a  child,  dandled 

that  young  man  on  my  knee." This  admirable 

painting  fully  entitles  the  artist  to  a  distinguished  place 
among  historical  painters,  and  is  alone  sufficient  to  establish 
his  fame  with  posterity.  It  is  as  full  of  life  as  a  scene  of 
death  can  be.  In  one  of  our  interviews  in  the  Gallery, 
where  the  artist  often  discoursed  to  me  and  answered  my 
inquiries,  I  put  this  question  to  him,  as  we  happened  to  be 
standing  near  the  Jinislted  picture  of  the  Battle  of  Prince- 
ton,—  "Suppose,  sir,  that  your  paintings  in  this  gallery 
doomed  to  destruction,  and  you  were  allowed  to  save 
only  out,',  which  should  it  be?"  He  promptly  replied,  "I 
would  save  this  painting  of  the  Battle  of  Princeton." 

While  Colonel  TrumbuH's  application  for  a  pension  was 
pending  at  Washington,  he  was  at  a  loss  for  a  proper  docu- 
ment to  prove:  that  he  had  ever  served  in  the  army  during 
the  Involution.     For,  strange  as  it  may  appear,  there  were 
no  proper  records  to  be  found.    Having  heard  that  General 
K.   Mattooii  of  AmluTst,  Mass.,   was  in   the   campaign  on 
BI«K-k  Island,  against  the  British  army  that  occupied  New- 
and  Colonel  Trumbull,  having  himself  served  on  that 
ion.  as  aid   to  General  Sullivan,  the  American  Com- 
••  spondence  ensued  between  them  and  Gen- 
I'nlly  confirmed  the  fact  of  Colonel  Trumbuirs 
i'nlly   narrated   in   his  autobiography.     This 
i"1'  •  •!<  idence  brought  these  two  veterans  together 

IJ  house  in  the  summer  of  1838.     Colonel  Trumbull 
tl"'"  l<  nt    portrait  of  General  Mattoon, 

wllil  :  :y  acceptable  to   his   children   and   friends, 


COLONEL  TRUMBULL  AND  HIS  PAINTINGS.  77 


although  his  vision  had  left  him,  and  he  could  not  see  the 
picture  of  himself.  While  he  was  staying  with  us  I  brought 
from  the  College  Library  General  Burgoyne's  "  State  of  the 
Expedition  from  Canada,"  for  General  Mattoon  was  actually 
engaged  in  that  campaign.  As  he  was  familiar  with  the 
topography  along  that  part  of  the  Hudson,  he  could  under- 
stand the  descriptions  as  I  read  them  ;  and  by  guiding  his 
finger  along  over  the  ample  maps  and  plans  by  which  the 
work  is  illustrated,  he  readily  understood  the  different  posi- 
tions of  the  contending  armies ;  the  patriotic  ardor  of  his 
youth  was  revived,  and  he  lived  that  perilous  period  over 
again.  I  called  his  attention  to  Burgoyne's  last  encamp- 
ment, and  to  the  house  which  I  had  visited  in  1821,  in 
which  the  Baroness  Reidesel  and  her  children  took  refuge, 
—  at  last  in  the  cellar,  during  a  terrible  cannonade  which 
pierced  the  house  with  round  shot.  I  adverted  to  the  case 
of  the  poor  wounded  British  soldier  who,  when  placed  on 
a  table  to  suffer  the  amputation  of  a  shattered  limb,  lost 
the  other  by  a  cannon  ball.  He  not  only  remembered  the 
history  of  that  house,  but  added,  that  he  was  the  officer  of 
artillery  who,  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  pointed 
the  cannon  that  did  so  much  mischief;  but  added  that  the 
cannonade  was  directed  against  what  was  supposed  to  be  a 
rendezvous  of  British  officers,  and  not  against  wounded 
men,  and  women  and  children.  Thus,  sixty-one  years  after 
the  event,  we  had  with  us  an  actor  in  those  scenes,  still 
vigorous  at  eighty-four  or  eighty-five,  with  a  mind  not  im- 
paired, and  a  heart  still  warm  in  his  country's  cause.  And 
the  artist  who  copied  his  features  and  person  was  a  coeval 
veteran  of  unabated  power  and  artistic  skill. 

Surrender  of  Lord  Cornwallis.  —  Rochambeau  is  on  a 
brown  horse  a  little  detached  from  the  group.  The  artist 
had  good  proof  of  the  accuracy  of  the  likeness  of  the  Gen- 
eral. It  was  first  painted  upon  a  hand-card,  and  Colonel 
Trumbull  being  in  Normandy  in  France,  as  he  was  passing 


78  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

to  his  chamber  in  the  hotel  with  a  candle  in  one  hand,  and 
the  picture  in  the  other,  the  light  flashed  upon  it,  whereupon 
the  landlady,  who  was  showing  him  his  room,  exclaimed,  — 
"  0  Monsieur  Rochambeau  !  "  The  artist  replied,  "  Pray 
what  do  you  know  of  Monsieur  Rochambeau  ! "  "  0,  did 
he  not  always  lodge  here  when  he  passed  this  way  ?  " 

Professor  Silliman  thus  concludes  the  little  manu- 
script volume  from  which  the  foregoing  passages  are 
taken :  — 

I  have  now  fulfilled  a  duty  which  I  owed  to  the  mem- 
ory of  the  venerable  man  who  confided  everything  to  me, 

and  I  hold  in   higher  admiration  and  veneration 

than  ever,  the  illustrious  father  of  American  Historical 
Painting. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

RESIGNATION  OF  PRESIDENT  DAY:  DOMESTIC  AFFLICTION. 

Resignation  of  President  Day.  —  Letter  of  Chancellor  Kent.  —  Visit  to 
Boston:  Agassiz.  —  Death  of  Mr.  Elihu  Chauncey. — Visit  from  Agas- 
siz.  —  Birthday  Reflections,  (1848).  — Death  of  Jeremiah  Mason. -Visit 
to  his  Early  Home.  —  Proposal  to  Resign.  —  Death  of  Mrs.  Silliman.  — 
Religious  Thoughts.  —  Visit  to  Washington:  President  Taylor;  Secre- 
tary Clayton.  —  His  Consent  to  withdraw  his  Resignation. 

WHILE  Professor  Silliman  was  engaged  in  his  la- 
bors abroad,  he  lost  none  of  his  zeal  in  the  work  of 
college  instruction.  So  many  years  had  he  taught, 
that  his  pupils  were  now  dispersed  in  every  part  of 
the  land.  On  the  retirement  of  Dr.  Day  from  the 
Presidency,  it  was  natural  that  some  should  look  to 
him  as  a  fit  successor.  His  selection  for  the  vacant 
office  was,  in  fact,  urged  by  a  number  of  distin- 
guished civilians.  This  was  done  the  more  earnestly, 
as  it  was  known  that  Professor  Woolsey  was  unwill- 
ing to  accept  the  station.  But  Professor  Silliman 
was  only  six  years  younger  than  the  retiring  Presi- 
dent. Giving  instruction  by  lectures,  and  during 
only  a  portion  of  the  year,  he  was,  of  course,  less  at 
home  in  the  details  of  college  discipline,  than  if  he 
had  been  in  the  habit  of  meeting  the  students  in 
daily  recitations.  Besides,  his  election  would  have 
involved  a  departure  from  the  uniform  precedent,  if 
not  the  law,  of  the  Institution,  according  to  which 
the  Presidency  must  be  filled  by  a  clergyman.  Pro- 


80  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

fessor  Silliman,  it  is  needless  to  say,  was  entirely 
lied  with  the  action  of  the  Corporation,  and  ren- 
dered to  the  administration  of  Dr.  Woolsey  his  cor- 
dial support.  But  he  was,  at  the  same  time,  gratified 
by  various  expressions  of  regard  which  he  received, 
on  this  occasion,  from  old  and  valued  friends,  among 
whom  were  Charles  Chauncey,  and  Chancellor  Kent. 
The  latter,  under  date  of  August  3,  1846,  in  a  let- 
ter to  Judge  Baldwin  of  New  Haven,  wrote  as  fol- 
lows :  — 

"I  understand  that  at  the  annual  Commencement,  a 
President  is  to  be  chosen  in  the  room  of  the  venerable 
President  Day,  and  permit  me  to  say,  that  I  ardently  hope, 
that  our  friend,  Professor  Silliman,  may  be  his  successor. 
I  do  not  know  the  man  within  the  College  catalogue,  that 
has  a  better  title  to  the  honor,  and  who  is  more  fitted  to  fill 
the  station,  with  reputation  to  the  College,  and  the  general 
and  warm  approbation  of  the  community.  His  character 
is  pure  and  estimable.  He  has  sustained  his  professional 
duties  for  a  long  series  of  years,  with  distinguished  ability 
and  success.  His  talents,  his  learning,  his  science,  his 
his  purity  and  elevation  of  character,  and  his  varied 
and  almost  universal  accomplishments,  point  him  out  as  the 
very  person  that  ought  to  be  chosen I  feel  an  un- 
shaken love  and  attachment  to  Yale  College,  and  I  should 
deeply  regret,  as  one  of  its  ancient  alumni,  if  Professor 
Silliman  (provided  he  is  willing  to  accept,  of  which  I 
know  nothing,)  should  be  passed  by.  I  express  these  wishes 
"I  'in ne.  on  my  own  spontaneous  suggestion,  and  hope  and 
vou  will  he  willing  to  give  to  the  choice  of  Professor 
Silliman  your  effective  countenance.  In  my  humble  opin- 
tie  elevation  of  Professor  Silliman  to  the  presidential 
rliair.  will  add  diffusive  renown  to  the  College,  both  in  this 
country  and  in  Kurope." 


VISIT  TO  BOSTON.  81 

At  the  beginning  of  the  following  year,  Professor 
Silliman  visited  Boston,  where  he  had  the  pleasure 
of  hearing  Agassiz,  and  of  meeting  old  friends.  The 
annexed  notices  are  from  the  "  Diary,"  on  which  we 
must  hereafter  chiefly  depend :  — 

Wednesday  Morning,  January  13,  1847.  —  In  the  after- 
noon of  this  day,  and  also  on  Friday  evening,  I  attended 
a  lecture  of  Agassiz,  in  the  Lowell  Institute,  now  holding 
its  lectures  in  the  Tremont  Theatre,  which  has  become  a 
church.  Professor  Agassiz  gives  great  satisfaction,  and 
wins  universal  favor.  The  vast  extent  of  his  knowledge 
in  all  departments  of  natural  history,  his  almost  unexam- 
pled industry,  and  winning  affability  and  modesty,  make 
him  a  great  favorite.  His  course  is  devoted  to  tracing  the 
origin  and  progress  of  the  creation  of  animals,  from  the 
earliest  to  the  latest ;  and  the  fossil  animals,  he  is  able,  from 
his  extensive  acquirements,  to  compare  with  the  living  cre- 
ation  His  manner  is  calm,  dignified,  and  yet  en- 
gaged. He  uses,  in  general,  very  good  English,  —  some- 
times hesitating  for  a  word,  but  generally  finding  the  right 
expression. 

January  17.  —  In  Boston  I  experienced  great  hospitality 
and  kindness,  and  was  warmly  greeted  by  many  of  my 
old  friends  ;  affectionately,  by  not  a  few.  I  dined  with 
Warren  Button  and  lady  and  family,  and  also  with  Josiah 
Quincy,  Jr.,  and  family,  including  his  parents  and  Miss 
Sedgvvick,  the  celebrated  authoress ;  and  everything  was 
very  agreeable.  I  was  at  a  Warren  Club,  newly  got  up, 
and  called  after  the  Warrens ;  it  brought  together  many 
of  the  distinguished  men  of  the  town  at  Dr.  Lawrence's. 
There  was  also  a  soiree  at  Dr.  C.  T.  Jackson's,  —  I  suppose 
for  Agassiz  and  myself,—  and  here  I  met  many  old  friends, 

and  made  some  new  acquaintance Among  those 

families  that  gave  me  a  warm  reception  were  the  Law- 
rences, the   Lambs,  Masons,  Warrens,   Bruens,   Duttons, 


82  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

C^uincys,  Blagdens,  &c.  It  was  a  period  of  relaxation  and 
recreation,  equally  grateful  and  useful. 

Soon  after,  he  was  afflicted  by  the  death  of  his  old 
friend  and  classmate  Mr.  Elihu  Chauncey,  of  Phil- 
adelphia, of  whom  he  thus  speaks  :  — 

1847,  April  11.  —  When  he  was  a  guest  with  us,  less 
than  eight  months  ago,  and  when  I  saw  him  at  his  own 
house  in  Burlington,  N.  J.,  September  15,  on  my  way  to 
Reading,  and  again  on  my  return,  September  23,  he  ap- 
peared in  fine  health  and  spirits.  He  and  his  brother 
attended  me  to  the  steamboat,  on  the  morning  of  Septem- 
ber 24,  and  there,  unconsciously,  I  took  my  last  leave  of 
him.  His  visit  with  us  in  the  summer  was  very  acceptable 
to  us.  He  was  very  cheerful,  and  his  conversation  highly 
instructive  and  agreeable  ;  there  was  in  him  great  depth 
and  scope  of  thought,  and  his  moral  sentiments  and  affec- 
tions were  seated  in  his  inmost  soul.  He  was  a  playmate 
of  my  boyhood,  a  classmate  and  associate  of  my  youth,  and 
the  warm  friend  of  my  whole  life.  This  death  comes  very 
near  to  me,  and  I  must  be  reminded  how  near  I  too  may 
be  to  death.  The  circle  of  my  early  friends  is  fast  narrow- 
ing  Mr.  Chauncey  has  been  a  man  of  unusual 

wealth,  and  vast  engagement  in  affairs  of  money.  I  once 
asked  him  whether  there  was  not  danger  in  such  extensive 
engagements  in  worldly  affairs,  and  in  the  allurements  of 
wealth  ;  lie  allowed  that  there  was,  but  took  my  remarks 
very  kindly. 

An  agreeable  visit  from  his  friend  Agassiz  is  here 
described :  — 

,)A/y  2.  —  He  arrived  at  two  o'clock  on  Monday, 

-'.  HIM!  was  attended  by  his  two  friends,  E.  Desor  and 

('•mill    1'ourtalis.     They  remained  with  us  until  Saturday, 

'u'ii  they  went  for  New  York  city,  on  their  way  to 

Albany.     Their  time  in  New  Haven  was  occupied  chiefly 


VISIT  FROM  PROFESSOR  AGASSIZ.  83 

in  scientific  reading,  discussions,  and  excursions 

There  was  a  soiree  at  Benjamin's  for  them,  when  very  con- 
siderable numbers  of  our  most  respectable  literary  men 
were  present.  Agassiz  is  a  highly  interesting  man,  —  from 
his  talents,  his  great  acquirements,  especially  in  natural 
history,  his  fine,  open,  winning  manners,  and  a  countenance 
both  handsome  and  beaming  with  high  intelligence  and  the 
kind  affections,  by  which  he  is  animated.  He  is  the  delight 
of  all  the  societies  in  which  he  moves.  He  is  at  present  in 
ill  health  on  account  of  his  great  exertions  in  Boston,  in  the 
course  of  lectures,  and  in  innumerable  scientific  conversa- 
tions. He  had  been  confined  for  a  month  to  his  bed,  and 
for  six  weeks  to  his  room.  He  is  recovering  his  vigor 
which  was  formerly  very  great.  Once,  as  he  informed  us, 
he  could  carry  one  man  on  his  back,  and  at  the  same  time 
one  man  under  each  arm ;  and  he  could  lift  an  iron  anvil 
which  the  smiths  were  unable  to  raise.  We  are  encouraged 
to  hope  for  a  course  of  lectures  from  him  in  June,  provided 

his  health  is  sufficiently  restored Mr.  Desor  is  a 

scientific  amateur,  and  has  for  ten  years  attended  Agassiz 
in  his  tours,  &c.  Count  Pourtalis  is  a  young  man  about 
twenty-one,  of  a  titled  and  opulent  family  in  Neufchatel, 
and  also  is  an  amateur  of  science.  Agassiz  is  in  his 
fortieth  year  ;  Desor  some  years  younger.  Agassiz  speaks 
English  very  well ;  the  others  after  a  fashion,  but  can  be 
understood,  although  with  some  difficulty.  All  appear  to 
be  true,  amiable,  and  unsophisticated  men,  lovers  of  knowl- 
edge for  its  own  sake.  All  of  them  have  scaled  the  high 
Alps,  and  several  peaks  that  had  not  been  surmounted 
before.  I  was  almost  entirely  devoted  to  them  during  the 
week,  as  were  B.  S.,  Jr.,  J.  D.  D.,  and  to  some  extent  the 
ladies  of  the  family.  I  made  out,  however,  with  some  diffi- 
culty, to  prepare  a  long  memorial  to  the  Legislature — nine- 
teen pages  —  on  the  subject  of  our  new  professorship  for 
agriculture  and  the  arts.  It  was  corrected  and  copied,  and 
passed  to  the  Legislature  on  Tuesday  May  10.  The  next 


84  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

day  I  \M-nt  to  Hartford  to  support  it,  and  had  a  hearing 
,•  tlu-  Committee  on  Education,  —  nine  in  number,  the 
chairman  included.  I  addressed  them  for  about  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour  upon  the  bearings  of  science  and  the 
arts  upon  the  interests  of  society,  and  had  a  respectful 
hearing  and  am  told  that  the  impression  was  favorable. 
This  was  at  eight  o'clock  on  Thursday  morning,  May  13. 

In  the  following  passage,  he  alludes  to  an  occu- 
pation to  which  he  gave  much  time  in  the  latter  part 
of  his  life  :  — 

During  the  last  week  I  have  been  deeply  interested  in 
the  reperusal  of  many  letters  of  my  dear  father  and  mother, 
and  many  of  the  father  of  my  mother,  the  Rev.  Joseph  Fish, 
minister  of  Stonington.  My  father's  letters  extend  through 
thi-  Revolution,  and  also  my  mother's  responses  through 

trying  times  and  circumstances I  have  been 

deeply  affected  by  the  perusal  of  this  correspondence  ;  the 

letters  are  arranged  by  my  daughter,  Mrs.  II ,  in  a 

book.  There  is  great  depth  and  strength  of  affection  run- 
ning through  them  all ;  zealous  devotion  to  each  other's 
happiness,  and  ardent  piety  and  patriotism.  I  have  de- 
scended from  the  wise  and  the  good,  the  pious,  the  patriotic, 
and  the  pure  in  heart,  who,  I  have  no  doubt,  now  see  God. 
1  am  softened  and  tenderly  affected,  especially  towards  my 
beloved  parents,  who  were  noble  people.  My  father  I  well 
reineinlier,  although  only  eleven  years  old  when  he  died, 
(.July  -Jl.  17',M>,)  in  his  fifty-eighth  year.  My  precious 

'•r  survived  him  twenty-eight  years,  having  died  at 
Wallin-lnrd.  July  2,  1818,  aged  eighty-two  years.  I  had 

and  tender  intercourse  with  her,  and  she  was  often  in 

iniily.  and  it  would  have  been  my  wish  to  have  had 
her  there  always.  I  have  great  satisfaction  in  having  re- 

v  had  her  portrait  restored  by  Jared  Flagg,  from  a 
mlthrop,  —  the  latter  a  good  likeness,  but  not 


RELIGIOUS   REFLECTIONS.  85 

a  good  picture.  As  copied  and  improved  by  my  sugges- 
tions, it  is  my  own  blessed  mother  at  fifty-seven  to  fifty- 
eight  years  old,  almost  returned  to  life  again.  She  has  the 
same  smile  and  glow  of  maternal  love  in  her  bright  face, 
with  which  she  was  wont  to  meet  us  (my  brother  and  my- 
self), when  we  came  home  from  college. 

Religious  reflections,  to  which  he  was  never  a 
stranger,  become  more  and  more  frequent  in  his 
Diary  :  — 

1848,  April  21st.  —  This  is  Fast-day,  and  brings  a  wel- 
come day  of  repose  and  reflection,  amidst  the  agitations  of 
a  busy  world.  We  have  always  occasion  enough  for  humil- 
iation and  penitence,  especially  when  we  realize  how  insuf- 
ficient are  our  resolutions,  how  imperfect  our  obedience, 
how  frequent  our  transgressions.  The  decided  conviction 
of  my  own  mind  is,  that  we  cannot  depend  upon  ourselves 
for  salvation.  All  our  obedience  is  due  from  us,  as  much  as 
if  it  were  to  be  the  ground  of  our  acceptance,  and  it  is  the 
only  proof  which  we  can  present  to  ourselves  or  others  that 
we  are  really  Christians ;  but  it  falls  so  far  short  of  the 
standard  of  God's  moral  law,  that  we  must  rely  upon  a 
righteousness  not  our  own  for  our  justification,  and  that 
righteousness  is  Christ's.  This  is  a  good  custom  of  our 
ancestors  to  call  the  people  off  one  day  in  a  year  from  their 
ordinary  employments  to  consider  in  a  more  thorough  man- 
ner than  usual  their  great  spiritual  interests. 

On  entering  upon  his  seventieth  year,  he  wrote  as 
follows  :  — 

August  8th,  my  Sixty-ninth  Birthday.  —  It  is  a  solemn 
period  of  life  when  one  enters  his  seventieth  year.  This  is 
now  my  case.  But  I  cannot  say  with  old  Jacob,  that  my 
days  have  been  few  and  evil.  Upon  the  reduced  scale  of 
human  life,  my  days  have  already  been  many,  and  they 


86  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

have  not  been  evil.  Afflictions  have  indeed  been  scattered 
aloni^  my  path  of  life,  but  they  have  not  been  more  than 
were  good  for  me,  and  my  sources  of  happiness  have  been 
numerous  and  rich.  I  bless  God  for  the  large  measure  of 
happiness  which  I  have  enjoyed,  —  as  much  as  is  best  in  a 
stati'  which  is  mutable  and  transient.  What  I  sigh  for  is 
not  riches,  honors,  or  pleasures.  Riches  I  have  never  sought, 
they  have  not  entered  into  my  views  of  life,  but  such  in- 
come and  emoluments  have  followed  my  professional  efforts 
as  have  afforded  all  needed  supplies ;  honors  I  have  not 
coveted,  but  a  fair  reputation  from  honest  efforts  to  perform 
my  duty,  however  imperfectly  done ;  and  as  to  pleasures, 
the  moral  and  intellectual  have  surpassed  the  physical.  A 
cheerful  temper  and  active  temperament  have  made  life 
grateful  to  me  ;  and  I  have  ten  thousand  blessings  for  which 
to  thank  the  Father  of  mercies,  while  I  feel  that  I  cannot 
be  justified  before  Him  by  any  works  of  righteousness  which 
I  have  done,  but  infinitely  need  the  shield  of  His  mercy 
through  Christ  the  Redeemer  of  men.  What,  therefore,  I 
most  earnestly  desire  is  a  holy  heart  and.  a  holy  life  exempt 
from  temptations  and  sins.  I  have  still  firm  health  and 
cheerful  courage  and  energy  in  the  performance  of  duty. 
A  large,  happy  family  clusters  around  me,  and  my  dear 
wife  is  still  spared  to  them  and  me,  although  she  has  been 
fV(  (juently  threatened,  and  many  dear  friends  have  been 
called  away  from  us. 

His  circle  of  friends  was  so   large,  that  a  death 
among   them   was    now  no   unfrequent   occurrence. 
Of  one  of  them,   Hon.  Jeremiah    Mason,    he  thus 
IB :  — 

My  friends  arc  fast  assembling  in  the  other  world.     Mr. 

M  was  a  native  of  Lebanon,  Conn.,  and  a  graduate  of 

Bge,  in   1788,  in  the   same  class  with  Rev.  Dr. 

Mr.  Mason)  with  Hon.  Jeremiah  Smith  of 


DEATH  OF  HON.  JEREMIAH  MASON.       87 

Exeter,  New  Hampshire,  and  Hon.  Daniel  Webster,  vindi- 
cated the  cause  of  Dartmouth  College,  and  of  all  similar  in- 
stitutions. I  first  knew  him  at  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire, 
in  1818,  (July,  I  believe,)  where  he  then  lived.  I  was  going 
to  Portland  and  Brunswick,  to  attend  the  Commencement 
of  Bowdoin  College,  when  Mr.  Ticknor  offered  me  a  letter 
of  introduction,  which  secured  me  a  very  kind  reception, 
and  I  have  ever  since  maintained  a  very  friendly  intercourse 
with  Mr.  Mason  and  his  family.  He  was  a  lineal  descend- 
ant from  Captain  Mason,  who  destroyed  the  Pequot  In- 
dians. Pie  was  a  noble  man.  and  as  Mr.  Clay  said  of  him, 
very  truly,  a  giant  in  stature  and  a  giant  in  mind.  His 
height  was  not  less  than  six  feet  six  inches,  and  his  person 
large  in  proportion.  His  mind  took  a  wide  range  of  obser- 
vation, and  his  conversation  was,  in  a  high  degree,  instruc- 
tive and  interesting,  with  a  winning  amenity  of  voice  and 
manner.  On  my  return  from  Hanover,  I  was  at  Mr.  Ma- 
son's for  half  an  hour,  Friday  evening,  September  29,  and 
then  had  my  last  interview  with  him  and  his  lady  and 
daughter.  I  thought  him  somewhat  more  marked  by  age 
than  when  I  last  saw  him,  which  was,  I  believe,  two  years 
before.  I  did  not  view  him  as  near  to  the  close  of  life, 
although  he  lived  only  fifteen  days  after  that  time.  I 
suppose  him  to  have  been  a  religious  man.  During  my 
Lowell  courses,  I  called  there  late  in  the  evening  to  bid 
him  farewell,  and  found  him  engaged  in  his  family  devo- 
tions. His  family  have  been  favored  by  his  continuance 
with  them  to  a  good  old  age,  fourscore,  —  and  I  think  it  a 
privilege  to  have  known  him. 

Those  who  have  followed  the  course  of  this  Me- 
moir from  the  beginning,  will  be  interested  in  his 
account  of  a  visit  to  the  home  of  his  childhood. 

December  1,  1848,  Friday.  —  At  eight  o'clock,  A.  M.,  my 
daughters,  Mrs.  Church,  Mrs.  Hubbard,  and  her  husband, 


83  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

Professor  Hubbiird,  my  son,  B.  S.,  Jr.,  and  his  wife,  and 

youii'4  William   Silliman  Hillyer  of  New  Albany,  Indiana, 

of  my  elder  half  brother,  with  myself,  left  home 

at  eight  o'clock,  A.  M.  ;  the  depot  at  eight  and  three  quar- 

on  the  rails  of  the  New  Haven  and  New  York  road, 

and  were  at  Bridgeport,  eighteen  miles,  before  ten  o'clock. 

1 1  civ,  by  previous  arrangement,  carriages  were  ready,  and 

.11  proceeded  three  miles,  by  old  Peqnamoc,  noticing 

by  the  way   interesting   objects,   as   the   site   of  the   old 

school-house,  now  removed,  where  my  brother,  G.  S.  S., 

and    I,   were   taught   the   elements   of   knowledge  ;    also, 

Knopp's  mill,  one  mile  from  my  father's  mansion,  where 

was  formerly  our  grinding-place  ;  the  place  also  for  washing 

sheep,  and  a  considerable  fishery  of  alewives  by  the  seine. 

We    next  saw  the  beginning  of  my  father's  land,  in  the 

duck-pond  pasture,  a  tract  of  probably  seventy  acres;  there 

were  seven  tracts  of  land,  —  one  of  them  the  homestead, — 

and  six  others  in  different  places,  some  at  from  one  mile 

to  four  miles  distant.     As  we  went  up  the  hill,  I  pointed 

out  the  spot  where  they  found  me,  a  little  wanderer,  of  two 

"Id,  strayed  half  a  mile  from  home,  lost  for  the  time, 

-looked  for  anxiously  in  the  well  and   in  many  other 

places,  —  but  found  at  last,  sitting  quietly  on  a  stone  by  the 

where  the  cows  were  put  into  the  pasture.     I  showed 

also  the  Held  where  my  father's  fine  bald-faced  horse  lost 

his  life,  after  surviving  the  battles  of  the   Revolution,  in 

;.il  nf  which  he  had  been  rode:  the  servant  went  down, 

on  a  Sabbath  morning,  to  lead  him  up  for  service,  as  we 

lived  two  miles  from  the  town,  but  we  found  him  with  both 

i  >roken  short  off.     He  had  stepped  into  a  crevice 

•he  two  contiguous  portions  of  a  fissure  rock,  and 

had   fallen  sidewise The  old  house,  formerly  my 

-id  built  by  him,  being  the  elder  brother 

old  to  Mr.  Eliot,  after  the  burning  of 

;"  -'uly,  177!),  who,  under  my  father's  influence 

**d  I  removed  to  Holland  Hill,  Mr.  Eliot's  house 


VISIT  TO  HIS  EARLY  HOME.  89 

having  been  burned  by  the  British  troops.  In  this  old 
house,  fifty-seven  and  fifty-eight  years  ago,  my  brother  and 
I  were  prepared  for  college.  We  went  up  into  the  cham- 
ber where  we  used  to  recite,  and  saw  the  very  spot  on  which 
stood  Mr.  Eliot's  bookcase,  containing  beautiful  volumes 
which  he  had  saved  from  the  conflagration  of  Fairfield, 
and  which  he  frequently  dusted  with  great  care,  as  he  would 

trust  no  one  else  to  do  it "We  went  to  the  good 

old  mansion  of  my  father.  We  passed  the  same  little 
bridge,  made  of  a  single  flat  stone,  laid  over  a  brook,  dry 
in  summer,  but  occasionally  filled  by  the  rains  and  snow 
floods.  That  bridge  was  often  passed  by  me  when  a  child, 
and  I  was  delighted  to  find  it  there,  and  also  another  little 
bridge,  over  another  transient  brook,  nearer  to  the  house. 
I  had  sent  a  note  to  Mrs.  Penfield,  the  present  occupant, 
apprising  her  of  our  coming,  and  she  and  her  daughter 
were  ready  to  receive  us,  and  treated  us  with  great  cordial- 
ity. We  went  through  the  house,  and  I  told  my  children 
many  interesting  things  of  early  days.  The  house  is,  in 
the  inside,  unaltered  in  the  most  material  things :  the  two 
best  rooms  are  almost  exactly  as  they  were  fifty-six  years 
ago  when  my  father  died.  The  best  chamber  is  entirely 
unaltered ;  the  same  Prussian  blue  paint  on  the  wood- 
work of  this  chamber,  and  the  panels  and  all,  without 
shrinkage  or  injury  of  any  kind.  There  is  the  same  sky- 
blue  paper,  of  small  figure,  on  the  walls,  and  the  same 
narrow  boards  of  white-wood  or  tulip-tree  in  the  floor ;  the 
same  deep  closet  where  my  father's  arms  were  kept,  with 
a  wig  of  my  grandfather  Silliman.  A  barrel  of  hickory- 
nuts  was  always  kept  there,  and  on  opening  the  door  we 
found  a  pile  of  the  same  sort  of  nuts.  In  this  chamber, 
our  dear  mother  had  a  season  of  retirement  with  us,  her 
two  younger  sons,  in  the  morning  after  breakfast,  to  hear 
us  read  %the  Bible,  and  instruct  us  in  its  contents,  while  she 
combed  our  hair  and  prepared  us  for  school.  I  have  re- 
purchased the  same  large  family  Bible,  which  was  then  in 


90  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

fine  order,  and  lay  upon  the  table  in  that  room.  It  was 
sold  at  the  general  sale  of  effects,  when  my  father's  estate 

ettled,  but  its  place  was  traced  out  a  few  years  ago,  and, 
although  injured,  it  was  repaired  by  the  kind  offices  of  a 
fiu-ml.  This  chamber  is  connected  with  very  interesting 

unions,  and  when  I  entered  it  my  emotions  were  very 
strong.  The  front  hall  or  entry  remains  as  it  was  ;  the  oaken 
panned  and  staircase,  painted  by  the  Buddingtons  probably 
niiu-ty  years  ago,  remain  as  they  were.  In  this  entry,  espec- 
ially up  the  stairs,  we  children  were  used  to  amuse  ourselves, 
sitti  ng  on  the  trunks,  at  our  plays.  The  two  bedrooms  below, 
at  the  extreme  of  the  dining-room,  remain ;  and  I  explained 
to  my  children  how  the  Tories  stormed  the  house  at  one 

o'clock  in  the  morning  of  May  1st,  1779 I  should 

have  been  glad  of  more  time  to  go  around  the  farms  and 
see  where  I  used  to  set  my  snares  and  traps,  where  I  used 
to  skate,  to  gather  nuts,  peaches,  and  apples,  &c. ;  but  time 
forbade,  and  we  took  leave  of  the  old  house,  with  a  half 
promise  on  my  part,  that  I  would  return  at  some  future 
time,  with  some  other  members  of  my  family. 

It  was  a  great  satisfaction  to  me  at  the  old  house  to 

i  nber  that  it  had  been  a  house  of  prayer,  and  for 

al  generations  the  residence  of  the  wise  and  the  good, 
—  all  its  tenants,  with  one  exception,  having  been  hopefully 
pious  people. 

When  Professor  Silliman  had  reached  the  age  of 

iiiy.  he  felt  that  he  might  properly  seek  a  release 

from    his   long-continued   service   in    College.      His 

proposition   to  vacate   his  office  in  the   autumn  of 

1850,  1he  response  of  the  Corporation,  and  his  reply 

'  .  are  here  given. 

nt  and  Fellows  of  Tale  College,  — 

—  I  beg  leave  to  avail  myself  of  the  occa- 
of  your  annual  meeting  for  the  present  season,  to  com- 


PROPOSED  RESIGNATION.  91 

municate  to  the  Board  my  intention  to  retire  from  the 
service  of  the  College  at  the  end  of  the  ensuing  academical 
year, —  that  is,  at  the  Commencement  for  1850.  I  there- 
fore wish  this  communication  to  be  regarded  as  a  prospec- 
tive resignation  to  take  effect  at  the  time  named  above  ;  and 
the  Corporation  will  of  course  in  their  wisdom  adopt  in  the 
interim,  any  measures  which  the  case  may  require.  An 
earlier  retirement  would,  as  I  conceive,  be  inconsistent  with 
the  interests  of  the  Institution,  and  with  existing  duties, 
both  to  the  College  proper,  and  to  the  Medical  School ;  and 
I  am  therefore  willing  to  serve  for  another  year.  If  the 
reasons  of  my  retiring  are  asked,  I  will  reply,  that  I  am 
daily  admonished  by  the  rapid  flight  of  time,  and  often  by 
the  departure  of  my  contemporaries,  that  my  work  is  nearly 
done.  Having  now  attained  to  the  age  of  seventy,  and  fifty 
years  of  my  life  having  been  passed  in  the  service  of  the 
College,  I  feel  that  I  am  entitled  to  a  discharge,  and  that 
a  younger  man  ought,  ere  long,  to  fill  my  place.  In  the 
retrospect  I  have  the  satisfaction  to  add,  that  from  my  col- 
leagues and  from  my  fellow-men,  I  have  received  sympathy 
and  encouragement,  and  from  the  Corporation,  both  con- 
fidence and  efficient  aid  ;  but  of  those  venerated  men  who 
under  President  Dwight,  invited  me,  in  my  youth,  into  the 
service  of  the  College,  not  one  remains.  The  time  of  my 
own  departure  from  the  College  is  at  hand,  and  when  it 
shall  arrive,  I  shall  leave  this  long-cherished  Institution 
with  deep  affection  and  earnest  solicitude  for  its  prosperity, 
and  shall  never  cease  to  pray  that  God  may  continue  to 
regard  it  with  favor,  and  to  bestow  upon  it  His  blessing. 

I  remain,  gentlemen, 
Very  respectfully,  your  obt.  servant, 

B.  SILLIMAN. 
YAUE  COLLEGE,  August  8, 1849. 
Die  Natali. 


92  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 


t$or 

I  ),;  A  i:  Si  i;.  —  Your  letter  having  been  laid  before  the  Fel- 
lows «'('  Vale  College,  at-  their  meeting  convened  August  13, 
and  adjourned  August  16,  1849,  it  was  Resolved,  That  this 
Hoard  entertains  a  high  and  grateful  sense  of  the  very  em- 
inent services  which  Professor  Silliman  has  rendered  to  the 
College  during  his  long  term  of  office  ;  and  regrets  that  the 
approach  of  old  age  makes  him  feel  it  to  be  necessary  to 
withdraw  from   his   professorship.      Resolved,  That  he  be 
requested  to  continue  his  lectures  in  the  departments  of 
Mineralogy  and  Geology,  after  the  autumn  of  1850,  when 
his  resignation  is  to  take  effect,  should  his  life  and  health  be 
spared  until  that  period.     And  I  was  directed  to  furnish 
you  with  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  ......  Allow  me 

to  express  my  deep  regret  that  the  time  draws  nigh  when 
you  and  Professor  Kingsley  contemplate  a  partial  or  entire 
sundering  of  that  bond  which  has  so  long  bound  you  to 
Vale  College.  It  will  give  me  a  feeling  of  loneliness  and 
desolation  when  you  leave  us. 

Very  truly  and  respectfully  yours, 

,  1849.  THEODORE    D.   WOOLSEY. 


ll'oolsey,  — 

IJrv.  AND  IM.AK  Sni,  —  I  return  you  my  thanks  for  your 

letter  oi'  August   17,  communicating  a  copy  of  certain  res- 

olutions of  the  Corporation  of  Yale  College,  in  relation  to 

If  and  the  professorship  which  I  have  prospectively 

nil.     I   am  gratified  by  the  favorable  opinion   enter- 

1  of  my  services,  and  am  grateful  to  you  for  the  kind 

manner  in  which  you  have  communicated  it.     I  will  take 

into  respectful  consideration  the  request  of  the  Corpora- 

tion. that  I  would  continue  to  teach  in  the  mineral  depart- 

'   "f  I'"'  professorship,  and  will  in  due  time  communi- 

cate my  decision. 

I  remain,  my  dear  Sir, 
Very  respectfully  and  truly  yours, 

B.  SILLIMAN. 


DEATH  OF  MRS.  SILLIMAN.  93 

The  latter  part  of  this  year  was  clouded  by  the 
apprehension  of  a  great  affliction.  The  illness  of 
Mrs.  Silliman  is  alluded  to  in  the  Diary  in  the  fol- 
lowing notice  of  the  death  of  one  of  her  friends  :  — 

Mrs.  Olivia  Day,  wife  of  the  Rev.  President  Day,  died  on 
Friday  noon,  January  11,  1850.  She  took  to  her  bed  on 
New  Year's  day,  with  a  hard  cold,  which  became  first  a 
catarrhal,  then  a  congestive,  and  finally  a  typhus  fever. 
On  the  day  on  which  she  took  to  her  bed,  she  wept  (as 

Miss  T who  was  with  her  informed  me)  because  she 

could  not  come  to  visit  Mrs.  Silliman  as  she  wished  to  do, 
and  to  watch  with  her ;  but  she  was  called  away  first,  and 
with  a  very  short  warning,  while  her  friend  still  lingers 
on  the  boundary  line  between  the  two  worlds.  My  ven- 
erable friend,  President  Day,  now  far  on  in  the  evening  of 
life,  is  thus  deprived  of  the  companion  of  thirty-eight  years  ; 
but  he  is  a  heavenly-minded  man,  and  receives  the  bereave- 
ment with  a  most  Christian  spirit ;  and  he  enjoys  the  alle- 
viation of  domestic  society.  His  two  daughters,  with  the 
husband  of  one  of  them,  and  an  interesting  grandchild, 
make  his  house  still  a  home  while  he  lingers  in  this  world, 
and  he  has  a  better  inheritance  in  store  in  the  world  which 
is  to  come. 

On  the  18th  of  January,  Mrs.  Silliman  died.  Her 
illness  had  been  long  and  distressing.  The  Diary, 
for  several  months  after  this  event,  is  taken  up  with 
tender  recollections  of  her  life.  In  beginning  a  new 
volume,  he  adverts  to  the  same  theme  :  — 

March  3d.  —  The  preceding  number  of  this  private 
Journal  closed  with  the  death  of  my  dearly  beloved  wife, 
and  many  pages  were  devoted  to  her  memory  ;  to  an  analysis 
of  her  character  ;  to  our  mutual  history  of  the  events  which 
led  to  our  marriage,  and  to  extracts  from  numerous  letters 


94  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

of  sympathy  and  condolence  from  affectionate  friends,  who 
i  and  revered  her.  Six  weeks  ago  this  day  her  cold 
remains  (lovely  in  death,  her  features  having  lost  all  traces 
of  suffering  and  of  mortal  agony,  and  having  recovered 
their  natural  expression)  were  still  with  us  in  the  front 
room  where  she  died. 

Since  her  death,  I  have  reluctantly  turned  to  any  other 
subject,  being  absorbed  in  the  most  interesting  recollections, 
and  in  the  contemplation  of  her  pure  and  elevated  Christian 
character.  There  have  been  few  events  to  record.  I  have 
made  two  journeys  to  New  York,  the  first  of  love  and  sym- 
pathy to  and  with  my  children  (M and  F )  and 

their  families Of  common  occurrences  I  have  little 

inclination  to  take  notice,  and  am  not  willing  to  lose  the  deep 
and  tender  impression  of  the  last  month.  I  am  not,  I  trust, 
disposed  to  cherish  a  morbid  grief  of  mere  sensitive  and 
natural  melancholy ;  but  I  am  anxious  that  this  bereave- 
ment, the  most  painful  that  I  have  ever  met  with,  may  pro- 
duce in  me  its  proper  and  best  effects,  in  increased  spirit- 
uality and  diligent  preparation  for  my  own  departure.  I 
hope  never  to  lose  the  impressions  now  strongly  engraved 
upon  my  mind,  which  is  however,  not  desponding,  but 
reuli/A's  a  void  in  the  absence  of  that  wise  and  good,  and 
ever  sincere  and  faithful  wife,  mother  and  friend,  whose 
place  cannot  be  supplied  fully  even  by  my  affectionate, 
devoted,  and  excellent  children.  But  there  is  One  who  can 
•le  me,  who  can  sustain  me,  and  to  Him  I  resort  with 
more  earnestness  than  ever,  and  with  the  aid  of  the  books 
of  spiritual  counsel  and  practical  piety,  and  of  sacred  poetry, 
tin-  holy  hymns  and  heavenly  songs,  which  were  used  by 
my  1at<-  wife,  —  the  very  volumes  which  her  dear  hands 
Hen  opened  in  her  religious  retirement,  I  hope 
that  I  am  drawing  nearer  to  my  God  than  ever  before. 

This  day  1  have  attended  the  sacred  ordinance  of  our 

w,  instituted  in  immediate  contemplation  of  liis  death. 

It  is  now  a  period  of  fifteen  months  since  my  dear  departed 


VISIT  TO  WASHINGTON.  95 

wife  was  present  at  this  ordinance  in  public;  but  it  was 
celebrated  in  her  sick-room  last  summer,  —  Rev.  Professor 
Goodrich  having  kindly  made  the  arrangements  and  per- 
formed the  service ;  so  that  it  is  now  more  than  half  a 
year  since  I  united  in  partaking  of  these  elements  with 
her  who  now  needs,  I  trust,  no  symbols  ;  but,  being  in  the 
Saviour's  immediate  presence,  is  a  purified,  holy,  and  happy 
spirit,  and  perhaps  permitted  even  to  revisit  these  scenes  : 
and  who  knows  that  her  spirit  may  not  now  be  conscious  of 
what  I  am  doing  ?  If  such  a  thought  should  make  me 
vigilant,  how  much  more  should  the  certainty  that  I  am 
always  in  the  presence  of  the  infinite  God ! 

Dr.  Fitch's  sermon  to-day  was  on  justification  by  faith, 
—  a  doctrine  full  of  comfort.  Lord,  I  believe,  help  thou 
mine  unbelief!  It  is  an  unspeakable  comfort  to  know  that 
our  sins  are  forgiven  for  the  sake  of  Christ,  and  that  God 
will  not  condemn  us  for  sins  for  which  we  could  never 
atone,  while  our  continued  obedience  is  as  much  required 
of  us  as  if  we  expected  to  be  saved  by  our  performance  of 
duty.  There  is  no  comfort  for  the  sinner  except  in  the 
intervention  of  the  Saviour. 

Yielding  to  the  persuasions  of  his  family,  he  left 
home  for  a  short  visit  to  Washington. 

New  York,  March  10,  1850.  —  We  are  on  our  way  to- 
wards Washington,  in  consequence  of  the  earnest  request 
of  my  son  that  I  would  meet  him  at  Washington,  where 
he  is  expecting  to  arrive  from  Louisville  with  his  family, 
about  the  middle  of  next  week.  My  daughters  were  ear- 
nest that  I  should  go,  and  all  coincide  in  the  opinion  that 
some  change  of  scenes  may  be  useful  to  me,  after  the  long 
course  of  anxiety  and  affliction  through  which  I  have  passed. 
They  have  thought  me  to  be  in  danger  of  cherishing  sor- 
row too  much.  Perhaps  I  have  done  it  more  than  was 
expedient,  and  I  am  willing  to  become  cheerful  with  sobri- 
ety, and  to  cherish  spiritual  affections,  and  hope  never  to 


96  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

hem.  We  have  attended  service  to-day  in  St.  Peter's, 
an  Kpiscopul  church,  whose  minister,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Can- 
lield.  is  an  evangelical  man,  and  an  earnest  and  instructive 
pn -aehi T.  without  any  tincture  of  Puseyism,  or  any  other 
form  of  High-Church  opinions. 

While  in  Washington,  he  paid  his  respects  to 
President  Taylor,  and  also  met  his  former  pupil,  Mr. 
Secretary  Clayton. 

We  —  that  is,  Benjamin,  Dr.  Bartlett,  and  myself — 
were  introduced  by  Mr.  Senator  Baldwin,  and  were  re- 
ceived in  a  frank  and  courteous  manner  by  the  President 
in  his  business-room.  His  manners  are  plain  and  soldier- 
like, and  he  converses  readily,  and  apparently  with  open- 
ness and  candor.  I  inquired  for  his  health,  and  whether 
the  change  from  a  tent  and  the  field  to  a  palace  had  been 
injurious.  He  said  no,  but  spoke  with  partiality  of  his 
tent  of  eight  feet  square.  I  inquired  for  his  son,  who  was 
some  time  at  Yale  College.  He  replied,  that  he  was  at 
home  taking  cure  of  affairs,  and  added:  "I  told  him  not 
to  come  to  Washington,  that  I  would  not  give  him  any 
oiliee  if  lie  did,  and  that  one  in  a  family  was  quite  enough." 
This  was  said  in  a  very  pleasant  manner.  I  alluded  to  the 
.  agitation  now  going  on  in  Congress,  when  he  replied, 
that  he  believed  they  would  be  obliged  to  come  to  the  plan 
of  the  Administration  at  last,  —  that  is,  to  permit  the  peo- 
ple "f  the  territories  to  settle  the  question  for  themselves. 
I  replied  that  I  had  been  much  pleased  with  the  sentiments 
contained  in  his  address  to  Congress,  and  thought  they 
indicated  the  true  course.  The  interview  did  not  last 
than  six  or  eight  minutes,  when  we  took  our  leave 
with  a  hearty  shake  of  the  hand.  His  manners  are  not 
"1  ;  he  has  the  appearance  of  being  a  little 
•»d  not  quite  at  his  ease.  The  best  portraits  of 
him  are  mainly  correct;  but  he  is  more  care-marked,  and 


DEATH  OF  JOHN  C.  CALHOUN.  97 

his  face  more  deeply  furrowed,  than  those  pictures  repre- 
sent. 

Mr.  Baldwin  took  me  to  the  house  of  the  Secretary  of 
State,  Mr.  Clayton,  and  I  was  received  with  the  warmest 
cordiality.  Mr.  Clayton  was,  in  Yale  College,  a  brilliant 
scholar,  and  an  elegant  and  beautiful  young  man,  and  I 
had  never  seen  him  since  that  period,  —  thirty-five  years 
ago.  His  youthful  form,  light  and  graceful,  is  now  enlarged 
to  that  of  a  very  portly  man,  and  his  hair  is  of  snowy 
whiteness.  As  he  gave  me  his  hand  with  a  friendly  grasp, 
he  said :  "  I  should  have  known  you,  but  you  would  not 
have  known  me."  I  replied,  that  I  might  have  passed  him 
in  the  street  without  recognition,  but  that  I  could  now 
recall  his  youthful  features,  his  voice,  manner,  and  ac- 
tion. He  expressed  very  great  pleasure  at  meeting  me, 
and  said  he  had  always  retained  me  in  grateful  remem- 
brance ;  that  he  had  attended  my  lectures  "  with  admiration 
and  delight "  ;  and  he  earnestly  pressed  me  to  prolong  my 

visit Mr.  Clayton   expressed   great  interest  in 

Yale  College  and  its  older  officers.  I  reminded  him  of 
the  approaching  termination  of  the  third  semi-centennial 
period  of  the  College,  and  invited  him  to  be  present,  as 
there  would  be  some  special  commemoration  ;  he  almost 
engaged  to  be  present  and  to  speak  on  the  occasion. 

Shortly  after  his  return  from  Washington,  he  had 
occasion  to  record  his  reflections  upon  the  death  of  a 
distinguished  statesman,  once  his  pupil. 

Sabbath  Morning,  April  7.  —  John  C.  Calhoun  died  at 
Washington  last  Sabbath  morning,  calm,  and  in  perfect 
possession  of  his  reason.  No  remark  is  quoted  regarding 
his  soul  and  his  prospects  for  another  life.  I  have  known 
him  from  his  youth  up.  I  first  became  acquainted  with 
him  at  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  when  he  was  a  youth  pre- 
paring for  College.  I  think  it  must  have  been  about  the 

VOL.  n.  7 


98  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

year  1801.  lie  there  lived  in  the  family  of  his  aunt,  Mrs. 
F.  Calhoun,  whose  daughter  he  afterwards  married.  He 

graduated  in  Yale  College  in  1804,  after  only  two  years 
of  actual  residence.  He  was  a  first-rate  young  man, 
both  for  scholarship  and  talent,  and  for  pure  and  gentle- 
manly conduct.  His  high  destination  was  foreseen  by 
Dr.  Dwight ;  but  his  mind  was  of  a  peculiar  structure, 
and  his  views  also  were  often  peculiar.  Three  of  his 
College  instructors  are  still  here,  —  President  Day,  Pro- 
fessor Kingsley,  and  myself;  and  both  towards  us  and 
the  College  he  always  manifested  feelings  of  warm  at- 
tachment, and  we  in  turn  esteemed  him  and  loved  him. 
1 1  is  public  career  has  been  highly  distinguished.  It  is, 
however,  very  much  to  be  regretted  that  he,  many  years 
ago,  narrowed  down  his  great  mind  to  sectional  views,  and 
that  he  became  morbidly  sensitive  and  jealous  of  encroach- 
ment as  regards  the  South,  and  especially  in  reference  to 
the  protective  tariff  and  to  slavery.  The  former  prompted 
his  efforts  for  nullification,  and  the  latter  excited  him  to 
a  vindication  of  slavery  in  the  abstract.  He  in  a  great 
measure  changed  the  state  of  opinion  and  the  manner  of 
Speaking  and  writing  upon  this  subject  in  the  South,  until 
we  have  come  to  present  to  the  world  the  mortifying  and 
disgraceful  spectacle  of  a  great  republic  —  and  the  only 
real  republic  in  the  world  —  standing  forth  in  vindication 
of  slavery,  without  prospect  of,  or  wish  for,  its  extinction. 
If  the  views  of  Mr.  Calhoun,  and  of  those  who  think  with 
him.  an;  to  prevail,  slavery  is  to  be  sustained  on  this  great 
continent  forever.  I  will  not  occupy  time  of  a  Sabbath 

nor  my  pages,  with  any  extended  remarks  upon  this 
subject,  which  is  now  agitating  the  national  councils,  and 

decree  the  nation  itself.  These  private  pages  are  not 
intended  for  politics,  and  I  will  not  devote  them  even  to 
this  Mi-eat  moral  subject.  It  is  in  better  hands  than  man's ; 
and  1  trust  that  ultimately  the  colored  men  of  all  races  on 
this  continent  will  be  received  into  the  great  human  family 


WITHDRAWAL  OF  HIS  RESIGNATION.  99 

as  rational  beings,  and  as  heirs  of  immortality.  While  I 
mourn  for  Mr.  Calhoun  as  a  friend,  I  regard  the  political 
course  of  his  later  years  as  disastrous  to  his  country  and 
not  honorable  to  his  memory,  although  I  believe  he  had 
persuaded  himself  that  it  was  right,  and  that  he  acted 
from  patriotic  motives. 

In  compliance  with  the  request  of  the  College  au- 
thorities, Professor  Silliman  consented  to  withdraw, 
for  the  present,  his  resignation,  which  has  been  already 
mentioned. 

During  the  week  before  the  last,  President  Woolsey 
called  and  informed  me  that  a  meeting  of  the  Professors 
and  himself  had  been  held,  during  my  absence  at  Washing- 
ton, on  the  subject  of  my  proffered  resignation  of  my  office 
as  Professor  in  Yale  College,  and  that  they  had  unani- 
mously voted  to  request  me  to  reconsider  that  determina- 
tion. This  was  followed  last  Tuesday,  April  9,  by  a  vote 
of  the  Prudential  Committee  to  the  same  effect. 

I  annex  my  reply  to  President  Woolsey's  note :  — 

Rev.  President  Woolsey, — 

DEAR  SIR,  —  In  compliance  with  the  wish  "unani- 
mously "  expressed  by  the  Prudential  Committee,  and  com- 
municated in  your  note  of  this  day,  I  think  it  my  duty  to 
"  reconsider  my  determination  to  withdraw  from  my  profes- 
sorship." Important  changes  have  taken  place  in  the 
course  of  the  year,  and  I  now  feel,  that  should  it  be  the 
desire  of  the  Corporation,  I  ought  to  follow  the  example  of 
President  Day,  and  remain  in  my  office  for  a  season,  until 
Providence  shall  point  out  more  distinctly  the  course  of 
duty  both  to  the  College  and  myself.  I  remain,  very  re- 
spectfully, yours, 

B.  SILLIMAN. 

YALE  COLLEGE,  April  10,  1850. 


100  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

The  recurrence  of  his  birthday  filled  his  mind,  as 
u-u;il,  with  devout  thoughts. 

>st  8,  1850,  my  Birthday.  —  It  was  a  solemn  thing  in 
nter  on  my  seventieth  year,  and,  in  1849,  to  finish 
it ;  it  is  still  more  solemn  to  have  lived  through  my  seventy- 
It  is  still  a  subject  of  lively  gratitude  that  my  health 
remains  perfect ;  my  eye  is  not  dim,  nor  my  natural  force 

abated I  pray  God,  that  as  my  years  increase,  I 

may  increase  in  divine  knowledge  and  in  goodness,  and  be 

better  prepared  for  my  last  and  great  change Last 

evening,  after  writing  the  preceding  page,  I  turned  to  the 
seventy-first  Psalm,  and  perused  it  with  much  interest.  It 
y  applicable  to  me  in  my  advancing  years :  "  Thou 
art  my  hope,  O  Lord  ;  Thou  art  my  trust  from  my  youth." 
-  1  am  as  a  wonder  unto  many"  (because  my  strength  has 
not  failed,  blessed  be  God!)  but  I  pray  that  Thou  "wilt 
not  cast  me  off  in  the  time  of  old  age."  "  0  God,  be  not 
irom  me";  "I  will  go  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord 
( tod."  ••  O  God,  Thou  hast  taught  me  from  my  youth,  and 
hitherto  have  I  declared  Thy  wondrous  works."  "Now  also 
when  I  am  old  and  gray-headed,  O  God,  forsake  me  not, 
until  I  have  showed  Thy  strength  to  this  generation."  "  I 
will  praise  Thee,  even  Thy  truth,  O  my  God."  "  My  lips 
shall  greatly  rejoice  when  I  sing  unto  thee."  "  My  tongue 
also  shall  talk  of  Thy  righteousness  all  the  day  long/' 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

VISIT  TO  EUROPE:  SECOND  MARRIAGE:  RETIREMENT  FROM 
t  OFFICE. 

His  Second  Visit  to  Europe.  —  His  Reception  and  hi$  Travels.  —  Letters 
from  Humboldt  and  Carl  Ritter. — Letter  from  President  Day.  —  Hia 
Second  Marriage.  —  Letters  to  Dr.  John  Griscom.  —  Death  of  Professor 
Stuart.  —  Death  of  Professor  Kingsley.  —  His  Renewal  of  his  Resigna- 
tion. —  Interview  with  Daniel  Webster.  —  Death  of  Dr.  Mantell.  —  Pro- 
ceedings connected  with  his  Retirement  from  Office.  —  His  Reflections 
on  this  Event. 

AN  event  of  signal  interest,  in  this  period  of  Pro- 
fessor Silliman's  life,  was  a  second  visit  to  Europe, 
which  he  accomplished  in  1851.  His  companions  in 
travel  were  his  son,  Professor  Silliman,  Jr.,  with  his 
wife  and  her  sister,  a  young  uncle  of  these  ladies, 
a  grandson  of  the  elder  Professor,  —  Mr.  Walter  S. 
Church,  and  Professor  George  J.  Brush.  Landing 
at  Liverpool,  the  same  port  where  he  had  disem- 
barked nearly  half  a  century  before,  he  had  the  pleas- 
ure of  greeting  once  more  Mr.  John  Taylor,  whose 
acquaintance  he  had  formed  in  the  earlier  tour,  and 
with  whom  he  had  been  for  some  time  in  friendly 
correspondence.  Arriving  in  London,  he  was  warmly 
welcomed  by  Dr.  Mantell.  They  had  never  before 
met,  although  an  intimate  friendship  had  grown  up 
between  them  through  a  correspondence  which  had 
been  continued  for  many  years.  At  a  meeting  of 
the  Geological  Society,  he  received  marks  of  cordial 


102  LIFE   OF    BENJAMIN    SILLIMAN. 

n'ct  from  Lyell,  Murchison,  and  other  distin- 
hed  men  of  science,  and  was  formally  introduced 
to  the  body,  which  he  briefly  addressed.  In  Paris, 
like  attentions  were  paid  him  by  Adolphe  Brongniart, 
Milne  Edwards,  Elie  de  Beaumont,  and  other  per- 
sons of  distinction.  He  was  escorted  to  a  meeting 
of  the  French  Academy  by  Cordier,  the  sole  survivor 
of  the  corps  of  savans  who  attended  Napoleon  to 
Egypt.  Journeying  southward,  he  passed  through 
Lyons  and  Marseilles  to  Geneva,  and  thence  into 
Italy,  descending  to  Rome  and  Naples,  and  making 
a  brief  visit  to  Sicily.  At  Naples,  he  was  courteously 
received  by  Professor  Melloni.  He  explored  the  ruins 
of  Herculaneum,  and  evinced  his  bodily  vigor  by 
climbing  the  sides  of  Vesuvius  and  exploring  Etna, 
and  by  the  ascent  of  Mount  Bolca,  in  an  excursion 
from  Venice.  After  seeing  the  principal  cities  in  the 
North  of  Italy,  he  returned  to  Geneva.  Here,  as 
where,  civilities  were  shown  him  by  scientific 
turn  of  the  highest  position,  by  Pictet  and  Favre, 
by  Mari^niac,  and  by  De  la  Rive  who  recollected 
and  mentioned  Professor  Silliman's  early  experiments 
ilvanism.  Mount  Blanc  and  the  glaciers,  he  vis- 
it- «1  with  the  double  interest  that  belongs  to  a  lover 
of  nature  and  a  student  of  science.  In  Switzerland, 
In-  met  persons  of  his  own  name,  descendants,  it  is 
probable,  of  common  progenitors.  In  Germany,  his 
name  was  well  known  to  persons  eminent  in  science, 
viih  whom  he  was  now  brought  into  pleasant  inter- 
com  eh  as  Liebig  in  Giessen,  Broun  and 

•"hard  in  Heidelberg;  and  in  Berlin,  those  illustri- 
"I'-n,  —  the  brothers  Rose,  Mitscherlich,  Ehren- 
berg,  RiMer,  and  Humboldt.     Returning  to  England, 


LETTER  FROM  HUMBOLDT.  103 

he  spent  a  short  time  in  London  and  its  neighbor- 
hood, and  after  a  prosperous  voyage,  arrived  in  New 
York  on  the  14th  of  September. 

It  was  a  disappointment  to  him  that  he  was  cut 
off,  by  want  of  time,  from  revisiting  Edinburgh,  his 
old  home.  But  he  saw  those  parts  of  Europe  which 
he  had  been  prevented  from  visiting  in  the  earlier 
tour.  He  had  sustained  the  fatigues  and  exposures 
of  the  journey  with  remarkable  vigor,  had  met  face 
to  face  men  whom  he  honored,  and  who  were  glad 
to  honor  him,  and  had  derived  recreation  from  the 
temporary  withdrawal  from  his  ordinary  labors.  A 
Journal  of  his  travels,  entitled  "  A  Visit  to  Europe 
in  1851,"  was  prepared  by  him,  and  has  passed 
through  several  editions. 

It  had  given  Professor  Silliman  peculiar  pleas- 
ure to  take  by  the  hand  those  veterans  in  science, 
—  Humboldt  and  Ritter.  From  both  of  these  great 
men,  whilst  he  was  abroad  and  after  his  return, 
he  received  marks  of  esteem  and  respect.  Hitter 
was  of  the  same  age  as  himself.  He  died  before 
receiving  an  answer  to  the  last  of  the  letters  which 
follow :  — 

FROM  ALEXANDER  VON  HUMBOLDT. 

I  AM  greatly  moved  by  the  kindly  words  of  Professor 
Silliman  (and  his  son,  worthy  of  him).  I  have  already 
expressed  to  our  common  friend,  Mr.  Dove,  how  much  I 
desired  to  have  the  acquaintance  of  one  whose  labors  have 
exerted,  during  so  many  years,  a  beneficent  influence  upon 
the  progress  of  the  physical  sciences  in  your  noble  and  free 
country.  Compelled  to-day  to  return  to  the  country  in 
which  are  the  tombs  where  I  shall  soon  be  placed,  I  reserve 


1Q4  I-II'E   OF   BENJAMIN   SILLIMAN. 

reading  of  the  interesting  analyses  of  "the  waters  of 
•morency  and  St.  Charles  Rivers,"  and  the  two  papers 
1 1.  1  )ana  upon  the  growth  and  the  trends  of  the  islands 
of  the  South  Sea,  as  well  as  upon  the  effects  of  the  contrac- 
tion (wrinkling)  of  the  crust  of  the  earth,  which  have  been 
before  treated  of  by  Babbage  and  Elie  de  Beaumont.  If  I 
have  moral  reasons  to  fear  the  immeasurable  advancement 
of  your  Confederation,  the  temptations  to  an  abuse  of 
power  dangerous  to  the  preservation  of  the  individuality  of 
the.  other  peoples  of  America,  I  should  not  the  less  recog- 
ni/e  the  great  advantages  which  physics  and  the  positive 
IC68,  UK-  world  over,  must  draw  from  this  very  advance- 
ment, from  that  intelligence  which  penetrates  everywhere 
with  those  civilizing  conquests,  which  facilitate  movement, 
and  superimpose,  not  without  violence,  new  layers  of  pop- 
ulation upon  thfc  native  races  which  rapidly  become  extinct.* 
However  imposing  the  spectacle  maybe  which  is  taking 
place  under  our  eyes,  and  which  is  preparing  another  far 
more  curious  for  the  history  of  the  intellectual  development 
of  our  species.  I  foresee  the  remote  epoch  when  the  high 
<•  <>f  civilization  and  of  institutions,  free,  stable,  and 
<l>ii't  (three  elements  which  do  not  readily  coalesce),  will 
penetrate  into  the  tropical  regions;  when,  upon  the  high 
plateaux,  Mexico,  liognta,  Quito,  La  Pax,  Potosi,  will  re- 
semble New  York,  lioston,  Philadelphia. 

;>t.   1   beg  you,  Sir,  —  yourself  and  your  excellent 
-  the  renewed  expression  of  my  higli  and  affectionate 
[deration. 

ALKX  A\I>  i.K  1 1 1  •  M  r,<  >  L  DT. 

IM.M. 

I.  if  von  have  the  opportunity,  to  present  my 
i"   Mr.  Agassi/,,  as  eminent  for  his  vast  and 

liis  sentence,   IIuinl.ol.lt   writes:   "  The  pos- 

Mt     State    independent     of    sir  Cotton, 

*"<*  '  ;  lati.ni  which  accompanies  the  .•ullivatiun  of  these  pro- 


* 
LETTERS   FROM  CARL  RITTER.  105 

solid  acquisitions  of  knowledge,  as  for  the  great  amenity  of 
his  character. 

FROM    CARL    RITTER.* 

RESPECTED  SIR,  —  In  the  name  of  the  Geographical 
Society  of  Berlin,  I  have  the  pleasure  of  sending  to  you 
their  diploma,  —  the  Society  having  honored  itself  by  elect 
ing  you  an  extraneous  honorary  member,  —  in  the  hope  that 
you  will  accept  it  as  a  sign  of  respect  and  thanks  for  the 
great  scientific  contributions,  including  those  to  the  special 
geographical  department  of  this  Society,  with  which  you 
have  enriched,  for  so  long  a  period  of  labors  and  exertions, 
the  old  continent  from  the  new. 

With  the  greatest  respect,  and  the  best  wishes  for  your 
welfare, 

Your  most  devoted  servant, 

CARL  HITTER,  President  of 
the  Geographical  Society  at  Berlin. 

BERLIN,  August  4, 1851. 

FROM    CARL    RITTER. 

RESPECTED  SIR,  —  The  personal  intercourse  you  favored 
me  with,  on  your  visit  to  Berlin  in  1851,  and  the  spirited 
notes  and  characteristics  you  gave  (in  the  "  Visit  to  Eu- 
rope," Vol.  ii.  318-322)  respecting  the  now  deceased, 
greatest,  and  at  the  same  time  humblest  and  loveliest, 
of  our  philosophers,  the  immortal  Alexander  Jfumboldt, 
encourages  me  to  send  you  a  Programme  having  reference 
to  the  perpetuation  of  his  memory  by  continuing  to  work, 
in  his  spirit  of  liberty  and  of  love  for  mankind,  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  science  and  humanity,  and  for  the  welfare  of 
all  civilized  nations. 

All  who  will  freely  favor  the  foundation  of  the  Humboldt 
Stiftung,  will  partake  in  the  results  of  an  institution  that 

*  The  preceding  letter  of  Humbolt  is  translated  from  the  French.  The 
letters  of  Ritter  were  written  in  English.  —  F. 


I 
106  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

will  be  founded  after  the  principles  declared  in  the  Pro- 
i  h  joined,  by  the  best  representatives  of  our  acad- 
1   forypbivi  of  science.     Would  that  other  com- 
mittees would  associate  themselves  to  contribute  to   the 

ion  of  this  scientific  organon  ! 

Hoping  that  you,  respected  sir,  will  accept  with  kind- 
;he  invitation,  and  promulgate  the  character  of  it  to 
your  countrymen,  who  loved  and  admired  their  glorious 
"  half-American  confrere,"  as  he  called  himself  on  sev- 
eral invasions,  and  pardon  the  boldness  and  confidence 
with  which  I  address  you,  I  have  the  honor  to  subscribe 
myself 

Your  most  respectful  and  devoted 

CARL  RITTER, 

Dr.  and  Prof. 

IN,  August  8,  1859. 

Among  the  letters  which  he  received  in  Europe, 
was  one  from  his  oldest  colleague  in  office. 

FROM   PRESIDENT   DAY. 

NEW  HAVEN,  July  26,  1851. 

MY  vi  KY  DEAR  FRIEND,  —  I  have  this  day  received  your 

inter. -tin-    letter   of  the   1st  from  Milan.     Thanks  to  a 

beneficent  Providence  which  has  thus  far  preserved  your 

life  and  health  in  the  multiplied  exposures  incident  to  your 

1  wanderings  on  the  land  and  on  the  water.     I  rejoice 

that  y« .11  arc  able  to  sustain  the  labors  and  exhausting  ex- 

'•nt  of  a  tour  so  diversified  and  so  deeply  interesting. 

=i  -.nit rast  to  the  monotonous  tenor  of  my  life  at 

Wffice   being  about  the  limit  of  my  daily 

'"".si     Yet  I  ought  to  be  grateful  that  I  am  in 

•  11  adapted  to  my  infirm  state  of  health. 

nley,   whose    travels  have   been   further  ex- 

4.vpt  and  across  the  desert  to  Pales- 

;' •turned  with  no  great  improvement  of  his  health. 


LETTER  FROM  PRESIDENT  DAY.  107 

He  is,  perhaps,  some  better  than  when  he  left  us,  nearly  a 
year  since.  Though  changes  in  this  land  of  progress  and 
intense  activity,  are  more  rapid  than  on  the  other  side  of 
the  water,  yet  such  is  now  the  facility  of  communication 
with  Europe,  that  I  can  probably  give  you  very  little  infor- 
mation which  has  not  already  reached  you.  The  principal 
subject  of  public  agitation,  for  many  months  past,  is  the 
law  of  Congress  for  the  restoration  of  fugitive  slaves.  Pol- 
iticians of  opposite  parties  are  endeavoring  to  make  capital 
from  it,  for  the  next  Presidential  election.  This  dark 
feature  of  slavery  is  to  be  the  plague  spot  of  our  beloved 
country,  for  a  long  time  to  come. 

Monday  morning,  July  28th.  —  Being  interrupted  by  com- 
pany on  Saturday,  my  letter  was  left  unfinished.  How 
rapidly  the  years  roll  away.  We  have  already  come  round 
to  another  Commencement  week.  The  first  exercise  of  the 
occasion  was  an  admirable  valedictory  discourse  by  Dr. 
Fitch,  yesterday  afternoon.  This  evening  Dr.  Bushnell  is 
to  deliver  an  address  on  music,  on  the  introduction  of  an 
organ  into  the  College  Chapel.  While  the  new  class  are 
under  examination  for  admission,  we  are  favored  with  an 
eclipse  of  the  sun.  Thanks  to  the  progress  of  science  that 
we  can  witness  the  phenomenon  with  so  much  composure, 
while  it  spreads  terror  and  dismay  among  ignorant  and 
barbarous  nations. 

The  College  is  moving  steadily  on  in  its  career  of  pros- 
perity. The  most  exciting  event  among  those  connected 
with  it  is  the  alarming  illness  and  marvellous  recovery  of 
Mr.  Herrick.  At  the  meeting  of  the  Prudential  Com- 
mittee in  April,  he  was  reduced  so  low  that  no  hope  was 
entertained  of  his  restoration.  It  was  believed,  and  perhaps 
truly,  that  the  process  of  mortification  had  already  com- 
menced. At  the  next  meeting  of  the  committee,  he  was 
doing  business  with  them,  in  good  health,  except  a  lame- 
ness in  one  of  his  feet.  Mr.  Warner  remains  much  as  he 

was,  perhaps  a  little  better May  He  who  is 

the  sure  protector  of  all  who  put  their  trust  in  Him,  keep 


108  LIKE  OF   BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

you,  and  return  you  in  safety  to  your  friends 

and  beloved  home. 

Yours,  as  ever, 

J.  DAY. 

ily   after   Professor    Silliman's    return    from 

.  >pe,  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Sarah  Isabella 
\\ .!»!).  of  Woodstock,  Connecticut,  daughter  of  John 

'lellan,  Esq.,  and  a  relative  of  his  first  wife,  Mrs. 

!>'s  grandmother  having  been  a  daughter  of  the 

(Jovernor  Trumbull.  The  lady  to  whom  he  was 
thus  united  had  been  connected,  as  well  by  long 
friendship  as  by  ties  of  blood,  with  his  family.  It  is 
suiiieient  to  say  that  her  society  and  her  assiduous 
care  were  the  principal  source  of  his  comfort  and 
happiness  in  the  closing  years  of  his  life. 

One  of  the  oldest  and  most  respected  of  Professor 
Silli  man's    friends   was    Dr.   John    Griscom,   distin- 

>ied  alike  for  his  scientific  merits,  and  for  his 
philanthropy.  He  was  Professor  Silliman's  senior 

vend  years.  For  a  long  period  he  lent  his  aid, 
in  ihe  \\ay  of  scientific  contributions,  to  the  "Journal 
of  Science.'1  He  and  the  venerable  Professor  Chester 
l)e\\ey,  \\lio  still  survives,  were  active  coadjutors  of 
Silliman,  when  in  this  country  the  science 
which  they  cultivated  in  common  was  still  in  its 
infancy.  Dr.  Griscom  was  a  member  of  the  Society 

"fiends,  He  died  just  one  month  after  the  last 
<>i"  the  following  letters  was  written  :  — 

TO    DR.   JOHN    GRISCOM.* 

NEW  JlAvr.N,  .linnianj  15,  1850. 

•NI>  '"  M:  01. ii  FKH.M),  —  Old  we  both  are  in  years,  for 
<  (1  the  solemn  boundary  of  threescore  and 

written  l...f,,n.  the  death  of  Mrs.  Silliman;   the  letter 
whlr1'  «!'«•  author's  second  marriage.  —  F. 


LETTERS  TO  DR.  JOHN  GRISCOM.  109 

ten,  but  I  use  the  word  old  in  relation  to  the  friendship 
which  has  the  maturity  of  more  than  forty  years ;  and  I  am 
gratified  by  your  very  friendly  letter  received  yesterday. 

I  think  you  are  wise  in  giving  your  mind  in  the 

evening  of  life  more  to  spiritual  than  to  physical  science, 
and  it  is  happy  that  you  have  so  good  a  friend  as  Mr. 
Carter,  to  aid  you  with  books.  As  we  draw  near  to  the 
boundary  between  the  two  worlds,  it  is  natural  and  wise  to 
occupy  our  minds  principally  with  those  subjects  that  relate 
to  our  immortal  nature.  I  have  taken  a  step  towards  a 
release  from  a  part  of  my  physical  labors.  I  have  resigned 
the  chemical  chair,  and  indeed  my  entire  professorship,  but 
the  Corporation  desire  that  I  should  remain  in  connection 
with  the  College  in  the  department  of  mineralogy  and  geol- 
ogy, and  I  have  that  matter  now  under  consideration,  and 
probably  may  go  on  for  some  years  more  (if  more  years 
are  granted  to  me)  an  that  department A  suc- 
cessor to  myself  is  not  yet  appointed,  but  it  must  be  done  ere 
long.  I  am  reminded  that  my  work  in  this  world  is  almost 
finished ;  my  contemporaries  are  chiefly  gone,  —  my  dear 
friend  Chauncey  was  one  of  the  last  called  away,  and  yester- 
day I  followed  to  the  grave  the  remains  of  my  friend  Mrs. 
Day,  wife  of  our  late  and  still  surviving  President  Day. 
But  the  case  is  coming  still  nearer  to  me.  My  own  dear 
wife,  the  cherished  companion  of  more  than  forty  years,  is 
now  in  the  last  stages  of  consumption,  and  her  death  may 
be  expected  at  any  time ;  but  I  bless  God  that  her  mind  is 
at  peace  ;  her  faith  and  hope,  founded  on  the  Rock  of  Ages, 
are  firm  and  cheering,  and  she  looks  with  confidence  to  the 
blessed  Redeemer  for  her  safety.  We  who  have  been 
watching  her  decline  for  more  than  a  year  are,  therefore, 
cheerful  in  the  midst  of  sorrow. 

Your  son  sent  me  the  pattern  volume  of  your  copy  of  the 
"  American  Journal,"  and  the  work  is  now  in  progress  in 
the  hands  of  the  binder,  and  I  trust  will  be  forwarded  to  your 
son  in  a  few  days.  I  had  pleasure  in  making  up  your  set 


110  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN"   SILLIMAN. 

of  the  old  series,  and  in  adding  the  new,  which,  if  it  wou'd 
any  interest  to  you,  I  will  continue  to  send  to  yourself 
.;irlinv,ton.  My  son-in-law,  James  D.  Dana,*  is  now 
principal  acting  editor,  and  I  think  you  will  find  the  work 
more  thoroughly  digested  than  in  earlier  times  ;  but  nothing 
in  the  miscellaneous  department  can  ever  rival  those  rich 
contributions  which  you  made  with  so  much  punctuality 
and  judicious  selection,  and  which  I  relinquished  with  great 
regret  on  account  of  poverty  of  means,  and  the  rude  assault 
made  by  a  man,  whom,  had  I  then  known  him  thoroughly, 
I  need  not  have  so  much  regarded.  I  wish  you  could  read 
the  historical  sketch  prefixed  to  the  Index  volume.  That 
volume  was  compiled  by  Mr.  Dana,  —  a  vast  labor.  I  shall 
hope  to  hear  from  you  when  your  volumes  of  the  Journal 
reach  you,  and  you  will  then  inform  me  whether  I  shall 
continue  to  send  the  new  series. 

I  remember  with  pleasure  my  short  call  at  your  house, 

in  Au-usL  is  18,  and  should  be  glad  were  it  in  my  power  to 

\   it,  and  to  become  still  better  acquainted  with  the 

able  lady  who  cheers  your  evening  of  life.    I  have, 

at  snatches  of  time  early  and  late,  read  through,  this  season, 

the  life  of  William  Allen,  and  also  that  of  Elizabeth  Fry. 

Such  exhibitions  of  Christian  benevolence  are  enough  to 

shame  all   common,  every-day  Christians.     But  all  cannot 

he   ApoMles,  and  we  must  do  what  good  we  can  in  our 

humble  spheres  of  life. 

I  believe  I  mentioned  these  distinguished  Christian  friends 

in  a   former   letter.     Mrs.   Fry  I  never  saw,  but  William 

Allen    I    knew    personally ;   he    changed,    however,  in  his 

ft.     &a  I  knew  him,  he  was  a  tall,  slender  and  active 

man.  and  I  should  never  have  dreamed  that  he  could  have 

'<•(!    into  the  voluminous  personage   repre- 

••1  in  the  frontispiece  to  his  life.     His  intellectual  and 

1  sunshine  ,]„,  however,  illumine  the  face  of  the  old 

man.  and  no  doubt  they  now  shine  in  heaven.     With  my 

•  Professor  Silliman,  Jr.,  was  at  this  time  in  Louisville,  Ky. 


LETTERS  TO  DR.  JOHN  GRISCOM.  Ill 

best  regards  to  your  amiable  and  worthy  partner  and  daugh- 
ter, I  remain,  as  ever, 

Your  faithful  and  affectionate  friend, 

B.  SILLIMAN. 

I  have  written  this  hasty  letter  by  the  light  of  the  lamp 
of  my  dear  wife's  sick-room,  between  five  and  six  o'clock 
in  the  morning. 

TO   DR.   JOHN   GRISCOM. 

NEW  HAVEN,  December  14, 1851. 

MY  DEAR  FRIEND,  —  Your  very  friendly  letter  of  the  3d 
and  26th  ult,  was  most  gratefully  received,  and  I  avail 
myself  of  the  quiet  of  a  Sabbath  evening  to  reply.  I  had 
thought  frequently  of  you,  and  have  been  solicitous  to  know 
how  it  has  fared  with  you  since  my  brief  call  upon  you,  I 
think  two  years  ago  last  July,  —  as  I  have  had  no  informa- 
tion of  a  later  date.  I  thank  you  and  your  kind  amanuensis 
(a  good  wife  or  daughter)  for  the  facts  regarding  your  con- 
dition. I  grieve  to  learn  that  your  eyes  are  failing  you  ;  it 
is  however,  a  great  alleviation  that  you  can  'still  walk  the 
streets  without  a  guide,  and  that  you  can  recognize  your 
friends.  It  is  also  a  great  favor  that  you  have  such  assidui- 
ties of  friendly  attention,  and  that  your  females  can  supply 
eyes,  and  that  your  hearing  permits  you  to  receive  gratifica- 
tion through  that  inlet.  You  do  not  advert  to  an  irregu- 
larity of  the  heart  which  you  mentioned  when  I  saw  you 
last,  and  I  trust  that  it  does  not  disturb  your  quiet.  Amidst 
bodily  decay  I  trust  you  have  the  hopes  of  a  Christian 
depending  upon  the  great  salvation,  without  which  our  con- 
dition in  old  age  and  in  death  is  indeed  forlorn.  Our  dif- 
ferent modes  of  worshipping  God  in  this  world  are  of  little 
moment,  if  our  hearts  are  right  with  Him,  and  there  is  no 
safety  in  any  reliance  except  upon  our  divine  Saviour.  As 
we  go  on  in  life  He  becomes  more  and  more  precious  to  us  ; 
He  has  paid  our  debt,  and  sustained  the  penalty  of  the  law 
for  us,  and  salvation  through  Him  is  a  gift  as  free  as  it  is 
all-sufficient  and  indispensable. 


112  I'H'E  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

You  kindly  inquire  for  my  welfare  ;  you  may  perhaps  be 
surprised  to  know  that  my  house  has  again  a  female  head. 
uiation  was  peculiarly  trying  ;  not  an  individual  of  my 
familv  remained  under  my  roof;  I  was  absolutely  alone,  and 
must  either  break  up  or  go  on  with  hirelings.  I  might  have 
been  compelled  to  one  or  the  other  course,  had  not  a  kind 
Providence  directed  me  to  a  very  dear  friend  of  my  late 
wile,  a  relative  also,  both  being  lineal  descendants  from  the 
good  Governor  Trumbull,  the  friend  of  Washington  ;  and 
she  was  already  in  habits  of  affectionate  intercourse  with  all 
my  children,  and  her  age  and  character  in  all  respects  were 
lilting  and  proper.  The  marriage  took  place  at  Woodstock, 
Coimeeticnt,  her  native  place,  September  17,  1851,  the 
anni\ersary  of  my  marriage  at  Lebanon,  forty-two  years 
ago  with  my  late  beloved  and  revered  wife.  My  present 
wife  was  .Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Webb,  the  daughter  of  John  Mc- 
t'lellan.  Ksq.,  one  of  our  most  respectable  old  men  now 
'ng  on  eighty-four.  My  house  is  now  reestablished 
in  all  its  former  comfort,  and  the  present  Mrs.  Silliman's 
habits  and  principles  of  action  are  so  in  unison  with  those 
of  her  predecessor  that  there  is  no  change  in  our  domestic 
condition. 

My  tour  in  Europe  was  undertaken  for  the  gratification 
and  advantage  of  my  son.  Our  party  was  seven,  and  our 

courier  on  the  Continent  added  another In  our 

entire  tour  all  were  well,  and  we  met  with  no  accident  or 

molestation  whatever.     My  son  and  Mr.  Brush  managed 

all  business  concerns,  and  left  me  all  my  time,  and  I  wrote 

1  uitly.  and   finished   five  quarto  volumes,  containing 

fourteen  hundred  pages  and  more,  with  numerous  illnstra- 

"f  prints  inserted  in  the  books.     I  wrote  now  for  my 

child.cn,  as  I  formerly  did  for  my  brother.     You  will  infer 

">>•  physical  power  is  not  impaired If  I  have 

written  too  much  about  myself,  I  believe  I  must  charge  it 
«r  kind  solicitude  to  know  something  of  my  history  for 
later  p.  ri...ls. 


LETTERS  TO  DR.  JOHN  GRISCOM.  113 

I  cherish  the  memory  of  our  early  and  constant  friend- 
ship, and  should  be  very  happy,  if  possible,  to  make  an 
excursion  from  Philadelphia  to  see  you  for  a  few  hours.  I 
expect  to  be  in  that  city  in  the  last  week  of  January,  prob- 
ably about  the  28th  or  29th.  And  now,  my  dear  friend, 
once  more  farewell ;  we  cannot  meet  many  times  more  in 
this  world,  and  I  pray  God  that  we  may  be  among  the 
accepted  at  the  great  day,  and  then  meet  to  part  no  more. 
With  kind  salutations  to  your  wife  and  daughter,  I  remain, 
as  ever,  your  affectionate  friend, 

B.  SILLIMAN. 

I  shall  be  happy  to  hear  from  you  again. 

TO    DR.   JOHN    GRISCOM. 

NEW  HAVEN,  January  26,  1852. 

MY  DEAR  FRIEND,  —  I  thank  you  very  cordially  for  your 
good,  affectionate  letter,  so  full  of  heart  as  well  as  head,  and 
so  elegantly  and  beautifully  expressed,  withal,  as  to  prove  a 
mind  in  full  vigor,  and  social  and  moral  faculties  in  lively 
action,  with  no  mark  of  old  age  but  its  wisdom.  I  am  ex- 
ceedingly gratified  that  my  letter  was  acceptable.  Being 
so  condensed  a  sketch  of  many  events  and  places,  I  feared 
it  would  stand  before  you  as  a  dry  skeleton,  but  your  kind- 
ness has  clothed  it  with  muscles  and  integuments.  We 
were  indeed  highly  favored  in  our  long  and  arduous  journey- 
ings  ;  and  we  went  in  a  fortunate  season,  for  Europe,  if  not 
approaching  a  great  convulsion,  is  more,  even  than  when  we 
saw  it,  bowed  down  beneath  an  insupportable  military  des- 
potism, rendered  far  more  formidable  by  the  late  usurpation ; 
and  who  knows  whether  Americans  will  now  be  safe,  espe- 
cially after  the  despots  are  informed  of  the  manner  in  which 
Kossuth  has  been  received  in  this  country,  not  only  by  the 
people,  but  by  the  government.  We  were  for  two  or  three 
months  under  Austrian,  Neapolitan,  and  French  military 
despotism  in  Italy,  and  were  made  acquainted  with  frequent 
arrests  and  imprisonments  for  the  most  trivial  causes  or  no 


114  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

cause  at  all.  I  should  not  care  to  be  now  a  traveller  on 
tin-  Continent.  The  case  of  those  three  young  English 
noblemen  at  Leghorn  occurred  while  we  were  there,  in 
Julv,  and  it  was  feared  by  Americans  that  it  would  go  hard 
with  tlu-tn.  I  have  been  hoping  that  we  might  visit  you  in 
the  progress  of  our  approaching  journey,  but  I  think  it  will 

be  impracticable,  as  we  do  not  set  out  until  Tuesday, 
and  shall  stop  in  the  cities,  and  I  must  be  in  Washington 
on  Friday.  I  will  not,  however,  relinquish  the  hope  that 
we  may  meet  once  more  in  this  world  ;  and  if  not  before,  I 
will  flatter  myself  that  I  may  make  an  excursion  in  the 
summer,  if  life  and  health  are  spared,  and  find  you  at  Bur- 
lington where  I  used  to  find  my  dear  friend,  Charles 
Chauncey.  Alas  !  most  of  my  early  friends  are  now  in  the 
other  world.  I  am  now  seventy-two  years  and  five  months 
old,  and  if  I  remember  correctly,  you  are  a  few  years  in 
advance-  of  me,  and  we  have  no  right  to  make  engagements 
for  distant  periods  of  time.  As  to  the  destitution  of  per- 
sonal piety  among  mankind,  I  believe  you  have  pointed  out 
the  true  i  au.es.  God  can  emancipate  man  from  his  de- 
pravity, and  plant  and  invigorate  faith  in  his  mind,  and 
human  means  seem  ineffectual  and  accomplish  little ; 
but  al though  we  are  weak  and  our  minds  dark,  we  are  not 
excused  from  exertion,  and  all  may  diffuse  an  influence 
around  them  for  good;  and  teachers  of  science,  who  are 
indeed  expounders  of  the  svill  of  God,  as  it  is  recorded  in 
J1U  \\oiks,  should  always  live  and  breathe  in  a  moral  and 

••us  atmosphere,  and  draw  their  pupils  within  it  that 

!>•'  inhale  its  precious  influence.    I  think  also,  with 

that  those  who  find  the  God  of  nature  in  His  works 

id  also  lind  the  God  of  revelation  in  His  word,  and  not 

ii  a  matter  of  doubt,  whether  they  look  to  the  Saviour 

•  '•ir  salvation.      It  seems  almost  as  if  nothing  short  of 

a  miraculous  interposition  of  God  Himself  could  effectually 

uikind  from  their  lethargy,  or  emancipate  them 

.  the  bondage  of  sin.     This  state  of  things  does  not 


DEATH  OF  REV.  PROFESSOR  STUART.      115 

excuse  us  from  our  personal  responsibility,  living  as  we  do 

under  the  meridian  light  of  the  Gospel  dispensation 

President  Day,  now  in  his  seventy-ninth  year,  is  still,  by 
the  favor  of  God,  with  us,  although  for  ten  or  twelve  years 
more  or  less  threatened  by  irregularities  of  the  heart,  which 
at  times  comes  to  a  pause  and  then  flutters  and  then  stops 
again,  and  'threatens  to  take  on  its  final  rest ;  but  he  is 
ready,  and  I  believe,  willing  to  go ;  and  what  an  exhilarating 
bound  it  must  be,  to  spring  out  of  this  mortal  coil,  enfeebled 
and  deranged  in  functions,  into  the  glorious  liberty  of  the 
sons  of  God  !....!  remain,  my  dear  friend,  with  every 
good  wish, 

Truly  and  affectionately,  yours, 

B.  SILLIMAN. 

The  winter  of  1851-2  was  marked  by  the  death 
of  an  eminent  man  whom  Professor  Sillirnan  had 
known  well  in  earlier  days.  This  event  he  thus 
notices  in  the  Diary  :  — 

Death  of  Rev.  Professor  Stuart,  D.  D.,  of  Andover,  Mass. — 
This  eminent  and  good  man  died  on  January  4th,  at  his 
home,  being  in  his  seventy-second  year.  I  was  born  in 
August  1779,  he  in  the  following  March  1780,  and  he 
was,  therefore,  seven  months  my  junior.  His  praise  is  in 
all  the  churches.  Long  an  eminent  professor  in  the  first 
theological  school  in  our  country,  and  the  author  of  many 
works  in  illustration  of  the  Scriptures,  he  has  made  a  per- 
manent impression  upon  the  age  in  which  he  lived.  My  per- 
sonal relations  with  him  were  very  friendly ;  we  were  early 
associated  in  the  Faculty  of  Yale  College.  After  his  estab* 
lishment  at  Andover,  he  addressed  a  letter  to  me  upon  the 
relation  of  geology  to  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis  ;  this  was, 
I  believe,  in  1824.  I  replied  at  considerable  length,  and 
he  rejoined  in  a  long  letter  containing  his  difficulties.  This 
correspondence  gave  origin  to  my  appendix  to  Bakewell's 


116  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

« Geology."     In  this  appendix   the   difficulties   were   dis- 

1.  and.  a>  I  thought,  in  a  good  degree  obviated  ;  but 

Stuart  was  not  satisfied,  and  published  a  paper 

which  lie  thought  unanswerable,  but  it  was  very  completely 

cred*  by  Professor  Kingsley.     J  know   not  whether 

Mr.  Stuart  changed  his  opinion  ;  I  suppose  he  did  not. 

Li  the  next  summer,  he  lost  a  life-long  associate 
and  friend,  —  one  of  the  three  professors  who    had 
d  with  President  Dwight. 

Death  of  my  excellent  Friend  and  Colleague,  Professor 
Kin<ixl<'i/.  —  This  very  painful  event  has  come  upon  us  very 
suddenly.  Returning  from  our  journey  from  Hanover,  Fri- 
day. L'sth  August,  (1852,)  and  arriving  at  eight  o'clock, 
p.  M..  we  heard  that  Mr.  Kingsley  was  ill  with  the  dysen- 
tery, but  no  anxiety  appeared  to  be  felt.  I  called  near 
noon  of  the  next  day,  and  found  him  very  weak,  and  he 
impressed  me  unfavorably  as  regards  the  aspect  of  his  dis- 
I  Ie  was  cheerful  and  affectionate,  and  appeared  glad 
me. 

.ii't/ttsf  29,  Sabbath  Morning.  —  The  day  was  extremely 
tempestuous,  with  violent  wind  and  torrents  of  rain,  and  I 
did  not  go  out ;  but  we  heard  from  Mr.  K.  that  he  was  no 

()u  Monday  afternoon,  September  30,  I  called  and  found 

him  apparently  more  comfortable,  and  I  left  him  encour- 

and  saw  no  symptoms  of  immediate  danger,  although 

1  learned  that  the  physicians  were  very  anxious  about  him. 

On  Tuesday  morning,  near  eight  o'clock,  I  was  on  my  way 

lohis  IK.US,-.  and  met  Mr.  Toiler,  who  informed  me  that  he 

one.     1  hastened  to  the  death-bed,  and  found 

it  was  indeed  true.     Mrs.  Kingsley  was  calm,  and  told  me 

rsation  with  her,  in  the  immediate  prospect 

of  death,  had  been  very  satisfactory.     He  was  quite  satis- 

*  In  the  Journal  of  Science. 


DEATH  OF  PROFESSOR  KINGSLEY.  117 

fied  to  go  ;  thought  it  was  the  best  time, —  that  he  had  lived 
long,  and  gone  through  the  duties  assigned  him,  and  he 
expressed  religious  views  and  feelings  that  were  satisfac- 
tory. When  last  I  saw  him,  on  Monday,  his  mind  wandered 
a  little,  as  it  had  done  before.  I  exceedingly  regretted  that 
I  had  not  passed  the  Sabbath  with  him,  as  I  should  have 
done  had  the  danger  appeared  to  me  imminent.  The 
funeral  was  on  Wednesday,  September  1,  from  the  Centre 
Church,  where  many  people  attended.  President  Woolsey 
had  been  absent  in  Litchfield  County,  with  his  family,  but 
was  sent  for  by  express.  He  arrived  in  season,  and  had 
found  time  to  prepare  an  excellent  address,  in  which  he 
embodied  the  most  interesting  traits  of  Mr.  Kingsley's 
character  and  mind  and  attainments.  The  discourse  gave 
great  satisfaction  to  the  family,  and  to  all  who  knew  the 
deceased.  Our  trio  is  now  broken.  President  Day,  Pro- 
fessor Kingsley,  and  I  have  walked  together  in  friend- 
ship, and  as  colleagues  in  college-duty,  for  more  than  fifty 
years,  —  a  rare  case  which,  I  believe,  has  never  before 
occurred  in  this  country.  The  next  call  in  our  now  broken 
band,  must  be  Mr.  Day  or  myself,  and  it  may  not  improb- 
ably be  myself,  although  I  am  six  years  younger  than  Mr. 
Day,  as  I  was  one  year  younger  than  Mr.  Kingsley.  All 
of  us  were  born  in  August,  —  I,  the  8th,  1779,  Mr.  Kings- 
ley,  the  28th,  1778,  Mr.  Day,  the  3d,  1773.  I  had  a  loud 
warning  in  March,  and  I  know  not  how  soon  the  final  sum- 
mons may  come,  —  it  cannot  be  far  off;  but  my  Saviour  is 
my  shield,  on  Him  I  rely  entirely,  and  trust  I  shall  find  the 
reliance  sufficient  in  the  final  trial.  The  hymn  which  Pres- 
ident Woolsey  read  at  the  funeral  of  Mr.  Kingsley,  was 
very  appropriate  and  beautiful :  — 

"  How  blest  the  righteous  when  he  dies, 
When  sinks  his  weary  soul  to  rest; 
How  mildly  beam  the  closing  eyes, 
How  gently  heaves  the  expiring  breast!  " 

The  death  of  this  aged  Instructor  was  followed,  in 


118  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

a  few  days,  by  the  death  of  a,  younger  colleague, — 
Mr.  John  P.  Norton,  Professor  of  Agricultural  Chem- 
istry. Of  him,  Professor  Silliman  writes :  — 

Alas !  Death  took  the  oldest,  save  one,  of  the  veteran  * 
officers  of  Yale  College,  and  now  the  youngest  has  been 
called  away.  Thus  many  hopes  are  blasted,  —  all  hopes, 
indeed,  connected  with  the  deceased,  except  the  most  im- 
portant of  all,  that  hope  which  assures  us  that  it  is  well 
with  our  lamented  young  friend.  My  first  thoughts  regard- 
ing him  are  expressed  in  a  printed  obituary,  and  I  hope 
that  a  memoir  of  him  will  be  prepared  by  a  literary  friend. 
There  are  abundant  materials,  and  his  character  was  so 
beautiful,  that  it  would  form  an  excellent  model  for  imi- 
tation. 

Professor  Silliman  accompanies  his  mention  of 
ih"  death  of  Daniel  Webster  with  an  interesting 
account  of  his  acquaintance  with  that  distinguished 
man. 

This  great  man  died  at  his  country-place  at  Marshfield, 
I  My  mouth  County,  Mass.,  on  Sabbath  morning,  October  24, 

at  twenty-two  minutes  before  three  o'clock,  A.M. 

We  shall,  of  course,  have  his  biography,  which 

will.  I  trust,  embody  many  passages  of  his  private  life,  and 
many  of  his  colloquial  remarks.  At  Washington,  early  in 

h«-  gave  me  and  my  son  a  private  document  to  serve 

us  in    l.m<>].<-,  if  needed,  and  President  Fillmore  did  the 

I   met  him,   February,   1851,  at  the  levee  of  the 

lent;  but  I  did  not  advance;  he  came  to  meet  me, 
and.  with  «;rc:it  cordiality  of  manner,  expressed  his  esteem 
and  re-anl.  and  quoted  from  my  English  travels  an  expres- 

-\hich  I  had  used  respecting  Castlereagh,  namely,  that 

ing  him  among  other  great  men  in  Parliament,  —  Pitt, 

Fox,  Sheridan,  and  others,  — I  said  of  Castlereagh,  that, 


REMINISCENCES  OF  DANIEL  WEBSTER.  119 

although  his  speech  was  short,  it  was  sufficient  to  identify 
his  manner.  This  showed  that  he  had  read  my  book,  and 
was  able  to  cite  it  correctly.  I  met  him  again,  the  last 
winter,  in  Washington,  at  a  party  at  Mr.  David  Hall's, 
when  he  again  came  to  me,  and  welcomed  me  safe  back 
from  my  recent  travels.  A  levee  or  party  is,  however,  no 
place  for  a  continued  conversation.  Again,  May  4  (1852), 
Mrs.  Silliman  and  myself  were  in  the  cars  with  him  from 
New  Haven  to  Worcester ;  and  although  Judge  Boardman 
mentioned  at  the  New  Haven  station  that  Mr.  Webster 
was  a  passenger,  I  did  not  seek  him,  for  fear  of  annoying 
him,  —  as  great  men  are  so  much  followed,  often,  no  doubt, 
when  they  would  gladly  be  quiet.  At  Springfield,  how- 
ever, we  came  into  the  same  carriage,  and  here  again  I  ab- 
stained from  advances ;  but  he  no  sooner  saw  me,  than  he 
left  a  group  in  which  he  was,  and  came  to  me,  taking  both 
my  hands  with  much  warmth,  saying :  "My  dear  Profes- 
sor, I  am  very  happy  to  see  you ; "  and  when  one  offered 
him  a  seat,  he  declined  it,  and  said :  "  No  ;  I  want  to  sit 
by  the  Professor,  that  I  may  converse  with  him."  Mrs.  Sil- 
liman gave  up  her  seat  to  him,  which  he  at  first  declined  to 
accept,  as  he  "  would  not  separate  husband  and  wife ; "  but 
she  took  the  seat  next  forward,  and  immediately  we  entered 
on  conversation  which  was  most  intimate  and  interesting, 
quite  to  Worcester,  nearly  two  hours.  I  led  him  to  speak 
of  his  efforts  in  Congress,  and  inquired  whether  an  anec- 
dote which  I  had  heard  was  true,  —  namely,  that  he  and 
General  Hayne  met  at  the  levee,  the  evening  after  his 
(Webster's)  celebrated  speech  in  reply  to  Hayne,  when 
Webster  challenged  Hayne  to  drink  a  glass  of  wine  with 
him,  and  said :  "  General  Hayne,  I  wish  your  health,  and  I 
hope  that  you  may  live  a- thousand  years."  Hayne  replied : 
"  I  shall  not  live  more  than  one  hundred  if  you  make  another 
such  speech."  Mr.  Webster  said  that  the  anecdote  was 
true,  only  the  occurrence  took  place,  not  at  the  palace,  but 
at  the  house  of  a  friend.  I  told  him  that  the  speech  was 


1:20  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

in  my  family,  and  listened  to  with  as  much  interest 
it  had  been  a  Waverley  novel.     I  added,  that  we  had 
.  in  our  domestic  circle,  spoken  of  his  style  as  possess- 
ing the  simplicity  and  perspicuity  of  that  of  the  Scriptures. 
iid,  he  had  always  made  it  a  rule  neither  to  write  or  to 
utter  anything  which  a  person  of  good  intellect  could  not 
understand  ;  and  that,  on  an  occasion  when  he,  as  chairman 
of  a  committee,  wrote  a  report,  his  colleague  expressed  his 
surprise  that  he  could  understand  every  word  of  it ;  and 
this  was  even  adduced  as  a  proof  that  Mr.  Webster  could 
not  be   the  man  he   passed   for,  —  that   everybody  could 
understand  him.     I  told  him,  that,  not  being  a  political 
man,  I  would  take  the  liberty  to  say  that  I  had  approved, 
and,  in  conversation,  defended,  his  course  on  important 
political  occasions,  when  he  had  been  censured,  and  even 
abused,  by  some  who  called  themselves  his  friends.     The 
first  occasion  was  when  the  ministers  of  President  Tyler 
took  oilciice.  and  all  resigned,  himself  excepted.*     "  It  was 
obvious  to  me,"  I  said,  "that  you  remained  in  office  in  order 
ttle  the  great  boundary  question ;   you  had  recently 
hern  in  Kngland,  and  personally  knew  the  members  of  the 
;  mm  'lit ;  and  it  was  no  proof  of  vanity  in  you  that  you 
\u-iv  conscious  that  you  could  do  on  that  occasion  what  no 
other  man  could  ;  and  evidently  no  man  in  our  government 
but  vou  could  have  induced  Lord  Ashburton  to  send  home 
lor  nrw  instructions  to  enable  you  to  adjust  the  boundary 
-ion,  —  each  party  reciprocally  relinquishing  por- 
of  territory,  instead  of  adhering  literally  to  a  boun- 
dary which  the  physical  features  of  the  country  could  not 

you  to  define." I  added:  *  In  these  cases 

you   did   ,-i^ht."     He   modestly  replied:  "I  meant  right." 

Alliidiu-  to   Trauce,  which  I  had  then  recently  visited,  he 

that  one  important  benefit  had  arisen  from  the  French 

•1'ilion.     I'mler  the  old  system  the  crown  and  the  no- 

*  XN  •••' -  minister  of  the  deceased  President  Harrison,  whom 

ident,  succeeded. 


REMINISCENCES   OF  DANIEL  WEBSTER.  121 

bility*  had  monopolized  almost  the  entire  territory,  and 
the  cultivators  of  the  soil  were  in  a  state  of  abject  depend- 
ence and  hopeless  poverty ;  and  there  were  many  acts  of 
personal  oppression.  Now,  all  the  old  tenures  being  broken 
up,  the  fee  of  the  lands  is  in  the  mass,  and  France  is 
divided  into  a  great  many  small  farms,  which  are  cultivated 
by  proprietors.  This  explains  why  we  saw  hardly  a  beggar 
in  the  rural  districts  of  France  during  our  late  journey,  or 
an  individual  in  rags.  Mr.  Webster,  no  doubt,  gave  the 
true  solution.  Many  other  remarks  fell  from  this  great 
man ;  but  he  cut  me  short,  by  saying  abruptly,  but  pleas- 
antly :  "  Now  I  want  to  have  you  talk  to  me  about  your 
own  subjects,  which  I  am  very  desirous  to  understand,  but 
of  which  I  know  but  little.  I  have  endeavored  to  obtain 
some  correct  notion  of  the  structure  of  the  earth ;  and  I 
have  piled  up  fragments  of  the  rocks,  laying  granite  down 
as  the  foundation,  and  placing  the  other  rocks  above  granite 
in  the  order  in  which  they  succeeded  each  other."  I  as- 
sured him  that  this  was  all  right.  He  then  said  that  he 
wished  me  to  explain  to  him  the  composition  of  soils  and 
manure,  the  constitution  of  organic  bodies,  the  laws  of  ani- 
mal and  vegetable  life,  and  the  relation  between  them  and 
the  mineral  kingdom.  Perceiving  that  he  was  in  earnest, 
I  yielded  to  his  request,  and  discoursed  to  him  as  clearly 
as  I  could  (for  he  said  he  could  not  understand  Liebig, 
whose  work  he  had  read).  He  gave  the  most  fixed  atten- 
tion during  nearly  an  hour  that  I  was  speaking,  and  ap- 
peared as  docile  as  a  child.  I  do  not  think  it  worth  while  to 
repeat  my  remarks,  except  on  one  topic.  After  explaining 
the  elementary  constitution  of  organic  bodies,  —  the  ele- 
ments that  were  properly  vital, —  I  adverted  to  the  extra- 
neous things  derived  from  the  mineral  kingdom,  which, 
although  not  strictly  vital,  are  essential ;  for  example : 
the  bones  of  animals  which  are  phosphate  of  lime,  and  the 
shells  and  crusts  of  animals,  which  are  carbonate  of  lime 
*  And,  it  might  be  added,  the  Catholic  Church. 


122  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   SILLIMAN. 

for  the  shells,  and  carbonate  and  phosphate  for  the  crusts, 
as  of  lobsters  and  crabs.  I  then  compared  them  with  the 
vegetable  world,  and  gave  the  instance  of  the  grasses,  usu- 
ally so  called,  and  of  wheat,  rye,  oats,  and  barley ;  and  of 
the  trees,  —  bamboos,  cane,  sugar-cane,  corn-stalk,  and  all 
similar  plants,  which  are  either  hollow  or  filled  with  a  pulp, 
so  that  these  plants  could  not  support  themselves  under  their 
own  weight,  with  their  fruit  and  with  the  force  of  the  wind 
upon  them.  Therefore  they  were  provided  by  the  Creator 
with  an  epidermis  or  exterior  coat  of  silex, —  flint  taken  up 
by  the  plant  from  the  soil,  and  which  gave  them  the  requisite 
strength.  In  some  of  the  larger  bamboos  the  silex  is  crys- 
tallized, and  many  of  them  will  strike  fire  with  steel  ;  and 
some  plants  with  silicidus  coatings  are  used  for  scouring 
knives,  &c.  I  told  him  that  if  he  would  observe  the  ruins 
of  a  barn  of  hay  or  a  large  hay-rick  after  it  was  burned 
down,  he  would  probably  find  glass  resulting  from  the  silex 
vitrified  by  the  alkali  of  the  plant.  This  seemed  to  strike 
him  very  forcibly ;  and,  as  we  drew  near  to  Worcester, 
where  I  told  him  we  must  part,  (as  we  were  going  on  the 
Norwich  road,)  he  expressed  great  regret,  and  said  he 
wished  we  were  going  through  to  Boston,  lie  said  that 
the  conversation  had  gratified  him  very  much,  and  that  he 
would  come  to  New  Haven  and  renew  it.  He  then  turned 
to  Mrs.  Silliman,  who  had  been  an  attentive  listener,  and 
added :  "  Madam,  if  I  was  as  rich  as  Mr.  Astor,  I  tell  you 
what  I  would  do:  I  would  pay  your  husband  $20,000  to 
come  and  sit  down  by  me  and  teach  me,  for  I  do  not  know 
anything."  I  must  not  omit  that  he  and  Mrs.  Silliman 
found  topics  of  mutual  interest  in  some  individuals,  and 
particularly  one  lady  at  Marshfield,  whom  both  of  them  had 
known  in  earlier  years.  He  adverted  to  the  late  trial  of 
Mr.  C.MMly.Mi-'s  patent  at  Trenton,  in  which  he  said,  that 
my  certificate,  proving  the  discovery  by  Goodyear  thirteen 
liad  a  decisive  weight,  —  a  remark  which  has 
been  since  proved  true,  by  the  published  opinion  of  the 


DEATH  OF  DR.  G.  A.  MANTELL.  123 

court.  We  now  parted  with  great  cordiality,  hoping  in 
vain  to  meet  again.  We  —  Mrs.  S.  and  I  —  were  for- 
cibly struck  by  the  too  evident  decline  of  health  in 
Mr.  Webster.  His  cheek  was  hollow ;  his  eye  sunk  deep, 
even  for  him,  and  almost  rayless,  except  when  he  was  men- 
tally excited ;  his  limbs  were  small ;  and,  altogether,  his 
appearance  was  painfully  contrasted  with  the  full,  round, 
and  vigorous  form  which  he  presented  at  the  inauguration 
of  President  Everett  in  the  year  1845,  when  I  was  present. 
We  —  Mrs.  Silliman  and  I  —  remarked  to  each  other,  that 
we  feared  Mr.  Webster  had  not  long  to  live  ;  but  we  did 
not  expect  a  fatal  crisis  so  soon.  Mrs.  Webster  was  in  the 
car,  but  sat  with  a  friend  on  another  seat,  and  was  not  a 
party  to  the  conversation,  although  she  appeared  to  listen, 
but  was  too  far  off  to  hear  distinctly,  or  perhaps  at  all. 

Mrs.  Silliman  reminds  me  that  Mr.  Webster  said, 

that  while  he  could  not  understand  the  books,  he  had  un- 
derstood every  word  that  I  had  said,  and  that  he  had  de- 
rived great  satisfaction  from  the  conversation,  and  wanted 
a  great  deal  more  of  it.  When  the  steam-whistle  sounded, 
he  exclaimed  :  "  This  is  too  bad  ;  I  cannot  be  reconciled  to 
it ! "  and  said  he  would  seek  us  at  our  home.  When  we 
were  near  parting,  Mr.  Webster,  in  his  own  peculiar  man- 
ner, with  a  strong  voice  and  an  excited  countenance,  said : 
"  I  have  given  my  life  to  law  and  politics.  Law  is  uncer- 
tain, and  politics  are  utterly  vain ;  but  there  is  a  noble  cer- 
tainty in  science  which  commands  my  admiration,  and  I 
should  be  willing  to  spend  my  remaining  days  in  the  study 
of  science." 

A  few  months  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Kingsley, 
Professor  Silliman  was  deprived  of  another  friend  to 
whom  he  was  united  by  the  strongest  bonds  of  con- 
fidence and  affection. 

Dr.  Gideon  Algernon  Mantell.  —  This  lamented  man,  my 
faithful  and  devoted  friend  during  twenty  years,  died  at  his 


124  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

own  house  in  Chester  Square,  London,  November  10,  1852, 

about  three  o'clock  r.  M I  have  lost  the  friend  I 

valued  most,  beyond  my  own  family;*  for  twenty  years 
la-  had  poured  his  bounties  into  my  lap,  and  his  affections 
into  mine.  It  is  a  great  satisfaction  to  me  that  I  saw 
him,  and  was  an  inmate  of  his  hospitable  house  eighteen 
days,  during  our  late  European  tour,  —  in  December,  1852. 

On  the  day  when  this  record  was  made,  he  makes 
mention  of  an  interesting  epoch  in  his  own  history. 

December  1 8,  Saturday.  —  I  gave  the  last  chemical  lec- 
ture of  the  College  course.  The  subject  was  the  congela- 
tion of  carbonic  acid,  and  of  quicksilver.  It  was  done  very 
successfully,  and  appeared  to  give  great  satisfaction.  lion. 
Asa  Bacon  made  some  remarks  to  the  students  before  the 
lecture,  on  the  superior  advantages  enjoyed  by  them  com- 
pared with  those  afforded  to  him  and  me  in  our  College 
course ;  (he  was  my  senior  in  Yale  College ;)  and  he  be- 
stowed encomiums  on  me  more  than  I  deserve. 

Near  the  beginning  of  the  Diary  for  1853,  stands 
this  notice  of  the  death  of  Mr.  Amos  Lawrence. 

Recently,  in  Boston,  and  very  suddenly  ;  it  is  said  within 
fifteen  minutes  from  the  immediate  alarm,  this  excellent 
man  ceased  to  breathe.  He  was  one  of  my  warm  personal 
friends,  and  I  always  received  a  cordial  welcome  at  his 
house.  His  age  is  reported  sixty-seven  ;  he  appeared  to  be 
older,  being  very  infirm  in  health,  and  for  many  years  un- 
able to  cat  with  his  family,  and  often  appearing  to  be  near 
dratli.  But  he  was  very  cheerful,  affectionate,  and  benevo- 
lent. He  gave  largely  of  his  means  to  charitable  purposes, 
and  his  wealth  was  great.  He  was  always  seeking  out  the 
poor  and  neglected,  and  made  them  his  peculiar  care.  He 

*  Except  Dr.  Dwight. 


DEATH  OF  HON.  AMOS  LAWRENCE.  125 

was,  by  religious  conviction,  a  Unitarian,  but  his  temper 
and  his  action  were  those  of  a  man  of  heavenly  mind.  I 
always  visited  him  when  I  was  in  Boston ;  and  when  *  I 
informed  him  that  I  had  been  invited  to  open  the  Lowell 
Institute,  and  to  give  the  first  course  of  lectures  in  it,  he 
raised  both  his  hands  and  exclaimed  :  "  God  be  praised  ! " 
Such  was  his  real  liberality,  for  he  knew  that  I  was  not  a 
Unitarian.  Of  the  five  noble  brothers,  with  whom  I  be- 
came acquainted  on  going  to  Lowell  to  give  a  public  course 
of  lectures  in  1834,  three  are  now  dead. 

Soon  after  the  annual  Commencement  of  1852,  he 
had  given  notice,  in  the  following  letter,  of  his  inten- 
tion to  lay  down  his  College  office  at  the  end  of  the 
academical  year. 

TO    REV.   THEODORE    D.    WOOLSEY,  D.  D.,  PRESIDENT    OF 
YALE    COLLEGE. 

September  21,  1852. 

REV.  AND  DEAR  SIR,  —  The  reasons  which,  three  years 
ago,  induced  me  to  tender  the  resignation  of  my  office  in 
Yale  College,  having  gained  strength  by  the  progress  of  time, 
I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  interests  of  the  Insti- 
tution and  my  own,  unite  to  indicate  the  termination  of  the 
current  academical  year,  as  the  period  when  my  resigna- 
tion shall  be  again  offered  to  the  Corporation.  I  am,  I 
trust,  duly  sensible  of  the  favorable  regard  which  led  both 
that  body  and  my  colleagues  to  desire  my  continuance  in 
office,  and  I  cannot  contemplate,  with  indifference,  the  dis- 
solution of  those  ties  which,  for  more  than  half  a  century, 
have  bound  me,  in  both  duty  and  affection,  to  our  vener- 
able Alma  Mater.  Upon  mature  reflection  I  am,  however, 
led  to  believe  that  a  notice  thus  seasonable  will  afford  time, 
before  the  next  Commencement,  to  make  such  an  appoint- 

*  In  a  call  at  his  house  in,  I  believe,  1839. 


126  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

ment  as  shall  prevent  any  injury  to  the  interests  of  the  Col- 

.iid  of  the  country. 

With  the  greatest  respect  and  cordial  regard,  I  remain, 
Rev.  and  dear  sir, 

Very  truly  yours, 

B.  SILLIMAN. 

At  the  approach  of  the  next  Commencement,  still 
persisting  in  his  resolution  to  retire  from  his  work  in 
College,  he  copied  this  letter  to  President  Woolsey, 
and  sent  it  together  with  the  communication  which 
follows :  — 

TO   REV.   PRESIDENT   WOOLSEY. 

YALE  COLLEGE,  Jwfy  22, 1853. 

REV.  AND  DEAR  SIR,  —  My  views  not  having  been 
changed  since  the  date  of  my  preceding  letter  of  September 
LM.  1  *:,:_>,  —  of  which  a  copy  is  annexed,  —  it  remains  only 
to  request  you,  sir,  to  communicate  this  paper  to  the  Cor- 
poration. In  taking  my  leave  I  wish  to  express  my  high 
respect  for  the  Board  under  which  I  have  so  long  acted, 
and  to  record  my  grateful  remembrance  of  the  kind,  just, 
and  liberal  treatment  which  I  have  experienced  at  their 
hands.  This  acknowledgment,  alas,  cannot  now  be  made 
to  the  men  who,  with  President  Dwight  at  their  head,  while 
I  was  still  a  youth,  bestowed  upon  me  their  confidence  in 
advanrr.  That  Board  enrolled  among  its  members  the 
names  of  jjreat  and  wise  and  good  and  honored  men,  who 
have  all  passed  away,  but  they  have  been  succeeded  by 
who  have  worthily  filled  their  places.  In  the  year 
I  was  invited  to  instruct  a  class  in  Yale  College,  as 
their  tutor,  and,  in  1802,  the  responsibility  was  committed 
to  in. •  (»f  founding  an  extensive  department  of  physical 
ce,  then  unknown  in  this  institution,  and  little  known 
in  this  country.  Of  the  result,  it  is  not  for  me  to  speak. 
Now,  near  the  close  of  my  labors,!  look  around,  and  almost 


HIS   RETIREMENT  FROM  OFFICE.  127 

in  vain,  for  the  colleagues  and  fellow-laborers  of  that  re- 
mote period ;  and  among  them,  I  find  only  a  solitary  indi- 
vidual survivor,  "  Clarum  et  venerabile  nomen  "  ;  serus  in 
coelum  redeat.  As,  by  God's  blessing,  my  health  is  unim- 
paired, I  am  not  constrained  by  infirmities  to  resign  my 
post  of  duty ;  but  I  think  it  right  to  retire  before  that 
necessity  shall  arise.  The  interests  of  Yale  College,  hav- 
ing been  identified  with  almost  my  whole  life,  will  ever  re- 
main very  dear  to  me,  and  I  shall  be  still  happy  to  promote 
them  by  any  effort  and  influence  in  my  power. 
I  remain,  Rev.  and  dear  sir, 

Very  respectfully  and  truly  yours, 

B.  SlLLIMAN. 

The  attention  of  the  assembled  graduates  at  Com- 
mencement, was  taken  up  by  the  death  of  Professor 
Kingsley,  and  the  resignation  of  Professor  Silliman. 
The  extracts  which  follow,  are  from  the  Diary. 

Wednesday,  July  27,  1853.  Day  before  Commencement.  — 
A  meeting  of  the  Alumni  was  held  in  the  Linonian  Room, 
in  the  new  Alumni  Hall,  A.  N.  Skinner,  Esq.,  in  the  chair. 
T.he  necrology  for  the  year  was  read.  The  number  of  deaths 
among  the  Alumni  during  the  year  had  been  over  sixty, 
and  among  them  were  three  of  our  Professors,  —  Kingsley, 
[Norton,  and  Stanley.  After  the  necrology  was  finished,  I 
was  invited  by  the  chairman  to  say  something  of  Professor 
Kingsley.  My  remarks  were,  however,  not  much  extended, 
as  I  preferred  to  refer,  for  a  masterly  exhibition  of  his  char- 
acter, to  the  excellent  published  discourses  of  President 
Woolsey  and  Professor  Thacher,  who  had  very  skilfully 
dissected  a  character  whose  principal  traits  were  not  super- 
ficial, but  lay  deep  in  the  mine  of  his  intellectual  and  moral 
nature.  I  spoke  of  the  early  union  of  the  three,  —  Day, 
Silliman,  and  Kingsley,  —  in  office  in  Yale  College,  a  union 
which  was  continued  in  great  harmony  during  nearly  fifty 


128  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

.  Such  a  coincidence,  it  was  believed,  had  never  hap- 
(1  before  in  this  country.  We  were  men  of  different 
temperaments,  but  counterbalancing  qualities,  as  happens 
with  contrasted  chemical  elements,  produce  a  more  perfect 
and  linn  union.  I  referred  to  my  venerated,  surviving 
iriiMul,  President  Day,  then  present,  but  refrained  from 
eulogy,  which  would  have  been  painful  to  him.  I  adverted 
to  the  breach  of  our  trio,  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Kingsley, 
and  to  our  separation  from  Yale  College,  by  the  resignation 
of  President  Day,  and  now,  by  my  own,  which  was  made 
the  day  before  to  the  Corporation.  I  added  that  I  did  not 
retire  on  account  of  infirmity,  as  by  God's  blessing,  my 
health  remained  unbroken,  my  eye  not  being  dim,  nor  my 
natural  force  abated.  This  I  acknowledged  gratefully,  and 
not  boastingly.  I  resigned  because  the  proper  time  had 
come,  —  the  same  age  at  which  President  Quincy,  Presi- 
dent Day,  and  Professor  Kingsley  retired ;  and  I  followed 
their  example.  I  wished  to  go  out  before  I  should  be  com- 
pelled by  infirmity,  and  to  march  out  of  the  camp  with 
colors  Hying.  I  spoke  of  the  changes  that  had  taken  place 
in  Vale  College  in  my  time,  and  of  the  combined  efforts  of 
the  Faculty.  My  son  followed,  with  interesting  remarks 
upon  Professor  Norton,  —  notices  historical  and  biograph- 
ical. Professor  Olmsted  made  a  brief  address  upon  Pro- 
fessor Stanley.  The  chairman  made  an  allusion  to  the 
nation  of  two  of  the  Professors,  when  I  retired.  Pro- 
i  Olmsted  then  addressed  the  meeting,  and  gave  a 
ry  of  my  department,  and  of  my  success  in  it,  and  of 

• 'fleet  upon  the  Institution  and  the  country 

When  he  had  finished,  I  returned  into  the  meeting.     Dr. 
then    rose   and  resumed  the  theme.     I  supposed  he 
would  In-  hrirf.  and  did  not  withdraw.    He  said  many  grati- 
fying things  upon  the  effect  produced  on  his  own  mind  by 
irly  travels,  especially  on  account  of  their 
"iis  bi-;mn._r  imon  hjs  youthful,  and  as  he  said,  "half 
heathenish  mind."     His  remarks  were  touching,  and  drew 


HIS  RETIREMENT  FROM  OFFICE.  129 

tears  from  my  eyes.  Dr.  Cox,  many  years  ago,  told  me 
that  the  first  serious  impressions  ever  produced  upon  his 
own  mind,  arose  from  his  reading  my  remarks  made  upon 
the  impropriety  of  attempting  to  represent  the  supreme 
Jehovah  upon  canvas.  This  subject  was  mentioned  by 
me  in  connection  with  a  visit  to  a  picture-gallery  in  Lon- 
don, in  the  summer  of  1805.*  General  Williams  of  Nor- 
wich, mentioned  my  honored  mother  and  grandfather  Fish, 
and  my  father  was  also  named  by  another,  and  his  cap- 
tivity ;  and  a  letter  was  referred  to,  written  to  my  half- 
brother,  John  Noyes,  then  in  College,  by  his  and  my 
mother,  and  marked  by  the  tears  which  dropped  from  her 
eyes  upon  the  paper. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  Commencement,  Lynde  Alexander 
Catlin,  in  a  dissertation  upon  the  "  Revolutions  of  Science," 
mentioned  me  and  my  labors  with  warm  approbation.  On 
the  evening  of  the  Commencement,  by  President  Woolsey's 
suggestion,  my  house  was  opened  at  eight  o'clock  for  the 
calls  of  the  Corporation,  the  Faculty,  the  Alumni,  the 
graduating  class,  and  strangers.  I  should  judge  that  from 
two  hundred  to  three  hundred  called  in  the  course  of  the 
evening,  and  there  was  great  cordiality  both  towards  each 
other  and  towards  me,  and  I  received  many  warm  adieus. 
Thus  I  have  finished  my  regular  connection  with  Yale  Col- 
lege, after  having  been  almost  fifty-four  years  an  officer  of 
the  Institution,  —  three  years  a  tutor,  fifty-one  a  professor, 
and  almost  fifty  a  lecturer.  It  is  a  solemn  period  of  my 
life,  and  I  feel  greatly  relieved  in  being  released  from 
responsibility.  I  seem  to  have  attended  my  own  academic 
funeral,  and  many  to  be  the  mourners  on  the  occasion.  It 
is  a  great  happiness  that-  my  son  and  son-in-law  (J.  D.  D.) 
have  been  thought  worthy  to  succeed  me  in  my  duties.  My 
onerous  professorship  is  now  divided,  and  those  who  may 
hereafter  sustain  the  duties,  will  find  them  less  oppressive 

*  The  picture  was  in  the  Truchess  Gallery,  which  I  visited  in  company 
with  the  late  John  McCrackan. 
VOL.  n.  9 


130  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

than  I  have  done.  I  am  grateful  to  God,  and  to  many 
friends,  for  the  numerous  favors  I  have  enjoyed  in  my  pub- 
lic life. 

But  his  instructions  in  College  were  not  yet  at  an 
ciul.  The  Corporation  passed  resolutions  expressing 
tlu-'ir  sense  of  the  great  value  of  his  services  to  the 
Institution,  at  the  same  time  requesting  him  to  con- 
tinue in  the  Academical  and  Medical  Faculties  as 
Professor  Emeritus,  with  the  right  to  vote  in  each 
whenever  he  chose  to  exercise  it.  Mr.  Dana,  his  son- 
in-law,  succeeded  to  the  department  of  Geology  and 
Mineralogy,  while  his  son,  Mr.  Benjamin  Silliman, 
Jr.,  already  a  Professor  in  the  Scientific  School,  was 
appointed  Professor  of  Chemistry  in  the  Medical 
School,  and  charged  with  the  instruction  of  the 
undergraduate  students  in  that  branch.  At  the  sug- 
gestion of  President  Woolsey  and  Professor  Salis- 
bury, by  whom,  in  1850,  a  generous  contribution  had 
been  made  towards  the  endowment  of  the  chair, 
the  department  which  Mr.  Dana  assumed  was  styled 
the  Silliman  Professorship  of  Natural  History,  and  is 
now  known  as  the  Silliman  Professorship  of  Geology 
and  Mineralogy*  Mr.  Dana  not  being  able  to 
commence  at  once  in  his  department,  Professor  Silli- 
111:111  was  requested  to  continue  to  give  the  lectures 
in  Mineralogy  and  Geology,  until  his  successor  should 
!•'•  r.-;idy  u>  inkc  his  place;  and  with  this  request  he 
complied.  But  this  temporary  duty  was  compara- 
y  light,  and  he  felt  that  his  official  service  was 
IHI\V  over,  lie  thus  records  his  satisfaction  and  grati- 
tude :  — 

t  Dana  was  born  in  Utica,  N.  Y.     His  family  was  of  New 
his  Kran.Ifath.:r  and  Rev.  James  Dana,  D.  D.,  of  New 
Haven,  having  been  brothers.  —  F. 


HIS  RETIREMENT  FROM  OFFICE.  131 

Sabbath  Morning,  August  7,  1853.  —  This  is  the  last  day 
of  my  seventy-fourth  year,  and  to-morrow,  if  I  live,  will  be 
the  first  of  my  seventy-fifth.  Through  my  whole  life  I 
have  experienced  innumerable  mercies,  shaded  by  afflic- 
tions, chiefly  in  the  removal  of  dear  friends.  But  many  of 
them  were  aged,  and  departed  in  the  fulness  of  years  and 
of  a  mature  piety.  Now,  for  the  first  time  in  almost  fifty- 
four  years,  I  begin  a  new  year  without  feeling  the  responsi- 
bility of  Yale  College  resting,  in  a  measure,  upon  me.  I 
have  been  carried  through  my  long  course  of  public  duty 
successfully,  and  retire  with  a  general  and  strong  expres- 
sion of  good-will  and  esteem.  My  children  are  glad  that  I 
have  resigned  while  my  faculties  are  unimpaired,  and  when 
regret  for  the  loss  of  my  services  is  generally  expressed.  It 
remains  only  to  await  my  final  call  to  resign  my  life  into 
the  hands  of  my  Maker.  I  hope  to  go  cheerfully,  humbly 
depending  upon  my  Saviour. 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  HITCHCOCK:    LETTERS  OF 
AGASSIZ. 

Geology  and  Genesis.  —  Views  of  Professor  Silliman.  —  Dr.  Hitchcock 
proposes  to  Study  in  New  Haven ;  on  the  First  Chapter  of  Genesis.  — 
Of  Silliman  to  Dr.  Hitchcock  on  the  Death  of  his  Child;  on  the 
Method  of  Studying  Chemistry;  on  Professor  Stuart's  Geological  Re- 
marks; on  tin-  l?ird-T racks.  —  Dr.  Hitchcock  on  his  Geological  Critics; 
on  tin-  Spirit  of  his  Writings.  —  Professor  Silliman  on  the  Clergy;  on 
I'.ook;  on  the  Bird-Tracks.  —  Letters  to  Dr.  Spring  on  Geol- 
ogy and  Scripture. —  Letters  from  Agassiz.  —  Agassiz  on  his  own  Visit 
to    Knglaiid:  on    his   Studies;   on  Mr.   Redfield;   on  the  "  Journal  of 
:  ..ii  hU  Work  on  (ilaciers;  on  his  Proposed  Visit  to  America: 
Announces  his  Arrival  in  Boston. 

Tin-;  subject  of  the  relation  of  science  to  the 
Bible  was  forced  upon  the  attention  of  Professor 
Silliman  by  the  bearing  of  geological  evidence  upon 
1lic  question  of  the  age  of  the  globe,  and  especially 
by  the  opposition  to  geology  on  the  part  of  a  nu- 
merous class  of  theologians.  The  Bible  had  been 
understood  to  teach  that  the  earth  and  all  things 
upon  it  were  made  about  six  thousand  years  ago 
ix  days.  It  was  natural  that  students  and  be- 
In  v.  is  of  ih<-  Bible  should  be  startled  at  hearing  that 
ilic  work  of  creation  began  ages  before  that  date, 
and  rximdrd  through  vast  and  well-nigh  immeasu- 
rable |>rrmds  of  time.  How  could  such  declarations 
I"  <•'•<• .iirilrd  with  Genesis?  It  is  remarkable  that 
theology  at  a  former  epoch  had  been  puzzled  with 


GEOLOGY  AND   GENESIS.  133 

the  question,  how  the  work  of  creation  could  have 
continued  so  long  as  six  days,  seeing  that  it  was  ac- 
complished by  a  fiat  of  the  Almighty?*  It  was  nat- 
ural that  some  should  find  it  difficult  to  abandon  the 
ancient  and  uniform,  interpretation  of  Scripture  for 
the  sake  of  accommodating  the  latter  to  the  deduc- 
tions of  a  new  science.  They  considered  that  the 
change  of  interpretation  that  was  demanded  was 
inconsistent  with  a  sound  method  of  exegesis;  and 
that  either  the  doctrine  of  the  entire  infallibility  of 
the  Bible  must  be  surrendered,  or  geology  be  rejected. 
Such  was  the  view,  for  example,  of  Professor  Moses 
Stuart.  They  naturally  chose  the  latter  branch  of 
the  alternative.  But  it  must  be  confessed  that  the 
proofs  which  geology  offered  were  often  disregarded, 
or  disposed  of  in  an  uncandid  way.  One  would 
think  that  very  little  reflection  was  requisite  to  show 
that  the  mighty  phenomena  of  displacement  and 
deposition  which  geology  pointed  out,  could  not  be 
referred  to  the  Noachian  deluge,  to  which  they  had 
been  popularly  ascribed,  and  that  the  theory  of  the 
creation  of  the  fossils  in  the  rocky  beds  where  they 
lie,  is  contrary  to  all  right  ideas  of  creative  wisdom, 
and  is  a  form  of  irrational  scepticism.  Professor 
Silliman  was  embarrassed  in  this  conflict  by  his  sin- 
cere respect  for  the  teachers  of  religion,  and  his 
reluctance  to  lower  the  estimation  in  which  they 
were  held.  Hence,  whatever  he  published  on  this 
theme,  is  characterized  by  the  utmost  forbearance 
and  courtesy.  For  his  own  part,  he  felt  that  the 
Bible  was  a  revelation  from  God.  Its  teachings 
were  daily  "  a  lamp  to  his  feet."  Not  being  in  the 

*  See  Poole's  Synopsis,  Genesis  i. 


134  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

habit  of  resorting  to  the  Scriptures  for  information 
in  physical  science,  he  had  valued  its  early  pages  for 
the  pure  and  sublime  theism  which  they  inculcated. 
Yet  he  felt  certain  that  they  could  not  be  in  contra- 
diction to  the  truth  which  is  derived,  by  the  sure 
path  of  induction,  from  the  study  of  nature.  He 
was  not  at  all  satisfied  with  the  hypothesis  that  the 
present  earth  was  formed  from  the  ruins  of  an  earlier 
world,  rearranged  and  set  in  order  during  the  six 
days  of  the  creation.  The  supposition  of  such  an 
earlier  world,  and  of  a  great  catastrophe  causing  its 
destruction,  seemed  to  him  to  be  neither  consonant 
with  our  ideas  of  the  Divine  wisdom,  nor  sustained 
by  geological  evidence.  He  was  impressed  with  the 
observation  of  Cuvier,  that  the  cosmogony  in  Genesis, 
"  considered  in  a  purely  scientific  view,  is  extremely 
remarkable,  inasmuch  as  the  order  which  it  assigns 
to  the  different  epochs  of  creation  is  precisely  the 
same  as  that  which  has  been  deduced  from  geological 
considerations."  At  the  same  time,  Professor  Silli- 
man  judged  that  it  was  no  part  of  the  object  of  the 
sacred  writer  "  to  enter  further  into  details  than  to 
state  that  the  world  was  the  work  of  God  ;  and  thus 
he  was  naturally  led  to  mention  the  principal  divis- 
ions of  natural  things,  as  they  were  successively 

iled."  Nor  did  he  deem  it  necessary  to  suppose 
that  the,  author  of  Genesis,  however  instructed  by  a 
higher  light,  was  himself  cognizant  of  the  truths  of 

logy,  ^specially  the  truth  of  the  great  antiquity 
ot  tin-  alohc,  and  the  length  of  time  consumed  in 
tl'(>  1 1  changes.  In  the  defence  of  geology 

against  the  assaults  and  objections  from  the  side 
of  theologians,  he  sympathized  with  his  friend,  Dr. 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH   DR.  HITCHCOCK.          135 

Edward  Hitchcock.  In  this  conflict  they  were  glad, 
as  will  be  seen,  to  have  the  aid  of  Professor  Kings- 
ley,  a  critic  whose  Damascus  blade  never  failed  to 
leave  whatever  field  he  entered  vacant  of  foes.  The 
correspondence  between  Professors  Silliman  and 
Hitchcock,  from  which  brief  selections  are  given  be- 
low, is  voluminous,  and  relates  to  a  variety  of  mat- 
ters ;  but  the  contest  of  geology  with  its  theological 
antagonists  is  a  prominent  topic. 

FROM   DR.    EDWARD    HITCHCOCK. 

DEEUFIELD,  January  29,  1819. 

SOME  months  since  I  left  the  Academy  in  this 

town,  and  am  now  studying  theology  as  much  as  my  health 
will  permit.  It  is  my  wish  and  my  intention  to  come  to 
New  Haven  the  ensuing  spring,  to  prosecute  this  branch 
under  the  instruction  of  Professor  Fitch.  I  saw  him  when 
I  was  at  that  place  last  fall,  and  have  just  written  to  him 
on  the  subject.  I  hope  I  shall  not  be  disappointed  in  this 
calculation,  for  I  have  been  confined  almost  all  my  life  to 
this  town  by  a  variety  of  untoward  circumstances,  and  hope 
that  I  am  not  insensible  that  I  greatly  need  instruction 
superior  to  what  can  be  expected  in  an  ordinary  country 
town.  One  thing,  which  I  confess  is  no  small  motive  for 
inducing  me  to  come  to  New  Haven,  is  the  hope  that  it 
may  be  consistent  with  the  regulations  of  your  College  to 
permit  me  to  attend  the  lectures  of  yourself  and  Professor 
Fisher.  My  eyes  will  not  suffer  me  to  attend  closely  to 
reading,  and  if  I  could  have  this  privilege,  it  would  be  a 
great  advantage  as  well  as  pleasure  to  me  in  my  leisure 
hours.  Pray,  sir,  do  the  laws  of  your  College  permit  access 
to  your  lectures  to  one  who  is  not  an  alumnus  of  it  ?  .... 


136  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

TO    DR.    EDWARD    HITCHCOCK. 

NEW  HAVEN,  August  18, 1820. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  — I  think  you  got  off  well  b'e- 

:i  Moses  and  the  divines;  the  latter,  I  suspect,  were 
willing  enough  to  get  rid  of  the  subject.  I  have  become 
still  more  convinced  of  the  truth  of  the  new  views,  and  am 
satisfied  they  will  ultimately  become  general  among  men, 
who  are  at  once  acquainted  with  geology,  and  disposed  to 
reverence  the  Scriptures.  No  mere  divine,  no  mere  critic 
in  language,  can  possibly  be  an  adequate  judge  of  the  sub- 
ject ;  or  deserve  unqualified  deference,  however  able  in 
other  respects 

FROM   DR.    EDWARD    HITCHCOCK. 

CONWAY,  October  20, 1823. 

I  LATELY  preached  a  sermon  before  the  Pittsfield 

Medical  Institution,  in  which  I  have  come  out  with  the  new 
views  in  regard  to  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis.  It  is  now 
in  the  press,  and  I  hope  you  will  pardon  me  for  referring 
to  your  lectures,  as  an  instance  of  the  defence  of  such  views 
in  this  country.  My  statements  must  be  propped  up  by 
some  good  authorities,  or  they  will  be  disregarded,  since 
our  divines  generally  do  not,  as  you  have  remarked,  under- 
stand even  the  elements  of  the  subject.  I  mean  to  send 
you  one  of  the  sermons  when  they  come  out 

TO    DR.    EDWARD    HITCHCOCK. 

Xi.w  HAVKN,  March  20,  1824. 

MY  DIM;  SIR,  —  I  most  cordially  and  feelingly  condole 

with  you.  on  the  late  afflictive  bereavement  in  your  family. 

A  indeed,  from  costly  experience,  every  pang  you  have 

ml  hope  you  may  sooner  recover  from  the  shock 

than  I  did  from  my  first  loss  of  this  kind,  —  that  of  my 

You  will  present  my  respectful  condolence  to 

licock,  whose  sufferings  will  of  course,  embrace 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  HITCHCOCK.          137 

all  that  belongs  to  yours,  with  the  addition  of  what  a  mother 
only  can  know. 

But  perhaps  we  are  selfish  in  mourning  so  deeply  for 
those  that  are  "  bone  of  our  bone,  and  flesh  of  our  flesh  "  ; 
for  it  is  the  irreversible  order  of  Providence,  that  we  must 
lament  or  be  lamented,  and  the  only  condition  of  protracted 
life  is  the  chance  of  new  sorrows  from  the  death  of  those 
whom  we  love.  The  sooner  we  come  to  the  habitual  con- 
templation of  the  absolute  uncertainty  of  all  our  possessions, 
and  to  an  unqualified  resignation  of  mind  to  part  with  them 
whenever  called  for  —  the  better. 

The  death  of  infants,  and  of  other  very  young  children, 
is  always  attended  (in  my  view)  with  so  much  consolation, 
that  I  can  look  upon  the  calm,  sweet  expression  of  their 
little  bodies  sleeping  in  death  (not  excepting  even  my  own 
children)  with  a  degree  of  pleasure  which  has  little  alloy. 
For  I  consider  the  declarations  of  our  Saviour,  as  deciding 
the  point  that  his  sacrifice  will  cancel  their  original  taint, 
and  neither  Scripture  nor  reason  will  justify  us  in  believing 
that  there  will  hereafter  be  a  penal  retribution  awarded  to 
anything  but  actual  transgression.  The  death  of  half  man- 
kind within  the  age  to  which  I  allude,  I  consider  as  evincive 
of  the  mercy  of  God  to  our  fallen  world,  in  removing  so 
large  a  part  of  its  population  before  they  have  become,  in 
any  responsible  sense,  moral  agents.  I  know  that  these 
views  interfere  with  metaphysical  divinity,  which  I  value 
little  compared  with  the  consolations  which  I  think  I  have 
a  right  to  draw  from  the  Scriptures.  I  am  very  sorry  your 
anxiety  should  have  been  increased  by  unskilful  medical 
practice,  but  I  have  followed  to  the  grave  four  of  my  own 
little  flock,  whom  the  skill  of  the  wisest  and  most  devoted 
physicians  could  not  save 

TO    DR.    EDWARD   HITCHCOCK. 

NEW  HAVEN,  July  27, 1825. 
MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  I  have  been  compelled  by  unavoidable 


138  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

a  to  delay  till  now  answering  your  letters  of  May 

i,l  July  \'2.     As  to  a  professorship,  my  impression  is 

that  if  your  duties  are  reasonable  in  extent,  and  your  com- 

;tion  such  as  to  excuse  you  from  the  necessity  of  doing 

,  duty  in  order  to  earn  money  to  live,  and  also  such  as 

to  permit  you  to  spend  your  vacations  in  recreation, — at 

lea-4  as  far  as  it  shall  prove  necessary, — that  then  your 

chance  for  lasting  would  be  as  fair  as  anywhere 

As  to  undertaking  a  course  of  chemical  demonstrations 
without  a  previous  apprenticeship  in  the  practical  part,  I 
must  say  that  I  think  you  would  meet  with  much  embarrass- 
ment, and  lose  much  time  and  expense  which  must  be  saved 
by  going  through  with  an  experienced  person,  and  your 
standard  of  excellence  would  probably  be  lower.  Should 
you  conclude  on  any  such  arrangement,  you  need  not  be 
assured  that  I  should  do  everything  in  my  power  to  aid  you. 
As  to  your  relation  to  your  people,  I  should  be  very  sorry 
to  do  anything  to  impair  the  cordiality  or  destroy  the 
permanency  of  a  connection,  which  I  understand  from  Mr. 
.Mnivy  and  others,  is  highly  useful  and  agreeable;  and  I 
should  hesitate  much  as  to  the  course  of  duty,  unless  there 
is  in 'ally  a  prospect  of  your  obtaining  better  health,  and 
moving  in  a  more  extensive  sphere  of  usefulness.  On  this 
topic  I  confess  myself  unable  to  form  a  decision.  I  believe 
your  services  particularly  valuable  in  your  parish,  and  in 
your  community,  especially  in  the  present  crisis  of  religious 
controversy.  I  do,  however,  believe  that  you  would  excel 
in  scientific  pursuits,  and  other  things  being  equal,  I  could 
wish  \ou  to  be  placed  in  a  situation  to  indulge  your  peculiar 
di-).»i ,'itienis  on  this  subject,  and  to  bring  your  peculiar 
powers  into  action.  Should  you  adopt  the  semi-agricultural 
plan,  and  the  semi-scientific,  I  would  most  cheerfully  aid 
in  promt  ing  a  proper  situation,  as  far  as  might  be  in 
my  .  . 

Hoping  that  your  health  may  soon  be  restored,  I  remain, 
nr,  with  the  best  wishes  for  your  welfare,  very 
••ly  your  friend. 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH   DR.  HITCHCOCK.        139 

TO    DR.   EDWARD    HITCHCOCK. 

NEW  HAVEN,  June  1, 1827. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  — I  am  very  glad  to  hear  that 

your  health  is  so  much  better ;  but  I  am  sure  that  you  could 
not  have  been  quite  done  over  at  New  Haven,  or  you  could 
never  have  written  that  energetic  description  of  weakness, 
and  drawn  that  animated  and  bright  picture  of  gloom  and 
darkness,  which  you  gave  us  in  the  "  Christian  Spectator." 
It  was  very  well  done,  but  it  almost  persuades  me  that  I 
was  only  a  borderer  upon  the  domain  of  dyspepsia,  and  that 
I  never  penetrated  into  the  heart  of  the  empire. 

TO    DR.    EDWARD    HITCHCOCK. 

NEW  HAVEN,  March  11, 1830. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  — I  only  glanced  at  Mr.  Stuart's 

geological  ^remarks.  My  previous  correspondence  with  him 
showed  me  how  poor  a  judge  he  is  of  such  matters,  and  I 
must  include  nearly  all  our  theological  gentlemen  here,  who 
discover  no  disposition  to  listen  to  reason  and  evidence  on 
this  subject. 

If  one  had  health  and  time,  it  might  be  well  to  open  the 
subject ;  but  I  have  not,  and  I  shall  only  talk  and  write  as 
I  think,  without  regard  to  the  obstinacy  of  those  who  will 
neither  listen  nor  learn.  I  should  be  very  glad  to  see  you 
engaged  with  them,  if  your  health  will  sustain  you,  but  I 
think  you  had  better  be  on  your  guard  till  you  are  firmer. 
I  see  nothing  of  Buckland's  second  volume.  I  am  greatly 
gratified  with  your  favorable  opinion  of  the  chemistry. 

TO    DR.    EDWARD    HITCHCOCK. 

NEW  HAVEN,  February  24, 1832. 

DEAR  SIR,  — I  am  glad  you  are  pleased  with 

Mr.  Whitney's  life  ;  *  much  more  might  have  been  said,  but 
enough  is  said  to  show  that  Mr.  Whitney  and  the  Cherokees 
received  very  similar  treatment ;  and  that  the  Georgia 

*  Mr.  Eli  Whitney,  inventor  of  the  cotton-gin.  —  F. 


140  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

!e  are  the  same  that  they  were  thirty  or  thirty -five 
As  to  Mr.  F.,  I  suppose  I  have  seen  what  you 
alluded  to, — a  foreign  criticism  written,  I  presume,  by  F. 
himself.  I  and  my  works  are  a  standing  topic  of  sneer  or 
attack  with  him,  but  he  has  the  game  all  to  himself,  as  I  do 
not  reply,  nor  do  I  feel  any  serious  interest  in  anything  he 
can  say  about  me. 

TO    DR.    EDWARD    HITCHCOCK. 

NEW  HAVEN,  August  6, 1835. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  I  am  much  gratified  that  you  are 
seriously  at  work  upon  the  turkey-tracks  or  bird-tracks  of 
whatever  kind  they  may  be,  and  you  may  rest  assured  that 
I  shall  publish  nothing  upon  the  subject  until  I  receive  it 
from  you.  I  will,  therefore,  expect  you  to  do  justice  to  Dr. 
I  Kane,  as  you  are  perfectly  acquainted  with  the  circum- 
;nd  if  you  see  Dr.  Deane,  I  will  thank  you  to 
intimate  to  him  what  I  have  just  said.  My  impressions  are 
"OMI;-  in  favor  of  the  genuineness  of  the  discovery, — 
judging  only  from  the  imperfect  copy  I  have  in  plaster,  — 
that  I  i'eel  exceedingly  desirous  to  have  the  matter  investi- 
gated, and  I  do  not  know  in  whose  hands  it  can  be  better 
placed. 

It  would  be  a  most  interesting  geological  conclusion  to 
>lish,  that  there  were  birds  at  so  early  an  era  as  the 
-undstone,  and  especially  that  turkeys  were  gobbling 
and  strutting  so  long  before  their  rival,  —  man. 

TO    DR.    EDWARD    HITCHCOCK. 

February  24,  1836. 

•  apprise  you  that  Professor  Kingsley,  having 

'>1r.  Stuart's  review  of  your  geological  discussions, 

it  once  that  the  learned  but  over  confident  and  vaunting 

theologue  had  laid  himself  open  to  an  unanswerable  reply, 

ail(l  •  '1  him  to  make  it.     lie  has  done  it  in  a 


CORRESPONDENCE   WITH   DR.  HITCHCOCK.         141 

masterly  manner,  and  with  his  characteristic  acumen.  The 
drift  of  the  argument  is  this :  Professor  Stuart  has  laid 
down  a  canon  of  criticism  which  he  has  not  in  a  single 
instance  applied  through  his  entire  voluminous  dissertation  ; 
had  he  applied  it  in  such  a.  manner  as  he  has  propounded 
it,  it  would  have  run  him  into  the  greatest  absurdities,  to 
avoid  which  he  has  himself  proceeded  upon  such  principles 
as,  if  followed  out,  would  allow  the  geologists  all  they  ask 

for There  will  still  be  time  for  you  to  say  that  you 

do  not  wish  these  criticisms  published,  provided  you  feel  so ; 
but  if  you  feel  as  I  do  that  it  is  something  to  have  gained 
to  our  cause  such  an  ally  as  Professor  Kingsley,  I  presume 
that  you  will  not  object,  especially  as  the  geological  ground 
is  all  left  open  to  you. 

FROM   DR.    EDWARD    HITCHCOCK. 

AMHERST,  August  16, 1836. 

I  CERTAINLY  feel  deeply  indebted  to  you  for  your 

open  and  generous  defence  of  my  ornithology.  I  hope  you 
have  not  thereby  incurred  the  hostility  of  any  whose  friend- 
ship is  valuable.  I  expected  that  my  article  on  that  sub- 
ject would  be  attacked  ;  and  I  can  only  say  that  my  wish 

is  that  all  assaults  may  be  as  futile  as  that  of  Mr.  C 

appears  to  me  to  be.     Dr.  P I  have  always  supposed 

regarded  me  rather  contemptuously,  and  I  doubt  not  but 
that,  apart  from  my  real  inferiority  and  inaccuracy,  there  is 
a  cause  why  he  should  not  like  me.  I  have  endeavored 
always  to  show  that  there  is  harmony  between  science  and 
revealed  religion,  and  1  have  no  doubt  but  he  supposes 
there  is  a  discrepancy.  In  spite  of  all  his  sneers  about  the 

bird-tracks,  however,  and  in  spite  of  Mr.  C 's  arguments, 

I  am  more  and  more  convinced  that  they  will  hold  their 
place.  My  strongest  wish  is  that  all  the  gentlemen  who 
are  sceptical  would  come  to  Amherst  and  look  at  my  speci- 
mens. Even  the  casts  which  I  have  sent  abroad  do  but 


142  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

very  poor  justice  to  the  originals  ;  or  rather  of  my  large  and 
satisfactory  specimens,  I  have  taken  no  casts.     I  wish 

that  you  could  see  them.     Can  it  be  that  Mr.  C feels 

injured  by  me  ?  A  few  years  ago  he  sent  me  some  facts  in 
relation  to  the  rocks  bordering  on  Massachusetts,  and,  if  I 
rightly  recollect,  I  never  replied  to  his  letter  on  account  of 
some  doubt  as  to  his  place  of  residence.  But  I  inserted 
nearly  all  of  his  letter  in  the  second  edition  of  my  report, 
(pp.  .'!.">•')  and  -110,)  with  as  handsome  a  bow  of  thanks  as  I 
could  make.  He  quotes,  I  see,  from  my  first  edition ;  does 
he  know  the  use  I  made  of  his  letter  ?  And  does  he  not 
feel  hurt  by  my  apparent  neglect?  I  have  sent  on  an 
answer  to  the  "  Knickerbocker,"  and  if  the  editors  do  not 
insert  it,  I  mean  to  get  it  into  some  widely  circulated  news- 
paper. I  have  made  up  my  mind  not  to  be  greatly  dis- 
turbed by  these  attacks,  unless  they  appear  to  me  more 

forcible  than  those  of  Professor  Stuart  and  Mr.  C .    I 

know  that  my  writings  abound  in  vulnerable  points,  and 
that  many  things  in  my  character,  habits,  and  connections, 
arc  well  calculated  to  stir  up  prejudice  and  invite  attack. 
rtheless,  I  am  determined  to  push  ahead,  though  in 
some  seasons  of  despondency  I  feel  inclined  strongly  to 
give  over  any  further  scientific  efforts.  But  so  long  as  you 
and  a  few  other  scientific  friends  shall  think  that  my  efforts 
d<»  any  good,  I  mean  to  hold  on,  if  life  and  strength  be 
spared 

FROM   DR.    EDWARD    HITCHCOCK. 

AMHERST,  March  12,  1837. 

I  THANK  you  for  your  rebuke  respecting  the 

•ualitics  in  my  writings.     Let  the  righteous  smite  me: 

it  shall  be  a  kindness  ;  and  let  him  reprove  me;  it  shall  be 

•'••llfni  «fl  which  shall  not  break  my  head.     I  confess 

n «it  aware  that  the  fault  which  you  mention  was  one 

lich  I  am  particularly  prone;  but  this  is  no  proof  that 

J  am  not.     I  wish,  however,  to  make  a  few  remarks  upon 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITII   DR.   HITCHCOCK.         143 

the  two  cases  which  you  mention  ;  and,  though  they  may 
not  justify  me,  perhaps  they  may  be  some  palliation  of  my 
offence.  In  the  first  place,  I  have  never  written  anything 
with  more  reluctance  than  the  censure  which  I  wrote  upon 
Dr.  Macctilloch  and  Mr.  Lyell.  The  writings  of  the  for- 
mer have  always  been  studied  by  me  with  great  pleasure 
and  profit,  and  even  when  I  saw  the  exhibition  of  a  spirit 
not  only  unchristian,  but  unmanly,  I  coupled  my  reproof  of 
it  with  one  of  the  highest  compliments  I  could  pay  him,  by 
comparing  his  work  to  the  "Principia"  of  Newton.  Mr. 
Sedgwick,  as  President  of  the  London  Geological  Society, 
expressed  as  severe  a  censure  upon  him  as  I  did,  without 
any  compliment.  And  as  to  Mr.  Lyell,  I  had  studied  his 
works  with  great  profit ;  and  I  knew,  too,  that  he  was 
President  of  the  Geological  Society,  and  possessed  of  great 
influence  ;  so  that,  if  my  remarks  should  ever  reach  him, 
they  would  not  only  cast  me  out  from  his  favor,  but  also, 
probably,  from  the  good  opinion  of  nearly  all  the  distin- 
guished geologists  of  Great  Britain.  Nevertheless,  I  have 
always  tried  to  make  it  my  rule  of  action  not  to  let  private 
and  personal  considerations  prevent  me  from  a  decided 
vindication  of  revealed  religion  from  all  covert  or  open 
attacks.  I  have 'sometimes  gone  further,  —  perhaps  un- 
wisely. By  no  scientific  man  in  our  country  have  I  been 
treated  with  greater  courtesy  and  respect  than  by  Dr. 
Cooper.  Yet,  knowing  his  hostility  to  religion,  I  could 
not  in  conscience  let  a  fair  opportunity  pass,  that  presented 
itself,  of  avowing  my  reliance  on  a  crucified  Saviour,  and 
of  kindly  expressing  my  regret  that  he — just  on  the  bor- 
ders of  eternity  —  should  not  have  such  a  rock  to  rest 
upon.  The  consequence  was,  as  I  expected,  that  all  inter- 
course between  us  has  been  suspended.  But  my  conscience 
is  quite  at  rest  on  the  subject.  On  the  same  principle,  in 
the  same  paper  that  contains  my  remarks  upon  Mr.  Lyell, 
I  have  censured  much  more  decidedly  the  anti-christian 
sentiments  of  M.  Boue,  President  of  the  Geological  So- 


144  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   SILLIMAN. 

ciety  of  France.*  I  know  that  it  may  seern  presumptuous 
for  an  obscure  individual  to  assail  men  in  such  high  places. 
Hut,  in  relation  to  those  who  seem  to  me  to  assail  Chris- 
tianity my  motto  has  always  been,  "  Tros  Tyrinsque,  mihi 
nullo  discrimine  agetur." 

TO   DR.    EDWARD    HITCHCOCK. 

NEW  HAVEN,  March  17, 1837. 

IN  all  your  principles  of  action  avowed  in  your 

letter  I  entirely  agree ;  and  Drs.  Cooper  and  Bone  richly 
deserved  the  protest  you  entered  against  them.  I  thought, 
however,  that  the  evidence  ought  to  be  much  stronger  to 
justify  placing  Mr.  Lyell  in  the  same  company,  and  partic- 
ularly with  the  aspect  given  to  his  character  and  mind.  I 
have  not  yet  examined  his  last  edition,  and  cannot  say 
whether  your  impressions  would  be  strengthened  or  not 
by  the  perusal. 

1  also  have  the  happiness  to  reckon  some  of  my  best 
friends  among  the  clergy,  and  I  believe,  with  you,  if  they 
were  masters  of  our  subject,  they  would  think  as  we  do. 
Some  of  them  are  candid  and  forbearing ;  others  find  no 
insuperable  difficulties  ;  others  are  silent  because  they  feel 
that  they  do  not  understand  the  matter  ;  but  a  few  are 
loud,  confident,  and  uncharitable,  while  it  is  obvious  that 
they  know  not  whereof  they  affirm.  I  think  you  have  si- 
lenced one  of  this  class,  —  at  least  you  and  my  colleague, 
Professor  Kingslcy  ;  but  I  see  strong  marks  of  a  settled 
purpose;  on  the  part  of  some  to  hold  no  terms  with  geology, 
and  to  insist  upon  the  literal  and  limited  understanding  of 
the  history;  but  they  will  find  themselves  deserted,  for  the 
r  will  in  time  come  right. 

1  i;<>M     Mil.    EDWARD    HITCHCOCK. 

AMHKRST,  April  11, 1837. 
HAVE  you  read  Dr.  Wiseman's  work,  just  pub- 

*  I>r    "ii.-li sk*«  imlavoralilc,  impressions  in  respect  to  Mr.  Lyell's  re- 
ligions opinions  wore  modified  or  removed,  as  appears  from  a  subsequent 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  HITCHCOCK.         145 

lished  at  Andover,  on  the  connection  of  science  and  re- 
ligion ?  It  ought  to  shame  those  Protestant  divines  (he 
is  Catholic)  who  are  battling  the  geologists.  It  is  said  that 
Professor  Stuart  was  highly  pleased  with  the  work,  and  yet 
the  author  falls  in  with  the  views  of  geologists  respecting 
the  age  of  the  world.  I  am  satisfied  with  you  that  some  of 
our  theologians  are  determined  to  wage  everlasting  war 
with  geology  ;  but  calm  argument,  and  such  works  as  that 
of  Dr.  Buckland,  will  silence  if  they  do  not  satisfy  them.  .  . 

TO    DR.    EDWARD    HITCHCOCK. 

NEW  HAVEN,  April  15, 1837. 

DR.  WISEMAN'S  book  I  have  read,  and  you 

will  observe  that  I  have  inserted  a  short  notice  of  it  in  the 
April  number  of  the  Journal ;  it  was  written  by  my  son, 
but  expresses  my  own  opinion.  It  was  my  intention  to 
review  Buckland,  and,  in  connection  with  him,  to  present 
our  case  forcibly  but  decorously  to  the  public. 

As  you  say,  I  would  be  calm,  but  always  respectful ;  but 
I  am  less  disposed  than  ever  to  shrink  from  this  conflict ; 
it  must  be  sustained  until  the  truth  is  triumphant. 

That  these  subjects  are  of  some  interest  to  our  country, 
may  perhaps  appear  from  my  having  been  invited  this 
season  in  form  to  New  Orleans,  Cincinnati,  Syracuse,  and 
Bridgeport ;  and  I  understand  New  York  is  about  to  speak 
again  through  the  Mercantile  Library  Association.  . 

TO    DR.    EDWARD    HITCHCOCK. 

NEW  HAVEN,  April  29, 1840. 

I  HAD  not  heard  of  the  New  York  incubation. 

You  and  I  know  that  any  attempt  to  impair  geological  evi- 
dence, or  to  reconcile  it  with  the  popular  view  of  time, 
must  be  abortive.  No  matter  how  violent  or  bitter  our 
assailant  may  be,  doubtless  he  will  be  more  so  in  propor- 
tion to  his  ignorance  of  geology  and  to  the  strength  of  his 

VOL.   II.  10 


146  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

prejudices.  We  can  have  no  occasion  to  fear  such  an  at- 
tack, and  must  judge  when  the  work  appears  whether  it  is 
worthy  of  a  reply. 

TO    DR.    EDWARD    HITCHCOCK 

NEW  HA  VEX,  May  25, 1841. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  Before  yours  of  the  20th  arrived,  I  had 
already  laid  out,  to  go  by  Mr.  Shepard,  Agassiz's  plates  of 
the  glaciers,  and  also  the  plates  of  several  other  of  the 

works  of  the  same  author I  confess  myself  unable 

as  yet  to  give  an  opinion  worthy  of  your  attention  on  the 
theory  of  Agassiz.  Dr.  Mantell  writes  me  that  it  has  a 
great  run  among  the  geologists,  but  he  thinks  they  have 
too  eagerly  jumped  to  a  conclusion,  and  evidently  holds 
back.  I  shall  study  it  as  soon  as  possible,  but  —  my  time  — • 
my  time  !  I  have  just  taken  up  my  pen  again  after  an  in- 
terruption of  five  or  six  hours  by  a  succession  of  strangers. 
irn  your  proof,  altering  only  one  word.  I  am  glad  that 
Mr.  Lvell  stands  acquitted  of  infidelity.  You  may  remem- 
ber I  did  not  judge  him  quite  so  unfavorably  as  you  did. 

• 

TO    DR.    EDWARD    HITCHCOCK. 

NEW  HA  VEX,  October  13,  1855. 

I  ADMIRE  your  courage  in  securing  that  grand 

specimen  from  Turner's  Falls,  and  I  hope  one  day  to  see  it, 
and.  perhaps,  other  acquisitions.  Should  our  early  conclu- 
sions Ix-  subverted,  and  should  we  be  drawn  from  an  aviary 
into  a  frog-pond,  we  must  even  submit  and  agree  to  croak, 
if  wo  may  not  cackle  or  crow.  Fiat  verifas !  We  were 
much  amused  by  Professor  Shcpard's  brilliant  thought, 
wheivliy,  :ils«,.  liiuurs  a  tail,  —  of  a  reptile  if  not  of  a  struthi- 

!>ird  or  other  bird  that  wore  a  tail Need  we 

up  the  birds?  To  my  eye,  many  —  very  many  —  of 
the  impressions  appear  as  indubitably  ornithic  as  tracks  of 
Indubitable  living  birds,  made  yesterday  in  clay  or  mud,  and 
80  said  t!  ,  I  unprejudiced  I 'resident  Day,  when  he 


LETTERS   TO  REV.  GARDINER    SPRING,  D.  D.       147 

first  saw  your  collection  many  years  ago.     Has  any  reptile 
three  toes  ?     Has  any  reptile  four  ? 

The  courtesy  which  Professor  Silliman  continued 
to  show  toward  clerical  sceptics  respecting  geolog- 
ical truth,  even  long  after  the  main  conclusions  of 
geology  had  been  generally  accepted  among  edu- 
cated men,  is  illustrated  in  the  following  letters  ad- 
dressed to  the  venerable  Dr.  Spring,  with  whom  he 
had  previously  conferred  on  this  subject. 

TO    REV.  GARDINER    SPRING,   D.  D. 

NEW  HAVEN,  July  24, 1854. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  The  enclosed  little  tract  was  written 
fifteen  years  ago,  and  contains  only  an  extremely  condensed 
statement  of  facts  regarding  the  structure  and  age  of  the 
earth,  and  it  has  been  confirmed  more  and  more  by  subse- 
quent observations  and  discoveries. 

Should  you  find  an  unoccupied  hour  in  which  to  give  it 
a  perusal,  you  will  perceive  that  the  conclusions  of  geology 
are  the  result  of  extended  and  honest  investigation.  In 
these  conclusions,  as  regards  the  extent  and  order  of  time, 
all  geologists  agree,  whatever  hypotheses  may  have  been 
put  forth  by  individuals  upon  particular  subjects.  This 
little  tract  formed  a  preface  to  an  edition,  which  I  published, 
of  Dr.  Mantell's  "  Wonders  of  Geology  "  ;  it  falls  very  far 
short  of  a  full  presentation  of  the  facts,  of  which  another 
tract  of  mine  contains  a  more  ample  statement ;  but  the 
perusal  of  this  might  impose  too  heavy  a  tax  on  your  time. 
Could  I  speak  to  you  during  the  twenty-five  daily  lectures 
which  (D.  V.)  I  expect  to  give  in  May  next,  (my  conclud- 
ing course,)  with  the  aid  of  numerous  fine  drawings  and  all 
requisite  specimens,  I  trust  I  could  convince  you  that  geol- 
ogy is  not  a  dream,  and  that  as  believed  and  taught  by  re- 
ligious men  of  competent  attainments,  it  presents  a  demon- 


148  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

stration  of  the  truth  of  the  Mosaic  history,  which  nothing 
.111  afford. 

however,  you  cannot,  even  if  disposed,  give  me  the 
opportunity  of  laying  the  evidence  fully  before  you,  I  can- 
xpect  to  convince  you  by  the  few  pages  which  I  now 
send ;  but  they  may  serve  to  vindicate  me  from  the  appear- 
ance of  arrogance  and  presumption  in  the  hasty  and  rather 
abrupt  remarks  with  which  our  interview  in  the  "  War 
Kaijr  "  terminated.  I  have  no  sympathy  with  the  specula- 
tions to  which  you  then  alluded. 

With  the  Bible  in  my  hands,  and  the  world  before  me,  I 
think  I  perceive  a  perfect  harmony  between  science  and 
;iled  religion,  and  it  is  still  more  ably  sustained  in  the 
late  work  of  Sir  David  Brewster  *  on  the  "  Plurality  of 
Worlds."  which  you  have  doubtless  seen.  When  we  parted, 
you  justly  remarked  that  truth  is  our  common  object.  It 
cannot  be  doubted  that  there  is  a  perfect  harmony  between 
the  works  and  the  word  of  God.  It  is  devoutly  to  be  de- 
sin  d  th;it  this  harmony  should  be  perceived  and  acknowl- 
(1  by  all  the  friends  of  truth  ;  and  it  is  my  mature  con- 
viction that  a  full  and  just  comprehension  of  the  works  as 
well  as  the  word  of  God,  will  conduct  all  honest  and  intel- 
ligent minds  to  the  same  conclusion. 

With  high  respect,  and  the  most  agreeable  recollections 
of  our  late  protracted  interview,  I  remain,  my  dear  sir, 
with  kind  regard. 

Truly  your  friend  and  servant, 

B.  SILLIMAN. 

TO    T1IK    REV.    GARDINER    SPRING,    D.  D. 

NEW  HAVEN,  September  10, 1854. 

MY  MM:  SIK,  —  I  ought,  ere  this,  to  have  thanked  you 
•ur  very  kind  letter  of  July  26,  in  reply  to  my  note  of 

i»l  tor  science  and  piety.     In  my  youth  I  en- 
•  i!  acquaintance,  and  have  corresponded  with 
;nce. 


LETTERS  TO  REV.  GARDINER  SPRING,  D.  D.        149 

the  24th  with  the  accompanying  tract  I  am  glad  to  be  in 
possession  of  your  views,  conveyed  as  they  are  with  Chris- 
tian fidelity  and  gentlemanly  courtesy. 

I  have,  elsewhere,  given  my  reasons  for  believing  that  we 
are  acquainted  with  the  physical  materials  of  the  earth  to  a 
great  and  unassignable  depth,  and  with  its  arrangement  far 
below  the  deepest  seated  record  of  life.  "  The  scratch  of 
a  needle  upon  the  varnish  of  an  artificial  globe,"  conveys 
only  a  very  erroneous  and  inadequate  impression. 

Omitting  the  consideration  of  the  great  physical  powers 
that  have  wrought  out  the  present  mineral  condition  of  the 
planet,  we  have  ascertained  the  point  in  the  strata  beneath 
which  no  record  of  life  appears,  —  the  date,  therefore,  at 
which  life  began,  and  above  which  the  progress  of  the  crea- 
tion of  animated  beings  is  fully  recorded  in  strata  of  miles 
in  depth,  commencing  with  the  earliest  marine  animals  and 
marine  plants,  and  proceeding  upward  in  stratigraphical 
order,  and  downward  in  time,  through  all  the  varieties  of 
ancient  life,  until  we  arrive  at  the  human  era  when  man 
first  appeared  on  earth. 

It  is  in  perusing  this  record,  so  distinct,  so  full,  and  so 
orderly,  that  the  geologist  arrives  at  the  inevitable  conclu- 
sion, that  all  the  time  necessary  to  these  successive  crea- 
tions, and  to  the  growth  and  action  and  sepulture  of  these 
millions  of  millions  of  beings,  was  actually  allowed,  along 
with  that  requisite  for  the  deposition  of  the  universal  mat- 
ter in  which  these  venerable  relics  are  enclosed. 

This  exegesis  of  life  in  the  planet  is  no  doubt  consistent 
with  that  of  the  sacred  record,  and  this  I  endeavored  to 
prove  *  many  years  ago,  when,  so  far  as  I  know  to  do  good, 
I  endeavored  to  do  it,  and  thus  to  vindicate  myself  from 
the  sin  of  omission. 

In  these  few  remarks,  my  dear  sir,  it  is  not  my  intention 
to  enter  on  discussion,  but  simply  to  state  the  case  as  it 
exists  in  my  own  mind,  and  there  for  the  present  to  leave 

*  In  a  full  appendix  to  Bakewell's  Geology,  New  Haven  edition,  1839. 


150  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

it.  Should  I  hereafter  have  an  opportunity  to  present  to 
you  a  selection  of  the  proofs,  I  would  then  leave  it  with 
your  own  enlightened,  honest,  and  honorable  mind. 

Mis.  Silliinan  unites  in  kindest  regards  to  Mrs.  Spring 
and  yourself  with,  my  dear  sir,  yours. 

Very  truly  and  respectfully, 

B.  SILLIMAN. 

Professor  Silliman  had  been  in  .correspondence 
with  Professor  Agassiz  long  before  the  latter  had 
formed  the  plan  of  visiting  the  United  States.  Pro- 
fessor Silliman  was  wont  to  say  that  of  his  foreign 
correspondents,  it  was  Agassiz  and  Mantell  that 
"  showed  heart  as  well  as  head."  The  early  recog- 
nition of  the  scientific  labors  of  Agassiz,  which 
reached  him  "in  the  midst  of  his  native  mountains," 
from  a  source  so  remote,  was  most  grateful  to  his 
feelings. 

The  letters  of  Mr.  Agassiz  are  here  presented  in 
translations. 

FROM   PROFESSOR   AGASSIZ. 

SIR,  —  While  spending  some  days  this  summer  with  Dr. 
Manh-11  at  Brighton,  I  begged  him  to  send  you  the  two 
first  volumes  of  my  researches  on  fossil  fishes.  I  was  then 
t«.o  much  occupied  with  the  examination  of  the  magnificent 
cnMrrtioii  of  your  friend,  whom  I  have  now  the  pleasure  of 
counting  anum^  mine,  to  add  to  the  parcel  in  writing  what 
[  should  like  to  say  to  you, —  but  the  distance  which  sepa- 

U  is  ton  great  for  me  to  think  of  that. 

To-day  I  send  you  the  third  volume  of  my  work.     You 

kunw  BO  \\cll  how  few  resources  the  literature  of  this  de- 

"f  natural  history  affords  us,  that  I  can  but  hope 

reception  of  my  essay  in  your  country.    You 

would  oblige  me  greatly  by  giving  a  little  analysis  of  it  in 


LETTERS  FROM  PROFESSOR  AGASSIZ.  151 

your  Journal.  The  preface  will  give  you  the  most  concise 
resume  of  what  I  have  done,  and  the  results  I  have  obtained. 
A  journey  in  England  this  year  has  added  largely  to  the 
number  of  species  which  I  knew,  and  which  now  reaches 
eight  hundred.  I  should  be  greatly  interested  also  to  learn 
more  of  the  fossil  fishes  of  America,  which  I  find  noticed 
in  the  "Manuals  of  Geology,"  and  respecting  some  of  which 
your  Journal  has  given  us  valuable  information.  For  a  long 
time  I  have  thus  found  myself  connected  with  you,  but  this 
is  the  only  connection  I  have  with  America,  and  I  should 
think  myself  very  fortunate  if  this  intellectual  exchange 
should  become  more  intimate  and  direct.  I  should  like 
especially  to  ask  you  for  some  details  as  to  the  discoveries 
on  the  subject  of  fossil  fishes  brought  to  light  by  the  active 
geological  researches  of  the  past  year.  If  on  my  part  I  can 
be  of  any  service  to  you  in  the  little  corner  where  I  dwell, 
I  pray  you  to  make  use  of  me.  A  few  months  ago,  Mr. 
Studer  at  last  published  his  Geology  of  the  Bernese  Alps. 
It  is  an  important  addition  to  general  geology,  on  account 
of  the  new  and  curious  facts  which  it  contains.  Are  you 
already  acquainted  with  it  ?  Even  our  Jura  chain  acquires 
a  new  interest  for  geological  theories  since  we  have  dis- 
covered over  a  large  area  soils  of  the  lower  cretaceous  for- 
mation, resting  upon  the  upper  rocks  of  the  Jura.  It  is  very 
singular  that  the  rocks  which  have  given  their  name  to  the 
whole  formation,  have  now  an  exceptional  character,  and 
that  their  equivalents  are  found  so  far  from  the  surface  of 
our  globe,  with  a  very  similar  paleontological  character.  I 
know,  for  example,  several  species  of  squalus,  whose  teeth 
are  found  at  Brighton,  in  Belgium,  the  environs  of  Paris, 
Bohemia,  in  Westphalia,  in  Switzerland,  and  in  America. 
The  study  of  fossils  has  made  such  rapid  progress  in  your 
country,  that  we  on  the  Continent  find  great  trouble  in  fol- 
lowing you,  especially  when,  like  myself,  deprived  of  books, 
and  obliged  once  a  year  to  go  to  the  large  cities  to  read 
them.  My  intention  is  to  return  to  England  next  year,  and 


152  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

I  hope  the  reunion  at  Dublin  may  draw  you,  too,  there. 
eld  initial  it  would  be  to  me  to  make  your  personal 
acquaintance  there.  If  you  had  by  that  time  made  a  collec- 
ion  of  fossil  fishes,  I  am  convinced  that  it  would  greatly 
inteiv>t  English  naturalists,  and  in  bringing  such  an  one 
with  you.  you  would  not  only  oblige  him  who  has  the  honor 
to  writr  you,  but  also  the  whole  geological  section.  I  should 
not  have  taken  the  liberty  to  make  this  proposition  to  you, 
it'  Dr.  Muntell  had  not  promised  to  write  to  you  on  the  same 
subject,  and  he  did  not  doubt  for  an  instant  that  your  coun- 
trymen would  emulate  one  another  in  favoring  my  research- 
es, as  the  English  geologists  have  done.  If  you  would  like 
the  Swiss  fossils,  especially  of  Jura,  and  do  not  fear  the  cost 
of  transportation,  ask  them  from  me  without  hesitation. 

Receive,  sir,  the  assurance  of  my  high  consideration,  and 
believe  me,  your  devoted  servant, 

L.  AGASSIZ. 

NKI  SWITZERLAND, 

Jiiininri/  <i,  1835. 

My  third  volume  forms  a  parcel  which  will  reach  you,  I 
hope,  soon  after  my  letter. 

FROM   PROFESSOR   AGASSIZ. 

Ymi;  pleasant  letter  was  forwarded  to  me  from  Paris, 
during  the  month  of  May,  by  Mr.  St.  John,  announcing 
that  1  should  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  him  at  my  home 
in  the  course  of  the  summer.  Mr.  St.  John  did  indeed 

to  Xeufehatel,  but  unfortunately  during  the  few  weeks 
when  I  was  absent,  so  that  I  did  not  have  the  pleasure  of 
•bowing  him  how  pleasant  it  would  be  to  me  to  receive  any 

itioduced  by  you.  I  hope  to  be  more  fortunate  in  the 
future 

I  have  seen  with  pleasure  that  your  countrymen  manifest 

So  diligent  an  attendance  on  the 

Audience  so  numerous  as  yours  does  them  credit, 

while  it  is  at  the  same  time  the  highest  compliment  to  the 


LETTERS  FROM  PROFESSOR  AGASSIZ.  153 

talent  of  the  Professor.  I  feel  much  flattered  that  you  can, 
under  such  circumstances,  remember  my  work  on  fossil 
fishes.  You  must  accept,  my  dear  sir,  my  sincere  thanks, 
also,  for  the  trouble  that  you  have  taken,  and  may  still  take, 
to  procure  subscriptions  for  me.  I  do  not  despair  of  being 
able  some  day  to  testify  my  gratitude  to  you  personally.  A 
fortnight  ago  I  finished  the  eighth  and  ninth  volumes,  — 
perhaps  they  are  already  in  your  possession.  I  doubt  not 
that  you  have  received  the  seventh  also,  though  you  do  not 
mention  it  in  your  letter.  As  to  the  third,  that  you  wrote 
me  had  not  reached  you,  I  shall  hasten  to  send  it  to  you, 
but  I  must  first  let  you  know  that  it  has  appeared  without 
text,  so  that  if  you  have  the  plates  the  work  is  complete. 
Will  you  write  me,  if  you  please,  on  this  subject,  so  that  I 
can  send  you  that  which  is  wanting. 

Mr.  Redfield,  member  of  the  Lyceum  of  Natural  History 
in  New  York,  has  been  kind  enough  to  send  me  this  spring 
his  paper  on  fossil  fishes,  which  he  has  described  and 
determined  with  uncommon  talent.  It  is,  without  doubt, 
the  same  that  you  mention.  For  the  sake  of  science,  it  is 
greatly  to  be  wished  that  this  skilful  naturalist  should  con- 
tinue his  researches,  which  seem  to  me  destined  to  throw 
great  light  on  the  relative  ages  of  the  soils  of  Europe 
and  America.  I  am  at  present  occupied  with  a  detailed 
description  of  the  Echinoderms.  I  should  be  infinitely 
obliged  to  you,  if  possessing  or  being  able  to  dispose  of 
any  remarkable  species  not  yet  described  of  these  animals 
either  living  or  fossil,  you  would  have  the  kindness  to  send 
them  to  me.  I  would  endeavor  to  keep  them  as  little 
while  as  possible,  and  to  preserve  them  from  every  sort  of 
injury. 

NEUFCHATEL,  12th  November,  1837. 

FROM   PROFESSOR   AGASSIZ. 

MY  HONORED  FRIEND,  —  I  received  some  time  ago  the 
numbers  of  your  Journal  which  were  wanting,  and  it  has 


154  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

given  me  great  pleasure.  I  attach  great  value  to  this  pub- 
on,  which  appears  to  me  to  be  edited  in  a  perfect  man- 
ner ;  and  since  you  are  kind  enough  to  offer  to  send  me  the 
whole  series,  I  am  not  afraid  to  confess  that  by  so  doing 
YOU  will  render  me  a  great  service.  Perhaps,  my  dear  sir, 
I  am  trespassing  on  your  goodness,  the  more  that  I  have 
not  yet  been  able  to  find  the  opportunity  to  prove  to  you 
how  much  I  appreciate  the  interest  you  have  felt  for  me  ; 
but  I  hope  you  will  always  make  free  use  of  me,  if  I  can  be 

of  service  to  you  in  any  way 

Already,  my  dear  sir,  you  have  had  the  kindness  to 
remember  me  in  the  number  before  the  last  of  your  Journal, 
and  while  owning  that  I  do  not  merit  the  too  flattering 
praises  which  you  bestow  on  me,  I  hasten  to  express  to  you 
my  sincere  gratitude  for  the  warmth  with  which  you  have 

made  me  known  to  your  countrymen For  several 

years  I  have  calculated  the  possibilities  of  my  making  a 
tour  in  America,  for  I  must  say  to  you  that  I  have  the 
greatest  desire  to  see  that  country,  and  to  make  your  per- 
sonal acquaintance.  Up  to  this  time  my  publications  have 
not  left  me  the  leisure.  I  close,  begging  you  to  remember 
me  to  Mr.  IJcdlidd,  who  I  hope  pursues  with  zeal  his 
paleontological  investigations,  and  I  expect  from  them 
great  results.  In  the  hope  that  you  will  send  me  news  of 
yourself  soon,  I  beg  you  to  believe  me  always, 

Your  devoted, 

L.  AGASSIZ. 

BL,  nth  November,  1838. 

FROM   PROFESSOR   AGASSIZ. 

MY  work  on  glaciers,  I  think,  of  all  my  writings, 

is  tin-    <me  which  will  excite    the   most  general  interest, 

lafly  rince  the  discovery  I  have  recently  made  during 

leveral  months  in  England,  of  their  existence 

••  extended  scale  through  all  the  mountain  chains  of 

Scotland,  Ireland,  and  England,  — a  discovery  which  fully 


LETTERS  FROM  PROFESSOR  AGASSIZ.  155 

confirms  my  theory.  The  English  journals  will,  without 
doubt,  have  informed  you  in  regard  to  it.  The  "  Athenaeum," 
and  the  "  Literary  Gazette,"  have  given  a  detailed  account 
of  my  observations  on  the  subject,  and  those  also  of  Dr. 
Buckland  and  Mr.  Lyell.  It  is  highly  imp9rtant  that 
American  geologists  should  study  attentively  the  analogous 
phenomena  which  America  presents. 

Your  very  devoted  servant, 

L.  AGASSIZ. 

NEUFCHA.TEL,  8th  February,  1841. 

FROM   PROFESSOR   AGASSIZ. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  The  serious  illness  of  the  Prince  of 
Canino,  has  obliged  him  to  give  up  the  idea  of  a  journey  to 
the  United  States,  and  came  near  forcing  me  to  renounce 
mine  also.  But  the  works  of  the  American  naturalists, 
which  I  have  studied  for  several  years,  have  inspired  me 
with  so  great  a  desire  to  see  your  courttry,  that  it  would 
have  cost  me  much  to  give  up  the  plan.  Your  letter  had 
increased  my  desire  still  more,  but  the  necessary  resources 
were  wanting  to  undertake  so  long  a  journey,  when  through 
the  recommendation  of  M.  Humboldt,  his  Highness  the 
King  of  Prussia  has  put  it  within  my  power  to  realize  my 
plans,  and  instead  of  going  merely  to  pass  some  months 
in  your  country,  I  shall  be  enabled  to  extend  my  stay  in 
America  to  nearly  two  years.  It  is  a  great  pleasure  to  me ; 
and  I  rejoice  greatly  in  the  prospect  of  passing  so  long  a 
time  in  the  midst  of  men  whose  learning  and  activity  I  have 
learned  to  appreciate,  and  to  profit  by  the  numerous  oppor- 
tunities I  shall  have  to  extend  my  acquaintance.  But  you 
know,  my  dear  sir,  one  cannot  leave  one's  home  for  two 
years  without  having  to  put  many  things  in  order,  and  it 
has  been  these  preparations  which  have  hindered  my  depar- 
ture until  now.  I  have  even  determined  to  finish  all  my 
works,  which  I  have  commenced  to  print,  before  starting. 
Now  that  I  have  almost  accomplished  this  work,  I  wish  to 


156  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   SILLIMAX. 

look  over  our  collections  a  little,  before  leaving  Neufchatel, 

so  as  to  be  well  prepared  to  compare  our  European  fauna 

and  the  fossils  of  our  region  with  those  of  America.    I  shall 

still  continue  this  same  work  in  Paris  and  London  for  some 

cs,  so  that  I  do  not  expect  to  arrive  in  the  United 

fore  the  month  of  February  or  March.     In  the 

mean  time  I  will  send  to  you  a  package  containing  all  that 

I  have  published  since  I  had  the  honor  of  sending  you  my 

last  publications. 

After  having  finished  these  numerous  works  in  the  study, 
I  have  truly  need  to  replenish  myself  anew  in  the  fields, 
and  I  hope  to  reap  a  rich  harvest  in  your  country.  I  know 
not  how  to  thank  you  enough,  my  dear  sir,  for  all  the  in- 
formation you  have  taken  the  trouble  to  send  me ;  it  has 
already  been  of  great  use  to  me  in  preparing  myself  for 
such  a  journey,  and  will  still  serve  me  as  a  guide  on  my 
arrival  in  your  country,  where  I  have  no  relations  nor  ac- 
quaintance among  men  of  science,  and  only  a  few  coun- 
trymen engaged  in  business,  whom  I  know  for  the  most 
part  only  by  name.  You  are  the  only  person  in  the  United 
States  with  whom  I  maintain  a  correspondence.  I  wrote 
once  to  Mr.  Ilaldeman,  and  once  to  Mr.  Gould,  without 
receiving  any  reply  from  the  latter.  So  that  really  without 
your  directions  I  should  be  extremely  embarrassed  on  my 
arrival,  for  though  I  know  the  names  of  quite  a  number  of 
your  savans  whose  papers  I  have  read,  I  am  ignorant  of 
their  residence.  I  will  follow  your  advice  in  regard  to  the 
collodions  which  I  shall  bring  with  me.  The  duplicates 
which  I  hold  as  exchanges  will  remain  for  the  most  part  in 
the  hands  of  a  friend,  who  will  forward  them  as  fast  as  I 
nerd  thrni.  All  that  you  say  to  me  of  American  naturalists 
and  oi-  their  kindness,  enchants  me,  and  the  time  spent 
Mnerica  will  surely  be  to  me  one  of  the  happiest  and 
instructive  epochs  of  my  life.  While  anticipating  the 
UW  ««f  takin-  you  by  the  hand,  permit  me,  my  dear  sir, 
to  r'  y  thanks,  and  the  assurance  of  my  entire 


LETTERS  FROM  PROFESSOR  AGASSIZ.  157 

devotion,  and  be  good  enough  to  present  my  warm  greetings 
to  your  son. 

L.  AGASSIZ. 
NEUFCHATEL,  20th  October,  1845. 

FROM   PROFESSOR   AGASSIZ. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  In  a  few  days  I  leave  Neufchatel  for 
Paris,  where  I  shall  remain  some  weeks,  before  crossing 
to  England,  which  I  shall  not  leave  for  the  United  States 
probably  before  the  month  of  April,  desiring  to  thoroughly 
inform  myself  of  all  that  is  new  amongst  us  in  the  domain 
of  natural  science,  before  leaving  for  a  long  time  our  old 
Europe.  It  would  be  difficult  for  me  to  say  to  you  how 
much  I  anticipate  seeing  you,  and  making  the  personal  ac- 
quaintance of  all  the  distinguished  savans  of  your  country, 
whose  works  I  have  recently  carefully  studied.  There  is  in 
the  prodigious  activity  of  the  Americans  something  intoxi- 
cating, which  has  inspired  me  ;  and  I  already  feel  my  youth 
renewed  in  the  anticipated  contact  with  the  noted  men  of 
your  young  and  glorious  republic.  I  am  infinitely  obliged 
to  you  for  all  the  valuable  information  you  have  given  me, 
and  which  will  be  very  useful  to  me  on  my  arrival  in  Bos- 
ton or  New  York.  I  cannot  yet  tell  you  precisely  the  time 
of  my  departure,  nor  whether  I  shall  come  to  New  York 
or  Boston.  My  decision  will  depend  on  the  time  I  am 
obliged  to  spend  in  Paris  and  London.  If  my  departure 
should  be  postponed  till  the  fine  weather,  I  should  prefer 
to  make  the  passage  in  a  sailing  vessel,  so  as  to  make  some 
observations  on  the  sea  and  its  inhabitants ;  if  I  am  ready 
before,  I  shall  choose  the  steamer  from  Liverpool,  so  as  to 
shorten  the  passage  in  bad  weather.  In  either  case  I  will 
inform  you  of  my  departure  as  soon  as  it  is  irrevocably  de- 
cided upon ;  and  my  first  thought  on  arriving  will  be  to 
take  you  warmly  by  the  hand,  and  thank  you  sincerely  for 
all  your  kindness  to  me. 

As  you  know  better  than  I  what  is  best  adapted  to  your 


158  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

country,  I  leave  it  to  you  to  judge  of  the  propriety  of  an- 
nouncing my  arrival  in  your  Journal,  and  to  do  so  in  the 
form  most  appropriate  to  the  circumstances  in  which  I  find 
If.  and  which  I  will  again  briefly  detail  to  you.  Know- 
in «;  the  great  desire  that  I  had  to  visit  your  country,  and 
the  impossibility  of  doing  it  at  my  own  expense,  his  Excel- 
lency the  Huron  cle  Ilumboldt,  who  has  always  treated  me 
as  a  friend,  and  whose  good  counsels  have  been  to  me  like 
those  of  a  father,  proposed  to  the  King  of  Prussia  to  give 
me  the  necessary  funds  for  the  journey,  which  his  Majesty 
granted  to  me  in  the  most  generous  manner,  in  furnishing 
me  with  a  sum  sufficient  for  a  journey  of  two  years,  if 
travelling  alone.  However,  desiring  to  profit  by  this  op- 
portunity to  gatner  as  much  as  possible  of  the  materials  of 
the  natural  history  of  the  United  States,  my  intention  is 
to  have  a  prSparatettr  and  draughtsman  accompany  me, 
to  have  drawn  from  life  all  the  fishes  of  your  rivers 
and  lakes,  which  have  not  yet  been  properly  represented ; 
and  also  the'mollusca  of  your  coasts,  which  have  not  yet 
been  sufficiently  studied.  But,  to  provide  for  the  extra 
expense.  I  shall  be  obliged  to  live  very  economically,  and 
in  a  manner  little  in  accordance  with  the  royal  munifi- 
cence which  has  furnished  me  the  means  of  making  this 

journey • 

My  sphere  is  entirely  circumscribed  by  the  scientific 
world,  and  all  my  ambition  is  limited  to  being  useful  to 
that  branch  of  science  which  I  particularly  cultivate.  AVith 
all  tliis.  I  am  no  misanthrope  ;  but  I  learnt  early  that,  when 
one  has  no  fortune,  one  cannot  serve  science  and  live  at 
the  same  time  in  the  world.  If  I  have  been  able  to  pro- 
duct numerous  expensive  publications,  it  has  been  only  by 
following  this  system  of  economy  and  voluntary  seclusion  ; 
and  tin-  results  which  I  have  obtained  thus  far  have  re- 
v-ell for  the  privations  which  I  have  suffered, 
that  I  ha\e  no  temptation  to  adopt  another  style  of  life, 
diould  I  have  hereafter,  and  especially  in  your  coun- 


LETTERS  FROM  PROFESSOR  AGASSIZ.  159 

tiy,  more  trouble  than  I  have  had  to  sustain  it  in  my  own. 
But  I  have  talked  to  you  enough  of  myself,  and  I  finish, 
commending  myself  anew  to  your  goodness,  and  praying 
you  to  accept  the  reiterated  assurance  of  my  high  esteem 
and  entire  devotion.  Present  my  respects  to  your  son  and 
Mr.  Dana, 

And  believe  me  for  life,  your  obliged  servant, 

L.  AGASSIZ. 

NKUFCHATEL,  February  1, 1846. 

FROM   PROFESSOR   AGASSIZ. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  — You  can  see  by  this  that  if  I 

appear  in  little  haste  to  be  in  your  country,  it  was  from  the 
desire  to  be  there  completely  when  I  shall  have  crossed 
the  Atlantic,  and  not  to  leave  behind  me  occupations  which 
could  turn  me  from  my  desire  and  aim  to  study  with  care 
the  zoology  and  the  fossils  of  the  United  States,  without 
neglecting  the  physical  geography  of  a  country  contain- 
ing lakes  as  remarkable  as  those  which  border  your  north- 
ern frontiers,  and  rivers  as  large  as  the  Ohio  and  the 
Mississippi,  which  open  new  paths  to  civilization,  by  the 
mere  fact  of  their  direction  ;  coasts  so  indented,  on  which 
the  polar  ices  are  exposed  to  the  warm  currents  of  the 
South  ;  not  to  speak  of  the  direction  of  the  mountain- 
chains,  of  the  configuration  of  the  soil,  of  the  trend  of  your 
great  valleys,  which  form  so  curious  a  contrast  with  those 
of  Europe. 

All  these,  and  many  other  facts  which  will  present  them- 
selves to  your  mind  more  rapidly  than  I  could  enumerate 
them,  are  well  worthy  to  fix  the  attention  of  a  naturalist ; 
and  I  do  not  know  that  I  am  mistaken  in  thinking  that 
there  are  few  countries  in  the  world  —  if  there  exists  one 
other  —  where  one  can  study  phenomena  so  varied,  with  as 
much  facility  as  with  you.  So  I  make  in  advance  a  fete  to 
myself  in  the  prospect  that  I  now  have  a  glimpse  of.  Now 
I  will  say  au  revoir  to  you,  and  to  the  pleasure  I  shall  have 


160  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   SILLIMAN. 

in  taking  your  hand,  face  to  face.     If  you  have  anything  in 
particular  to  say  to  me,  perhaps  your  letter  would  reach  me 
in  Kngland,  by  addressing  it  to  the  care  of  Mr.  T.  Denkel. 
Adieu,  my  dear  sir,  au  revoir. 

Your  devoted 

L.  AGASSIZ. 

PAKIS,  August  14, 1846. 

FROM   PROFESSOR   AGASSIZ. 

TREMONT  HOUSE,  BOSTON,  October  5, 1846. 
MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  I  hasten  to  announce  to  you  my  safe 
arrival  in  Boston,  and  to  transmit  some  pamphlets  which 
I  have  brought  for  you.     As  soon  as  I  have  taken  my 
bearings  here,  I  shall  come   to  press  your  hand,  and  to 
thank  you  for  all  the  attention  you  have  given  me. 
In  the  mean  while,  believe  me,  always,  your  devoted 

L.  AGASSIZ. 

I 'ray  present  my  respects  to  Mr.  Dana.  I  shall  rejoice 
to  make  his  acquaintance.  His  fine  works  have  brought 
him  a  great  reputation  in  Europe. 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

LETTERS  FROM  LYELL,  MURCHISON,  OWEN,  DAUBENY, 
HERSCHEL,  ETC. 

Lyell  on  Professor  Silliraan's  Lectures ;  on  his  own  Geology ;  on  Professor 
Silliman's  Influence;  on  Revisiting  America;  onMantell.  —  Lady  Lyell 
on  Professor  Silliman's  Travels ;  on  the  Marriage  of  her  Sister.  —  Mur- 
chison  on  the  Geology  of  Russia  and  of  America;  on  Dana's  Work  on 
Corals;  on  Colonel  Fremont.  —  Owen  on  the  Footprints  of  the  Con- 
necticut Valley ;  on  his  own  Labors  in  Anatomy.  —  Daubeny  on  his 
own  Journal  in  the  United  States;  on  Liebig;  on  the  Revolution  in 
France  (1848);  on  the  Relations  of  England  and  America;  on  Educa- 
tion at  Oxford.  —  Sir  J.  F.  W.  Herschel  on  the  late  Mr.  E.  P.  Mason. 
—  Letter  from  Professor  Haidinger.  —  Letter  from  Professor  Coney- 
beare.  —  Letter  from  Professor  J.  F.  W.  Johnston  on  Russia.  —  Letter 
from  Professor  W.  B.  Rogers. 

A  FEW  of  the  numerous  letters  which  Professor 
Silliman  received  from  Sir  Charles  Lyell  are  here 
given.  Professor  Silliman's  correspondence  with 
eminent  men  of  science  is  full  of  proofs  of  his  un- 
selfish zeal  in  forwarding  their  interests,  at  the  same 
time  that  he  was  promoting  the  diffusion  of  useful 
knowledge. 

FROM  MB.  (NOW  SIR  CHARLES)  LTELL. 

DEAR  SIR,  —  If  I  had  not  made,  as  you  will  see  by  the 
Preface,  a  great  many  alterations  in  my  new  edition  which 
I  consider  important,  I  should  not  venture  to  obtrude  four 
volumes  more  upon  your  shelves ;  but,  as  you  were  so  good 
as  to  state,  in  your  last  letter  to  me,  that  you  had  made  use 

VOL.  II.  11 


162  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

of  my  third  edition,  I  cannot  allow  you  to  continue  to  read 
my  work  in  its  less  improved  form.  Mr.  Murray  has  prom- 
ised me  that  one  of  the  first  copies  shall  be  sent  to  you.  We 
print  moderate-sized  editions,  because  the  science  moves  on 
so  fast,  and  so  many  alterations  are  required ;  and  at  the 
price  of  twenty-four  shillings,  —  which  in  this  country  is 
very  small  for  such  a  book,  —  we  gain  but  little  ;  but  hope 
to  compensate  by  the  rapidity  of  the  sale. 

I  congratulate  you  on  the  unexampled  success  of  your 
lectures,  to  which  nothing  in  this  country  or  in  Europe  can 
possibly  come  up  in  point  of  numbers.  No  one  can  lecture 
well  to  small  audiences,  or  be  eloquent  to  empty  benches, 
as  would  be  the  lot  of  most  lecturers  on  geology  here.  My 
friends  who  told  you  I  was  likely  to  visit  America,  have,  I 
believe,  been  rather  sanguine  in  the  expectation  of  the 
effect  which  their  advice  had  produced  on  me.  I  scarcely 
feel  that  I  am  entitled  to  visit  you  until  I  know  more  of 
Europe.  I  am  just  starting  for  a  tour  to  the  Alps. 
Believe  me  most  truly  yours, 
:.  1835.  CHAS.  LYELL. 

16  Hart  Street,  LONDON. 

FROM    SIR    CHARLES    LYELL. 

16  HART  STREET,  BLOOMSKIIKY  SQUARE, 
May  20,  1836. 

You  will  be  glad  to  hear  that  I  have  just  re- 

1  a  letter  of  three  sheets  from   Sir  John    Ilerschel, 
!  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  full  of  comments  on 
my  "  (Irolnjry."  which  he  had  read  through  for  the  third 
time,  and  for  the  last  time  in  the  fourth  edition. 

He  s|,«  aks  of  niy  variation-of-climate  theory  as  "  a  great 

and  acknowledged  difficulty  fairly  surmounted."     He  talks 

ming  home,  r!a  Brazil,  in  a  year  and  a  half.     You  will 

rticle  iii  the  "  Quarterly  Review "  on  Dr.  Buck- 

laiuTs   <;eo]ouical   1 5  ridge  water  ;  but  the  work  itself  is  not 

out  yet.  as  he  is  working  up  the  last  chapters.     I  hope  you 


LETTERS  FROM  SIR  CHARLES  LYELL.  163 

received  my  President's  Addresses,  one  packet  of  which 
was  sent  by  Mr.  O.  Rich,  and  another  by  an  American  gen- 
tleman. You  have  heard,  of  course,  of  the  death  of  Pro- 
fessor Hoffman  of  Berlin.  I  have  not  heard  whether  we 
are  to  have  his  "  Geology  of  Sicily  "  as  a  posthumous  work. 
He  was  a  man,  I  believe,  of  my  own  age,  —  thirty-eight,  — 
which  makes  it  an  unexpected  loss.  In  my  fifth  edition 
you  will  see  a  recast  of  the  Elevation  Crater  controversy, 
in  which  I  reply  to  Von  Buch's  article  in  "  Poggendorf," 
and  to  De  Beaumont's  in  the  "  Memoires  pour  Servir,"  &c., 
and,  I  suppose,  the  **  Annales  des  Mines."  I  had  a  good 
deal  of  personal  intercourse  with  these  two  geologists  last 
year  at  Paris  and  in  Germany,  and,  after  all  the  explanar 
tions  I  could  get,  I  believe  them  to  have  started  wrong  in 
the  first  instance,  and  believe  them  to  be  now  working 
themselves  deeper  and  deeper  into  an  untenable  hypothe- 
sis. I  wish,  indeed,  there  was  a  bridge  of  steam  across  the 
Atlantic,  that  I  might  transport,  if  not  myself,  at  least  the 
first  printed  copy  of  my  fifth  edition  to  New  Haven.  As 
to  American  geology,  I  always  feel  that  I  have  so  much  to 
do  at  my  own  door  that  I  have  no  business  to  go  there  for 
these  ten  years,  —  for  it  would  be  like  wishing  to  geologize 
the  moon  in  our  present  infancy  of  the  knowledge  of  the 
earth.  Mr.  Murchison's  book  will  hardly  be  out  this  year, 
but  I  hope  to  see  it  very  early  next  year  ;  and  such  maps, 
sections,  and  fossil  illustrations,  never,  I  believe,  adorned  a 
book  on  our  subject  yet.  You  may  well  suppose  that  "  LyelPs 
Elements  "  are  not  much  accelerated  by  the  recast  of  the 
Principles.  I  always  recommend  Bakewell 

FROM    SIR    CHARLES    LYELL. 

NKW  YORK,  April  4,  1842. 

Now  that   I   have   travelled  from    Niagara  to 

Georgia,  and  have  met  a  great  number  of  your  country- 
men on  the  Continent  of  Europe,  and  heard  the  manner  in 
which  they  ascribe  the  taste  they  have  for  science  to  your 


164  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

tuition,  T  may  congratulate  you,  for  I  never  heard  as 
many  of  the  rising  generation  in  England  refer  as  often  to 
any  one  individual  teacher  as  having  given  a  direction  to 
llu-ir  taste.  Non  omnia  possumus  omnes,  and  if  you  cannot 
yourself  explore  the  rocks  from  Maine  to  Florida,  you  may 
say  that  you  have  sent  forth  pupils  who  will  do  it  for  you. 
I  have  heard  from  Mantell  at  last,  and  was  really  re- 
lieved to  find  that  the  paralysis  was  due  to  a  bad  accident 
when  he  was  thrown  out  of  his  carriage.  We  leave  on  the 
PJtli,  going  by  the  Hudson  to  Professor  Hitchcock's,  and 
thence  to  Boston  ;  there  I  leave  my  wife  with  Mrs.  Ticknor, 
while  I  make  some  other  excursions,  in  the  course  of  which 
I  may  pay  you  a  flying  visit  at  New  Haven 

FROM  SIR  CHARLES  LYELL. 

LONDON,  August  17, 1844. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  — I  was  much  obliged  to  you  for  writing 
to  me,  and  for  the  lively  account  which  you  sent  me  of  your 
very  interesting  tour  to  the  West,  where  I  should  like  much 
also  to  go,  though  I  think  it  very  doubtful  whether  circum- 
stances or  plans  of  geological  tours  in  another  direction,  may 
not  prevent  me  visiting  the  United  States  for  some  years. 
But  my  plans  are  unavoidably  uncertain  just  now,  and,  in 
the  mean  time,  I  am  glad  to  hear  that  you  and  your  coun- 
trymen are  moving  on  with  your  characteristic  activity.     I 
hope  to  be  out  at  Christmas,  but  really  cannot  well  estimate 
the  amount  of  work  which  remains  to  be  done.     My  collec- 
tion of  tertiary  shells  from  Virginia  and  Maryland,  South 
•  ma    and   Georgia,   and  my  coral  plants  from   Nova 
i.  \\hieh  I  have  been  studying  with  much  pleasure, 
have  occupied  me  longer  than  I  anticipated.     I  regret  that 
Hall  has  not  yet  got  out  his  final  report  of  which  he   has 
it  of  the  illustrations  and,  I  believe,  all 
the  l.-H.T-press.    We  want  Mathers  also  on  New  York.    My 
me  to  thank  your  son  particularly,  for  his  pres- 
ent to  her  of  Dana's  u  Mineralogy,"  and  joins  me  in  con- 


LETTERS  FROM  LADY  LYELL.  165 

gratulations  on  the  marriage  which  you  announced.*  Dr. 
Mantell  bears  up  with  great  fortitude  against  his  chronic 
complaint,  and  his  spirits  are  surprisingly  good.  His  new 
work  on  organic  remains,  will,  I  hope,  be  successful,  as  it 
is  excellently  fitted  to  popularize  that  branch  of  our  science, 
and  to  furnish  the  elements  of  different  departments  of  fos- 
sil zoology  and  botany.  He  has  been  obliged  to  give  up 
part  of  his  practice.  I  wish  he  had  done  so  sooner.  He 
and  Mr.  Lonsdale  went  on  too  long.  We  are  rejoicing  at 
the  East  India  Company  having  consented  to  give  Dr.  Fal- 
coner five  years'  absence  from  professional  duty  (medical), 
in  order  that  he  may  stay  in  London  and  describe  the  Him- 
alayan mammalian  and  reptilian  remains  found  by  him  and 
Captain  C.,  and  presented  to  the  British  Museum.  You 
will  see  in  the  proceedings  of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society, 
what  Falconer  said  in  a  lecture  on  the  subject,  and  some 
remarks  of  mine  on  the  same.  I  am  much  obliged  to  your 
son  for  so  promptly  publishing  the  abstracts  I  sent  of  my 
papers  on  American  Geology.  They  come  out  so  tardily 
now  in  our  proceedings,  that  I  am  glad  to  have  a  voice  in 
your  Journal.  Mr.  Darwin  has  lately  published  an  excel- 
lent little  volume  on  volcanic  islands,  and  he  and  I  are 
impatient  to  see  your  son-in  law's  work  on  the  coral  islands 
of  the  Pacific.  Pray,  remember  us  to  all  your  family,  not 
omitting  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hubbard,  and  believe  me,  my  dear 
sir, 

Most  truly  yours, 

CHARLES  LYELL. 

FROM  LADY  LYELL. 

December  10, 1849. 

WE  saw  Dr.  Mantell  the  other  day.    Though  he 

is  often  ill,  his  energy  is  quite  wonderful,  and  he  is  better 
than  some  months  ago.  You  will  be  sure  to  have  heard 
from  him  his  wonderful  discoveries  about  the  Belemnite  and 

*  The  marriage  of  Professor  Dana  to  Miss  Henrietta,  daughter  of  Profes- 
sor Silliman.  —  F. 


166  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

tin-  imianodon's  jaw.  Mr.  Cogswell  is  here  at  present,  and 
will,  I  hope,  pass  the  winter  in  London.  We  often  see  him. 
We  have-  a  very  mild  beginning  of  winter.  I  wonder  if  there 
are  those  sparkling  twigs  on  the  trees  now  to  be  seen  at 
!  I:i\vn.  which  was  my  last  impression  of  it.  My  hus- 
band is  very  busily  engaged,  as  usual,  and  the  different 
societies  having  met,  add  to  his  other  engagements.  Sir 
K.  Murchison  has  returned  from  Italy,  and  reads  a  paper 
on  some  observations  he  made  there,  next  Wednesday, 
at  the  Geological  Society.  I  hear  frequently  from  Mrs. 
Ticknor ;  she  gives  me  Boston  news.  We  have  been  re- 
joicing greatly,  as  I  am  sure  you  have,  in  General  Taylor's 
election.  It  is  for  the  United  States  to  keep  peace  while 
the  old  world  is  convulsed  ;  not  but  that  I  think  good  will 
come,  and  is  coming,  out  of  all  these  disturbances.  Sir 
Charles  unites  with  me  in  every  kind  wish  to  yourself  and 
Mrs.  Silliman. 

FROM    LADY    LTELL. 

11  Harley  Street,  LONDON. 
April  2S,  1854. 

I  )I.A.R  DR.  SILLIMAN,  —  We  returned  last  week  from  our 
winter's  visit  to  Madeira  and  the  Canary  Islands,  and  I  found 
your  kind  note,  now  of  old  date,  —  the  22d  October,  last 
year,  —  and  also  your  kind  present  of  your  last  Travels  in 
Kurope,  lor  which,  pray  accept  our  best  thanks.  I  have  as 
yet  done  little  more  than  glance  at  it,  but  I  see  a  great  deal 
to  interest  me  in  it  when  I  take  it  up  more  leisurely.  At 
lit,  you  will  believe  we  are  fully  employed,  as  there  is 
always  much  to  be  done  after  an  absence  of  several  months. 
I»ut  this  season  we  have  peculiar  excitement,  as  two  days 
after  our  return  last  week,  our  brother  and  sister,  Major 
and  Mis.  | .yell,  returned  from  India  with  their  three  little 
She  is  my  own  sister,  and  we  have,  of  course,  much 
to  talk  almiit  after  three  years'  separation.  They  have,  now- 
here for  good,  and  have  taken  a  house  in  the 
Regent's  Park.  In  the  mean  time,  they  are  staying  with  rny 


LETTER  FROM  SIR  R.  I.  MURCHISON.  167 

father  and  mother,  who  are  delighted  to  have  their  grand- 
children. The  week  after  next  my  younger  sister,  Leonora, 
is  to  be  married  to  Dr.  Pertz,  the  King's  libfarian  at  Ber- 
lin. We  like  the  marriage  in  every  respect  but  one,  —  that 
it  takes  her  so  far  away.  He  is  expected  here  in  a  day  or 
two,  and  will  stay  in  our  house  till  the  wedding  takes  place. 
We  were  sorry  not  to  see  Mr.  Gilman  who  brought  your 
letter,  in  consequence  of  our  absence,  but  he  was  several 
times  at  my  father's.  He  had  brought  a  letter  of  introduc- 
tion to  Dr.  Pertz  at  Berlin,  and  as  he  (Dr.  P.)  happened  to 
be  in  London,  Mr.  Gilman  was  introduced  to  him  here.  He- 
brought  me  the  beautiful  piece  of  amethyst  quartz  from 
Dr.  Gibbon  of  North  Carolina.  Might  I  ask  you,  dear  sir, 
kindly  to  give  my  best  thanks  for  this,  and  explain  why  I 
have  been  so  slow  in  sending  them.  We  have  had  a  very 
interesting  tour,  and  enjoyed  a  charming  climate  all  winter. 
Sir  Charles  has  profited  much  by  the  geology,  and  brought 
here  great  materials  for  papers  and  memoirs.  He  is  ex- 
tremely well  too. 

I  must  conclude  with  our  best  compliments  to  Mrs. 
Silliman,  and  kind  regards  to  all  your  family  in  its  vari- 
ous branches. 

Ever,  very  sincerely  yours, 

MARY  E.  LYELL. 

FROM    SIR   R.    I.    MURCHISON. 

PARIS,  April  4, 1841. 

MY  DEAR  PROFESSOR,  —  This  is  my  first  stage  on  my 
road  to  St.  Petersburg  and  the  Ural  Mountains,  and  I 
have  come  by  this  circuitous  route  in  order  to  secure  the 
company  of  my  friend  and  coadjutor,  Mr.  E.  W.  Verneuil. 
We  hope  to  reach  St.  Petersburg  by  the  first  of  May,  and 
to  be  in  the  Ural  Mountains,  or  on  their  flanks,  in  the  first 
week  of  June.  I -fear  that  our  friend,  Dr.  Mantell,  misled 
you  in  writing  to  say  that  I  was  about  to  visit  the  United 
States.  This  arose  from  Dr.  Buckland  having  talked  of 


168  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

such  a  project  after  our  geological  anniversary  dinner,  at 
which  I  took  the  chair  as  President.  A  little  memoir  (an 
abstract  of  a  very  long  memoir  which  I  read  recently  be- 
fore the  Geological  Society)  will  explain  to  you  (and  I  have 
desired  copies  to  be  sent  to  you)  to  what  a  great  extent  I 
:un  embarked  in  Russian  geology,  and  how,  being  "  in 
medias  res,"  I  am  naturally  led  to  try  to  complete  a  correct 
outline  sketch  of  a  geological  map  of  Russia  in  Europe. 
To  your  magnificent  region,  I  look  with  intense  interest, 
and  I  live  in  the  hope  of  being  able  to  explore  its  palae- 
ozoic  rocks.  Already,  however,  your  able  countrymen  are 
preparing  all  the  elements  for  the  complete  classification  of 
these  olden  deposits  of  America. 

I  have  for  some  time  been  much  gratified  to  observe  the 
steps  which  Conrad,  Hall,  &c.,  have  been  laying  ;  and  very 
recently,  I  was  delighted  to  receive  from  the  last-men- 
tioned geologist,  a  suit  of  specimens  which  leave  no  doubt 
of  the  descending  succession  of  the  old  red  sandstone  or  De- 
vonian rocks  into  true  Silurian  types From  what  I 

see,  I  should  be  disposed  to  think  that  North  America  may 
offer  the  fullest  and  most  perfect  sequence  of  palaeozoic 
strata  in  the  world.  It  is  right,  therefore,  that  I  should  see 
your  grand  development  last.  "  Vedi  Napoli  e  foi  morir." 

FROM    SIR   R.    I.   MURCHISON. 

BELGRAVE  SQUARE,  May  27, 1850. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  Our  mutual  friend,  Dr.  Mantell,  has 
reminded  me  that  I  have  been  guilty  of  what  I  very  much 
it     1    have  omitted,  it  appears,  to  thank  you  for  the 
admirable  work  of  your  son-in-law,  Mr.  Dana,  on  corals;  a 
work  cone. Tiling  the  excellence  of  which  no  naturalist  en- 
ins  a  doubt,  and  of  which  our  friend  Lonsdale,  who  is 
our  best  ju(li;c,  has  the  very  highest  opinion.     I  am  really 
quite  shocked  that  I  should  thus  appear  lo  be  unmindful  of 
!lv  consider  a  great  boon,  and  which  I  have  en- 
deavored to  utilize  among  my  naturalist  friends  as  far  as 


LETTERS  FROM  PROFESSOR  R.  OWEN.  169 

was  practicable ;  but  you  will  forgive  me  when  I  tell  you 
that  I  never  received  the  plates,  without  which,  the  descrip- 
tions are,  to  a  great  extent,  useless.  I  can  only  account  for 
my  apparent  neglect  of  your  kindness  by  my  having  de- 
layed to  write  in  expectation  of  the  arrival  of  the  plates. 
But  whether  they  shall  ever  reach  me  or  not,  pray  be  as- 
sured that  I  am  deeply  sensible  of  your  friendship,  and  that 
I  duly  estimate  the  intrinsic  value  of  the  present.  If  you 
could  have  peeped  into  the  anniversary  dinner-room  of  the 
Royal  Geological  Society  yesterday,  where  I  presided  with 
your  representative,  Mr.  Abbott  Lawrence,  on  my  right 
hand,  you  would  not  think  that  I  had  a  lukewarm  feeling  to 
the  men  of  science  in  the  United  States.  In  fact,  it  was 
owing  to  my  suggestion  and  motion  in  the  Council,  that  the 
only  gold  medal  we  have  adjudicated  this  year  (the  Vic- 
toria) was  unanimously  voted  to  Colonel  Fremont,  for  his 
most  adventurous  and  most  successful  explorations  of  the 
Eocky  Mountains,  the  great  saliferous  region,  and  the 
Sierra  Nevada  of  California.  I  have  quite  an  admiration 
of  this  true  geographer  who,  under  so  many  privations,  has 
opened  up  to  us  such  an  enormous  mass  of  land,  and  has 
laid  down  its  latitude  so  correctly 

FROM   PROFESSOR   R.    OWEN. 

Royal  College  of  Surgeons,  LONDON, 
March  16,  1843. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  I  beg  to  acknowledge  the  favor  of  your 
esteemed  letter  of  the  27th  February,  and  am  unwilling  to 
delay  my  answer,  although  I  am  not  able  to  answer  on  all 
the  points  to  which  it  relates.  I  have  not  yet,  for  example, 
seen  the  entire  collection  of  footprints  in  the  possession  of 
our  common  friend,  Mr.  Mantell ;  but  on  the  few  which  he 
has  obligingly  submitted  to  me,  (two  very  clear  ones,  last 
Saturday  night,  at  the  soiree  of  the  P.  R.  S.,)  I  may  ven- 
ture, after  much  mature  consideration,  to  speak.  You  may 
be  aware  that  M.  de  Blainville  contends  that  the  ground  — 


170  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   SILLIMAN. 

namely,  a  single  bone  or  articular  facet  of  a  bone  —  on 
which  C'uvier  deemed  it  possible  to  reconstruct  the  entire 
animal,  is  inadequate  to  that  end.  In  this  opinion  I  do  not 
coincide.  I  have  had  too  frequent  evidence  of  the  potency 
of  the  law  of  correlation  of  structures  in  an  animal  organ- 
ism to  doubt  the  strength  of  Cuvier's  proposition.  But  if 
a  single  bone  has  been  deemed  insufficient  to  give  the  en- 
tire animal,  with  more  reason  may  we  doubt  the  efficacy  of 
a  footprint.  We  must  bear  in  mind  the  conflicting  opinions 
to  which  the  Chirotherian  impressions  have  given  rise  ;  next, 
in  regard  to  the  Ornithicnites,  it  is  important  to  remember 
that  there  were  reptiles  at  the  age  of  the  New  Red  Sand- 
stone, the  Rhynchosaurus,  e.  g.,  (see  "Transactions  of  the 
Cambridge  Philosophical  Society,"  Vol.  VII.,  Part  iii.,  p. 
which  presented  a  singularly  close  approximation  to 
birds  in  the  form  and  structure  of  their  edentulous  skull ; 
and  might  not  a  corresponding  modification  of  the  feet 
complete  the  resemblance  of  these  ancient  reptiles  to  the 
fabled  cockatrice  ?  A  biped  reptile  would  not  be  more 
anomalous  than  a  jerboa  or  kangaroo.  In  the  foregoing 
remarks  I  wish  to  be  understood  as  merely  indicating  the 
grounds  which  justify  caution  in  assuming  the  existence  of 
a  highly  organized,  warm-blooded,  quick-breathing,  perhaps 
volant,  feathered  biped,  from  footprints  merely.  I  have, 
however,  recently  acquired  very  important  additional  evU 
dener  of  the  former  existence,  in  the  Island  of  New  Zea- 
land, of  a  gigantic  bird,  having  the  same  low  grade  of 
nizatioo  as  regards  the  respiratory  system  which  I  have 
demonstrated  in  the  Apteryx  of  the  same  island  ("  Zoologi- 
I  ranslations,"  Vol.  I.).  It  is  to  this  circumstance,  pcr- 
lu]K.  that  Dr.  Daubeny  alludes  in  his  letter  to  you.  My 

>t,  however,  footprints,  but  the  bones  them- 
It  yon  will  refer  to  the  "  Transactions  of  the  Zo- 

\,"  Vol.  III.  Part  i.  p.  29,  you  will  see  the  first 
indication  of  the  <^antic  struthious  bird  of  New  Zealand, 
which  vindicates  Cuvier's  principle,  as  showing  what  may 


LETTERS  FROM  PROFESSOR  R.  OWEN.  171 

be  made  out  of  a  single  fragment  of  bone.  Three  years 
after  that  fragment  was  interpreted,  a  box  containing 
femora,  tibia,  a  metatarsal  bone,  and  portions  of  pelvis,  ver- 
tebras, &c.,  was  transmitted  to  Dr.  Buckland  from  New 
Zealand,  who  generously  placed  them  at  my  disposal.  They 
were  described  at  the  meeting  of  the  Zoological  Society, 
January  24,  1843,  and  established  the  fact  that  at  no  very 
remote  period,  —  say  a  couple  of  centuries  ago,  —  there 
existed  in  New  Zealand  a  tri-dactyle  struthious  bird,  one 
third  larger  than  the  African  ostrich,  resembling  the  apte- 
ryx  in  the  proportions  of  the  tibia  to  the  metatarsus,  and 
in  the  absence  of  air  in  the  femur,  and,  therefore,  most 
probably  in  the  rudimental  state  of  the  wings.  Now  the 
metatarsal  bone  of  this  bird,  which  I  have  called  Dinornis 
Noea  Zelandia,  is  fully  large  enough  to  have  sustained  three 
toes  equivalent  to  produce  impressions  of  the  size  of  those 
of  the  Ornithicnites  giganteus  of  Professor  Hitchcock. 

This  I  had  the  pleasure  to  demonstrate  to  Mr.  Boot  of 
Boston,  during  his  late  visit  to  London.  It  seems  most 
reasonable,  therefore,  to  conclude  that  the  Ornithicnites  are 
the  impressions  of  the  feet  of  birds  which  had  the  same 
low  grade  of  organization  as  the  Apteryx  and  the  Dinornis 
of  New  Zealand,  and  these  latter  may  be  regarded  as  the 
last  remnants  of  an  apterous  race  of  birds  which  seems  to 
have  flourished  at  the  epoch  of  the  New  Red  Sandstones 
of  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts. 

Believe  me,  very  faithfully  yours, 

RICHARD  OWEN. 

FROM  PROFESSOR  R.  OWEN. 

LONDON,  Royal  College  of  Surgeons, 
December  6,  1846. 

MY  DEAR  PROFESSOR  SILLIMAN,  — I  was  much  gratified 
by  receiving  your  friendly  note  of  November  20,  and  the 
good  wishes  of  your  accomplished  son,  and  your  friend, 
Mr.  Dana.  I  regret  to  find  that  you  have  never  received 


172  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

Part  II.  of  the  "  Memoir  on  Dinornis,"  as  your  name  appears 
amongst  the  first  in  my  list  of  friends  to  whom  I  had,  or 
meant  to  have,  sent  it.  I  enclose  it  herewith  to  the  care  of 
:  '^e  P.  Putnam.  At  the  same  time  you  will  receive  a 
copy  of  my  contributions  to  the  history  of  our  fossil  mam- 
mals, (additional  or  supplemental  to  my  8vo.  history,)  and 
also  a  copy  of  my  work  on  the  Archetype  and  Homologies 
of  the  vertebrate  skeleton.  You  may  remember  the  con- 
dition in  which  this  philosophical  department  of  anatomy 
was  left  by  the  great  Cuvier  and  Geoffroy,  and  the  discus- 
sions which  unhappily  tended  to  sever  those  estimable  men 
in  the  latter  period  of  their  lives.  The  result  was  the 
formation  of  two  schools  or  parties  in  the  French  world  of 
anatomy,  and  subsequently  the  facts  and  arguments  bear- 
ing upon  these  transcendental  questions  have  been  viewed 
in  Paris  through  the  prism  of  such  party  feeling. 

The  chief  and  most  cherished  labor  and  reflections  of 
many  past  years  have  been  devoted  by  me  to  the  acquisition 
of  such  truth  as  might  lie  at  the  bottom  of  the  well  into 
which  this  Philosophy  of  Anatomy  seemed  to  have  sunk 
after  the  departure  of  the  great  luminaries  of  the  Jardin 
des  Plantes.  With  what  success  I  have  drawn  from  the 
deep  and  obscure  source,  I  leave  to  the  impartial  students 
of  my  little  book.  My  chief  hope  of  a  fair  reception  and 
appreciation  of  the  philosophy  rests  with  or  on  the  free  and 
clear  judgment  of  your  countrymen 

FROM   PROFESSOR   DAUBENY. 

Botanic  Garden,  OXFORD, 
l<\'ln'uary  3,  1843. 

1  )i  A  i:  Pun i  i SSOR  SILLIMAN,  —  I  hope  I  have  not  made 

you  an  unacceptable  return  for  your  many  kind  attentions 

in  forwarding  to  me  a  copy  of  your  interesting  Journal,  by 

;    t<>   \ou,    through  the   Secretary  of  the   Royal 

i'.v  little  Journal  in  the  United  States,  of  which 

I   have  printed  one  hundred  copies  for  private  circulation 


LETTERS  FROM  PROFESSOR  DAUBENY.  173 

amongst  friends.  I  cannot  expect  that  any  friends  on  your 
side  of  the  Atlantic  will  admit  the  justice  of  all  I  have  said, 
but  I  hope  they  will  allow  that  I  have  not  viewed  them  with 
an  eye  of  hostility,  or  even  of  prejudice.  I  must,  indeed, 
have  been  very  unfortunate  in  the  expression  of  my  senti- 
ments, if  my  remarks  have  not  conveyed  to  others  a  feeling 
of  great  good-will,  on  my  part,  more  especially  as  respects 
the  people  of  New  England.  I  should,  however,  be  very 
glad  to  hear  whether  you  think  that  in  other  parts  of  the 
Union  I  should  be  considered  to  make  an  acceptable  pres- 
ent in  sending  copies  of  such  a  production.  By  the  same 
conveyance  you  will  probably  also  receive  a  copy  of  the 
last  agricultural  lecture  I  have  published.  I  believe  I  have 
sent  you  all  the  preceding  ones ;  such  at  least  was  my  in- 
tention, but,  if  not,  you  will  find  them  in  the  Journal  of  the 
Royal  English  Agricultural  Society.  The  subject  of  agri- 
culture is  now  exciting  much  attention  in  England,  and  the 
new  views  of  Liebig  are  opening  a  new  field  of  research 
both  in  vegetable  and  in  animal  physiology. 

I  travelled  with  that  distinguished  man  during  a  consid- 
able  part  of  last  summer  in  different  parts  of  England  and 
Scotland,  and  was  much  pleased  with  him.  His  principles 
are  carried  out,  in  Dr.  Jones's  little  work  on  "  Gravel  and 
Grit,"  with  much  ingenuity,  and  his  translator,  Dr.  Playfair, 
is  engaged  in  many  experiments  on  the  feeding  and  fatten- 
ing of  cattle  according  to  his  principles 

FROM   PROFESSOR   DAUBENY. 

January  17, 1848. 

I  TRUST  you  will  regard  this  present  as  a  proof 

that  I  retain  a  lively  recollection  of  the  agreeable  time  I 
spent  amongst  my  brethren  in  the  New  World,  and  more 
especially  of  the  kindness  and  attention  I  experienced  at 
New  Haven,  from  whence  you  will  be  able,  I  hope,  to  give 
me  good  tidings  of  yourself  and  family.  Your  Mexican  war 
is,  I  believe,  not  viewed  with  much  favor  in  the  New  Eng- 


174  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   SILLIMAN. 

land  States,  but  the  brightest  point  of  view  in  which  to 

:-il  it  has  reference  to  the  facilities  its  results  may  here- 

aflord  to  your  energetic  countrymen  for  exploring  the 

volcanoes  of  that  interesting  country.     If  I  were  younger 

I  should  only  wait  for  your  obtaining  quiet  possession  and 

establishing  order  before  I  undertook  to  visit  them. 

FROM   PROFESSOR   DAUBENY. 

February  26,  1848. 

You  will  hear  of  the  great  discovery  of  phos- 
phate of  lime  in  the  green  land  of  Surrey.  That  coprolites 
containing  it  existed  in  that  formation,  had  been  pointed 
out  by  Dr.  Buckland  and  Dr.  Fitton  ;  but  that  the  sponges, 
coralines,  &c.,  were  fossilized  by  that  material  instead  of  by 
the  carbonate  is,  I  believe,  new,  although  it  might  have 
been  conjectured  that  the  mineral  ingredients  of  the  fish 
which  produced  the  coprolites  would  not  have  altogether 
disappeared,  and  especially  as  the  soft  parts  contained 
phosphates  as  well  as  the  bones.  We  are  thunderstruck 
with  the  news  from  Paris.  If  the  French  are  to  have  a 
republic,  God  grant  that  it  may  be  as  consistent  with  pub- 
lic order  as  it  has  proved  in  the  United  States.  But  this  I 
greatly  doubt.  Pray  remember  me  to  your  son,  and  to  Mr. 
Dana,  and  believe  me,  very  dear  sir, 

Very  truly  yours, 

CHARLES  DAUBENY. 

FROM  PROFESSOR  DAUBENY. 

JuniKtnj  17,  1852. 

I  1:1  <;KI.TH.I>  much  that  your  prolonged  stay  on 

the  Continent  should  have  not  only  prevented  me  seeing 
yon  there,  hut  also  your  repeating  your  visit  to  Oxford, 
where  I  had  hoped  to  have  enjoyed  a  little  more  of  your 
fore  \onr  return  to  America.  It  was,  however,  a 
source  of  much  gratification  for  me  to  renew,  even  for  so 
slu.it  a  tin,,.,  at  Oxford,  the  acquaintance  I  had  had  with 


LETTERS  FROM  PROFESSOR  DAUBENY.  175 

you  fourteen  years  ago  at  New  Haven,  and  to  be  intro- 
duced to  the  other  members  of  your  family  who  accom- 
panied you. 

Events  have  tended,  I  think,  to  draw  together  more 
closely  than  ever  the  bonds  of  union  between  our  transat- 
lantic brethren  and  ourselves.  A  little  time  ago,  it  might 
have  been  doubted,  whether,  notwithstanding  our  common 
origin,  manners,  and  language,  the  aristocratical  element 
which  holds  a  place  in  our  constitution  did  not  interpose  a 
broader  line  of  demarcation  between  us  than  existed  in  the 
case  of  those  continental  nations  amongst  whom'democracy 
seemed  then  to  have  established  itself. 

The  changes,  however,  that  have  just  occurred  in  France, 
induce  us  to  place  but  little  dependence  on  the  continuance 
of  liberal  institutions  anywhere  on  the  European  Continent, 
and  make  one  fear  that  freedom  will  shortly  be  able  to 
raise  its  head  nowhere  except  amongst  the  Anglo-Saxon 
race.  Indeed,  the  false  security  in  which  our  nation  indulges 
in  the  face  of  an  army  of  500,000  men,  within  sight  of 
our  shores,  under  an  unscrupulous  leader,  makes  one  feel 
some  diffidence  as  to  what  may  be  our  own  fate  hereafter, 
whilst  as  to  Belgium  and  Piedmont  the  prospect  is  even 
darker 

FROM   PROFESSOR   DAUBENY. 

May  3, 1852. 

....  THE  Oxford  Commissioners  have  just  delivered  in 
their  report,  and  it  is  ordered  to  be  printed,  so  that  I  doubt 
not  but  that  it  will  shortly  be  easy  to  obtain.  It  contains  a 
large  and  valuable  body  of  evidence,  but  as  it  was  under- 
taken under  the  auspices  of  the  late  ministry,  it  is  less 
probable  that  the  present  will  found  any  substantial  measure 
of  reform  upon  it.  In  the  meantime,  however,  some  prog- 
ress is  making  here  in  the  promotion  of  scientific  studies. 
I  am  now  in  hopes  that  the  University  will  vote  me  a 
sum  of  money,  not  less  than  £3000,  for  the  reception  and 


176  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

maintenance  of  the  Fielding  Herbarium,  one  of  the  finest 
in  (Jreat  I iritain,  now  offered  to  the  Botanic  Garden.  If 
so,  foreign  botanists  may  find  at  Oxford  greater  facilities, 
even,  than  at  the  Metropolis,  for  studying  plants,  consider- 
ing the  easy  access  to  our  collections.  I  also  hope  that  we 
shall  soon  see  a  Museum  more  worthy  of  the  University 
than  the  one  you  visited. 

With  respect  to  your  question  as  to  the  number  of  our 
members,  I  may  state  that  all  who  have  ever  taken  a  degree 
and  continue  their  names  on  the  books  of  the  University, 
(for  which  they  pay  a  small  annual  fee,)  are  included  in  the 
number  5900  (last  year  6080).  If  masters  of  arts,  they 
have  the  privilege  of  voting  at  University  elections,  includ- 
ing that  for  the  members  of  Parliament  who  represent  the 
corporate  body.  The  numbers  actively  studying  are,  of 
course,  much  smaller.  I  should  conceive  that  1500  would 
include  all  the  students,  though  not  probably  the  resident 
tutors  and  fellows. 

The  number  of  matriculations  in  1851  was  359,  which, 
multiplied  by  four,  would  give  1436  as  the  number  of  un- 
dergraduates. The  members  of  Convocation,  viz.,  M.  A., 
and  in  higher  degrees,  were,  in  1851,  3352  ;  leaving  for 
B.  A.  1292,  so  that  the  total  would  be  6080. 

No  residence  is  required  of  M.  A.,  and  only  three  weeks 
of  B.  A.  Undergraduates  also  are  allowed  three  terms' 
absence  during  the  four  years,  before  taking  their  degree 
«.f  IS.  A. 

We  lost  my  old  and  valued  friend  and  colleague,  Dr. 
Kidd.  in  September,  by  a  sudden  attack  of  illness.  In  other 
lie  University  staff  of  Professors  is  much  as  when 
you  visited  us 

FROM    PROFESSOR    DAUBENY. 

[Date  wanting.] 

....  FI:'>M  the  extracts  I  have  seen  of  it  I  have  no 
doul.t  that  I  shall  derive  profit  and  pleasure  from  the  fruits 
of  your  second  ramble  into  the  Old  World. 


LETTERS  FROM  PROFESSOR  DAUBENY.  177 

We  are  on  the  eve  of  a  great  contest,  the  result  of  which 
will  determine  whether  despotism  or  constitutional  gov- 
ernment is  to  prevail  in  Europe.  Should  Russia  be  able 
to  defy  all  the  powers  now  arrayed  against  her,  I  do  not  see 
what  is  to  stop  her  in  her  advance  to  universal  empire.  I 
mean,  of  course,  with  the  Old  World.  You  at  least  may 
look  on,  if  not  as  unconcerned,  at  least  not  personally  inter- 
ested, spectators  in  the  great  struggle.  We  are  also  on 
the  eve  of  great  changes  in  our  academical  system,  which, 
I  trust,  will  work  well,  the  government  having  taken  upon 
themselves  the  task  of  reforming  us,  so  that  you  see  we  are 
not  altogether  occupied  with  foreign  politics. 

Murchison's  great  work  —  the  Silurian  system  —  is  the 
principal  geological  novelty,  unless  you  regard  as  geological, 
Whewell's  clever  essay,  the  "  Plurality  of  Worlds."  .... 

FROM   PROFESSOR   DAUBENY. 

February  15,  1858. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  one  of  the 
pamphlets  you  asked  about  is  out  of  print,  but  I  have  sent 
two  copies  of  the  other,  namely  —  "  Can  Physical  Science 
obtain  a  Home  in  an  English  University,"  together  with  a 
little  jeu  &  esprit  of  mine,  entitled,  "  A  Dream  of  the  New 
Museum,"  intended  to  point  out  the  inconsistency  of  a  great 
University,  which  is  as  rich  as  ours  is  in  institutions  con- 
nected with  classical  literature,  grudging  what  is  wanted 
to  place  the  physical  sciences  upon  a  respectable  footing 
amongst  us.  This  deficiency  will,  I  hope,  be  in  part  sup- 
plied by  the  new  Museum  now  erecting,  and  other  arrange- 
ments are  talked  of  which  will  render  Oxford  less  exclu- 
sively devoted  to  members  of  the  clerical  profession  and  to 
the  aristocracy  than  heretofore.  I  have  added  a  little  essay 
of  mine  on  the  theory  of  Cholera,  in  which,  as  I  have  freely 
owned,  I  am  anticipated  by  your  countryman,  Dr.  Mitchell 
of  Philadelphia.  Dr.  Livingstone's  statements  with  respect 
to  the  Tzetze  fly  in  his  interesting  travels,  seem  to  me  to 

VOL.  II.  12 


178  LIFE  Op  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

present  some  analogy  in  the  gradual  but  incurable  disturb- 
ance in  the  system,  produced  by  a  poison  which,  unlike 
other  well-known  insect  stings,  produces  no  irritation  at  the 
time.  I  am  much  obliged  to  you  for  promising  to  take 
notice  of  my  "  Lectures  on  Roman  Husbandry  " ;  it  will  be 
the  means  of  rendering  them  known  in  the  United  States, 
as  they  will  be  shortly  in  Germany,  as  a  Leipsic  Professor 
is  about  to  translate  them. 

Our  Indian  troubles  appear  drawing  to  a  conclusion,  but 
the  perfidy  and  cruelty  of  the  natives  have  left  behind 
them  a  feeling  of  estrangement  from  the  whole  Hindoo 
race,  which  must  be  got  over,  or  the  country  will  not  be 
worth  our  holding.  In  this  point  of  view,  Lord  Canning's 
measures  are  much  wiser,  as  well  as  more  humane,  than 
those  of  some  of  his  compatriots  at  Calcutta. 

I  may  call  your  attention  to  a  little  notice  of  mine  in  the 
•"  Proceedings  of  the  Geological  Society "  for  last  month, 
suggesting  a  cause  for  the  evolution  of  ammonia  from  volca- 
noes. As  it  is  very  short,  it  may,  perhaps,  be  thought  worth 
inserting  in  your  Journal. 

I  am  much  obliged  by  your  long  and  interesting  letter, 
and  shall  at  all  times  be  glad  to  hear  of  you  and  your  fam- 
ily, either  in  this  way  or  by  those  who  bring  me  your  card. 

FROM    SIR   J.   F.    W.    HERSCHEL. 

SIR,  —  I  have  received  and  read  with  much  interest  the 
biography  you  were  so  good  as  to  send  me  of  the  late  Mr. 
MI. -     It  is  indeed  a  very  affecting,  and  at  the  same  time 
a  very  pleasing,  record;  and  a  youth  of  such  talent  and 
promise  would  not  have  failed,  had  he  lived,  to  have  distin- 
guished himself  and  done  honor  to  his  country,  not  only  by 
his  discoveries  but  by  his  virtues.     I  already  possess  an 
nit  oi';i  lourteen-feet  reflector  constructed  by  him,  and 
of  hi>  observations  (very  interesting  ones)  made  with  it  on 

*  K!irmv.<!r  Porter  Masnn,  a  young  American  Astronomer  of  high  promise 
whod  i  2Gth,  1840.  —  F. 


LETTERS  FROM  HERSCHEL  AND  HAIDINGER.        179 

some  nebulae,  which  prove  him  to  have  been  a  careful  and 
accurate  observer,  and  make  his  loss  much  to  be  regretted 
on  that  score  also,  as  well  as  on  that  of  general  power. 

The  work  was  addressed  to  me  by  his  u representatives" 
but  as  no  names  were  mentioned  or  addresses,  I  knew  not 
how  to  acknowledge  it.  As  you  are  in  communication  with 
the  parties,  I  will  request  you  to  convey  to  them  my  best 
thanks  for  their  interesting  paper,  and  I  beg  to  remain,  sir, 

With  much  regard, 
Your  obliged  and  obedient  servant, 

J.  F.  W.  HERSCHEL. 

COLLINGWOOD,  Dec.  27, 1842. 

FROM   PROFESSOR   HAIDINGER. 

VIENNA,  April  2,  1860. 

I  SHALL  be  most  happy  to  welcome  our  most 

excellent  friend,  Professor  Dana,  restored  by  his  stay  in 
Italy.  I  am  much  afraid  our  western  neighbor  will  not  let 
Europe  approach  to  anything  like  peace ;  he  is  working 
about  curing  social  evils  by  political  changes,  which  only 

tend  to  aggravate   the  difficulties  of  the  former 

In  a  late  communication  of  mine  to  our  academy  relative  to 
another  account  of  the  meteoric  iron,  I  began  calling  at- 
tention to  the  noise  caused  by  meteorites,  and  usually  called 
explosions,  as  not  belonging  to  anything  like  a  real  explo- 
sion like  that  of  gunpowder,  but  simply  to  the  repletion  of 
an  empty  space,  following  the  meteorite,  and  kept  in  that 
state  by  the  rotatory  motion  of  the  latter,  till  its  process  is 
checked  by  the  resistance  of  the  atmosphere.  I  should 
very  much  like  to  call  your  attention  to  this  subject.  I 
have  also  to  give  an  account  of  our  Bohemian  meteor  of 
November  28th. 

Ever  most  truly  yours, 

W.  HAIDINGER. 


180  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 


FROM   PROFESSOR   CONYBEARE. 

August,  1836. 

Mr  DEAR  SIR,  —  I  have  to  express  my  thanks  for  several 
kind  presents  in  the  literary  way,  which  I  have  received 
from  you,  in  which  I  have  not  only  been  gratified  by  their 
general  interest,  but  equally  by  the  expression  of  those 
sentiments  which  every  large  and  liberal  mind  must  wish 
to  see  prevail  between  countries  identified  in  lineage,  lan- 
guage, and  literature,  and  in  all  the  great  ends,  if  not  in  all 
the  great  means,  of  our  social  institutions,  —  of  the  elder 
of  which  it  must  ever  be  one  of  the  proudest  boasts  that 
she  is  the  mother  of  the  younger,  —  an  offspring  destined  to 
spread  her  speech  and  civilization  over  a  vast  continent, 
and  to  give  them  an  extent  unrivalled  by  any  other  family 
of  man. 

An  intercourse  of  the  scientific  and  literary  minds  of  the 
two  countries,  will,  I  am  persuaded,  be  among  the  most 
efficient  means  of  cementing  those  feelings  of  friendship 
which  it  is  so  very  desirable  to  encourage.  I  have,  there- 
fore, great  satisfaction  in  forwarding  to  you  the  first  num- 
>f  a  new  scientific  Journal,  which  my  friends  at  Bristol 
have  just  established.  Bristol  has  a  peculiar  chain  of  con- 
nection with  America ;  it  was  long  the  principal  port  where 
an  intercourse  between  the  two  countries  was  carried  on, 
and  it  is  indeed  our  boast  that  Sebastian  Cabot,  in  a  vessel 
fitted  out  by  us,  was  the  first  discoverer  of  any  part  of  the 
Continent  of  Xorth  America,  so  that  we  hope  you  will  look 
with  greater  interest  at  our  efforts  to  promote  the  cause  of 
M  which  we  trust  the  present  Journal  will  very 
"tly  roiiperatc  with  our  excellent  Institution  and  very 
'>!<•  library  previously  established.  In  America,  I  be- 
Imve  similar  advantages  in  most  of  your  large 
towns  ;  but  in  England  the  principle  of  centralization  very 
much  more  refers  everything  to  our  vast  metropolis.  Yet 
the  progress  of  most  of  our  respectable  provincial  towns 


LETTERS  FROM  PROFS.  JOHNSTON  AND  ROGERS.    181 

has,  of  late  years,  been  very  satisfactory,  and  Bristol  has  in 
this  noble  race  fully  kept  pace  with  her  competitor. 

FROM   PROFESSOR   J.    F.    W.   JOHNSTON. 

Moscow,  August  24,  1842. 

BEFORE  entering  Russia,  I  have  been  paying 

a  visit  to  my  old  friend  Berzelius,  at  Stockholm,  and  since 
that  time  have  run  over  some  one  thousand  miles  of  this 
infantile  region  of  country.  What  a  contrast  between  the 
internal  progress  of  your  really  young  country  and  of  this 
gigantic  and  almost  unwieldy  empire,  every  wheel  of  which 
is  moved  by  one  main  spring,  the  tension  of  which  regulates 
the  progress  of  every  hand.  Here  are  vast  plains,  exten- 
sive forests,  great  rivers,  all  rich  capabilities  undeveloped 
by  the  great  mass  of  the  nobles,  —  even  as  yet  unperceived. 
But  everything  here  partakes  more  or  less  of  the  eastern 
origin  of  the  people.  Gold  and  silver,  scarlet,  blue  and 
green,  fine  dress,  fine  armor,  splendid  uniforms,  military 
display,  —  everything  that  at  once  attracts  and  pleases  the 
eye,  —  these  are  the  objects  sought  after  by  the  people  from 
Petersburg  to  Ispahan.  From  the  whole  Empire  itself  to 
the  gaudy  ornamental  goods  manufactured  at  Moscow, 
everything  is  external  and  for  effect ;  the  goods  will  not 
bear  inspection ;  they  are  rude  and  unfinished  when  you 
look  beneath  the  gildings  ;  the  Empire  is  a  mere  great  out- 
line, which  long  time  alone  can  fill  up.  It  is  a  vast  canvas 
on  which  the  painter  has  yet  only  put  in  and  partially  fin- 
ished a  few  prominent  figures,  —  Petersburg,  Moscow,  and 
scarcely  another,  while  here  and  there  faint  sketches  only 
of  many  others  appear.  And  yet  there  is  great  progress 
everywhere  observable,  but  that  progress  is  retarded  as  that 
of  the  traveller  is,  at  every  step,  by  the  necessity  of  attend- 
ing to  a  thousand  forms,  and  by  the  military  organization 
of  everything 


182  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 


FROM   PROFESSOR    WILLIAM   B.   ROGERS. 

UNIVERSITY  OF  VIRGINIA, 

May  17, 1839. 

You  will  remark  a  similarity  in  my  mode  of 

grasping  the  formations  in  our  Appalachian  and  Alleghany 
regions  with  that  adopted  by  my  brother  in  Pennsylvania.  In 
fact,  we  work  in  concert,  and  coinciding  in  our  geological 
views  have  adopted  the  same  methods.  It  gives  me  pleasure 
to  find,  by  information  from  Europe,  that  our  cautious,  though 
extremely  laborious  mode  of  research  meets  the  approbation 
of  the  sound  and  judicious  geologists  abroad ;  and  I  feel 
perfectly  assured  that  when  the  entire  body  of  our  results, 
with  the  multitude  of  illustrative  sections,  and  other  de- 
lineations shall  be  made  public,  there  will  be  but  one 
opinion  as  to  the  philosophy  of  the  course  we  are  pursuing. 
The  phenomena  of  structure,  —  the  illustration  of  the  direc- 
tions and  comparative  energies  of  geological  forces  will,  I 
am  sure,  be  regarded  as  important  additions  to  geological 
dynamics.  In  fact,  I  am  bold  enough  to  hope  that  many 
important  general  views,  not  without  novelty,  will  be  pre- 
sented, which  from  the  wide  scale  of  our  formations  and  the 
symmetrical  operation  of  the  great  disturbing  forces  to 
which  they  have  been  exposed,  we  have  been  enabled  to 
elucidate  more  clearly  than  could  be  done  anywhere  in 
Europe 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  MANTELL. 

Origin  of  the  Correspondence.  —  Dr.  Mantell  on  the  Vicissitudes  of  For- 
tune among  English  Families;  on  Tariffs.  —  Professor  Silliman  on  Nul- 
lification and  Slavery;  on  Mrs.  Trollope's  Book  on  the  United  States; 
on  Captain  Hamilton's  Book  on  the  United  States.  —  Dr.  Mantell  on 
the  Duke  of  Wellington;  on  Agassiz's  Visit  to  him;  on  Mr.  Lyell's 
History.  —  Professor  Silliman  on  the  Means  of  Health;  on  the  Bird- 
Tracks  of  the  Connecticut  River  Valley ;  on  the  Visit  of  Dickens,  and 
that  of  Lyell,  to  the  United  States.  — Dr.  Mantell  on  Mr.  Bakewell,  his 
Infirmities,  his  Death.  —  Professor  Silliman  on  Dr.  Mantell's  Disease. — 
Dr.  Mantell  on  the  Medak  of  Creation;  on  Sir  R.  Peel;  on  Dr.  Lard- 
ner.  —  Professor  Silliman  on  Equivocal  Generation  and  the  Nebular 
Theory;  on  Lyell's  Visit.  —  Dr.  Mantell  on  the  Potato-rot  and  the  Con- 
dition of  the  English  Poor;  on  his  Geology  of  the  Isle  of  Wight.  —  Pro- 
fessor Silliman  on  Dr.  Mantell's  Sufferings;  on  Mr.  Lyell's  Reference  to 
Dr.  Mantell  (in  his  Geology,  Second  Edition);  on  the  Mexican  War  and 
European  War.  —  Dr.  Mantell  on  the  Dinner  of  the  Geological  Society. 
—  Professor  Silliman  on  California.  —  Dr.  Mantell  on  Faraday;  on  the 
Death  of  Sir  R.  Peel;  on  his  Annuity  from  the  Queen.— Dr.  J.  C. 
.  Warren  on  the  Death  of  Dr.  Mantell. 

A  MOST  intimate  and  confidential  intercourse  grew 
up  between  Professor  Silliman  and  the  celebrated 
geologist,  Dr.  Mantell,  although  they  had  never  seen 
one  another  until  the  second  visit  of  the  former  to 
Europe,  in  1851.  Dr.  Mantell  was  an  ardent  and 
most  diligent  investigator,  and  is  entitled  to  the 
honor  of  making  very  important  discoveries.  Nat- 
urally sensitive,  he  was  rendered  the  more  so  by  the 
bodily  infirmities  of  a  most  painful  character,  with 
which  he  was  compelled  to  struggle.  The  amount 
of  work  which  he  accomplished,  under  the  burden 


184  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   SILLIMAN. 

of  disease,  is  wonderful.  There  was  much  in  his 
situation  to  harass  and  sadden  his  feelings.  His 
Aim Tican  friend,  to  whom  he  confided  all  his  griev- 
ances and  anxieties,  was  never  weary  of  the  effort  to 
soothe  and  sustain  him.  The  letters  of  Professor 
Silliman  were  for  many  years  one  of  his  chief  sources 
of  happiness.  The  present  chapter  is  devoted  to 
selections  from  this  correspondence, — preceded,  how- 
ever, by  Professor  Silliman's  own  account  of  the 
origin  of  the  acquaintance. 

During  my  first  visit  to  England  and  Scotland  in  1805-6, 
Dr.  Mantell's  star  had  not  yet  risen  above  the  horizon. 
Being  ten  or  twelve  years  younger  than  myself,  he  was 
then  of  course  unknown  to  me,  and  was  quite  a  youth. 
More  than  twenty  years  after  my  return  home,  I  began  to 
hear  his  name  mentioned  in  connection  with  interesting 
discoveries  which  lie  was  reported  to  have  made  in  Pale- 
ontology, in  the  southeast  of  England,  where  he  resided,  in 
the  ancient  town  of  Lewes,  in  Sussex.  A  few  years  later 
still,  the  fame  of  his  published  works  reached  me,  and  I 
ventured  to  address  to  him  a  letter,  in  the  autumn  of  1830, 
beting  that  he  would  send  me  his  works  on  the  geology 
of  the  region  in  which  he  lived,  and  promising  him  a  re- 
turn in  the  American  "  Journal  of  Science  and  Arts,"  and 
in  any  ntlicr  work  which  I  had  published.  I  of  course 
stated  n iv  professional  connection  with  Yale  College,  also 
my  personal  acquaintance  with  England,  and  I  gave  refer- 
to  individuals  to  whom  I  was  known  in  that  country. 
precautions,  as  appeared  by  the  result,  were  unneces- 
l>r.  Mantell  had  already  anticipated  my  request, 
i::ul,  unsolicited,  clone  the  very  thing  which  I  desired. 
In  tlx.M  days  there  were  no  ocean  steamers,  and  the  aver- 
age 0  ross  the  Atlantic,  both  ways,  was  thirty- 
sue  days,  according  to  the  experience  of  more  than  thirty 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  MANTELL.  185 

years  of  Captain  Sebor,  as  stated  to  me  by  himself.  (The 
first  English  steamer,  —  the  Sirius,  —  a  small  experimental 
ship,  arrived  in  New  York  in  April,  1838.)  I  had  no  reason 
to  expect  an  early  reply  from  Dr.  Mantell ;  but  my  letter 
to  him  had  been  gone  only  a  few  days,  when  the  desired 
books  arrived. 

The  fact  that  each  of  us  had  taken  the  initiative  step,  — 
each  without  knowing  what  the  other  was  doing,  —  this 
happy  movement  on  the  part  of  men  of  temperament  not 
dissimilar  and  not  cold,  brought  us  together  in  genial  sym- 
pathy. The  offices  of  kindness  and  useful  service  which 
began  from  the  first  overture,  and  never  ceased  until  death 
closed  our  intercourse,  soon  ripened  into  a  warm  friend- 
ship and  cordial  confidence  and  esteem ;  and,  considering 
that  we  were  already,  and  myself  especially,  in  the  evening 
twilight  of  life,  our  correspondence  was  not  only  confid- 
ing, it  was  affectionate.  I  was  fifty-two,  and  Dr.  Mantell 
forty-one,  when  the  correspondence  began.  His  first  letter 
to  me  is  dated  March  29,  1831,  and  the  last,  October  11, 
1852  ;  and  he  died  November  10,  1852,  — just  one  month 
intervening.  Dr.  Mantell's  letters  were  not  only  most 
friendly  and  confiding,  they  were  full  of  information,  and 
were  often  accompanied  by  valuable  specimens,  which 
gradually  accumulated  to  form  a  large  and  valuable  collec- 
tion. In  his  letters  he  gave  me  from  time  to  time  the  most 
recent  and  most  important  scientific  intelligence,  which  was 
usually  inserted  in  the  "  Journal  of  Science,"  whose  pages 
were  occasionally  enriched  by  original  communications 
from  his  own  pen. 

There  are  one  hundred  and  twenty-six  letters  of  Dr. 
Mantell,  in  regular  sequence  of  dates,  —  from  March  29, 
1831,  to  October  11,  1852,  a  period  of  twenty  years  and  a 
half,  making  about  six  letters  a  year.*  My  letters  were, 

*  Besides  these,  a  considerable  number  of  letters  from  Dr.  Mantell  have 
been  found  among  Mr.  Silliman's  papers,  which  had  escaped  his  eye  when 
he  made  the  collection.  —  F. 


186  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

of  course,  to  say  the  least,  equally  numerous,  and  therefore 
there  must  have  passed  between  us  two  hundred  and  fifty 
letters  in  all ;  they  were  usually  full,  and  frequently  long. 

FROM   DR.   MANTELL. 

CASTLE  PLACE,  LEWES,  SUSSEX,  ENGLAND, 
February  10,  1833. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  Your  kind  present  reached  me  in  safety 
in  January,  but  the  bustle  of  this  season  of  the  year  has 
left  me  not  one  moment's  leisure  till  now,  and  I  eagerly 
embrace  a  few  minutes'  quiet  to  have  the  pleasure  of  a 
tete-a-tete  with  you.  First,  let  me  again  express  how 
deeply  sensible  we  are  of  your  kind  and  liberal  exertions 
to  afford  us  gratification,  and  to  assure  you  of  the  high 
pleasure  your  communications,  and  those  of  your  charming 
family,  give  to  me  and  mine.  Although  I  fear  you  and  I 
shall  never  meet  in  this  world,  yet  it  is  consolatory  to  re- 
flect that  there  is  a  possibility  our  children  may,  and  that 
our  scientific  intercourse  —  itself  a  sufficient  reward  — 
may  yet  lay  the  foundation  of  a  friendship  between  those 
who  are  dear  to  us,  the  benefits  arising  from  which  may 
hereafter  be  of  more  value  than  we  can  utter,  calculate,  or 
imagine.  The  Mastodon's  tooth  was  to  me  of  the  highest 
interest;  and  so  much  do  lvalue  any  relic  of  this  kind, 
that  I  candidly  state  there  is  nothing  so  much  coveted  by 
me  as  teeth  or  bones  of  any  of  your  extinct  mammalia ; 
and  if  you  could  procure  for  me,  by  exchange  or  purchase, 
any  hones  or  teeth  of  the  Mastodon,  without  inconvenience 
i"  \'tiirsclf,  I  would  gladly  repay  you,  and  should  feel 
tly  obliged  by  your  kindness:  of  course  I  should  not 
like  to  expend  any  large  sum  without  being  previously 
made  acquainted  with  the  nature  of  the  specimens.  The 
tooth  yon  have  so  generously  given  me  is  quite  a  treasure. 

And  now,  my  dear  sir,  I  have  arrived  at  your  own 

work,  in  which  your  friendship  and  kind  feeling  have  led 
you  to  give  so  excellent,  but  too  flattering,  notice  of  me 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  MANTELL.  187 

id  my  labors.  I  cannot  express  what  I  feel  on  this  subject ; 
but  be  assured  that  neither  Mrs.  Mantell,  nor  myself,  nor 
my  family,  can  ever  forget  your  disinterested  kindness ! 
The  notice  has  been  copied  in  part  into  many  of  our  jour- 
nals, and  it  came  most  opportunely,  at  the  very  time  when 
my  memoir  (which  I  read  to  the  Geological  Society  on 
the  5th  of  December)  had  excited  great  interest  in  the 
scientific  world,  and  found  its  way  into  many  of  the  lead- 
ing daily  papers I  feel  most  deeply  sensible  of 

your  kind,  your  generous  observation  on  the  possibility  of 
my  family,  like  thousands  of  others,  being  compelled  to 
seek  in  your  rising  country  for  that  repose  and  comfort 
which,  in  my  artificial  and  highly-excited  community,  but 
few,  if  any,  can  find ;  and  I  assure  you,  my  dear  friend, 
that,  deeply  as  I  venerate  the  home  of  my  ancestors,  and 
attached  as  I  am  to  the  very  walls  which  surround  their 
ashes,  yet,  if  I  were  ten  years  younger,  I  would  not,  for  the 
sake  of  my  family,  have  hesitated  long  since  to  launch  my 
young  folks  in  America,  where  they  would  have  been  free 
from  that  feverish  state  of  anxiety  and  excitement,  which 
awaits  them  here.  When  I  reflect  on  the  many  hundreds 
of  families  whom,  even  in  my  comparatively  short  life,  I 
have  seen  reduced  from  affluence  to  poverty,  I  shudder 
vvith  horror  lest  such  a  fate  may  be  mine,  in  spite  of  all 
my  exertions  and  all  the  precautions  which  providence  can 
suggest ;  and  the  same  feeling  pervades  all  classes  of  so- 
ciety. I  know  not  one,  even  of  our  first  families,  that  does 
not  find  itself  involved  in  difficulties.  I  read  with  great 
feeling  your  eloquent  address  on  the  causes  of  national 
anxiety,  alike  honorable  to  your  head  and  heart ;  it  has 
afforded  much  pleasure  to  some  benevolent  friends  to 
whom  I  have  lent  it.  Stewart's  "  America,"  which  is  just 
published,  has  a  great  run.  Mrs.  Trollope's  is  sinking  into 
merited  oblivion  and  contempt.  I  have  been  watching 
with  intense  anxiety  the  announcements  from  Carolina ; 
and  most  fervently  do  I  hope  that  the  difference  existing 


18S  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   SILLIMAN. 

>  ii  that  State  and  your  Government  may  speedily 
subside.  Our  Tories  (and  our  Whigs  too)  are  quite  de- 
lighted at  the  possibility  of  a  civil  war  in  a  republic,  to 
which  Knglishmen  look  as  an  example  of  free  government 
and  liberal  institutions  ;  and  nothing  would  more  retard 
the  progress  of  freedom  here  and  in  Europe  than  a  separa- 
tion between  your  States.  I  hope  and  trust  all  is  now 
quiet.  Our  enlightened  men  condemn  the  Tariff  as  most 
injudicious,  and  leading  to  all  the  abominations  of  excise- 
ment  and  places  in  a  country  which  for  centuries  might 
go  on  without  them ;  yet  the  principles  of  confederation 
laid  down  by  your  President  are  considered  unanswerable. 
Our  friend,  Mr.  Bakewell,  whom  I  saw  in  London,  is  very 
well,  and  as  actively  alive  to  his  favorite  science  as  ever ; 
he  has  been,  as  ever,  most  kind  and  attentive  to  my 
interests  ;  and,  indeed,  to  him  entirely  I  ow'a  the  publication 
of  my  book,  —  for  a  publisher,  to  whom  I  intrusted  it, 
kept  my  MS.  a  month,  and  then  declined  it,  —  the  delay 
was  to  prevent  its  appearance  before  a  geological  work  of 
his  own.  Mr.  B.  came  to  London  and  heard  my  lectures. 
You  will  have  a  great  treat  in  Mr.  Lyell's  third  volume, 
and  in  Mr.  Hawkins's  beautiful  plates. 

FROM   DR.    MANTELL. 

June  18, 1833. 

I  WRITE  on  the  anniversary  of  the  battle  of 

Waterloo.  We  are  here  in  great  consternation  lest  the  Duke 

should  again  get  into  power,  for  the  Tories  are  making  a 

ulous  struggle  ;  if  they  do  your  country  will  be   the 

only  asylum  lor  us  ;  the  middling  classes  here  have  suffered 

givail\,  and  we  had  reason  to  hope  the  worst  was  over,  for 

in  to  wear  a  brighter  aspect;  but  if  that  moral 

ih«-  Duke,  should  again  rule  the  ascendant,  there  will 

•  hope  ;  despotism,  —  military  despotism,  or  a  revolu- 

-  will  be  the  result 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  MANTELL.     189 


TO  DR.  MANTELL. 

YALE  COLLEGE,  NEW  HAVEN,  CONNECTICUT, 
July  18,  1833. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  — You  manifest  very  kind  and 

liberal  feelings  towards  our  institutions  and  the  trial  to 
which  they  have  been  subjected  by  the  recent  opposition 
of  South  Carolina.  You  have,  ere  this,  seen  that  it  has 
subsided  with  the  mitigation  of  the  Tariff,  —  the  acceptance 
of  that  mitigation  by  the  Senators  and  Representatives 
of  South  Carolina,  at  Washington,  and  with  the  energetic 
course  which  the  government  were  prepared  to  pursue  in 
case  of  actual  resistance.  I  trust  the  danger  is  gone  by  ;  — • 
certainly  it  has  for  the  present,  for  the  country  is  almost 
unanimous  in  support  of  the  government.  The  opposition 
at  the  South  was  fomented  by  a  few  disappointed,  ambitious 
men,  some  of  them  men  of  great  talent  and  influence.  They 
are  now  disposed  to  fasten  upon  the  subject  of  .slavery  as  a 
means  of  excitement.  Some  of  the  features  of  that  most 
anxious  subject  are  sketched  in  the  little  tract  which  I  sent 
you,  and  which,  with  your  usual  kindness,  you  appreciate 
beyond  its  merits.  It  may  have  served,  however,  to  give 
some  hints  as  to  the  danger  which  impends  over  this  coun- 
try, from  its  domestic  slavery.  It  is  probable  that  slavery 
will  in  future  be  the  principal  source  of  disunion,  and  it  is 
impossible  to  tell  what  may  be  the  result.  As  to  all  other 
subjects,  my  impression  is,  that  our  popular  institutions  give 
every  promise  of  permanency.  The  most  important  reason 
is  that  the  people  have  the  power,  and  have  already  had  it ; 
and  they  are  too  generally  well  educated  to  trifle  with  the 
security  of  their  own  persons  and  property  ;  they  elect  those 
men  who,  as  they  suppose,  sympathize  with  them,  and  there 
is  generally  a  willing  obedience  to  law.  It  is  the  habit  of 
the  people  to  obey  law,  and  to  reverence  it,  and  respect 
magistrates.  It  is  impossible  to  say  how  long  it  may  be 
before  the  means  of  subsistence  shall  be  obtained  with  dif- 


190  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

ficulty,  and  labor  will  not  command  bread.  This  period 
appears  however  to  be  far  off  in  this  country,  and  should 
any  of  your  children  or  friends  choose  it  for  their  home,  I 
think  they  have  fair  prospects  of  peace,  competency,  and 
security.  Mr.  Stewart's  view  of  this  country  is  generally 
candid,  manly,  and  correct ;  his  errors  are  not  often  im- 
portant, and  are  always,  I  believe,  unintended.  Mrs.  Trol- 
lope  hit  us  in  many  points,  where  we  do  indeed  deserve  to 
be  lashed,  and  I  think  that  she  has  done  us  some  good ; 
but  she  was  after  all  much  more  of  a  satire  upon  the  re- 
spectable gentlewomanhood  of  Britain,  than  her  book  was 
upon  this  country.  I  mean  that  she  would  be  still  further 
from  being  a  fair  representative  of  the  highly  estimable  and 
most  respectable  character  of  English  women.  I  have  often 
thought  that  there  might  be  serious  advantage  to  English 
families  of  moderate  but  still  comfortable  means  by  remov- 
ing to  this  country  in  which  subsistence  (fashion  and  folly 
aside)  is  not  dear,  and  the  comforts  of  life  are  obtained 
at  a  cheap  rate,  and  even  elegant  and  refined  enjoyments 
without  a  vast  expense. 

FROM   DR.   MANTELL. 

LEWES,  ENGLAND,  October  3, 1833. 

LET  me  then  thank  you  for  your  most  valued  communica- 
tion, which  I  shall  place  among  my  most  precious  treasures, 
with  the  letters  of  my  distinguished  friends,  now,  alas,  no 
more!  —  with  those   of  Davy,   Cuvier,   Clark,    Parkinson, 
"\Voll:i-,toii,  Cunning,  &c.     Long  ere  this,  my  book  must 
h:i\e  iv;iehrd  you,  for  it  was  sent  on  the  24th  of  May,  (and 
mi  rather  romantic,)  I  have  often  indulged  in  the  sup- 
:'»n  that  you  were  looking  it  over,  and  amused  myself 
with  .1   your  opinion  on   my  new  creature,  and  on 

the  other  ost.eological  wonders  there  first  described.  I 
candidly  told  you  the  volume  was  full  of  faults,  and  you 
will  ha\  e  found  it  so.  The  only  parts  I  am  satisfied  with  are 
the  introductory  remarks,  the  chapter  on  the  Hylaeosauros, 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  MANTELL.  191 

and  the  last,  on  the  results  of  the  geological  researches  in 
the  southeast  of  England. 

TO    DR.    MANTELL. 

YALE  COLLEGE,  NEW  HAVEN, 
October  12, 1833. 

WE  are  now  entirely  quiet  as  to  our  political 

dissensions,  and  nullification  is  in  lethargy  and  suspended 
animation,  if  not  the  last  struggles  of  life.  The  question  of 
slavery  is,  however,  becoming  very  deeply  interesting,  and 
is  a  very  exciting  subject.  I  think  we  cannot  shut  our  eyes 
any  longer  upon  its  impending  dangers ;  although  views 
which  I  expressed  in  the  little  tract  which  I  sent  you,  appear 
to  be  in  a  way  to  be  realized,  provided  these  dangers  are 
not  seasonably  averted.  I  am  happy  to  observe  that  you 
have  escaped  the  Duke's  iron  sway,  and  I  trust  that  things 
are  getting  better  with  you  in  England.  I  presume  you  have 
seen  Captain  Hamilton's  late  book  on  this  country  ;  it  would 
seem  that  America  is  a  very  favorite  theme  in  England,  for 
I  presume  that  so  many  books  would  not  sell  if  they  were 
received  with  indifference,  and  they  would  probably  not  be 
written  if  they  did  not  sell.  I  have  not  read  Hamilton's 
book,  except  in  spots.  He,  like  Captain  Basil  Hall,  some- 
times forgot  what  was  due  to  good  manners.  I  was  a  few 
days  since  at  a  splendid  villa  on  the  Hudson,  —  Dr.  Hosack's, 
at  Hyde  Park.  It  is  all  in  English  style,  and  I  should  have 
thought  I  was  at  an  English  nobleman's  seat.  There  is  a 
splendid  library  of  thousands  of  volumes,  of  the  first  works 
in  literature  and  science,  and  a  very  polished  and  hospitable 
family,  where  there  is  a  constant  succession  of  the  best 
society.  Here  Captain  Hamilton  used  to  allow  himself  to 
come  to  dinner  with  the  ladies  in  a  very  short  roundabout 
jacket,  and  he  walked  the  streets  of  New  York  in  the  same 
style  with  a  lady  on  his  arm  and  a  cigar  in  his  mouth.  But 
enough  of  this. 


192  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 


PROM   DR.    MANTELL. 

BRIGHTON,  January  18,  1834. 

THE  heading  of  this  letter  will,  I  feel  assured,  be  at 
once  an  apology  for  my  not  having  earlier  acknowledged 
your  very  kind,  most  acceptable,  and  delightful  letter,  and 
still  more  the  safe  arrival  of  the  invaluable  present  which  it 
announced  the  departure  of.  This  to  me  most  precious,  even 
of  all  your  gifts,  I  received  in  London  from  the  hands  of 
Mr.  Rich,  and  it  arrived  here  in  safety,  three  weeks  ago,  in 
time  to  occupy  a  conspicuous  place  in  my  drawing-room, 
among  the  portraits  of  my  family  and  friends  ;  it  is  placed 
immediately  over  my  friend  Lyell's  picture.  It  really  does 
great  credit  to  your  young  artist,  for  the  execution  is  very 
good,  and  pray  tell  him  that  it  is  very  much  admired  ;  and  in 
this  bustling  place,  it  is  seen  by  no  small  number  of  persons. 
Let  me  beg,  my  dear  sir,  that  you  will  accept  not  only  of 
my  thanks,  but  also  of  those  of  Mrs.  Mantell,  and  all  my 
family,  for  this  delightful  addition  to  our  circle.  Rogers  has 
beautifully  reminded  us  that  there  is  an  eternity  even  in  this 
world,  —  the  power  of  living  in  the  memories  of  those  who 
come  after  us,  and  by  whom  our  names  and  our  characters 
will  be  respected.  I  would  add,  there  is  even  given  to  us 
in  this  world  our  degree  of  omnipresence,  by  which  we 
enjoy  the  privilege  of  communing  with  those  kindred  minds 
who  are  forever  separated  from  us,  but  in  whose  recbl- 
1( vtions  we  are  present,  and  in  a  manner  more  pleasing 
and  delightful  than  perhaps  even  by  personal  intercourse. 
'•ridge  meeting  passed  off  admirably,  as  you  will 
this  have  seen  by  the  book  I  send  you  containing 
the  autographs  and  account  of  the  proceedings,  but  I 
did  not  go  to  Stratford,  but  accompanied  the  Marquis  of 
Northampton  to  his  scat,  Castle  Ashley,  (Northampton- 
shire,) where  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Buckland  joined  us,  and  Mr. 
and  .Mr-,.  Mmvhison:  so  that  we  had  a  most  charming 
party  ;  and  J  very  much  enjoyed  myself.  I  accompanied 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  MANTELL.  193 

Dr.  B.  to  Stowe,  the  celebrated  seat  of  the  Duke  of  Buck- 
ingham, (of  whom  you  will  have  heard  as  the  purchaser  of 
the  first  plesiosaurus,)  and  thence  to  Oxford ;  the  weather 
was  most  propitious ;  we  are  now  doing  penance  for  it.  I 
long  to  see  Morton's  book  on  the  secondary  fossils  of 
America,  and  if  that  is  followed  by  Conrad's  on  the  tertiary 
shells,  these  two  works  will  do  more  than  any  others  to  bring 
your  treasures  before  the  European  geologists.  I  am  often 
very  covetous,  —  unreasonably  so  I  confess,  —  yet  I  cannot 
but  say  how  very  anxious  I  am  to  hear  from  you,  so  soon  as 
you  can  devote  an  hour  to  an  unseen  friend.  "When  next  I 
write,  I  hope  it  will  be  with  better  spirits,  —  at  any  rate 
with  less  bodily  suffering ;  indeed,  I  could  not  bear  up 
under  this  long.  I  shall  not,  however,  wait  till  I  hear  from 
you  before  I  write  again,  but  if  anything  new  and  interesting 
conies  within  my  reach,  I  shall  send  it  across  the  Atlantic. 
My  little  folks  leave  us  next  week,  the  holidays  being  over ; 
they  now  unite  with  me  and  their  mamma  in  best  wishes 
and  tenderest  regards  to  you  and  yours.  Walter  received 
his  books  in  safety,  and  is  greatly  obliged  to  your  dear  boy 
for  them.  I  have  this  day  heard  from  Mr.  Bakewell ;  the 
poor  old  gentleman  has  been  afflicted  with  gout  in  his 
hands,  —  an  affliction,  of  all  others,  the  most  annoying  to  a 
literary  man.  Can  you  tell  me  if  Dr.  Harlan  and  all  his 
treasures  arrived  safe  ?  he  obtained  a  very  good  collection 
from  various  quarters.  You  remember  the  teeth  of  the 
gigantic  Tapir  of  Cuvier.  Mr.  Bakewell  figures  a  grinder ; 
they  have  found  two  perfect  lower  jaws  of  the  animal  at 
Darmstadt ;  strange  to  tell,  it  has  two  tusks  at  the  anterior 
extremity  of  the  lower  jaws,  and  which  point  downwards : 
was  ever  anything  so  extraordinary  ?  They  must  have 
been  intended  to  enable  the  animal  to  grub  up  bulbous  and 
tuberose  roots,  from  under  the  matted  fibrous  roots  of  a 
forest.  Adieu,  my  dear,  kind  friend.  I  am  suffering  so 
much  I  cannot  write  more.  May  Heaven  bless  you  and 
yours. 

VOL.   IT.  13 


194  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 


FROM    DR.    MANTELL. 

BRIGHTON,  June  18, 1834. 

YOUR  admirable  letter  on  the  harmony  between 

geology  and  the  Mosaic  records,  has  been  read  with  great 
delight  and  satisfaction  by  many  of  our  intelligent  clergy- 
men, who  felt  unsettled  in  their  opinions  upon  these  sub- 
jects. '  Can  it  be  obtained  apart  from  the  volume  ?  If  it 
can  I  shall  order  some,  for  many  of  my  friends  are  anxious 
to  possess  it.  Your  paper  on  the  explosion  of  steamboats 
was  of  great  interest  to  a  friend  of  mine  here,  Mr.  Ri- 
cardo,  (brother  of  the  late  celebrated  David  Ricardo,  the 
political  economist,)  who  is  deeply  interested  in  such  sub- 
jects. The  volume  and  atlas  on  the  Geology  of  Massachu- 
setts, reflect  great  credit  on  the  author,  and  on  the  enlight- 
ened government  who  patronized  the  undertaking 

Lyell  is  off  to  Norway  and  Sweden,  to  examine  into  the 
proofs  afforded  of  the  gradual  elevation  of  these  countries, 
which  is  supposed  to  be  still  going  on.  Murchison  is  off  to 
Wales,  to  complete  his  grand  geological  survey  of  a  part 
of  that  principality,  which  he  intends  to  publish  in  a  sep- 
arate work,  and  I  have  no  doubt  it  will  be  one  of  great 
value  and  interest,  for  he  has  time,  talents,  and  fortune,  at 
his  command. 

Hurklund  is  employed  on  his  Bridgewater  Essay,  (or  at 
least  will  be,  so  soon  as  the  Oxford  fooleries  are  over; — 
think  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington  being  the  Chancellor 
of  our  first  University,  —  there  is  no  hope  for  mankind 
while  the  brute  qualities  of  a  mere  soldier  claim  the  highest 
rewards  <>!'/<•///•////////)  — which  is  to  be  out  in  August,  the 

pluto  will  be  numerous  and  beautiful The  box 

will  contain  the  copy  of  Mr.  Hawkins's  work, —  the  portrait 
of  tli-  lor  "  of  the  Iguanodon, —  as  my  friend  Horace 

Smith  facetiously  terms  me,  —  and  a  few  scraps  of  miscel- 
i  ibblings  of  mine,  and  some  fossils. 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  MANTELL.  195 

FROM   DR.   MANTELL. 

OF  Agassiz,  I  ought  not  to  omit  mentioning  that  he  is 
a  highly  intelligent,  unassuming,  liberal  man ;  he  spent 
four  days  with  me,  and  although  the  then  dangerous  ill- 
ness of  Mrs.  Mantell  and  the  presence  of  Dr.  Buckland, 
occasioned  considerable  interruption  to  his  investigations,  I 
learned  much  from  him,  and  parted  with  him  with  great 
regret.  He  was  in  ecstasies  with  my  wonderful  fishes.  My 
salmo,  he  considered  with  me  as  belonging  to  the  family  of 
Salmonidae,  and  from  its  analogy  to  the  smelt  (ostnerus)  he 

named  it  Osmeroides  Mantelli And  now  I  have  a 

piece  of  news  which  I  am  sure  will  give  you  pleasure.  I 
verily  believe  I  have  persuaded  my  friend  Lyell  to  visit 
your  country  and  you  !  Alas,  I  cannot  come,  —  there  is  no 
hope  for  me.  My  only  prospect  is  a  life  of  labor  and  anx- 
iety. Too  happy  shall  I  consider  myself,  if  ever  I  can  get 
employment,  —  this  is  hard  after  twenty-three  years'  intense 
labor,  but  so  it  is  !  To  Lyell  what  a  field  of  honor  America 
opens  ;  no  one  is  so  well  acquainted  with  the  tertiary  forma- 
tion as  he;  and  I  am  quite  certain  that  there  is  a  rich  har- 
vest for  him.  He  begins  to  talk  seriously  about  it ;  if  he 
does,  his  wife,  —  a  charming  girl,  —  the  daughter  of  Leon- 
ard Horner,  (formerly  of  the  London  University,)  will  accom- 
pany him Brighton  is  very  full ;  the  Royal  family 

came  a  fortnight  ago ;  but  to  the  surprise  and  regret  of  the 
greater  part  of  the  nation,  the  King  has  dismissed  his  lib- 
eral ministers,  and  that  tyrant  Wellington,  and  Peel,  are  to 
form  our  administration  ;  what  the  result  will  be  Heaven 
only  knows.  I  think  it  is  impossible  to  retrograde ;  but 
nothing  can  be  predicted  with  any  certainty.  In  conse- 
quence of  these  political  changes,  the  King  and  Queen  left 
the  palace  here  yesterday  morning,  and  it  is  supposed  will 
not  return  this  season  ;  if  they  do  not  it  will  materially  in- 
jure this  town  for  the  present  winter.  I  fear  America  will 
be  the  only  hope  left  for  freedom,  —  but  she  must  get  rid 
of  her  cursed  slavery  ! 


1!M>  LIFE    OF    BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

FROM   DR.    MANTELL. 

June  26, 1840. 

I  WAS  introduced  to  Prince  Albert  a  short  time 

since,  and  presented  hi  in  with  the  German  and  English  edi- 
tions of  the  tk  Wonders  "  ;  he  is  a  very  affable,  intelligent, 
handsome  youth,  and  those  who  are  intimately  acquainted 
with  him  assure  me  he  is  very  amiable  ;  what  a  pity  he 
should  be  exposed  to  such  a  court  as  ours  ! 

FROM   DR.    MANTELL. 

June  14, 1841. 

MY  VERY  DEAR  FRIEND,—.  ...  I  was  about  to  write  to 
you  to  inform  you  of  Mr.  Lyell's  intentions,  which  he  com- 
municated to  me  but  a  short  time  since.  I  dined  with  him 
last  week,  —  a  farewell  party.  His  charming  little  wife  (a 
daughter  of  Mr.  Leonard  Horner)  accompanies  him.  I 
have  said  so  much  of  you  and  yours,  to  her,  that  she  is 
quite  anxious  to  visit  New  Haven ;  if  she  does,  I  am  sure 
you  will  all  be  delighted  with  her.  And  now  for  a  strictly 
private  sketch  of  my  old  friend.  About  twenty  years  or 
more  ago,  one  beautiful  summer  evening,  a  young  Scotch- 
man called  at  Castle  Place,  (Lewes,)  and  announced  him- 
self as  a  Mr.  Lyell,  who  was  fond  of  geology,  had  been 
attending  Jameson's  lectures  at  Edinburgh,  had  visited  his 
former  Alma  Mater,  Midhurst  Grammar-School,  in  the 
west  of  Sussex ;  and  rambling  about  the  neighborhood, 
found  some  laborers  quarrying  in  stone  which  they  called 
"  Whin."  As  this  term  is  Scotice,  Trap,  the  young  trav- 
eller was  much  puzzled  to  know  how  such  a  rock  appeared 
in  the  south  of  England,  and  upon  inquiry  of  one  of  the 
laborers  why  the  stone  was  so  called,  the  man  referred  him 
monstrous  clever  mon  as  lived  at  Lewes,  a  doctor, 
uho  knowed  all  about  them  things,  and  got  curosities  out  of 
the  chalk-pits  to  make  physic  with."  The  man,  in  short,  had 
former!  v  a  Lewes  quarryman,  and  one  of  my  collectors. 
Mr.  I.M  II  bring  alone  and  on  horseback,  and  having  noth- 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  MANTELL.  197 

ing  better  to  do,  rode  gently  over  the  South  Down,  some 
twenty-five  miles,  and  at  the  close  of  the  day,  found  him- 
self at  the  residence  of  the  future  "  Wizard  of  the  World," 
as  Dr.  Buckland  designates  your  humble  servant.  We 
were  mutually  pleased  with  each  other  ;  my  few  drawers  of 
fossils  were  soon  looked  over,  but  we  were  in  gossip  until 
morning,  and  then  commenced  a  friendship  which  has  con- 
tinued till  now.  Mr.  Lyell  was  educated  for  the  Bar.  He 
practised  on  the  western  circuit  seven  or  eight  years,  and 
he  allowed  me  to  correspond  with  him  only  during  the  va- 
cations. His  father,  who  is  a  Scotch  Laird,  is  still  living, 
and  there  are  several  sons  and  daughters.  Mr.  Lyell  is  the 
eldest,  and  at  the  death  of  his  father  inherits  the  family 
estate,  which,  I  believe,  is  moderate.  However,  about  seven 
or  eight  years  after  our  acquaintance,  Mr.  Lyell,  with  great 
good  sense,  abandoned  his  profession,  with  his  father's  con- 
sent, and  devoted  himself  wholly  to  geology,  content  with  a 
moderate  income,  and  living  in  a  very  unostentatious  man- 
ner in  an  unfashionable  part  of  the  city.  A  few  years  ago 
he  married  Miss  Horner,  who  is  much  younger  than  him- 
self, (Lyell  is  forty-five  or  forty-six,)  and  a  more  suitable 
companion  he  could  not  have  found.  He  has  no  children. 
In  person,  Mr.  Lyell  presents  nothing  remarkable,  except 
a  broad  expanse  of  forehead.  He  is  of  the  middle  size,  a 
decided  Scottish  physiognomy,  small  eyes,  fine  chin,  and 
a  rather  proud  or  reserved  expression  of  countenance. 
He  is  very  absent,  and  a  slow  but  profound  thinker.  He 
was  Professor  in  King's  College,  London,  and  gave  lec- 
tures there  and  at  the  Royal  Institution,  but  it  so  happened 
that  I  never  heard  him  lecture.  He  always  takes  part  in 
the  discussion  at  the  meetings  of  the  Geological  Society, 
but  he  has  not  facility  in  speaking ;  there  is  hesitation  in 
his  manner,  and  his  voice  is  neither  powerful  nor  melodi- 
ous, nor  is  his  action  at  all  imposing.  As  a  popular  lecturer, 
he  would  stand  no  chance  with  Buckland  or  Sedgwick. 
He  is  providing  himself  with  very  beautiful  illustrations  for 


198  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

his  lectures,  to  astonish  the  Bostonians ;  and  I  should  sup- 
j>oM'  the  prestige  of  his  name  and  his  European  reputation 
will  insure  him  a  flattering  reception.  I  should  like  to 

have  accompanied  him.     He  goes  first  to  Canada 

I  understand  Mr.  Lowell  was  very  anxious  to  induce  Fara- 
day to  come  over  and  lecture  on  Chemistry.  But  poor 
Faraday,  like  several  of  our  best  men,  has  overworked 

himself,  and  is  obliged  to  lay  by  altogether There 

is  a  hauteur  or  reserve  about  Mr.  Lyell  to  strangers,  that 
prevents  his  being  so  popular  among  our  society  as  he  de- 
serves to  be.  I  believe  him  to  have  an  excellent  heart,  and 
he  is  very  kind  and  affectionate,  when  his  better  feelings 
are  called  upon.  I  have  had  some  reason  to  complain  on 
points  relating  to  authorship,  but  that  perhaps  is  mere 
weakness  of  human  nature.  I  am  very  much  attached  to 
him.  I  have  only  to  regret  that  he  has  not  that  warmth  of 
feeling  which  I  hoped  to  find  in  him,  and  which  would  have 

rendered  him  an  invaluable  friend  to  me Perhaps 

we  Southrons  are  of  more  excitable  stuff  than  the  North- 
erners. 

TO    DR.    MANTELL. 

NEW  HAVEN,  September  25,  1841. 

OUR  house  is  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  depot, 

and  the  whole  distance  is  through  the  streets  of  the  town. 

By  and  by  Mr.  Lyell  says,  —  after  riding  a  mile,  —  are  you 

carrying  us  to  the  Tontine  ?     "  No,  to  another  house  where, 

although  your  entertainment  may  not  be  as  luxurious,  your 

welcome  will  be  quite  as  hearty !     Mrs.  Silliman  and  my 

daughter  present  their  respects  to  Mrs.  Lyell,  and  invite 

li< T.  as   I   do  her  husband  also,  to  the  hospitality  of  our 

In  MIX-.     Your  chamber  is  ready,  and  we  shall  make  the 

use  of  our  time  in  being  together ;  we  will,  if  you 

picas,-,  banish  all  reserve,  and  be  acquainted  at  once."    They 

t....k   us  at  our  word,  and  we  were  soon  at  my  door,  where 

!  1  met  a  warm  welcome  from  the  ladies.    This  was 

•  lay  evening,  and  they  remained  with  us  until  Friday 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  MANTELL.  199 

noon.  We  were  very  much  gratified  by  their  frank  and 
cordial  deportment.  Mr.  Lyell  was  animated  and  interest- 
ing, often  eloquent,  and  full  o£  geological  zeal,  which  was 
fully  indulged  in  excursions  around  our  noble  trap  region. 
Mr.  L.  shouted  from  one  of  our  hills,  that  it  was  "  a  glo- 
rious country,"  (geologically,)  and  most  picturesque  and 
beautiful.  Mrs.  L.  was  out  with  us  on  the  first  day  with 
one  of  my  daughters;  but  our  work  was  afterwards  too 
laborious  for  her,  —  among  trap  mountain  precipices,  de- 
files, and  stone  quarries,  &c.  Mr.  L.  found  much  to  theo- 
rize upon,  and  except,  now  and  then,  a  few  moments  of 
abstraction,  when  with  his  hand  upon  his  forehead,  he  was 
involved  in  deep  thought,  he  was  as  lively  and  agreeable  as 
any  one  could  be,  and  appeared  greatly  delighted  with  the 
scenes  around  him,  which  he  said  possessed  a  strong  inter- 
est and  a  high  degree  of  freshness.  We  had  several  good 
geologists  with  us,  at  least,  five  besides  Mr.  Lyell.  Mrs. 
Lyell  made  herself  most  agreeable  in  our  family.  We  were 
charmed  with  her  winning,  affable  manners  ;  we  endeavored 
to  see  that  they  were  furnished  with  the  comforts  of  an 
English  home  in  America,  and  they  appeared  to  enjoy 
being  identified  so  early  with  an  American  family,  where 
Mrs.  Lyell  said  she  should  not  have  known  that  they  were 
not  in  England ;  and  we  went  with  them  to  the  steamboat 
on  their  departure  for  New  York.  She  said  that  they  had 
seen  and  enjoyed  enough  in  the  twelve  days  they  had  spent 
in  America,  to  pay  them  for  crossing  the  Atlantic.  In  short, 
their  visit  to  us  was  altogether  delightful,  without  the  slight- 
est thing  to  create  regret  or  momentary  embarrassment. 
We  were  just  as  free  as  if  we  had  been  always  acquainted  ; 
and  Mr.  L.  confided  to  me  his  plans  and  views  with  perfect 
frankness.  We  wanted  nothing,  my  good  friend,  but  your 
presence  to  have  made  our  interviews  as  happy  as  possible, 
and  you  and  your  reputation  and  interests  were  often  on 
our  tongues.  The  circumstances  you  relate  are  not  agree- 
able, and  I  wonder  at  them  the  more,  because  the  anniver- 


200  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

address,  by  Mr.  Lyell,  before  the  Geological  Society, 
was  full  and  warm  in  vindication  of  your  discoveries  and 
merits,  and  you  may  remember  it  was  republished  in  the 
"American  Journal."  Mr.  L.  is  now  republishing  his  works 
in  Boston,  having  brought  over  the  wood-cuts  with  him. 
He  is  to  begin  there  on  the  19th  of  October,  and  lecture 
six  weeks,  lie  has  told  me  of  his  huge  drawings,  and  Mr. 
Bakewell  has  prepared  eight  more  for  him  on  a  huge  scale, 
drawn  principally  from  his  own  works.  He  thinks  the 
drawings  I  have  lectured  from  quite  too  small,  and  counts 
much  upon  the  aid  from  his  large  drawings.  He  is  anxious 
that  I  should  be  present  at  his  beginning,  to  aid  him  by  my 
advice.  It  will  be  extremely  difficult ;  but  I  shall  try  to 
break  away  for  a  few  days  and  hear  a  couple  of  his  lectures. 
He  has  been  through  the  State  of  New  York  with  Mr.  Hall, 
a  clever  young  geologist  of  that  State,  and  has  written  me 
that  he  has  been  much  gratified ;  a  week  since  he  was  on 
the  Hudson,  near  the  Catskills,  and,  I  suppose  may,  ere 
this,  be  gone  into  Pennsylvania  with  Professor  Rogers,  as 
he  was  anxious  to  see  that  State,  as  well  as  New  York,  be- 
fore beginning  his  lectures.  His  plan  is  to  go  South  in  the 
winter,  and  return  again  to  the  North  in  the  spring.  He 
intends  to  finish  a  year  in  America.  Canada,  I  suppose,  he 
will  visit  next  summer.  I  have  not  heard  a  word  of  the 
impression  he  has  made  elsewhere,  except ,  on  my  friend, 
Win.  ('.  IJ-.'d  field,  who  was  his  active  companion  in  New 
York,  and  up  the  Hudson  to  Albany.  Mr.  R.  was  much 
pleased  with  them  both,  and  said  they  were  delighted  with 
the  glorious  scenery  of  the  Hudson,  on  a  bright  day,  in  one 
of  our  fine  steamboats.  Thus  much  of  our  friends. 

TO    DR.    MANTELL. 

NEW  HAVEN,  December  14,  1841. 

'I'liu  painful  and  alarming  infirmity  with  which 

G°d  'it  to  visit  you,  gives  us  great  concern  ;  but 

we  observe  with  great  satisfaction  the  very  becoming  re- 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  MANTELL.  201 

ligious  feeling  with  which  you  regard  it  As  the  affliction 
is  hitherto  confined  to  the  lower  extremities,  it  may  be  con- 
sistent with  continued  life,  and  even  usefulness,  —  for  many 
instances  occur  of  afflictions  of  this  class  remaining  in  abey- 
ance for  many  years,  although  they  are  certainly  of  anxious 
and  doubtful  presage.  I  know  not  what  have  been  your 
table  habits;  but  permit  me  (I  trust  without  offence  or 
indelicacy)  to  remark  that,  if  like  most  English  gentlemen, 
as  the  habits  of  society  were  when  I  knew  England,  you 
have  been  accustomed  to  perhaps  a  tumbler  of  porter 
with  your  dinner,  and  two  or  three  glasses  of  port  or  ma- 
deira after  it,  you  will,  I  have  no  doubt,  find  great  advan- 
tage by  dropping  them  all,,  and  relying  on  water  and 
nutritious  food,  —  simple  and  sufficient,  without  redun- 
dancy. Wonders  have  been  effected  in  this  country  by 
such  changes,  and  I  am  myself  a  monument  of  their  effi- 
cacy. Eighteen  years  ago,  through  fatigues  and  excessive 
labors,  anxiety  and  grief,  I  was  almost  broken  down  in  my 
nervous  system ;  and,  although  not  paralytic,  I  had  severe 
spasms  and  frequent  numbness  of  limbs ;  but  now,  by 
God's  blessing  and  a  resolute  perseverance  in  simple  hab- 
its of  living,  without  alcoholic  drinks,  I  am,  when  past 
threescore,  hale  and  active,  and  in  body  and  mind  able  to 
sustain  incessant  labor.  You  will  pardon  me  if  my  remarks 
are  superfluous,  for  I  am  sure  you  will  regard  them  as  well- 
intended.  You  speak  of  relaxation,  —  most  desirable,  no 
doubt.  Can  you  not  place  some  professional  friend  as  a 
locum  tenens  in  your  place,  while  you  embark  in  the  spring 
for  this  country,  and  pass  a  few  months  —  or  weeks,  if  you 
can  spare  no  more  time  —  with  us,  making  our  house  your 
home,  and  regulating  your  excursions  as  you  may  find  it 
convenient  and  agreeable ;  and,  if  Reginald  or  your  daugh- 
ter should  accompany  you,  so  much  the  better.  Will  you 
give  me  your  thoughts  on  this  hastily  expressed  suggestion, 

on  which  I  have  now  not  a  moment  to  enlarge I 

am  glad  that  the  bust  pleases  you,  and  I  am  glad  it  ar- 


202  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   SILLD1AN. 

rived  safely  and  has  cost  you  no  more.  I  shall  be  much 
gratified  with  the  medallion,  which  I  hope  you  will  have 
executed  to  your  satisfaction.  I  have  heard  Mr.  Lyell 
three  limes,  having  gone  to  Boston  on  purpose,  (and  B— 
after  me,)  and  also  to  see  his  fine  illustrations,  —  a  few  of 
them  very  magnificent  in  dimensions  and  in  execution. 
He  is  certainly  not  a  fluent  and  easy  lecturer ;  but  his  dig- 
nity, simplicity,  truth,  great  personal  experience,  candor, 
and  logical  exactness,  have  won  for  him  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  a  thinking  people,  —  disciplined,  even  in  the 
middle  ranks,  to  strict  intellectual  attention. 

FROM   DR.   MANTELL. 

June  7, 1842. 

A  VERY  elaborate  paper  of  Mr.  Ly ell's  on  your 

tertiary  and  crustaceous  strata  was  read  lately,  of  which  an 
abstract    appears  in  this  week's  "Athenaeum."      It  is  not 
very  lucid,  and  appears  to  me  to  abound  in  those  trivial- 
ities of  percentage  which  are  not  of  sufficient  importance 
to  justify  any  important  generalizations.      Every  day  is 
showing  the  fallacy  of  trusting  to  negative  evidence.  Agas- 
si/,'* geological  distribution  of  fishes  must  already  undergo 
important  modifications;  and  the  scenes  (cenes)  — if  you 
will  allow  a  pun  —  of  Lyell's  tertiary  drama  will  have  to 
be  shifted  as  often  as  in  a  pantomime.     But  this  is  heresy, 
—  so  breathe  it  not !     I  saw  poor  Mr.  Bakewell  last  week  ; 
he  has  still  mental  energy,  but  is  as  deaf  as  a  post,  and 
very  helpless  indeed.     Notwithstanding  what  your  son  us- 
nie.  and   Mr.  Lyell's  opinion,  I  still  think  Professor 
Hitchcock's  bird-tracks  will  be  found  to  be   reptilian.     I 
have  heard  but  once  from  Mr.  Lyell  since  he  left  England. 
Mr.  MIIK  liison's  memoirs  on  the  geology  of  Russia  will 
I  iaratc  work  in   the  cours'e  of  next  spring ; 
were  very  brilliant  and  well  attended.     At  Lord 
tuunpton'g,    (the    President  of   the    Royal    Society,) 
Mn^(<>n    Irving  was  present,  but  I  was  not  there  on 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  MANTELL.     203 

that  occasion.  I  attended  the  last  soiree,  and  exhibited  my 
new  microscope.  Prince  Albert  was  present,  and  I  showed 
his  Royal  Highness  that  beautiful  animalcule,— the  stephan- 
oceros,  and  some  vorticellae,  and  other  rotifers,  fed  with  car- 
mine. He  was  much  gratified  with  their  examination,  and 
appeared  to  be  fully  conversant  with  their  nature. 

TO    DR.   MANTELL. 

YALE  COLLEGE,  September  15, 1842. 

I  THANK  you  for  your  remarks  upon  the  Iguan- 

odon,  and  I  should  like  to  know,  when  you  write  again, 
what  dimensions  you  now  give  to  the  tail,  —  how  much,  for 
example,  you  have  shortened  an  iguanodon  of  seventy- five 
feet  in  length,  as  formerly  estimated  by  comparison  with 
the  leviathan!  I  am  much  amused  by  the  comparison' 
with  the  leviathan.  Owen's  splendid  work  came  in  the 
same  parcel  with  your  elegant  little  book  on  a  pebble. 
The  copies  directed  were  gratefully  received,  and  all  the 

ladies  (including  Mrs.   H ,  who  is  with  us)  beg  to 

present  their  best  thanks,  in  which  I  candidly  unite.  I 
have  read  this  miniature  Geology  again,  and  find  you  have 
enriched  and  enlarged  it,  and  am  glad  to  find  that  it  is  in 
its  sixth  edition  ;  may  it  reach  its  twentieth.  I  have  had 
time  only  to  look  cursorily  over  Mr.  Owen's  article  on  the 
Iguanodon.  He  appears  to  intend  to  do  you  justice  ;  but 
perhaps  there  may  be  something  said  or  omitted  in  some 
other  part  of  the  work  which  I  have  not  seen,  and  which 
would  alter  my  impressions.  At  any  rate,  you  are  wise  in 
avoiding  strife,  and  in  cultivating  those  calm  and  heavenly 
feelings  so  beautifully  illustrated  by  Mrs.  Hemans  in  the 
verses  which  you  quote.  I  am  sorry  to  hear  that  you  still 
suffer ;  but  it  is  apparent  from  your  chirography  that  your 
nerves  are  composed  (the  pen  does  not  flow  easily  and 
correctly  when  the  nerves  are  agitated),  and  your  mind  is 
evidently  in  vigorous  action,  however  your  feelings  may  be 
saddened The  passage  in  your  letter  relating  to 


204  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

Dr.  Deane  I  have  copied  and  forwarded  to  him,  and  he 
will  be  gratified  to  find  that  the  subject  interests  you.  He 
writes  me  that  he  is  preparing  a  box  for  you,  and  he  will  send 
you  some  remarks  of  his  own  in  elucidation  of  the  subject. 
He  is  preparing  to  make  plaster  casts  of  all  the  important 
specimens  that  have  been  obtained,  and,  being  colored  like 
the  rock,  they  will  correctly  represent  the  originals.  He 
will  probably  send  you  a  set,  and  he  will  wish  your  mature 
judgment  upon  them.  He  says  that  the  most  valuable  and 
valued  returns  which  he  can  receive  from  you  will  be  your 
own  works,  and  any  medical  books  you  can  spare.  He  is  a 
very  deserving  man,  and  has  spent  much  time  and  labor 
upon  this  research,  and  that  with  very  slender  means  ;  per- 
haps by  and  by  you  may  write  him  a  few  lines,  which  would 
gratify  him  very  much Some  of  our  people  ren- 
dered themselves  ridiculous  by  deifying  Dickens  and  run- 
ning mad  after  him,  and  he  has  repaid  them  with  abuse,  — 
proving  himself  a  man  of  low  and  vulgar  mind.  The 
attentions  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lyell  were,  on  the  contrary,  very 
proper,  calm,  respectful,  and  kind,  without  adulation  or 
folly.  You  will  see  a  good  paper  and  drawings  by  Owen 
in  the  July  number  of  the  Journal,  proving,  as  you  have 
heard,  that  the  impression  is  artificial.  My  son  thanks  you 
for  all  the  kind  things  you  say  of  him.  I  now  hear  his 
voice,  with  his  mother  and  sisters,  and  his  lovely  wife,  all 
of  whom  love  you,  and  send  their  kindest  remembrance, 
which  you  will  also  present  to  your  daughter  and  to  Regi- 
nald, to  whom,  I  observe,  you  have  very  properly  dedicated 
your  little  book.  We  will  jog  Bailey  as  to  his  omissions ; 
and  lu-njumin  says  he  will  forward  to  you  some  of  the  Vir- 
ginia earth,  and  write  to  you  soon. 

FROM    DR.    MANTELL. 

SURREY,  August  12, 1843. 

PRAY  thank  your  excellent  son  for  his  postscript, 

which   breathes   the   same   kind  spirit  with  yours.     May 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  MANTELL.  205 

Heaven  bless  you  all.  I  continue  much  as  I  was,  —  not  worse, 
not  better,  so  I  must  bear  on,  and  be  thankful  to  the  Giver 
of  all  good.  Our  poor  friend,  Mr.  Bakewell,  has  again  had 
a  relapse,  and  is  apparently  fast  sinking  away.  A  month 
since- 1  was  summoned  by  his  excellent  wife  to  meet  their 
usual  medical  attendant,  and  I  hurried  home  from  Derby- 
shire, where  I  had  been  sojourning  a  week,  to  see  him.  He 
rallied  a  little,  but  is  now  much  worse,  and  death  would 
indeed  be  a  release.  I  am  just  returned  from  visiting  him  ; 
he  knew  me,  pressed  my  hand  most  affectionately,  but  was 
unable  to  converse  ;  he  is  in  a  lethargic  state  ;  yet  at  inter- 
vals is  quite  himself,  as  to  memory  and  intellect.  When 
I  saw  him,  four  days  since,  he  was  capable  of  conversation, 
and  when  I  was  leaving,  expressed  a  hope  soon  to  be 
released  from  this  state  of  suffering,  but  that  if  he  lived  on, 
that  I  would  see  him  again.  I  think  to-day's  visit  must  be 
my  last,  for  I  can  now  be  of  no  service  to  him  or  Mrs.  B., 
and  the  scene  is  too  much  for  me  in  my  present  state  of 
suffering. 

FROM   DR.   MANTELL. 

August  28,  1843. 

MY  letter,  written  about  a  fortnight  since  in  reply  to  your 
last  favor,  will  prepare  you  to  hear  of  the  death  of  my 
excellent  friend,  Mr.  Bakewell.  I  did  not  see  him  after 

the  interview  described  in  my  last Mrs.  B.  wished 

me  not  to  write  any  notice  of  his  death,  or  any  review  of 
his  scientific  labors,  for  our  Journals,  —  an  injunction  with 
which  I  complied  reluctantly  ;  for  it  would  have  been  a 
melancholy  satisfaction  to  me  to  have  paid  a  just  tribute 
of  respect  to  the  memory  of  one  I  so  much  loved,  and  who 
had  so  greatly  contributed  to  the  advancement  of  knowl- 
edge. His  merits,  as  a  geological  writer  and  teacher,  have 
never  been  so  highly  appreciated  as  they  deserved  to  be 
in  this  country.  He  never  joined  any  of  our  scientific 
societies ;  the  only  meeting  of  the  Geological  society  of 


206  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   SILLIMAN. 

London  he  was  ever  present  at,  was  the  one  at  which  I 

read  my  memoir  on  the  Ilyla-osaurus.  (afterwards  published 
in  tli-  trf  the  South  East  of  England,;  and  exhibited 

to  a  London  audience  my  fossil  bones  from  Tilgate  I 
lie  always  spoke  of  that  evening  with  great  delight ;  and 
so  completely  was   lie   earned  away  with    his  kind    feelings 
towards  me,  that  at  the  elose  of  my  address,  he  loud; 
plauded.    ('though   contrary   to   etiquette,;    and   was  joined 
involuntarily  by  others.     Since  our   first  acquaintance   our 
friendship  has  known  no  change.     I  greatly  lament  his  loss. 

.Mr.  Dana's  papers  interest  me  exceedingly;  they 

are  of  the  highest  order.  I  anticipate  great  things  from 
him  ;  and  look  forward  with  impatience  to  the  more  full 
detail  of  his  opinions  and  observations 

'JO    I>It.    MAVn.LL. 

l,ni'ir<i   ]'). 

MY  ui. Ait  I'"IMKM», —  Your   very  welcome  letter  of  De- 
cember 20,  arrived  January  2'J.      It  acknowledges  mine  of 

•i nber  H,  and  I  trust  that  you  soon  after 
another  from  me  of  November  20,  in  reply  to  yours  of 
October  'JO.  There  is  no  Correspondent  out  of  my  own 
family  to  whom  I  write  so  frequently,  and  so  long  letters 
as  to  yourself,  because  you  tell  me  that  they  cheer  you 
under  your  trials,  and  I  would  cheerfully  de\ote  many  hours 
in  the  year  to  that  object,  especially  as  it  is  always  to  me 
an  interesting  employment.  I  am  very  sorry  that  "the 
prospect  of  ever  being  better  becomes  less  and  less."  I 
My  hope  that  you  may  prove  in  an  error,  and  while 
you  exhibit  so  much  mental  ry  forward 

elaborate  works,  demanding  much  thought,  wide  study,  and 
.11.  I  cannot  give  you    up,  but  \vill  f'-el  some  con- 
fidence that  the  infirm  body  which  holds  such  a  mind,  may 

.ally  and  throw  off  its  load  of  infirmity.  In  my  last, 
J  think  it  was,  I  inquired  somewhat  more  particularly  as  to 
the  nature  of  your  complaint,  —  inquiries  prompted,  not  by 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  MANTELL.  207 

a  vain  curiosity,  but  by  a  deep  interest  in  your  painful  case. 
How  I  wish  I  had  your  new  work  to  accompany  me  to 
Baltimore,  where  I  shall,  I  trust,  be,  when  this  letter  reaches 
you,  and  in  which  city  I  am  pledged  to  begin  a  course  of 
geology  in  ten  lectures,  on  ten  evenings,  the  first  of  which 
will  (r>.  v.)  be  March  4th,  Monday,  and  so  on  in  the  alternate 
evenings  of  the  successive  three  weeks,  to  end  March  25th. 
If  it  is  possible  for  a  copy  of  your  work  or, any  part  of  it  in 
sheets  to  reach  me  there  in  March,  I  should  have  great 
pleasure,  and  no  doubt  advantage,  in  glancing  over  your 
pages  and  your  beautiful  illustrations ;  and  I  should  not 
fail,  nor  shall  I  at  any  rate  fail,  to  give  you  due  honor 

before  an  intelligent  and  polished  community I 

am  glad  to  observe  that  you  view  your  afflictions  in  their 
moral  bearing ;  may  God  in  his  infinite  mercy  make  them 
available  —  not  as  of  merit,  but  as  moral  agents  —  for  your 
final  salvation  through  the  Redeemer.  I  am,  although  in 
perfect  health  and  with  the  physical  and  mental  energy 
of  early  days,  admonished  by  the  rolling  Years,  by  my 
spreading  family,  —  now  becoming  numerous  in  the  second 
generation,  —  and  more  than  all  by  the  dropping  of  friends 
around  me  like  autumnal  leaves,  that  my  own  time  is  com- 
ing. God  grant  that  come  when  or  how  it  may,  I  may  be 
found  ready  !  Your  kind  and  most  beneficial  exertions  in 
favor  of  Dr.  Deane,  were  mentioned  with  gratitude  in  my 
List  letter,  and  ere  this  you  have  no  doubt  received  his  own 
warm  acknowledgments.  I  am  very  much  obliged,  as  well 
as  he  and  our  American  geologists  generally.  When  you 
see  Lord  Northampton  and  Dr.  Buckland,  be  pleased  to 
present  my  thanks  to  them  for  the  generous  course  they 

pursued 

* 

FROM   DR.   MANTELL. 

May  21,  1844. 

I  HAVE  this  moment  written  the  last  word  in  my  "  Medals 
of  Creation,"  and  with  the  same  pen  address  you,  —  a  pleasure 


208  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

which  I  resisted  until  my  arduous  task  was  done.  I  wrote 
to  you  immediately  on  the  receipt  of  your  last,  and  sent  you 
a  proof-sheet  of  "  Infusoria,"  which  I  trust  you  duly  received. 
Your  letter  of  November  arrived  afterwards  ;  the  cause  of 
its  delay  I  cannot  even  guess  at.  I  have  gone  on  much  as 
usual,  but  with  more  continued  and  severe  suffering,  occa- 
sioned by  additional  mental  anxieties,  and  perhaps  from 
over-study,  for  I  found  my  work  very  laborious  at  last. 
Thank  Heaven,  it  is  over;  it  will  be  published  next  week 
in  two  very  handsome  volumes,  —  about  nine  hundred  and 
eighty  pages  in  the  two,  —  the  price,  eighteen  shillings  or 
twenty  shillings,  I  know  not  which.  The  greatest  pleasure 
I  anticipate  from  its  publication  is  your  approval.  I  feel 
certain  you  will  be  pleased  with  it,  and  consider  it  as  my 
greatest  labor ;  not  so  much  from  the  quantity  of  original 
matter,  but  for  the  manner  in  which  the  whole  science  of 
palaeontology  —  from  the  fossil  moss  to  the  fossil  monkey  — 
is  placed  before  the  intelligent  reader. 

FROM   DR.   MANTELL. 

July  18,  1844. 

OUR  island  has  been  visited  by  several  of  the 

continental  sovereigns  this  year  ;  among  others  by  the  King 
of  Saxony,  who,  as  you  know,  is  one  of  the  most  enlightened 
and  amiable  princes  in  Europe.  He  is  a  great  patron  and 
cultivator  of  science,  and  Sir  Robert  Peel,  (our  Premier,) 
upon  entertaining  his  Majesty,  invited  our  leading  philos- 
ophers to  the  party.  At  the  King's  request,  Sir  Robert 
very  kindly  invited  me  also,  and  fortunately  I  was  well 
enough  that  evening  to  attend,  and  was  received  most 
kindly  by  the  King,  whom  I  found  a  very  affable  and  intelli- 
gent num.  Sir  Robert  Peel  told  me  he  had  been  reading 
my  "  .Mr dais"  before  breakfast  that  day  with  great  delight. 
The  King  has  since  visited  Matlock  and  Faringdon,  in 
consi  qurnce  of  my  account  of  the  geological  constitution 
of  those  places. 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  MANTELL.  209 


FROM   DR.    MANTELL. 

February  28, 1845. 

POOR  Mrs.  Lardner,  what  madness  must  have 

possessed  her  !  I  knew  her  well  as  Mrs.  Heaviside,  —  an 
elegant  fashionable  woman,  an  affectionate  wife  and  mother; 
by  no  means  of  strong  mind,  and  without  any  taste  what- 
ever for  science  of  any  kind.  I  dined  with  her,  the  last 
time  I  dined  out,  before  I  left  Brighton  ;  and  when  I  heard 
that  a  married  woman  from  Brighton  had  eloped  with  the 
villain  Dr.  L.,  Mrs.  Heaviside  was  the  last  woman  I  should 
have  guessed  as  the  party.  Poor  Captain  H.,  when  he 
found  she  was  eloped,  had  not  the  slightest  idea  that  Dr. 
L.  had  seduced  her  away.  There  are  many  astonishing 
events  of  this  kind  which  one  cannot  possibly  unravel.  I 
have  corresponded  with  Dr.  L.,  but  never  saw  him.  Our 
old  friend,  Mr.  Bake  well,  who  was  a  shrewd  observer  of 
mankind,  always  thought  badly  of  him,  and  regretted  that 
one  so  clever  was  so  worthless 

TO    DR.    MANTELL. 

NEW  HAVEN,  July  22, 1845. 

MY  VERT  DEAR  FRIEND,  —  Although  I  wrote  to  you 
only  on  the  13th  instant,  by  the  last  steamer,  still  I  will  not 
let  the  one  now  in  port  return  without  a  response  to  your 
very  kind  letter  of  June  21st,  this  day  received.  I  thank 
you  for  remembering  me  again  so  soon,  but  having,  written 
to  you  so  recently  and  fully,  I  now  take  a  small  sheet  and 
just  chat  on  as  if  you  were  here.  I  thank  you  for  the  ex- 
tract from  Sir  J.  Herschel's  address.  It  is,  in  all  respects, 
a  sound  and  judicious  view.  I  have  always,  in  my  public 
lectures,  opposed  the  doctrine  of  equivocal  generation,  and 
also,  Lamarck's  absurd  theory  of  transmutation  ;  maintain- 
ing that  every  new  organized  being  or  pair  of  beings  was 
the  direct  result  of  creative  power,  and  that  there  is  no 
inherent  tendency  in  matter  to  produce  organized  forms, 

VOL.   II.  14 


210  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

much  less  life  and  reason  or  even  instinct.  I  am,  there- 
fore, much  gratified  by  your  opinion  and  that  of  Sir  J.  H. 
Those  remarks  on  the  nebular  theory,  also,  fall  in  with  some 
difficulties  which  have  attended  it  in  my  mind.  We  speak 
of  resolving  nebulae  by  the  power  of  the  telescope.  Every 
addition  to  the  power  of  this  instrument  resolves  some  new 
milky  way  into  clusters  of  stars.  (See  the  observations 
of  South,  quoted  in  the  July  number  of  the  "  American 
Journal,"  on  the  glorious  resolution  of  nebulae,  by  the  tel- 
escope of  Lord  Rosse.)  Now,  is  it  not  supposable  that  the 
powers  of  the  telescope  may  be  so  far  augmented,  that  no 
nebulae  will  remain  unresolved,  and  this  beautiful  white  suf- 
fusion will  disappear  to  the  mental  eye  ?  Where  then  will 
be  the  proof  of  the  gaseous  or  diffused  condition  of  mat- 
ter ?  Will  it  not  be  sustained  by  those  comets  above,  which 
permit  the  stars  to  be  seen  through  their  misty  and  myste- 
rious haze  ?  But,  perhaps,  I  only  display  my  ignorance  of 
the  nebular  theory,  having  never  studied  it  profoundly.  .  .  . 
I  think  Mr.  Murchison  promised  me  his  work  on  Russia, 
but  I  do  not  wish  to  have  you  jog  his  elbow  ;  nor  Lyell's 
either,  although  I  have  done  the  latter  all  the  service  in  my 
power,  and  with  good  will.  The  frequent  disinterment  of 
the  bones  of  unknown  animals,  or  of  those  that  only  bear 
some  resemblance  to  existing  races,  goes  to  prove  that  geo- 
logical evidence  must  be  ever  accumulating,  and  all  these 
facts  range  happily  under  established  principles.  You  in- 
quire about  Mrs.  Dana ;  she  remains  with  us,  with  her  hus- 
band, and  will,  I  trust,  for  some  years ;  for  several  more 
years  must  elapse  before  the  great  work  which  Mr.  Dana 
has  in  hand,  can  be  finished,  although  he  is  a  man  of  inde- 
fatigable industry,  and  has  a  happy  tact  in  throwing  off  his 
work  with  expedition,  with  condensation,  and  in  good  taste. 
Oh,  how  happy  I  should  be  to  have  you  among  us,  iden- 
ti!i«-ii  with  our  family  ;  but  I  suppose  we  must  not  indulge 
such  a  thought.  I  believe  I  sent  you,  years  ago,  a  copy 
of  my  little  tour  to  Quebec.  That  book  opens  with  a  de- 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  MANTELL.  211 

scription  of  Monte  Video,  the  rural  villa  of  my  brother-in- 
law,  —  Daniel  Wadsworth,  Esq.,  of  Hartford.  It  is  on  the 
summit  of  a  trap-mountain,*  with  a  beautiful  crystal  lake 
with  fine  fish,  a  tower  rising  above  all  other  objects,  and  a 
glorious  view  of  the  splendid  valley  of  the  Connecticut,  of 
a  wide  region  one  hundred  miles  in  diameter.  I  think 
I  told  you  in  my  last  letter  that  my  son  and  his  little  family 
are  now  there 

TO    DR.    MANTELL. 

NEW  HAVEN,  December  29, 1845. 

I  WAS  not  without  some  anxiety  lest  your  in- 
firmities had  increased  upon  you,  but  our  friends,  the  Ly- 
ells,  who  lodged  with  us  in  the  first  week  of  this  month, 
relieved  me  on  that  head.  I  wrote  to  invite  them  here 
again  on  their  way  south,  and  a  note  from  Mrs.  Lyell  in- 
formed me  that  they  would  stop.  They  were  with  us  but  one 
night,  and  a  few  hours  in  the  morning ;  the  visit,  although 
short,  was  very  agreeable.  Mrs.  L.,  lady-like  as  usual,  and 
none  the  worse  for  four  years  more  of  time,  while  he  was 
evidently  improved  in  cheerful  and  attentive  manners,  and 
was  not  once  absent-minded,  so  far  as  I  saw.  They  are  on 
their  way  to  New  Orleans,  and  will  pass  up  the  river  in  the 
spring,  as  my  son  and  I  did  last  year.  I  made  him  out  a 
good  many  introductions,  all  of  which  bore  on  his  scientific 
objects,  and  gave  him  full  minutes  of  objects  and  persons 
on  his  tour.  They  spoke  kindly  of  you,  and  both  expressed 
their  surprise  that  you  could  write  such  interesting  books, 
(then  they  referred  particularly  to  the  Medals)  while  you 
were  so  great  a  sufferer.  Mr.  L.  appears  to  have  become 
Americanized  so  far  as  to  adapt  himself  readily  to  the  modes 
of  this  country ;  and  his  book  has  paved  the  way  for  a 

friendly  reception Professor  Kingsley  arrived  on 

the  morning  of  October  4,  and  they  in  the  evening.     Mr. 

K.  was  much  interested  by  his  interviews  with  you ;  told 

*  Nearly  one  thousand  feet  above  the  river. 


212  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

me  many  particulars  of  your  interviews  and  conversations, 
of  the  dinner  at  Mr.  Lyell's,  the  meeting  of  the  Geological 
Society,  &c.  He  told  me  that  I  should  be  much  pleased 
with  you  should  I  know  you,  and  that  you  know  I  have  a 
long  time  been,  without  having  seen  you.  Professor  K.  has 
quite  come  out,  —  a  shy  man  he  was  and  very  retiring,  but 
he  is  now  very  communicative,  and  very  entertaining  and 
instructive.  But  I  am  running  on  without  answering  you. 
I  congratulate  you  upon  the  completion  of  your  work  on 
animalcules ;  your  letter  was  only  in  time,  and  just  in  time, 
to  have  it  announced  in  the  Journal,  with  the  new  editions 
of  the  other  works,  and  a  mere  mention  of  Murchison. 
....  I  shall  wait  with  impatience  for  your  account  of  the 
recently  discovered  bones  of  the  Isle  of  Wight  Iguanodon. 
They  are  indeed  colossal ;  but  I  thought  it  would  not  be 
your  wish  to  have  the  facts  named  in  the  "  American  Jour- 
nal," until  you  had  matured  the  subject  and  communicated 
your  paper  ;  and  I  have  been  silent  also,  regarding  the  dis- 
covery of  Faraday  on  light  and  electricity,  except  that  we 
have  cited,  from  the  "  Athenaeum,"  a  notice  of  the  experi- 
ment you  saw,  but  not  so  full. 

TO   DR.   MANTELL. 

NEW  HAVEN,  January  27, 1846. 

I  SUSPECT  that  Mr.  Lyell  will  give  you  another 

volume  on  this  country,  especially  as  we  are  not  about  play- 
ing the  fool  by  going  to  war  about  Oregon  or  the  moon, 
which  would  be  about  as  rational.  I  am  glad  that  you  like 
that  review  of  Lyell,  in  the  Journal,  as  it  was  written  by  B. 
S.,  .Jr.  He  and  his  lady  thank  you  most  cordially  for  your 
kind  and  hospitable  invitation  to  your  house  ;  but  I  fear  it 
must  be  long  before  it  can  be  accepted,  probably  never  by 
the  lady  ;  but  I  am  not  without  hopes  that  her  husband  may 
one  day  cross  over,  for  I  have  no  doubt  it  would  be  highly 

advantageous  to  him I  regret  to  hear  that  geology 

is  on  the  decline  with  you.     I  hope  it  may  revive.     I  fear 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  MANTELL.  213 

it  will  decline  here  when  the  geological  surveys  are  over. 
There  seems,  however,  to  be  a  great  deal  of  curiosity  in 
this  country  relating  to  geological  subjects.  A  few  months 
since,  an  announcement  was  made  of  the  discovery  of  an 
enormously  large  human  skeleton  in  Tennessee  ;  the  young 
men  came  to  me  and  inquired  what  they  were  to  believe, 
and  I  told  them  I  had  no  doubt  it  would  prove  to  be  a 
Mastodon.  In  the  mean  time,  the  proprietor  raised  the  crea- 
ture upon  its  hind  legs,  as  the  bull  used  to  be  represented 
in  our  Cock  Robin  picture-books,  ringing  the  bell  at  poor 
robin's  funeral.  By  a  pretty  liberal  use  of  intercalated  wooden 
bones,  they  contrived  to  make  this  geological  Goliath  sixteen 
feet  high ;  but  their  hopes  were  all  dashed  by  Dr.  Carpen- 
ter of  New  Orleans,  who  pronounced  it  to  be  a  Mastodon 
Rampant;  and  the  mystified  proprietor  has  taken  down 
the  bones  and  boxed  them  in  a  wooden  sarcophagus  away 
from  human  view. 

FROM   DR.   MANTELL. 

February  24, 1846. 

MR.  MURCHISON  is   now  Sir  Roderick,  —  the 

Queen  having  knighted  him  that  he  may  wear  the  red- 
sash,  cross,  and  star  of  the  orders  the  Emperor  of  Russia 
bestowed  on  him.  I  mentioned  before  that  Dr.  Buckland 
is  now  Dean  of  Westminster.  The  first  soiree  of  the 
Marquis  of  Northampton,  as  President  of  the  Royal  So- 
ciety, took  place  last  Saturday.  I  went  with  Reginald 
(Lord  N.  having  kindly  invited  him).  The  spacious  room 
was  crowded  with  men  of  science  and  literature,  and  many 
of  the  nobility.  Prince  Albert  was  there,  and  I  had  a  long 
gossip  with  his  Royal  Highness  on  the  geology  of  the  Isle  of 
Wight.  I  had  taken  a  beautiful  geological  model  to  ex- 
hibit, which  served  as  a  text.  As  the  Queen  resides  many 
weeks  every  year  in  the  island,  and  has  purchased  a  large 
estate  there,  the  Prince  feels  interested  in  the  spot ;  and  I 
hope,  when  my  little  volume  comes  out,  his  attention  may 
be  directed  to  some  of  the  interesting  phenomena  to  be 


214  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

met  with  there You  will  have  seen  by  the  papers 

that  even  new  potatoes,  sprung  from  apparently  healthy 
tubers  of  last  autumn's  sprouts,  evince  the  deadly  malady, 
—  the  cause  of  the  disease  is  as  inexplicable  as  that  of  the 
cholera,  and  apparently  as  irremediable.  Hitherto  the 
London  markets  (that  is,  the  best)  have  had  good  potatoes ; 
but  of  late,  our  potatoes,  purchased  of  the  first-rate  dealers, 
have  proved  so  bad  when  brought  to  table,  that  for  the 
first  time  in  my  life  I  dine  without  potatoes.  In  Ireland 
the  evil  will  ultimately  be  a  great  benefit ;  more  whole- 
some and  less  precarious  vegetables  will  supersede  the 
solanum,  which  Cobbett,  with  a  shrewdness  and  sagac- 
ity he  so  often  evinced,  declared  would  prove  a  national 
curse,  from  the  habits  of  idleness  it  permitted.  In  the 
midst  of  all  the  suffering  of  the  poor,  the  discontent  of 
the  lower  middle  classes,  the  slaughter  of  our  armies  in 
India,  and  the  dreadful  pressure  of  the  taxes,  and  the  in- 
quisitorial mode  of  their  collection,  the  wealth  and  luxury 
and  gorgeous  pomp  of  this  mighty  Babel  are  as  great  as 
ever.  As  I  came  through  Piccadilly  this  afternoon  in  my 
humble  carriage,  scores  of  the  most  superb  equipages,  laden 
with  bevies  of  servants  in  the  most  splendid  liveries,  rolled 
by  me  on  their  way  to  the  Queen's  drawing-rooms,  held  to- 
day at  St.  James's  Palace ;  and  yet  the  Mall  and  the  Park 
were  thronged  as  much  as  ever  with  carriages  and  eques- 
trians !  The  extremes  do  indeed  meet !  Abject  .penury 
and  excessive  riches !  And  now,  while  I  am  writing,  every 
place  of  amusement  is  crowded  to  excess ;  and  such  amuse- 
ments !  I  quite  long  for  the  "  peaceful  hermitage."  I 
long  to  see  Mr.  Dana's  work  on  corals,  —  few  subjects  in- 
terest me  more. 

TO    DR.    MANTELL. 

BOSTON,  May  1, 1846. 

I  AM  very  much  obliged  to  you  for  the  very 

lucid  sketch  of  Faraday's  lecture,  which  is  very  interesting 
and  very  surprising.  Some  of  the  results  are  indeed  such 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  MANTELL.  215 


as  I  have  long  been  accustomed  to  show  in  my  class-room, 
but  not  on  so  large  a  scale,  nor  with  so  high  a  power. 
The  thing  that  most  surprises  me  is  the  right-angle  re- 
lation of  the  magnetism  of  iron  and  of  most  other  things. 
How  far  the  attraction  of  other  things  than  iron,  by  mag- 
netism, may  be  resolved  into  electrical  influences,  it  may 
not  perhaps  be  easy  to  decide.  We  know  that  currents  of 
electricity  accompany  the  magnetic  influences,  and  perhaps 
cause  them ;  but,  after  all,  what  is  electricity  ?  We  are 
perhaps  as  far  as  ever  from  answering  this  question ;  but 
we  appear  to  be  on  the  eve  of  great  things,  —just  opening 
a  vista  whose  termination  no  one  can  see. 

TO    DR.    MANTELL. 

NEW  HAVEN,  May  27, 1846. 

I  AM  now,  in  a  day  or  two,  to  begin  my  summer 

course,  which  will  end  about  August  8.  J.  D.  D.  having 
finished  the  zoophytes,  is  now  engaged  on  his  geology  of 
the  regions  visited  by  the  squadron  ;  and  B.  S.,  Jr.,  is  deep 
in  an  elementary  work  on  chemistry  for  academies  and 
schools.  I  regret  that  the  work  is  printing  while  it  is  still 
writing,  —  not  always  a  safe  course  even  for  a  veteran 
author,  and  always  anxious  for  a  young  one ;  but  we  are  all 
on  the  qui  vive,  and  hope  to  escape  any  very  important 
mistakes.  You  will  see  that  we  have  a  war  with  Mexico. 
It  might  have  been  avoided ;  and  all  wars  that  can  be 
avoided  are  of  course  wrong.  As  regards  Mexico,  there 
is  perhaps  little  to  fear ;  but  we  greatly  dread  being  drawn 
into  a  war  with  you  or  with  France,  for  the  balance  of 
power,  or  any  other  phantasm  of  politicians.  You  will 
have  observed  that  a  small  American  army  has  sus- 
tained itself  against,  and  beaten,  four  times  their  number ; 
and  there  is  reason  to  fear  that  the  military  spirit,  now  fast 
rising  in  this  nation,  and  popular  with  our  democracy,  will 
kindle  into  ambition  of  conquest,  which,  I  suppose,  you  and 
your  neighbor  will  not  permit  to  go,  without  being  checked, 


216  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

to  the  gates  of  Mexico  and  to  the  shores  of  California. 
My  family  are  well,  and  one  and  all  unite  in  affectionate 
remembrance  and  best  wishes 

FROM   DR.    MANTELL. 

June  21, 1846. 

IN  the  geological  world,  Murchison  and  Lyell 

monopolize  everything.  Russia  and  America,  roast,  boiled, 
cold,  hashed,  and  fricasseed,  are  the  dishes  set  before  us  at 
Somerset  House,  till,  like  the  poor  Frenchman,  we  ex- 
claim, —  "  Helas  !  toujours  perdrix !  "  And,  I  doubt  not, 
the  same  viands  will  be  the  principal  subjects  at  the  meet- 
ings of  the  British  Association  of  Science  in  the  geological 
section 

FROM   DR.   MANTELL. 

September  21, 1846. 

I  MENTIONED  that  I  had  engaged  to  write  a 

popular  work  on  the  "  Geology  of  the  Isle  of  Wight."  As 
the  British  Association  of  Science  was  to  meet  at  South- 
ampton this  month,  I  was  very  desirous  of  getting  the  book 
out  in  time  to  serve  as  a  hand-book  for  the  visitors ;  but  my 
repeated  interruptions  from  illness  rendered  this  impossible, 
and  I  have  only  been  able  to  print  about  forty  pages  and 
the  map,  &c.,  and  a  few  of  these  were  sent  down  as  speci- 
mens of  the  work.  I  fear  the  volume  will  cost  me  two 
months'  labor  more,  even  if  I  devote  every  leisure  moment 
to  it.  You  will  smile  incredulously,  I  doubt  not,  if  I  add 
that  this  shall  be  my  last  work  on  geology  and  its  kindred 
sciences,  but  I  do  indeed  intend  it  to  be  so.  If  I  should 
have  energy  enough  left,  my  "  Nervous  System  "  must,  for 
many  important  reasons,  occupy  my  whole  attention;  and 
with  that  I  believe  my  task  and  my  weary  pilgrimage  will 
terminate.  A  month  since  I  went  to  R.  in  the  Isle  of 
Wi^ht,  from  Monday  to  Saturday,  (the  longest  holiday  I 
have  had  these  two  years,)  but  though  the  weather  was 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  MANTELL.  217 

most  delightful,  yet  I  derived  but  little  benefit  from  so  short 
a  change.  I  resolved  not  to  go  to  the  British  Association, 
from  the  fear  of  the  fatigue  overpowering  me;  but  last 
Monday  I  was  tempted  to  go  down  in  the  afternoon,  and 
return  the  following  evening ;  for  the  papers  announced  a 
lecture  on  the  Geology  of  the  Isle  of  Wight,  for  Tuesday, 
and  I  was  anxious  to  hear  what  the  savans  said  upon  the 
subject.  This  turned  out  to  be  erroneous  ;  however,  I  met 
very  many  persons  I  was  glad  to  see ;  heard  Mr.  Lyell 
lecture  for  two  hours  on  the  "  Delta  of  the  Mississippi,"  to 
a  crowded  and  fashionable,  mixed  audience,  and  saw  some 
objects  of  interest,  both  fossil  and  recent,  and  returned 
home  much  worn  out,  even  by  that  little  exertion.  You 
will  see  in  the  various  papers  all  the  particulars  of  the 
meeting  :  of  Prince  Albert  having  joined  them,  and  having 
subscribed  £100  to  the  funds ;  how  Sir  Roderick  was 
received  by  the  Queen ;  and  how  the  savans  feasted  and 
danced,  and  made  merry,  &c.  But  not  the  slightest  interest 
was  evinced  in  the  objects  of  the  meeting  by  the  resident 
gentry,  with  three  Or  four  exceptions.  The  fault  of  the 
meeting  appeared  to  me  to  be  the  popular  character  that 
was  professed  to  be  given  to  its  proceedings,  to  induce 
ladies  and  gentlemen  (not  scientific)  to  subscribe  their 
guineas,  and  then  having  their  sectional  meetings  as  dry 
and  technical  as  if  savans  only  were  present.  The  "  Illus- 
trated News  "  of  to-day,  gives  portraits  of  thirty  of  the  phil- 
osophers, with  Sir  Roderick  and  Prince  Albert  at  the  head. 
With  the  exception  of  five  or  six,  they  are  miserable  por- 
traits. Herschel,  Faraday,  Carpenter,  Forbes,  Homer,  and 
De  la  Beche,  are  recognizable. 

TO    DR.    MANTELL. 

NEW  HAVEN,  November  16,  1846. 

YOUR  very  kind  note  of  September  1,  and  your  full 
letter  of  September  21,  are  before  me.  I  also  received,  in 
due  season,  the  beautiful  little  volume  on  Lewes  and  its 


218  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

vicinity.  I  have  read  it  with  much  pleasure ;  it  is  very  enter- 
taining and  instructive,  and  got  up  in  the  good  taste  which 
we  always  expect  and  always  find  in  your  writings.  How 
rich  your  native  region  is  in  both  historical  and  geological 
antiquities.  Professor  Kingsley  was  in  the  house  when 
this  little  book  arrived,  and  was  much  interested  to  see  it. 
I  have  loaned  it  to  him,  and  he  has  read  it  with  great 
interest ;  he  says  it  is,  as  far  as  he  knows,  perfectly  correct, 
and  that  many  of  the  objects  described  he  was  acquainted 
with.  The  memoir  on  the  Wealden  strata  of  the  Isle  of 
Wight,  with  an  account  of  the  Iguanodon  and  other  reptile 
bones,  is  also  received,  and  is  very  instructive.  I  hope  that 
the  entire  head  may  yet  be  found.  How  numerous  those 
reptiles  must  have  been  !  I  am  surprised  to  hear  that  your 
excellent  house  at  Lewes  will  neither  let  or  sell ;  no  doubt 
it  must  bring  up  to  your  mind  most  interesting  associations, 
both  pleasing  and  painful,  and  you  have  made  me  so 
familiar  with  the  scenes  of  your  earlier  life,  that  were  I 
again  to  visit  London,  I  should  be  off  as  soon  as  possible  to 
Lewes,  Tilgate  Forest,  Beachy  Head,  and  again  to  the  "  Isle 
of  Wight,"  in  which  beautiful  island  I  passed  two  days  in 
August  or  September,  1805.  Alas,  how  time  flies,  —  forty- 
one  years  ago,  —  I  was  then  an  active,  zealous  young  man, 
and  by  God's  blessing  I  am  still  an  active,  zealous  old  man, 
with  no  diminution  of  physical  power  or  mental  energy,  — 
so  at  least  it  appears  to  me,  and  so  my  children  tell  me.  Oh, 
how  I  wish  that  as  regards  health,  you  could  say  the  same. 
I  am  afflicted  by  your  sufferings,  —  protracted,  severe,  and 
as  you  oblige  me  to  admit,  irremediable.  May  God  give 
you  patience  and  resignation.  I  trust  you  have  both,  and 
also  that  good  hope  through  our  Saviour  which  is  as  an 
anchor  to  the  soul,  sure  and  steadfast.  What  surprises  me 
most  is  the  amount  of  labor  you  perform,  and  the  mental 
power  which  seems  to  rise  superior  to  corporeal  suffering. 
We  shall  hail  with  much  interest  your  forthcoming  work  on 
the  "  Isle  of  Wight."  I  am  now  in  the  midst  of  my  public 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  MANTELL.  219 

course  on  chemistry,  and  during  the  three  months  of  almost 
daily  experimental  lectures  which  it  occupies,  I  can  hardly 
admit  a  thought  on  any  other  subject  of  science.  But 
geology  is  in  the  house.  Mr.  Dana  is  far  advanced  in  his 
geology  of  the  Pacific  Islands,  and  other  regions  visited  by 
the  American  exploring  expedition.  From  some  parts  of 
the  MS.  which  have  been  read  to  me,  and  from  my  full 
knowledge  cf  his  talents,  accuracy,  and  taste,  I  am  prepared 
to  expect  a  valuable  and  interesting  work,  which  will  form 
an  important  addition  to  the  science ;  for,  general  conclu- 
sions grow  out  of  his  local  facts,  and  his  mind  being  mature, 
—  his  age  is  about  thirty-three,  —  and  his  observations  ex- 
tensive, I  have  no  anxiety  for  the  result.  I  beg  you  not  to 
increase  your  labors  by  writing  to  me,  while  you  have  the 
u  Isle  of  Wight "  in  hand ;  it  must  be  a  great  and  laborious 
work,  and  I  know  by  some  experience,  how  inconvenient 
and  exhausting  it  is  to  turn  aside  from  an  engrossing  labor 
to  write  letters.  I  confess  I  am  all  the  while  anxious  about 
you,  and  would  only  ask  for  a  brief  note  now  and  then,  just 
to  assure  me  that  your  severe  malady  has  not  quite  borne 
you  down.  Even  a  newspaper,  occasionally,  with  your 
initials  on  the  wrapper  and  the  date,  would  much  relieve 
my  anxiety.  I  am  glad  you  could  go  down  to  the  Associ- 
ation, even  for  a  short  time,  but  am  surprised  that  they  are 
willing  to  cheapen  science  for  the  sake  of  the  guineas.  Mr. 
Lyell  has  sent  us  his  remarks  on  the  Delta  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, and  we  have  the  Athenaeum  reports  of  the  doings  of 
the  association,  but  I  have  not  as  yet  had  leisure  to  peruse 
them  ;  it  was  too  late  to  say  anything  of  them  in  our 
number  for  November  1st,  but  we  shall  mention  them  in 
the  January  number,  1847. 

At  last  Agassiz  has  made  his  appearance  ;  he  announced 
himself  from  Boston  about  a  month  since,  and  I  gave  him 
a  prompt  reply.  He  then  came  on  to  make  our  acquaint- 
ance ;  B.  S.,  Jr.,  and  I  went  to  the  hotel  on  the  evening  of 
his  arrival,  and  took  him  home  as  a  guest.  He  lodged  at 


220  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   SILLIMAN. 

B.  S.'s,  Jr.,  but  was  domesticated  in  both  our  houses,  and 
won  us  all  by  his  affability,  good-humor,  and  accommodat- 
ing disposition,  in  addition  to  his  fine  person  and  cordial 
manners.  October  17th  he  attended  my  lecture.  I  had  an- 
nounced him  to  the  class  in  attendance,  about  two  hundred 
in  number,  with  a  wing  of  some  thirty  or  forty  ladies.  I  was 
on  that  day  upon  evaporation,  and  managed  to  bring  the 
subject  through  natural  evaporation  to  rain,  snow,  and 
snow-capped  mountains  and  glaciers,  at  which  point,  (having 
before  spoken  to  him,)  I  appealed  to  him  as  an  experienced 
observer,  and  invited  him  to  say  something  to  the  students 
on  the  subject.  He  rose  with  some  little  appearance  of  em- 
barrassment, but  acquitted  himself  very  well,  and  gratified 
many  young  people.  We,  of  course,  showed  him  our  public 
rooms  and  collections,  and  I  went  with  him  to  the  top  of 
the  East  Rock,  —  a  trap  precipice  of  nearly  four  hundred 
feet  high  within  a  mile  of  the  town.  The  view  of  a  vast 
trap  region  of  peaks,  knobs,  a  continuous  barrier  of  trap  of 
wide  primitive  formations ;  our  beautiful  little  city  below 
with  a  wide  cultivated  plain  on  which  it  stands ;  and  our 
fine  deep  bay  of  five  miles,  caused  our  Swiss  philosopher 
to  exclaim,  How  beautiful !  very  beautiful ! 


TO    DR.   MANTELL. 

August  30, 1847. 

I  HAVE  looked  through  Mr.  Lyell's  references 

to  you  regarding  the  Wealden  in  the  second  edition  of  his 
"  K laments,"  and  I  must  say  that  he  ought  to  have  made 
you  more  prominent;   but  it  is  to  be  observed  that  the 
HUM  its  "  is  a  condensed  work,  in  which  it  is  a  matter 
"IK;  importance  to  economize  space,  and  the  author 
would  urge  in  his  defence,  that  often,  where  he  has  cited 
your  results  in  the  page  without  naming  you,  he  has  re- 
ferred at  the  bottom  of  the  page  to  your  works  or  your 
memoirs.     He  has  named  you  several  times,  and  twice  with 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  MANTELL.     221 

thanks,  for  diagrams  illustrating  the  Wealden,  or  the  con- 
tiguous strata.  It  is  not  to  be  forgotten  either,  that  some 
years  ago  he  devoted  a  great  part  of  an  address  before  the 
Geological  Society  to  a  detailed  exhibition  of  your  discov- 
eries in  the  Wealden,  and  on  that  occasion  he  enforced 
your  claims  and  merits  in  a  spirit  and  to  an  extent  corre- 
sponding in  some  good  degree  with  your  own  warm-hearted 
and  generous  recognition  of  the  claims  of  your  friends  and 
fellow-laborers.  I  cannot  think  that  you  are  "without 
friends  and  without  influence  at  home,"  or  that  your  name 
and  fame  will  not  survive  your  death.  You  will  ever  be 
honored  among  the  founders  and  expounders  of  English 
geology,  and  among  the  most  skillful  commentators  upon 
that  of  the  world,  especially  in  the  department  of  Paleon- 
tology. 

FROM   DR.   MANTELL. 

November  29, 1847. 

MY  labors  are  at  length  at  an  end  ;  the  Index  is  printed 
and  corrected ;  and,  I  trust,  the  "  Wonders  of  Geology " 
will  no  more  require  attention  from  me.  Ere  another  edi- 
tion' will  be  wanted,  I  hope  I  shall  sleep  with  my  fath- 
ers, and  my  son  Reginald  will  undertake  the  editorship. 

Our  winter  sessions  have  begun.     There  have 

been  two  meetings  of  the  Geological  Society ;  the  first  was 
entirely  occupied  by  a  long  paper  of  Professor  Owen  on 
some  remains  of  Cuverian  pachyderms  from  the  Isle  of 
Wight The  second  meeting  was  more  interest- 
ing ;  it  was  on  the  Geology  of  Australia ;  and  one  of  the 
most  successful  explorers  of  that  country,  Sir  Thomas 
Mitchell,  was  present,  so  that  we  had  an  animated  discus- 
sion ;  but  no  new  facts  were  elicited  that  are  worth  intro- 
ducing in  a  letter.  Mr.  Lyell  was  there,  and  he  and  I  had 
a  good-humored  dispute  upon  some  of  the  subjects  under 
discussion.  At  the  Royal  Society,  the  only  incident  worth 
remark  is  the  election  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  who  was 


222  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

voted  in,  but  with  six  balls  against  him.  I  am  at  a  loss  to 
guess  the  motive  that  induced  the  old  veteran  to  wish  to 
belong  to  the  Royal  Society.  I  hear  of  no  important  works 
on  geology,  nor  of  any  new  discoveries. 

TO   DR.   MANTELL. 

NEW  HAVEN,  April  11, 1848. 

DR.  DAUBENY,  in  a  late  letter,  accompany- 
ing a  copy  of  the  new  edition  of  his  "  Volcanoes,"  seems 
half  reconciled  to  our  Mexican  war,  because,  he  thinks, 
that  the  conquest  of  that  country  might  open  to  my  "  ener- 
getic countrymen  "  a  free  access  to  the  Mexican  volcanoes, 
which,  he  says,  if  a  younger  man,  he  should  be  inclined 
to  visit,  but  would  wait  first  for  the  Anglo-Americans  to 
establish  order  in  that  anarchical  country.  I  should  be 
glad  if  any  good  might  result  from  a  war  which  has  in 
my  opinion  no  adequate  justification.  A  treaty  has  been 
formed,  and  accepted  by  our  Senate,  with  slight  modifica- 
tions, and  has  gone  back  to  Mexico  for  ratification  ;  but  it 
will  not  be  surprising  if  the  government  or  faction  which 
agreed  to  it  should  vanish  before  its  arrival,  and  thus  make 
it  necessary  to  begin  de  novo,  or  to  retire  from  the  country, 
or  hold  it  by  force  of  arms,  —  so  embarrassing  is  wrong- 
doing in  the  beginning,  drawing  after  it  sometimes  inter- 
minable evils.  I  do  not  often  occupy  my  letters  with  poli- 
tics, but  I  am  appalled  with  the  news  which  every  arrival 
brings  from  Europe.  The  French  monarchy  and  oligar- 
chy swept  away  by  a  popular  whirlwind ;  in  Austria,  her 
veteran  minister  and  some  of  her  princes  become  fugi- 
tives ;  the  King  of  Bavaria  an  exile  ;  Prussia  dictating  to 
her  monarch  ;  Sicily  and  Italy  in  agitation ;  and  even  Po- 
land beginning  to  rise  again  from  her  grave.  The  reliance 
of  despots  on  their  troops  is  failing  them,  as  the  troops 
sympathize  with  the  people,  and  are  slow  to  shed  their 
blood.  I  hope  these  tumults  will  not  reach  you  ;  your  peo- 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  MANTELL.  223 

pie  have  liberty  now  and  security ;  but  the  parts  of  the  edi- 
fice are  disproportionate.  The  colossal  monarchy,  and  still 
more  colossal  aristocracy  and  hierarchy,  with  the  immense 
expense  of  armaments  by  sea  and  land  (in  common  with 
the  other  countries  of  Europe),  press  too  severely  upon  the 
masses;  and  they  cannot  see  why,  when  there  is  bread 
enough  and  to  spare,  they  should  starve.  I  am  not  a  rad- 
ical, but  I  do  regard  the  welfare  of  the  productive  classes 
as  worthy  of  all  regard  ;  and  I  fear  they  are  about  taking 
their  cause  into  their  own  hands,  in  all  Europe  ;  and  it  will 
be  a  curious  anomaly  in  human  affairs,  if  that  government, 
which  in  Europe  has  been  regarded  as  vitally  feeble,  should 
prove  to  have  a  strong  vitality  because  it  belongs  to  the 
whole  people I  am  amazed  that  any  respect- 
able paper  should  allow  such  crudities  as  those  contained 
in  the  paragraph  you  have  sent  me  from  "  Bell's  Weekly 
Messenger."  It  is  going  back  to  the  time  of  Galileo's 
Cardinals.  If  this  be  a  fair  specimen  of  the  state  of 
opinion  with  you,  among  the  religious  people  and  the 
upper  ten  thousand,  I  must  think  that  we  are  in  advance 
of  you ;  for  several  of  our  religious  periodical  works,  and  a 
considerable  number  of  our  clergymen,  now  take  correct 
views  of  these  subjects,  and  we  are  gaining  every  year, 
although  the  number  is  still  large  who  confine  everything 
to  six  common  days,  although  no  one,  I  believe,  confines 
astronomy  as  much  as  the  writer  in  "  Bell's  Messenger." 

FROM   DR.    MANTELL. 

February  20,  1849. 

THE  anniversary  dinner  of  the  Geological  Society  was 
held  on  Friday ;  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  Sir  Robert 
Peel,  the  Russian  Ambassador,  were  there  ;  and  my  friend, 
Sir  C.  Lyell,  the  new  President,  took  the  chair.  Murchi- 
son,  De  la  Beche,  Buckland,  Sedgwick,  and  almost  all  our 
great  men,  were  present.  The  Archbishop  made  an  admir-- 
able  speech  in  defence  of  scientific  pursuits,  and  geological 


224  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

in  particular  ;  and  Sir  Robert  a  senatorial  declamation  in 
the  like  spirit.  Lyell  spoke  good  sense,  but  was  so  long  in 
his  pauses,  and  so  hesitating,  that  I  was  frightened  out  of 
my  wits  lest  he  should  break  down.  Dr.  Buckland  made 
an  academical  oration,  like  one  got  by  heart  by  a  young 
collegiate ;  and  Sedgwick  poured  forth  a  flood  of  elo- 
quence, which,  in  spite  of  the  discordant  tones  in  which  it 
was  uttered  (for  his  voice  is  most  harsh),  carried  every- 
thing before  it.  The  Belgian  Ambassador,  in  capital  Eng- 
lish, with  just  sufficient  foreign  accent  to  add  to  its  inter- 
est, gave  a  luminous  address  in  praise  of  science,  and  in 
just  encomiums  on  his  own  country  for  having  remained 
unmoved  in  the  midst  of  the  revolutionary  tempest  which 
had  swept  over  the  Continent.  Murchison  made  a  courtly 
speech,  highly  complimentary  to  the  nobles  present ;  and 
your  humble  servant,  who  had  to  respond  as  one  of  the 
Vice-Presidents,  gave  a  flourish  of  trumpets,  which  con- 
cluded the  entertainment.  Sir  H.  De  la  Beche  has  been 
a  capital  President ;  his  address,  I  hear,  was  excellent.  I 
was  unable  to  attend  the  meeting ;  but,  as  the  address  will 
be  published,  I  shall  obtain  a  copy  for  you. 

TO    DR.    MANTELL. 

NEW  HAVEN,  March  31, 1849. 

THE  California  mania  which  you  mentioned  is 

still  very  prevalent  in  this  country.  Several  ships  and  sev- 
eral hundred  people  have  gone  from  this  comparatively 
small  city  of  twenty  thousand  people ;  and  almost  every  por- 
tion of  the  United  States,  especially  in  the  North  and  West, 
is  sending  out  its  companies  as  well  as  many  single  adven- 
turers. Still  the  accounts  from  California  ai;e  as  flattering 
ver:  read  if  you  please,  in  the  Journal,  the  various  let- 
<  >f  Mr.  Lyman,  one  of  our  friends,  a  college  classmate 
with  my  son,  and  a  man  every  way  to  be  depended  upon, 
-both  for  integrity  and  intelligence.  I  agree  with  you  as  to 
the  pernicious  influence  which  this  "  auri  sacra  fames  "  may 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  MANTELL.  225 

produce ;  but  there  are  results  of  deep  interest  which  may 
grow  out  of  it,  that  may  prove  a  compensation,  at  least,  to 
California.  Although  a  considerable  part  of  the  popula- 
tion that  has  gone  and  is  going  to  California,  may  be  of  the 
class  of  those  who  clustered  around  David  when  he  was  a 
hunted  and  hated  exile,  when  "  every  one  that  was  in  dis- 
tress, and  every  one  that  was  in  debt,  and  every  one  that 
was  discontented,  gathered  themselves  unto  him  " — and  no 
doubt  they  will  muster,  in  California,  not  only-David's  four 
hundred,  but  more,  probably  one  hundred  times  that  num- 
ber, —  still,  there  will  be  found  among  them  no  small  pro- 
portion of  excellent  men,  with  the  best  principles,  habits, 
and  views.  Many  such  have  gone  from  this  place  and  from 
other  parts  of  New  England,  and  they  will,  I  trust,  prove  a 
pioneer  pilgrim  band  which,  like  that  which  peopled  these 
Northern  States,  will  establish  good  institutions  and  laws, 
and  remain  behind  and  possess  the  land.  You  will  see,  in 
the  January  number,  the  views  of  Mr.  Dana,  who  has  seen 
the  country,  and  if  he  is  correct,  the  gold  may  not  be  soon 
exhausted  ;  but  the  people  cannot  live  upon  gold,  and  many 
will,  we  trust,  find  it  more  comfortable,  and  in  the  end,  not 
less  profitable,  to  bend  their  backs  to  agriculture,  and  thus 
draw  from  those  rich  valleys  wealth  more  enduring  than 
that  of  the  auriferous  sands.* 

FROM   DK.   MANTELL. 

April  12, 1850. 

I  AM,  indeed,  much  gratified  and  affected  by  the 

affectionate  and  just  tribute  to  the  departed  excellence  you 
have  to  deplore  ;  but  your  separation  can  be  but  for  a  brief 
space,  and  your  reunion  will  endure  forever.f  How  con- 

*  I  received  last  evening  a  printed  expose  of  a  projected  railroad  from 
Memphis  in  Tennessee,  on  the  Mississippi,  to  California,  — 1500  miles.    If  it 
is  ever  attempted,  it  must  be  as  a  national  road,  by  national  resources,  and 
be  maintained  in  the  same  way. 
;     f  The  reference  is  to  the  death  of  Mrs.  Silliman.  —  F. 

VOL.   II.  15 


226  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

solatory  to  the  righteous  mind  is  the  quaint  remark  of  one 
of  our  old  divines,  — "  We  have  but  stepped  aside  from 
eternity  to  be  tried  in  this  state  of  probation."  I  troubled 
Mr.  Dana  with  the  abstracts  of  my  three  papers,  and  Regi- 
nald's one,  that  he  might  make  any  use  of  them  he  pleased 
for  your  Journal.  Our  societies  move  so  slowly,  that  these 
papers,  in  all  probability,  will  not,  all  of  them,  be  published 
for  these  twelve  months.  An  author  in  England  needs  to 
have  patience  and  forbearance ;  and  I  really  often  am  sur- 
prised at  myself,  as  well  as  others,  going  through  all  the 
trouble,  and  incurring  considerable  expense,  and  submitting 
to  the  captious  and  unfair  criticisms  of  the  referees,  to 
whom  the  papers  are  consigned,  for  so  trifling  a  result ;  for 
there  are  but  few  memoirs  that  could  not  be  published  by 
an  author  himself,  with  as  little  loss  as  he  sustains  by  the 
preliminary  expenses  of  preparing  memoirs  for  our  societies. 
But  so  it  is ;  Providence,  for  some  wise  purpose,  has  so 
strongly  implanted  in  us  the  spirit  of  proselytism,  that  we 
cannot  resist  the  instinct. 

FEOM    DR.    MANTELL. 

May  17, 1850. 

I  GAVE  a  lecture  last   Friday   evening  at  the 

Royal  Institution,  on  the  geology  and  the  fossil  birds  of 
New  Zealand,  and  had  a  splendid  and  numerous  audience 
(between  seven  and  eight  hundred).  It  is,  as  you  know, 
our  aristocratic  Institution,  and  attended  by  our  fashion- 
able lords  and  ladies.  My  kind  friend,  Professor  Faraday, 
was  most  attentive,  and  insisted  on  superintending  the 
hADging-up  of  the  drawings,  and  when  the  lecture  was  over, 
would  help  pack  up  the  specimens,  and  worked  until  eleven 
o'clock,  and  saw  me  into  my  carriage,  —  this  was  genuine 
kindness ;  and  it  is  this  great  man's  natural  character. 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  MANTELL.  227 

« 

FROM   DR.    MANTELL. 

July  3, 1850. 

SIR  ROBERT  PEEL,  on  Saturday  afternoon,  when 

riding  but  a  few  hundred  yards  from  this  square,  was 
thrown  from  his  horse,  picked  up  senseless,  carried  home, 
suffered  greatly  forty-eight  hours,  and  then  expired,  last 
night  at  eleven  o'clock,  in  the  prime  of  life  and  health  and 
intellectual  vigor.  Though  he  was  out  of  office,  and  had 
mortally  offended  many  of  his  political  friends,  his  death  is 
universally  lamented.  I  deplore  it  exceedingly,  both  on 
public  and  private  grounds.  He  was  the  only  one  of  our 
public  men  who  paid  any  respect  to  the  aristocracy  of  tal- 
ent ;  men  of  art  and  science  always  found  a  warm  friend  in 
Sir  Robert  Peel.  To  me  he  had,  for  years,  shown  much 
courtesy ;  inviting  me  to  his  table  when  any  eminent  for- 
eigners were  visiting  him,  and  always  making  a  point  to 
notice  me,  in  the  most  cordial  manner,  in  every  public 
society  where  we  happened  to  meet.  He  always  read  my 
works  as  soon  as  they  appeared,  and  had  he  again  been  in 
office,  I  am  sure  he  would  have  recommended  that  the 
Queen  should  bestow  some  distinction  on  me,  for  my  unre- 
warded scientific  labors.  The  event  has  thrown  a  great 
gloom  over  the  public  mind ;  but  it  will  soon  be  forgotten, 
and  the  world  go  on  as  usual.  When  at  Oxford,  I  was 
deeply  affected  at  the  absence  of  Dr.  Buckland  ;  never  be- 
fore had  I  been  in  the  University  without  being  with  him, 
and  was  often  his  guest  at  Christ's  Church. 

FROM   DR.    MANTELL. 

April  1,1952. 

I  AM  desirous  you  should  know  that  my  task  at 

the  Royal  Institution  passed  off  capitally.  I  think  I  men- 
tioned to  you  my  desire  to  make  it  a  dashing  affair,  because 

I  was  last  year  refused  permission  to  lecture  through 's 

insidious  persuasions,  and  I  was  therefore  desirous  of  show- 


228  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

v« 

ing  that  I  could  still  "  roar "  effectively.  I 
load  of  fossils  and  diagrams ;  the  room  was  crowded  to  the 
ceiling.  Herschel,  Brewster,  Babbage,  Faraday,  Murchi- 
son.  even  Lyell  and  all  our  best  men,  were  there ;  and  Far- 
aday (who  was  as  kind  and  attentive  to  me  as  ever)  said  it 
was  the  most  successful  and  eloquent  discourse  ever  deliv- 
ered there :  so  I  made  my  exit  in  glory ;  and  I  will  never 
lecture  there  again. 

FROM    DR.    MANTELL. 

April  22,  1852. 

I  GAVE  four  lectures  (called  a  course  of  geology) 

to  the  Mechanics'  Institution  at  Leeds,  one  of  our  great 
clothing-towns,  of  some  220,000  inhabitants;  the ,  greater 
number  being  the  slaves  of  our  factory  lords.  I  never  was 
in  the  town  before,  and  never  wish  to  visit  it  again ;  the 
moral  and  physical  atmosphere  are  alike  most  depressing. 
You  eat  coal,  drink  coal,  respire  coal,  imbibe  coal,  sleep  in 
coal,  and  "  live  and  move,  and  have  your  being  "  in  coal ; 
and  should  you  die  at  Leeds,  you  will  be  buried  in  coal. 
Nothing  but  the  consideration  that  the  smoke  which  ren- 
dered the  atmosphere  darker  than  that  of  London,  and 
which  pervades  all  things,  is  the  impalpable  detritus  of  the 
carbonized  remains  of  lepidodendra  and  sigillaria,  and  other 
beautiful  trees,  rendered  my  sojourn  endurable,  even  for 
the  week  which  my  engagement  compelled.  Yet  there  is 
a  good  local  museum  in  the  town  ;  and  the  Philosophical 
Institution  and  the  Mechanics,  must  draw  large  audiences. 
lectures  were  eminently  successful;  the  room  being 
filled  to  tin'  top  gallery.  I  took  my  footman  with  me,  who 
attended  to  the  diagrams,  &c.  ;  then  I  was  able  to  visit  my 
friends  at  York,  and  after  ten  days'  absence,  I  returned 
home  n..t  tli,.  worse  for  the  exertion,  and  with  £35  clear  of 
When  lecturing  to  my  miscellaneous  but  intel- 
'  audiences  at  Leeds,  (many  Quakers  among  them,) 
I  could  not  but  think  that  if  I  were  preaching  in  your  coun- 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  MANTELL.  229 

* 

try,  my  hearers  would  be  pretty  much  of  the  same  char- 
acter, —  attentive  and  wish-to-be-instructed  listeners ;  not 
the  listless,  fashionable  attendants  which  we  have  in  Lon- 
don  

FROM   DR.    MANTELL. 

June  22,  1852. 

PEOPLE  are  hastening  out  of  town,  some  for 

excursions  on  the  Continent,  and  many  to  engage  in  the  tur- 
moils of  a  general  election,  —  an  occasion  in  which  English- 
men show  their  appreciation  of  the  privilege  of  choosing 
wise  and  prudent  senators,  to  conduct  the  affairs  of  the 
nation  for  the  next  seven  years,  by  getting  drunk  and 
committing  all  kinds  of  follies  and  vices,  and  selecting  the 
richest  booby  of  a  squire,  or  leading  person  of  property  in 
the  district,  without  the  slightest  regard  to  his  qualification 
for  the  important  duties  he  is  supposed  to  be  called  upon 
to  perform.  I  am  so  disgusted  with  the  cant  and  hypocrisy 
of  both  Whigs  and  Tories  that  I  should  not  vote  at  all.  We 
shall  have  three  or  four  months  of  rioting  and  debauchery  ; 
the  evil  induced  in  small  country  towns,  is  incredibly  great. 
I  am  hard  at  work  on  the  new  edition  of  my  "  Medals  "  ; 
spending  a  large  sum  in  additional  illustrations  ;  for  I  can- 
not allow  a  work  of  mine  to  appear  without  making  it  as 
perfect  as  my  means  will  admit  of. 

FROM   DR.   MANTELL. 

July  16,  1852. 

You  will  be  pleased  to  hear  that  I  am  elected 

honorary  member  of  the  Royal  Academy  of  Sciences  of 
Holland,  and  still  more,  that  the  Queen  (which  means  the 
government,  —  Earl  Derby,)  has  ordered  my  name  to  be 
inscribed  among  the  list  of  distinguished  savans  deserving 
reward  from  the  crown,  and  an  annuity  of  £100  for  life  is 
granted  me.  This  came  quite  unexpectedly,  in  a  most  kind 
letter  from  the  Earl  of  Rosse,  (President  of  the  Royal  So- 


230  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

ciety,)  at  whose  suggestion  I  believe  it  was  made.  Had  it 
been  £200  per  annum,  it  would  have  enabled  me  to  retire 
to  some  cheaper  locality,  and  give  up  my  profession.  As  it 
is,  however,  I  am  very  thankful  for  the  distinction.  Lord 
Rosse  begged  me  to  understand,  that  both  he  and  Lord 
Derby  felt  reluctance  in  offering  me  so  small  a  gratuity ; 
but  had  they  waited  till  the  fund  was  larger,  they  might 
have  failed  altogether. 

FROM   DR.   MANTELL.* 

October  11,  1852. 

I  HAVE  of  late  been  suffering  more  than  usual. 

I  have  not  got  from  home,  save  for  a  day  together,  since 
the  spring ;  and  now  the  weather  is  too  cold  and  damp,  so 
I  must  grumble  on ;  and  should  I  live  till  spring,  must 
then  make  an  effort  and  endeavor  to  breathe  pure  air  once 
more.  You  will  perceive  by  this  outline  of  an  anodonta 
from  the  Wealden  of  Sussex,  what  a  noble  addition  we 
have  made  to  the  Naiads  of  the  Iguanodon  River.  Six  or 
seven  specimens  have  been  found  on  the  Sussex  coast,  near 
Hastings.  Mr.  Lea  saw  our  specimen,  and  said  it  was  a 
fac-sitnile  of  one  of  your  Ohio  species.  I  had  a  letter  from 
Mr.  Lea  last  week.  He  had  been  at  the  meeting  of  natu- 
ralists at  Wiesbaden,  and  was  much  delighted  with  all  he 
saw  and  heard,  and  with  the  reception  he  met  with  from  the 
assembled  savans.  You  have  put  it  out  of  my  power  to  be 
any  longer  a  disinterested  judge  of  the  expediency  of  pub- 
lishing your  travels ;  for  I  will  say,  in  all  sincerity,  that  I 
should  appreciate  the  kindness  and  distinction  you  proffer 
in  the  highest  degree.  But  when  I  did  not  think  of  such  a 
kindness  on  your  part,  I  had,  as  you  know,  felt  convinced 
that  you  ought  to  publish  your  observations  on  men  and 
things  in  England  and  the  Continent,  after  an  interval  of 
forty  years.  Such  a  privilege  falls  to  the  lot  of  but  few, 

and  in  my  opinion  ought  not  to  be  thrown  away 

*  This  was  the  last  letter  of  Dr.  Mantell  to  Professor  Silliman.  —  F. 


. 


LETTER  FROM  DR.  J.  C.  WARREN.  231 


was  with  much  regret  that  I  read  the  affecting  notice 
of  the  loss  you  have  sustained  in  your  circle  of  scientific 
friends.  I  well  remember  Professor  Kingsley,  who  quite 
endeared  himself  to  my  sister  and  me  by  his  social  and 
kind  bearing  when  with  us.  As  for  me,  I  have  scarcely  an 
old  friend  left,  —  all  having  gone  before  me:  the  happy, 
the  wealthy,  the  vigorous,  many  in  the  prime  of  manhood,  — 
all  are  taken  away,  and  my  wretched  worn-out  frame  still 
holds  together,  —  for  some  wise  purpose,  doubtless,  —  and 
I  must  work  on  to  the  end.  May  Heaven  bless  you  and 
yours,  my  most  valued  friend,  with  every  good.  Love 
to  all. 

Ever  most  affectionately,  yours, 

G.  A.  MANTELL. 

To  this  correspondence  is  added  a  letter  to  Pro- 
fessor Silliman,  written  after  the  death  of  Dr.  Mantell, 
by  a  friend  of  both. 

FROM   DR.   J.    C.    WARREN. 

January  14,  1853. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  Accept  my  best  thanks  fbr  your  very 
interesting  letter.  The  sudden  termination  of  the  suffer- 
ings of  our  friend,  Dr.  Mantell,  we  ought  to  consider  not 
only  a  wise,  but  happy  dispensation  of  Providence,  for  he 
had  so  well  acted  his  part  as  to  establish  himself  in  the 
recollection  of  his  fellow-men,  and  give  us  reason  to  believe 
that  he  is  enjoying  the  reward  of  a  good  and  useful  life. 
Your  determination  to  retire  from  the  more  laborious  duties 
so  long  and  successfully  performed  while  your  faculties  still 
remain  bright,  appears  to  me  the  more  wise,  because  it  is 
not  necessary.  Your  habits  of  occupation  will  always  find 
employment  on  something  agreeable,  and  I  think  you  have 
acted  most  wisely  in  selecting  some  one  to  aid  you,  in 
smoothing  the  cares  of  life ;  but  as  you  have  not  occupation 
in  an  active  way,  you  will  have  enough  to  gratify  you  in 


232  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

the  recollection  of  a  long  life  filled  with  the  most  elevated 
pursuits  we  are  permitted  to  enjoy  in  this  world.  For  my 
part  I  have  got  pretty  well  rid  of  my  laborious  and  respon- 
sible duties,  but  having  no  disposition  to  be  idle,  I  employ 
myself  in  such  aifairs  as  are  pleasant,  and  at  the  same  time 

not  wholly  useless Accept  my  best  wishes  that 

you  may  continue  long  to  enjoy  life  with  your  family,  and 
believe  me  to  be, 

Very  sincerely,  your  obliged  friend, 

J.  C.  WARREN. 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

HIS  LAST  LECTURE  IN  COLLEGE:  THE  TROUBLES  IN  KAN- 
SAS: SLAVERY. 

Reception  of  his  Travels  in  Europe :  Letter  from  President  Sparks.  —  His 
Birthday,  (1854). — Conclusion  of  his  College  Lectures.  —  Mr.  Gajani.— 
Death  of  Friends.  —  Induction  of  Mr.  Dana  into  Office.  —  Professor 
Silliman's  Views  on  Slavery.  —  The  Meeting  in  aid  of  the  Kansas  Set- 
tlers.—  Encomium  upon  Professor  Silliman  by  Senator  Foster. — His 
Letter  to  the  National  Intelligencer.  —  Letter  from  Senator  Hale.  —  Let- 
ters from  Josiah  Quincy.  — His  Birthday  (1856).— Interviews  with 
Washington  Irving.  —  The  New  Year  (1857).  —  Letter  on  the  Claims  of 
Christianity.  —  The  New  Haven  Correspondence  with  Mr.  Buchanan.  — 
Vindication  of  Professor  Silliman  by  Senator  Dixon.  —  Letter  from  Sen- 
ator Trumbull.  —  Letter  from  Senator  Sumner.  —  Letter  to  Dr.  Hitch- 
cock. —  Letters,  chiefly  on  Politics  and  Slavery,  to  Mr.  John  Taylor. 

THE  welcome  accorded  to  his  published  volumes 
of  travel,  —  "A  Visit  to  Europe  in  1851,"  was  grate- 
ful to  his  feelings.  Some  of  the  letters  of  commen- 
dation which  he  received,  as  well  as  notices  by  the 
press,  are  preserved  in  the  Diary. 

President  Sparks  writes  from  Cambridge,  December  8, 
1853:  —  "Let  me  thank  you  most  cordially  for  the  vol- 
umes which  you  so  kindly  ordered  to  be  sent  to  us.  I  had 
scarcely  time  to  open  them  before  I  was  taken  ill.  But  this 
I  cannot  regret,  as  they  have  afforded  a  delightful  recrea- 
tion during  the  progress  of  my  recovery,  within  the  last  few 
days,  especially  as  Mrs.  Sparks  has  occasionally  lent  me 
her  voice,  and  participated  in  the  enjoyment.  The  work 
has  afforded  me  the  double  pleasure  of  reviewing  many 
agreeable  reminiscences,  and  furnishing  me  with  much  in- 


234  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

teresting  instruction,  drawn  from  observations  which  I  have 
never  made,  or  in  countries  which  I  have  never  visited.  I 
know  not  a  better  guide  for  young  travellers,  or  a  work  bet- 
ter suited  to  enlighten  those  who  would  gain  a  knowledge 
of  foreign  lands  in  the  quiet  repose  of  their  firesides. 
Where  will  you  go  next  ?  You  have  not  yet  encompassed 
the  globe,  though  you  have  taken  long  strides,  and  stood  on 
some  of  its  highest  peaks.  What  think  you  of  the  won- 
derful East,  &c.  ?  "  Laus  a  laudato  viro. 

His  bodily  vigor  did  not  lead  him  to  forget  that 
many  additional  years  of  life  here  were  not  to  be 
expected. 

My  Birthday )  August  8, 1854. —  It  is  a  solemn  crisis  when 
an  individual  has  lived  seventy-five  years  in  this  world! 
How  few  are  favored  with  so  long  a  lease  of  life  !  How 
few  are  permitted  to  enjoy  unimpaired  health  and  mental 
power  at  so  advanced  an  age  !  I  am  surprised  at  myself,— 
almost  alarmed,  lest  I  should  be  lulled  into  an  undue  confi- 
dence in  life.  The  frequent  and  warm  salutations  which  I 
receive,  and  the  strong  manifestations  of  surprise  at  my 
appearance  as  regards  vigor  and  the  absence  of  the  decays 
of  age,  are  adapted  to  make  one  put  off  the  fear  of  death, 
and  indulge  in  dreams  of  still  longer  life.  I  endeavor  to 
repress  this  confidence,  and  to  realize  that  the  day  is  far 
spent,  and  that  the  night  of  death  may  be  near  at  hand.  The 
religious  views  which  I  have  expressed  on  many  of  these 
recurring  anniversaries  remain  unchanged.  If  I  have  a 
hop.-  full  of  immortality,  I  trust  I  shall  be  willing  to  put  off 
tliis  mortal  coil,  whenever  God  shall  call  me  home.  I  wait 
his  call,  which  may  be  sudden. 

On  the  13th  of  June,  1855,  he  concluded  all  his 
courses  of  lectures  in  College,  and  uttered  his  feel- 
ings in  the  following 


PRAYER  AND  THANKSGIVING.  235 


Prayer  and  Thanksgiving.  —  Thus,  O  Almighty  God,  hast 
Thou  led  me  on  in  mercy  almost  to  the  close  of  a  long  life. 
A  volume  would  not  contain  an  account  of  the  mercies  of 
which  I  have  been  the  subject  through  thy  blessing  on  my 
labors.  It  was  of  thy  mercy  that  I  was  trained  by  pious 
parents,  and,  although  deprived  of  my  father  when  I  was 
hardly  eleven  years  of  age,  my  blessed  mother  was  sus- 
tained by  Thee,  and  endued  with  courage  to  educate  liber- 
ally my  brother  and  myself.  Thou  hast  blessed  me  abun- 
dantly, and  enabled  me  to  perform  the  duties  of  my  station 
successfully,  —  I  hope  usefully  to  my  fellow-men,  and  in 
some  humble  measure  to  thine  honor,  which,  in  all  my 
public  labors,  I  have  endeavored  to  sustain,  for  I  have  not 
been  ashamed  to  acknowledge  Thee  before  men.  Wilt 
Thou,  O  Thou  great  and  glorious  God,  sustain  that  dear  old 
Institution  in  which  I  have  spent  my  years ;  give  it  means 
adequate  to  its  wants,  and  to  the  extension  of  its  usefulness. 
May  its  officers  and  instructors  be  wise,  faithful,  and  pious 
men  ;  its  pupils  virtuous  and  diligent,  and  subjects  of  God's 
grace  ;  and  may  it  continue  to  the  latest  generations  a  foun- 
tain of  blessings  to  this  land.  For  myself,  in  this  evening 
of  my  life,  may  I  be  every  day  ready  to  die,  trusting  in  thy 
mercy  through  the  Redeemer  of  men ;  and  if  power  and 
opportunity  to  be  useful  are  still  continued  to  me,  may  I 
have  a  disposition,  as  well  as  ability,  to  honor  Thee,  and  to 
benefit  my  fellow-men.  For  my  salvation  I  depend  entirely 
upon  the  Redeemer.  In  the  sight  of  God  I  have  no  merits 
of  my  own,  and  feel  deeply  that  if  I  am  saved,  it  will  be 
of  grace  and  not  of  works.  I  have  none  to  offer  that  are 
worthy  of  thine  acceptance.  And  now,  my  heavenly 
Father,  I  implore  thy  blessing  upon  my  dear  children  and 
their  children,  and  upon  the  faithful  and  devoted  compan- 
ion whom  Thou  hast  in  mercy  given  me.  I  implore  it,  also, 
for  the  precious  youth  who  are  now  about  to  go  into  the 
world.  Bless  them  all  in  time  and  eternity,  through  Christ 
our  Lord  and  Redeemer. 


236  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

In  the  following  paragraph  reference  is  made  to  a 
young  Italian,  who  was  for  some  time  a  dear  and 
cherished  inmate  of  his  house,  was  aided  by  him  in 
various  ways,  and  regarded  him  with  almost  filial 
gratitude. 

October,  1855.  — My  brother  left  us  on  Tuesday  the  2d. 
The  Faculty  party  *  recurred  at  our  house  on  Monday  even- 
ing, October  1st,  and  my  brother  was  induced  to  remain  to 
attend  it.  The  night  was  stormy,  with  wind  and  rain  ;  but 
we  had  about  fifty  persons,  instead  of  eighty,  who  were  ex- 
pected. The  evening  passed  most  agreeably,  and  a  high 
literary  entertainment  was  given,  by  reading  about  one  hour 
from  Sig.  Guglielmo  Gajani's  MS.  work,  now  in  prog- 
ress, on  Italy.  It  is  written  beautifully,  in  good  English, 
needing,  however,  some  friendly  criticism,  which  it  is  receiv- 
ing at  our  hands.  Mr.  Gajani  was  introduced  to  us  a  year 
ago ;  came  to  this  town  from  New  York  to  pass  the  hot 
weeks,  and  by  invitation,  came  to  us  four  or  five  weeks  ago, 
and  has  lived  here  ever  since.  We  have  had  much  pleas- 
ure and  satisfaction  in  his  society,  and  he  will  proceed  to 
Boston  (fully  introduced)  to  give  a  course  of  lectures. 

Among  the  obituaries  which  now  become  more 
and  more  frequent  in  the  Diary,  are  notices  of  the 
venerable  Dr.  Williston,  and  of  Commodore  Morris. 

Death  of  Rev.  Payson  Williston,  D.  D.  —  This  venerable 
gentleman  died  January  20,  185G.  He  was  graduated  in 
Yale  College  in  1783.  He  was,  I  believe,  the  oldest  sur- 
viving graduate  of  Yale,  having  been  out  of  College  sev- 
enty-two years.  He  was  a  particular  friend  of  my  late 
brother  of  the  Noyes'  branch,  and  I  recollect  his  person  as 
he  was  many  years  ago.  His  father  was  the  Rev.  Noah 
Willistnn.  was  graduated  in  Yale  College  in  1757  ;  and  was 
•  A  sori:il  party  rousting  of  the  College  Faculty  and  their  families.  —  F. 


DEATH  OF  DR.  WILLISTON  AND  COMMODORE  MORRIS.   237 

minister  of  the  Congregational  Church  in  West  Haven.  In 
July,  1779,  this  gentleman,  while  leaping  a  fence  to  escape 
from  the  enemy,  fell  and  broke  a  leg-bone ;  but  the  com- 
mander hearing  that  he  was  a  clergyman  treated  him  well, 
and  ordered  a  person  to  set  his  fractured  limb  in  his  own 
house.  My  mother  was  one  of  his  friends,  and  I  remember 
being  hospitably  entertained  there  on  a  journey  with  her 
when  I  was  a  youth  and  in  delicate  health. 

Commodore  Charles  Morris.  —  This  gentleman  was  a  na- 
tive of  Woodstock,  Connecticut,  and  was  much  esteemed  in 
the  Navy  as  a  brave  and  able  officer.  I  have  seen  him 
several  times.  He  was  Captain  Hull's  first-lieutenant  when 
the  Guerriere  was  captured ;  he  was  shot  through  the  body. 
I  have  been  informed  that  when  the  frigates  were  approach- 
ing each  other,  the  Guerriere  began  to  fire  when  two  miles 
off.  Hull  was  bearing  down  upon  her  before  the  wind,  and 
as  she  came  near,  the  balls  of  the  Guerriere  begun  to  take 
effect,  but  Hull  had  given  orders  to  reserve  fire  until  he 
should  himself  give  the  order.  His  men  had  begun  to  fall, 
and  the  sailors  became  impatient  to  return  the  fire,  when 
Morris,  as  officer  of  the  gun-deck,  went  to  Hull  to  ask 
leave  to  fire,  but  the  commander  replied,  —  "  Not  yet  Mr. 
Morris."  The  men  becoming  still  more  impatient,  he  went 
again  to  Hull,  who  gave  him  the  same  reply,  until  they 
were  within  pistol-shot,  when  he  gave  the  fatal  order, — 
"  Now  fire  in  the  name  of" 

Unexpected  honors  were  paid  to  Professor  Silli- 
man  in  connection  with  the  opening  lecture  of  his 
successor,  Professor  Dana. 

February  18,  1856.  —  Professor  James  D.  Dana,  my  son- 
in-law,  successor  in  the  department  of  geology,  began  his 
course  to-day  in  the  geological  room,  the  scene  of  my  labors 
on  the  same  subject.  The  room  was  full.  His  lecture  was 
very  able  and  interesting ;  and,  very  unexpectedly  to  me, 


238  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

he  introduced  it  with  a  notice  of  the  rise  and  progress  of 
geology  in  this  country,  and  my  action  and  influence  in 
bringing  it  about  were  set  forth  in  warm  and  elegant  lan- 
guage. I  was  not  indeed  aware  that  he  appreciated  my 
efforts  and  attainments  so  highly.  The  Class  rose  as  I  en- 
tered the  room.  They  had  indeed  been  waiting  for  my 
arrival,  as  I  was  a  few  minutes  behind  time.  It  is  a  signal 
favor  that  I  have  lived  to  see  my  two  extensive  depart- 
ments divided,  and,  without  any  influence  of  mine,  my  own 
son  charged  with  chemistry,  and  my  son-in-law  with  the 
mineralogy  and  geology  ;  and  I  am  still  in  health  of  body 
and  mind  to  enjoy  this  happy  result. 

Quite  unexpectedly  to  himself,  Professor  Silliman 
became  involved  in  the  political  conflict  which  pre- 
ceded the  late  armed  struggle  of  slavery  for  domin- 
ion in  this  country.  The  institution  of  slavery  he 
had  always  condemned,  and  had  never  hesitated  to 
declare  his  views  respecting  it  on  all  proper  occa- 
sions. His  first  book  of  travels  contains  a  warm 
remonstrance  against  the  continuance  of  that  system 
of  injustice.  At  that  period,  and  for  a  long  time  after- 
wards, sentiments  adverse  to  slavery  were  heard  al- 
most as  frequently  in  the  South  as  in  the  North.  Pro- 
fessor Silliman  had  been  strongly  interested  in  plans 
for  the  voluntary  emigration  of  the  released  blacks  to 
Africa,  and,  in  common  with  most  good  men  at  the 
North,  had  hoped  much  from  the  operations  of  the 
Colonization  Society.  In  an  address  on  "  Some  of 
the  Causes  of  National  Anxiety,"  which  he  gave  in 
New  Haven  on  the  4th  of  July,  1832,  he  discussed 
elaborately  the  subject  of  slavery  and  colonization. 
He  claimed  that  the  former  is  "a  proper  subject  of 
national  discussion,  and  is  to  be  encountered  by 
national  efforts;"  "that  diseased  members  affect 


HIS  VIEWS  ON  SLAVERY.  239 

the  entire  physical  system  ;  "  and  that  we  should  say 
to  Kentucky,  Virginia,  and  the  Carolinas,  that  slav- 
ery, "  although  it  is  eminently  your  curse,  is  also  a 
great  national  evil."  "  Slavery,"  he  affirmed,  "is 
now  generally  acknowledged,  in  this  country,  to  be 
an  enormous  evil."  Alluding  to  the  legislative  de- 
bates which  followed  the  then  recent  slave  insurrec- 
tions in  the  South,  he  said :  "  The  statesmen  of  Vir- 
ginia and  Maryland  fully  proved  that  slavery  is  an 
intolerable  evil :  bitter  to  the  slave ;  costly  to  the 
proprietor ;  dangerous  to  the  morals  of  the  youth ; 
as  a  reliance  for  national  wealth,  unprofitable  and 
wasteful ;  as  a  means  of  public  defence,  worse  than 
useless;  a  blot  on  our  national  honor;  a  reproach  to 
our  moral  character ;  a  source  of  increasing  do- 
mestic danger ;  an  insult  to  the  purity  of  our  relig- 
ion; and  an  outrage  on  the  Majesty  of  Heaven!" 
"  Having  long  and  anxiously  contemplated  this  sub- 
ject, I  have  looked  earnestly  for  the  time  —  which 
seems  now  at  hand  —  when  the  national  conscience 
should  be  thoroughly  awakened  to  the  sin  of  slav- 
ery." He  lived  to  see  the  enlightened  views  of  those 
Virginia  statesmen  repudiated  by  their  children,  and 
slavery  defended  both  as  a  divine  institution  and  the 
surest  bulwark  of  Christian  civilization !  The  re- 
mainder of  his  address  is  mostly  devoted  to  the  ad- 
vocacy of  colonization,  and  of  efforts  for  the  intel- 
lectual and  moral  improvement  of  the  emigrant 
blacks.  But  it  became  obvious  to  all  discerning 
men  that  African  colonization  would  never  remove 
slavery,  or  even  stay  its  progress,  under  the  power- 
ful motive  afforded  by  the  increased  facilities  for  the 
culture  of  cotton,  and  the  great  demand  for  that 


240  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

product  in  the  markets  of  the  world.  Professor  Sil- 
liman,  though  never  a  partisan,  had  acted  with  the 
Whigs,  'and  with  them  had  resisted  the  further  ex- 
tension of  slavery,  and  the  schemes  for  obtaining  new 
territory  on  which  slavery  might  plant  itself.  But 
he  was  ardently  attached  to  the  union  of  the  States, 
and  was  ready  to  go  as  far  in  the  path  of  concession 
as  he  could  go  without  the  sacrifice  of  principle  or 
the  public  welfare.  In  the  hope  of  appeasing  strife, 
he  supported  Mr,  Webster  in  his  assent  to  the  so- 
called  compromise  measures  of  1850.  He  was  wil- 
ling to  believe,  with  that  statesman,  that  the  physi- 
cal character  of  the  country  would  keep  slavery  out 
of  the  territory  of  New  Mexico ;  he  considered  the 
admission  of  California  a  substantial  advantage  to 
the  cause  of  freedom  ;  and,  much  as  he  disapproved 
of  various  features  of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law,  he 
believed  that  some  law  designed  to  secure  the 
rendition  of  slaves  was  imperatively  required  by  the 
terms  of  the  Constitution.  So  far,  whether  wisely 
or  unwisely,  he  consented  to  go.  But  when,  in 
1854,  the  Missouri  Compromise  of  1820,  forever  pro- 
hibiting slavery  in  States  to  be  formed  north  of  lat- 
tude  36°  30', —  the  solemn  stipulation  on  which 
Missouri,  a  slave  State,  had  been  received  into  the 
Union,  —  was  annulled  by  act  of  Congress,  he  felt 
that  further  concession  to  the  demands  of  the  South 
would  be  thrown  away,  and  that  agreements  made 
by  the  Slave  Power  were  no  longer  to  be  trusted. 
Thenceforward  he  deemed  it  his  duty  to  join  his  fel- 
low-riii/rns  iii  withstanding  every  attempt  to  en- 
hance the  already  alarming  influence  of  the  slave- 
holding  interest  in  the  government  of  the  country. 


THE  TROUBLES  IN  KANSAS.  241 

The  opening  of  the  territory  of  Kansas  —  a  part 
of  the  region  which  had  been  protected  from  slavery 
by  the  Missouri  Compromise  —  was  the  signal  for  a 
movement  in  New  England  and  the  Northwest,  hav- 
ing for  its  end  the  settlement  of  this  prospective 
State.  Societies  for  aiding  emigrants  were  organ- 
ized in  several  of  the  Eastern  States.  Seeing  that,  by 
the  influx  of  these  Northern  emigrants  Kansas  was 
likely  to  become  a  Free  State,  the  slave-holding  in- 
habitants of  the  Missouri  border  endeavored  to  pre- 
vent this  by  means  of  invasion  and  violence.  Pass- 
ing over  into  Kansas,  they  seized  the  ballot-boxes,  and 
filled  them  with  spurious  votes,  thereby  constituting 
a  territorial  legislature  which  would  be  willing  to  ex- 
ecute their  behests.  While  these  things  were  taking 
place,  one  of  the  numerous  colonies  from  the  North- 
ern States  was  organized  in  New  Haven.  It  was 
composed  of  sober  and  respectable  men  ;  and,  on 
the  evening  prior  to  their  departure,  a  meeting  was 
held  in  the  North  Church,  where  many  of  them  had 
worshipped,  to  bid  them  farewell.  Their  leader,  who 
had  been  a  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school, 
gave  an  account  of  the  equipment  of  the  company, 
by  which  it  appeared  that  they  had  been  unable  to 
provide  themselves  with  rifles  or  any  other  species 
of  fire-arms.  It  being  necessary  to  supply  this  want, 
which  existed  even  if  there  had  been  no  Missouri 
invaders  to  fear,  it  was  proposed  that  a  subscription 
be  made  on  the  spot.  At  the  urgent  request  of 
others,  Professor  Silliman  spoke  a  few  words  in 
favor  of  the  proposition.  The  rifles  were  contributed 
by  individuals  present.  This  harmless  affair,  being 
depicted  in  blazing  colors  in  some  of  the  news- 

VOL.  ii.  16 


242  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

papers,  caused  a  wide-spread  excitement,  and  be 
became  an  object  of  indecent  vituperation  from 
partisan  journals  and  politicians.  We  quote  from 
the  Diary :  — 

April  3.  —  A  great  clamor  has  been  raised  against  Mr. 
Button  *  and  myself  on  account  of  the  rifles.  It  has  been 
used  for  electioneering  purposes  by  the  administration 
papers,  to  influence  the  approaching  election.  I  care  not 
what  they  say  about  me.  I  feel  that  I  did  right.  There 
was  danger  that  the  party—  more  than  half  of  them — would 
be  obliged  to  go  out  unarmed,  not  merely  among  bears 
and  wolves  and  panthers,  but  among  murderers  and  rob- 
bers. The  invaders  of  Kansas,  from  Missouri,  have  proved 
their  title  to  both  these  appellations  by  murdering  three 
peaceable  settlers,  robbing  many  more,  and  maltreating 
clergymen  and  all  whom  they  could  bring  under  their 
power.  A  general  massacre  at  Lawrence  was  undoubtedly 
prevented  by  the  armed  preparation  of  the  people.  It 
matters  little  that  these  rifles  were  obtained  in  a  church  ;  it 
was  a  holy  cause,  and  time  and  place  were  comparatively 
unimportant. 

The  matter  was  not  deemed  too  insignificant  to 
be  brought  up  in  the  United  States  Senate.  In  the 
course  of  a  reply  to  aspersions  cast  upon  the  New 
Haven  meeting,  Senator  Foster  of  Connecticut, 
spoke  as  follows  :  — 

"  Professor  Silliman  is  a  man  of  wide  reputa- 
tion on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic.  His  name  is  known 
and  honored  wherever  the  light  of  science  shines.  There 
is  a  daily  beauty  in  his  life  which  commends  to  our  notice 
and  respect  the  highest  characteristics  belonging  to  human 
nature.  No  man  illustrates,  day  by  day,  the  courtesies,  the 
*  The  late  Rev.  Dr.  Dutton,  pastor  of  the  North  Church.  —  F. 


SENATOR  FOSTER'S  SPEECH.  243 

amenities,  the  proprieties,  which  belong  to  the  character  of 
a  gentleman  and  a  Christian  more  than  that  man.  He  has 
been  connected  with  Yale  College,  one  of  the  well-heads 
of  science  and  learning  in  this  country,  for  more  than  fifty 
years,  as  an  instructor.  During  the  time  that  he  has  been 
thus  a  member  of  this  Institution,  more  than  four  thousand 
young  men  have  received  instruction  through  him  and  the 
other  members  of  the  Faculty  of  that  Institution,  and  not 
one  of  that  large  number  ever  received  from  him  any  other 
than  such  influences  as  would  do  good  the  world  over." 

The  Diary  proceeds  thus  :  — 

The  week  has  been  fruitful  of  attacks  and  reflections  on 

account  of  the  affair  at  the  North  Church I  could 

have  wished  that  it  had  occurred  differently  and  with  less 
publicity,  and  not  in  a  church  (although  we,  the  descend- 
ants of  the  Puritans,  do  not  hold  such  places  to  be  conse- 
crated). Still  it  is  desirable,  as  far  as  possible,  to  exclude 
secular  subjects  from  them.  The  "  New  York  Times," 
through  its  correspondent  here,  gave  a  startling  publicity  to 
my  name  by  placing  it  at  the  head  of  the  column,  as  if  I 
had  been  a  leader.  I  was  mute  almost  to  the  last  moment, 
and  then  yielded  to  an  urgent  appeal  to  present  the  matter 
to  the  meeting,  and  it  is  said  that  otherwise  the  object 
would  not  have  been  accomplished. 

April  20.  —  From  the  most  remote  parts  of  the  Union, 
newspapers  and  anonymous  letters  continue  to  pour  in. 
They  are,  as  I  am  informed,  (for  I  do  not  read  them,)  scur- 
rilous, bitter,  and  many  of  them  low  and  vulgar.  They 
give  me  little  concern,  and  will  by  and  by  die  out.  I  have 
done  my  duty,  and  we  are  cheered  by  news  of  the  arrival 
of  our  New-Haven  colony  in  Kansas,  I  believe,  without 
molestation.  I  have  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Hon.  John  P. 
Hale,  in  consequence  of  his  promptly  repelling  an  attack 
upon  me,  in  the  Senate,  by  Senator  Benjamin  of  Louisiana, 
many  years  ago  an  unworthy  member  of  Yale  College. 


244  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

My  letter  is  intended  as  a  vindication  of  the  New-England 
emigration  to  Kansas.  I  have  offered  it  to  the  "  National 
Intelligencer"  for  publication.  It  was  published  in  that 
paper,  and  republished  in  the  "Journal  of  Commerce,*'  in 
the  "  Evening  Post,"  the  New  Haven  "  Morning  Journal," 
and  "  Evening  Palladium,"  and  in  the  "  New  York  Inde- 
pendent " ;  and  it  is  pronounced  in  that  paper  to  be  "  an 
admirable  letter." 

An  extract  from  this  letter  is  subjoined. 

"I  am  not  disposed  to  apologize  for  whatever 

aid  I  may  have  contributed  by  action  or  influence  to  arm 
our  emigrant  colony,  nor  am  I  aware  that  the  extraneous 
circumstances  of  time,  place,  and  persons,  connected  with 
the  occasion,  are  of  any  serious  importance.  They  were,  at 
the  crisis  alluded  to,  wholly  accidental  or  unexpected  ;  but 
the  exigency  admitted  not  of  change  or  delay,  and  the 
thing  done  was  right.  It  is  no  evidence  of  a  good  cause 
when  extraneous  and  irrelevant  circumstances,  of  little  or 
no  importance,  are  officially  paraded  to  the  neglect  or  con- 
cealment of  a  real  and  important  issue.  The  real  issue,  in 
the  present  case,  is  whether  the  arming  which  is  conceded 
to  persons  emigrating  from  all  other  parts  of  our  country, 
whether  going  to  Kansas  to  settle  or  to  vote,  should  be  de- 
nied to  the  emigrants  from  New  England.  May  they  not 
also  carry  arms  and  munitions  and  all  other  supplies  and 
defences  necessary  to  the  settlement  of  a  new  country  on 
the  very  frontiers  of  civilization,  and  one  of  its  most  ex- 
treme outposts  ?  Can  any  issue  be  more  simple  or  more 
reasonable  ?  Who  can  give  any  other  answer  than  that 
which  is  now  being  practically  given  by  the  voluntary 
action  of  many  thousands,  moving  from  the  most  remote 
points  of  our  vast  country,  to  possess  the  promised  land  ? 
The  arts  of  designing  men,  and  the  intemperate  zeal  of 
those  who  have  viewed  the  subject  through  a  false  medium, 
have  fostered  prejudices  and  produced  recriminations  which 


LETTER  TO  THE  "  NATIONAL  INTELLIGENCER."  245 

are  unfavorable  to  a  candid  and  patriotic  consideration  of 
this  subject.  The  wise  and  the  good  in  the  South  and  the 
Southwest  (and  I  have  known  many  such)  will,  when  the 
present  feverish  excitement  has  died  away,  come  to  view 
this  matter  right,  and  we  must  patiently  wait  for  that  most 
desirable  result." 

His  vindication  of  himself  satisfied  reasonable  men. 

Saturday,  May  3.  —  My  Kansas  letter  meets  with  great 
approbation,  as  I  learn  from  many  sources ;  but  I  have 
not  heard  whether  it  has  been  attacked  by  the  slavery 
prints.  It  is  approved  by  G.  Griswold,  Joseph  E.  Worces- 
ter, and  many  more.  The  Hon.  John  P.  Hale,  to  whom  it 
was  addressed,  has  written  me  a  private  letter  of  warm 
approbation.  I  continue  to  receive  vituperative  newspapers 
and  letters.  The  latter  are  generally  very  illiterate  and 
vulgar.  I  hand  them  over  to  Mrs.  S.,  who  reads  and  re- 
ports to  me. 

FROM   HON.   JOHN   P.    HALE. 

WASHINGTON,  May  3, 1856. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  — Your  very  acceptable  letter  of  the  16th 
ult.,  accompanying  a  letter  to  the  editors  of  the  "  National 
Intelligencer,"  was  duly  received,  and  your  request  to  have 
your  letter  inserted  in  that  paper,  was  communicated  to  its 
editors,  and  very  promptly  acceded  to  by  them.  I  use  not 
the  language  of  flattery  when  I  say  to  you,  that  the  friends 
of  freedom  in  Kansas,  in  this  city,  were  highly  gratified  by 
the  bold  and  frank  vindication  of  the  measures  adopted  by 
the  emigrants  and  their  friends  at  New  Haven,  under  your 
name  in  the  columns  of  that  paper.  If  we  cannot  maintain 
liberty  in  Kansas,  though  I  never  will  despair  while  I  be- 
lieve God  sits  on  his  eternal  throne,  yet  so  far  as  human 
foresight  can  penetrate  the  future,  I  see  nothing  before  this 
country  but  the  establishing,  perpetuating,  and  increasing  of 
the  domination  of  the  slave-power.  Our  aifairs  in  Central 
America  are  becoming  very  embarrassing.  The  fact  just 


246  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   SILLIMAN. 

brought  to  light,  that  the  British  government  have  agreed 
to  furnish  two  thousand  arms  to  Costa  Rica,  will  be  seized 
upon  to  stir  up  the  jealousy  of  our  people  against  British 
interference  ;  the  worst  passions  will  be  appealed  to,  and  I 
see  nothing  to  prevent  "  manifest  destiny  "  from  annexing 
Central  America  to  the  United  States,  and  when  that  is 
done,  Mexico  must  follow.  Now  suppose  these  events  to 
come,  and  allow  the  principle  to  be  established,  now  openly 
and  boldly  contended  for,  that  the  United  States  Constitu- 
tion carries  slavery  with  it,  or  rather  the  right  to  hold 
slaves,  wherever  it  has  authority,  who  does  not  see  that  the 
destiny  we  are  to  unfold  and  develop  is  to  subdue  the  semi- 
barbarous  nations  occupying  that  portion  of  this  continent 
south  of  us,  strike  down  the  liberty  which  they  have  inau- 
gurated, and  make  the  confines  of  slavery  coextensive  with 
our  conquest.  Do  you  ask,  or  rather  does  any  one  ask, 
What  has  the  Kansas  question  to  do  with  this  ?  I  answer, 
everything.  Make  Kansas  free ;  let  it  be  understood  that 
in  every  new  acquisition,  liberty  and  not  slavery  is  the  boon 
which  we  bestow  on  conquered  provinces  and  nations  ;  and 
the  aliment  which  feeds  this  lust  of  conquest,  and  upon 
which  it  subsists,  and  without  which  it  would  die,  is  taken 
away.  I  feel  as  if  we  could  hardly  overestimate  the  mag- 
nitude of  this  question  and  its  consequences.  With  many 
thanks  for  your  name,  so  generously  given  to  the  struggling 
friends  of  the  cause,  and  especially  with  my  personal  thanks 
for  the  honor  you  did  me  in  making  me  the  organ  of  your 
communication, 

I  am,  with  the  highest  respect, 

Your  obliged  friend, 

JOHN  P.  HALE. 

In  his  love  of  liberty,  Professor  Silliman  enjoyed 
the  sympathy  of  another  old  man  in  whom  the  fire 
of  youth  had  not  been  damped,  and  who  like  him 
was  a  witness  for  human  rights  to  the  end. 


LETTERS  FROM  HON.  JOSIAH  QUINCY,  SENIOR.     247 
FROM   HON.   JOSIAH    QUINCY    (SENIOR.) 

Professor  Silliman :  — 

Mr  DEAR  SIR,  —  I  am  obliged  by  the  interest  you  ex- 
press in  my  recent  exertion.*  Laudari  a  laudato  viro,  is 
Cicero's  standard  of  exalted  praise.  I  calculate  little  in 
party  times  on  the  effect  of  any  independent  endeavor. 
Those  whose  interest  it  crosses  condemn  or  let  it  pass  in 
silence  if  it  be  too  true  to  be  censured.  Those  whose 
views  it  supports  are  apprehensive  of  being  identified  with 
truths,  which  are  not  exactly  coincident  with  party  plat- 
forms, however  much  they  may  approve  them.  Men  are 
governed  by  their  interests,  and  care  little  about  prin- 
ciples. I  have,  however,  but  little  to  complain  of,  rather 
nothing.  The  work  has  been  better  received  than  I  ex- 
pected. Babes  do  not  like  strong  meat.  Diana  of  the 
Ephesians  is  said  to  be  in  danger  from  my  doctrines,  and 
all  who  live  by  making  silver  shrines  for  her  temple  cry 
out  that  the  craft  by  which  they  live  will  be  destroyed.  As 
to  its  being  "  thrown  broadcast  through  the  land,"  that 
must  depend  upon  others,  but  though  the  spirit  of  some 
be  willing  ihe  flesh  of  many  is  weak.  I  have  done  in  this 
respect,  and  shall  do,  my  duty.  But  from  age  and  from 
having  been  for  more  than  thirty  years  disconnected  with 
politics,  I  almost  stand  alone.  My  contemporaries  are  gone, 
and  beyond  the  sphere  of  my  own  state,  my  acquaintance 
is  very  limited.  Besides  giving  a  thousand  copies  gratui- 
tously to  the  public,  I  have  reserved  a  number  for  my  own 
distribution,  and  a  second  edition,  I  am  told,  will  be  re- 
quired. If  you  who  have  been  spreading  the  light  of  phi- 
losophy through  distant  regions  and  must  know  many,  of 
whom  I  know  nothing,  and  to  whom  the  work  would  be 
acceptable,  will  send  me  a  list  of  such  persons  with  their 
address,  I  will  see  them  supplied.  Your  interest  in  the 
thing,  so  fully  expressed,  seems  to  justify  me  in  giving  you 
this  trouble  if  you  see  fit  to  take  it.  I  remember  Senator 
*  A  pamphlet  on  the  side  of  freedom.  —  F. 


248  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

Tracy  with  interest  and  great  respect.  His  wit  was  ever 
ready  and  racy.  His  judgment  exact.  His  spirit  elevated 
and  true.  Few  of  my  political  contemporaries  have  left  a 
deeper  or  stronger  impression  on  my  memory  and  heart. 

With  respectful  remembrance  of  your  son,  to  whom  I 
desire  you  to  present  me, 

I  am,  truly  and  respectfully,  yours, 

QUINCV,  August,  1856.  JOSIAII    QuiNCT. 

P.  S.  —  If  a  few  copies  will  be  acceptable  to  you,  I  will 
send  them  by  express.  In  plain  truth,  I  arn  desirous  to 
give  the  work  as  much  publicity  as  I  can.  Not  from  vanity. 
Heaven  forbid  !  What  is  vanity  or  praise  to  a  man  of 
eighty-Jive  ?  But  I  think  it  calculated  to  do  good,  and  hope 
it  will. 

The  following  note,  of  a  later  date,  from  the  same 
veteran  patriot,  is  too  characteristic  to  be  omitted  :  — 

FROM   HON.   JOSIAH    QUINCY    (SENIOR). 

Professor  Silliman :  — 

DEAR  SIR,  —  I  thank  you  for  the  interest  you  express  in 
your  letter  of  the  16th  ult,  on  account  of  my  late  accident, 
and  you  ask  me  to  ask  my  daughter  to  give  you  the  state 
of  my  health.  It  is  my  rule  never  to  cast  labor  on  another 
which  I  am  able  myself  to  perform.  The  accident  was 
severe,  laying  open  a  deep  wound  of  six  or  eight  inches  in 
my  skull,  —  half  cut,  half  bruised.  It  shook  a  little  the 
economy  of  my  brain,  and  has  kept  me  above  ten  days  a 
little  cautious  of  putting  it  to  any  but  moderate  use.  I  have 
great  reason  for  thankfulness.  The  newspaper  account  was 
exaggerated.  They  want  exciting  paragraphs,  and  exag- 
gerate for  dramatic  effect.  Be  assured  that  I  am  in  every 
respect  in  my  usual  health,  and  always 

Truly  yours, 

Bos  i  -r  18,  1858.  JOSIAH    QuiNCY. 


INTERVIEWS  WITH  WASHINGTON  IRVING.        249 

* 

The  return  of  his  birthday  (August  8,  1856,)  was 
marked,  as  usual,  by  reflections  in  his  Diary. 

August  8.  —  Again  my  birthday  has  returned ;  it  has 
pleased  God  to  permit  me  to  finish  my  seventy-seventh 
year.  I  have  lived  beyond  the  allotted  age  of  man,  not 
merely  threescore  years  and  ten,  but  threescore  years  and 
seventeen,  —  and  my  only  brother,  the  only  one  I  ever  had 
of  the  whole  blood,  should  he  live  to  October  26,  will  then 
enter  his  eightieth  year.  May  God  grant  that  our  lives, 
protected  to  old  age,  may  for  the  remaining  time  be  de- 
voted to  the  wisest  and  best  purposes.  It  may  be  written 
concerning  me,  —  "  This  year  shalt  thou  die."  As  yet  I  have 
no  admonition  from  physical  infirmities.  My  health  and 
strength  and  power  of  endurance,  and  of  performance  of 
duty,  are  undiminished,  —  may  God  be  praised,  —  and  my 
eye  is  not  dim  ;  I  am  writing  this  page  without  glasses.  My 
appetite  is  very  good,  and  my  sleep  quiet,  much  better  than 
in  former  years.  As  physical  causes,  I  impute  much  to  cold 
water  faithfully  applied  every  morning  over  the  entire  sur- 
face, and  followed  by  vigorous  friction.  I  have  for  thirty- 
three  years  drunk  only  water,  tea,  and  milk,  —  rarely  coffee. 
My  food  is  the  same  with  that  of  other  people.  This  health- 
ful physical  condition  favors  cheerfulness  of  temper,  which 
is  natural  to  me,  and  I  hope  I  have  a  willing  confidence  in 
God,  my  Creator,  my  Saviour  and  Sanctifier,  that  He  is 
preparing  me  for  the  exchange  of  worlds. 

A  visit  to  friends  on  the  Hudson  brought  him  into 
intercourse  with  Mr.  Irving. 

August  19,  1856.  —  In  the  evening  we  enjoyed  a  rich 
treat  in  a  free  conversation  with  Mr.  Washington  Irving, 
who,  by  invitation  of  Mr.  Thomas,  came  to  see  me.  The 
next  morning  we  returned  the  call,  and  found  him  at  his 
beautiful  villa  of  Sunnyside,  upon  the  bank  of  the  river, 


230  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

and  just  by  the  railroad,  and  yet  screened  from  view  by 
groves.  The  house  is  a  gem,  in  perfect  accordance  with 
the  refined  taste  of  its  accomplished  possessor.  He  is  still 
engaged  upon  the  history  of  Washington,  and  a  fourth 
volume  is  nearly  ready  for  the  press.  It  had  been  in  my 
power  to  contribute  some  interesting  things,  particularly 
the  journal  of  the  late  Governor  Trumbull,  of  the  siege  of 
Yorktown,  —  he  being  private  secretary  to  the  Commander- 
in-Chief,  General  Washington  ;  and  I  suppose  he  will  make 
use  of  some  portions  of  it  in  his  forthcoming  volume. 

August  20,  Wednesday.  Mr.  Irving.  —  This  distingiu'shed 
gentleman,  one  of  the  bright  stars  of  our  literary  hemis- 
phere, came  from  his  home,  a  mile  from  this  place,  and 
passed  a  long  evening  with  us ;  and  we  had  half  an  hour 
or  more  with  him,  as  I  have  mentioned,  at  his  own  house. 
In  person  he  is  not  tall ;  probably  he  may  be  five  feet  six 
or  seven  inches  high  ;  his  form  rather  round  and  full,  but 
not  corpulent ;  his  countenance  florid  and  slightly  bronzed  ; 
his  lips  thick ;  his  eyes  blue  or  gray  ;  his  expression  mild 
and  benignant,  with  a  slight  tinge  of  mirthfulness ;  his  air 
modest,  with  even  a  shade  of  diffidence  ;  his  voice  is  not 
clear,  but  rather  husky,  as  if  catarrhal ;  his  conversation  is 
animated  and  engaging,  and  he  appears  quite  as  willing  to 
hear  as  to  speak.  Having  had  some  correspondence  with 
him  regarding  his  "  Life  of  Washington,"  we  were  natu- 
rally drawn  nearer  together  on  that  account ;  and  he  con- 
versed with  freedom  and  ease  respecting  his  work. 

Proceeding  to  Albany,  where  he  was  the  guest  of 
his  esteemed  friend,  Dr.  Sprague,  he  attended  the 
inauguration  of  the  Dudley  Observatory,  and  listened 
to  the  address  of  Mr.  Edward  Everett. 

This  p-nilcman  spoke  two  hours  in  his  own  magnificent 
style,  and  the  audience  was  delighted.  His  subject  was 


EDWARD  EVERETT  AND  COLONEL  FREMONT.       251 

the  importance  and  use  of  astronomy.  As  the  oration  is 
in  print,  I  shall  not  attempt  any  analysis  of  it.  It  was 
every  way  worthy  of  its  author  .and  of  the  sublime  subject. 
Twilight  was  closing  in  upon  us  when  he  finished,  and  the 
Albanians  enjoyed  a  triumph.  Mr.  Everett  lodged  with  us 
at  Dr.  Sprague's,  and,  as  he  remained  over  one  day,  we 
enjoyed  highly  his  conversational  powers,  and  his  rich 
communications  regarding  men  and  things,  with  which  and 
whoin*  he  had  been  so  extensively  conversant,  at  home  and 
abroad.  His  manners  are  amiable,  kind,  and  winning, 
and  do  not  justify  the  impression  that  he  is  cold  and 
reserved. 

Professor  Silliman  supported  Colonel  Fremont  for 
the  Presidency.  The  result  of  the  autumn  elections, 
notwithstanding  the  strong  rally  of  the  Republican 
party,  occasioned  him  much  anxiety. 

November  19. — Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey  have  gone 
for  Buchanan,  and  thus  it  is  feared  that  the  slave-power  is 
installed  in  all  the  branches  of  the  government.  There 
has  been  much  fraudulent  voting  on  the  side  of  Buchanan. 
Many  thousands  of  Irish,  and  not  a  few  Germans,  have 
been  at  the  command  of  the  slave-party.  But  a  still  more 
important  cause  of  defeat  has  been,  that  the  late  President 
Fillmore  has  been  in  the  field  by  his  own  consent.  It  was 
ill-judged  in  him  and  his  friends,  and  has  only  tended  to 
defeat  Fremont,  because  it  was  obviously  impossible  that 
he  —  Fillmore  —  should  be  elected  by  the  popular  vote, 
and  very  many  of  the  votes  given  for  him  would,  if  he  had 
not  been  in  the  field,  have  been  given  for  Fremont.  In 
the  election  of  members  of  the  House  of  Representatives, 
also,  the  Republican  cause  has  lost  many  members.  The 
Government,  after  March  4,  will  be  entirely  in  the  hands 
of  the  slave-power.  This  affects  me  much ;  but  what  is 
most  afflicting  is,  that  Kansas  may  be  left  to  the  mercy  of 


252  LIFE  OF  BEXJAMIX  SILLDI 

wicked  men.  whose  course  has  been  marked  hitherto  by 
murder,  conflagration,  robbery,  and  oppression. 

The  following  passage  affords  a  glimpse  of  his 
occupations  at  the  close  of  this  year. 


14.  —  I  have  been  too  busy  since  Thanks- 
giving to  continue  my  record.  The  answering  of  letters 
occupied  me  about  a  week  ;  and  during  the  last  two  weeks 
I  have  been  employed  most  of  the  time  in  rewriting  two 
lectures.  —  one  on  water  and  its  relations  ;  and  another 
on  fire  and  its  relations,  especially  to  the  phenomena  of  the 
earth.  These  two  I  have  finished,  with  full  heads.  A 
third  I  am  to  write  this  week  n  the  combined  re- 

sults of  water  and  fire  upon  the  economy  and  habitability 
of  our  globe.  I  have  undertaken  this  labor  with  reference 
to  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Union  at  Buffalo,  who  have 
pressed  me  urgently  to  give  them  some  lectures;  and, 
although  reluctantly.  —  in  part,  on  account  of  the  season  of 
the  year.  —  I  have  consented  to  go. 

The  opening  of  the  new  year  (1857)  leads  him  to 
a  grateful  review  of  his  situation  in  life. 

—  I  am  surrounded  by  mercies  innumer- 
able as  they  are  undeserved.    My  external  circumstances  are 
entirely  comfortable,  and  even  moderately  prosperous  ;  my 
health  and  activity  are  preserved  ;  and  I  cannot  perceive 
any  failure  in  my  mind.     But  there  must  be  an  end  of  this 
life,  and  it  is  the  subject  of  my  daily  prayers  that  I  may 
be  prepared  for  the  change  of  death,  and  for  the  r< 
pense  of  reward     I  do  not  pray  for  an  increase  of  worldly  j 
good.     I  have  enough  of  external  good,  for  which,  in  all 
its  multiplied  forms,  I  render  daily  thanks  to  God 
the  prayer  which  I  do  most  frequently  and  most  urgently  ( 
offer,  is  for  a  holy  heart,  holy  affections,  and  a  holy  life,  and  { 
that  I  may,  by  the  constant  increase  of  these  proofs,  find 


A  LETTER  TO  A  FRIEND.  253 

reason  to  hope  that  it  may  be  well  with  me  when  I  die.  I 
place  no  reliance  whatever  upon  my  imperfect  perform- 
ances of  duty,  as  a  ground  of  justification  with  God.  I 
rely  solely  and  entirely  upon  His  mercy,  through  the  great 
sacrifice  of  my  blessed  Lord  and  divine  Saviour,  Jesus 

Christ I  have  not  that  assured  hope  and  that 

fulness  of  joy  which  many  more  favored  Christians  possess; 
but  if  I  should  die  this  year,  I  have  an  encouraging  hope 
that  my  Creator  will  accept  me,  unworthy  as  I  am. 

The  concern  which  Professor  Silliman  took  in  the 
welfare  of  all  his  friends  led  him  to  active  efforts 
—  where  such  efforts  appeared  to  be  warranted  by 
any  hope  of  success  —  to  promote  their  religious 
good.  Among  these  friends  was  a  scientific  man 
of  deservedly  high  reputation  in  his  department  of 
study,  but  sceptical  in  respect  to  the  claims  of 
Christianity,  and  who  had  lately  adopted  the  tenets 
of  "  Spiritualism."  To  him,  Professor  Silliman  ad- 
dressed an  earnest  letter  on  the  subject  of  religion,  a 
copy  of  which  is  preserved  in  the  diary. 

MY  DEAR ,  In  return  for  your  present  at  Albany, 

I  request  you  to  accept,  as  a  proof  of  my  kind  regard  and 
good-will,  a  small  volume,  entitled,  "The  Christ  of  His- 
tory." It  goes  to  you  by  the  mail  which  conveys  this  letter. 
As  I  have  perused  with  respectful  attention  your  work  on 
Spiritualism,  I  ask  that  you  will  in  turn  read  this  little 
book,  which  presents  a  view  of  the  Saviour,  to  my  mind 
both  original  and  convincing.  Four  historians,  writing 
without  consent  and  independently  of  each  other,  concur 
in  presenting  a  character  of  celestial  elevation  and  good- 
ness, —  such  a  character  as  has  never  been  presented  be- 
fore or  since  in  human  history,  nor  conceived  of  by  the 
mind  of  num.  The  narrative  of  his  life,  his  acts,  his  teach- 
ings, his  example,  his  death,  and  his  resurrection,  proves 


254  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

his  divinity,  —  divinity  associated  with  humanity,  that  thus 
he  might  be  our  brother  in  sympathy,  both  in  joy  and  sor- 
row, —  a  union  incomprehensible  to  our  finite  minds,  but 
not  more  so  than  that  of  our  immortal  souls  with  our  mortal 
bodies.  The  little  volume  which  I  now  send  you  com- 
prises, as  you  are  aware,  but  a  small  portion  of  the  copious 
evidence  which  supports  the  divine  origin  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. The  Old  Testament,  marked  by  the  peculiarities  of 
the  ages  and  countries  which  it  commemorates,  with  occa- 
sional openings  into  the  future  world,  holds  out  in  promi- 
nent relief  the  interests  of  the  present  world ;  while  the 
New  Testament,  in  accordance  with  the  prophecies  in  the 
Old  Testament,  brings  life  and  immortality  fully  to  light 
through  the  Saviour.  Had  your  course  of  research  been 
as  fully  devoted  to  these  subjects  as  it  has  been  to  physical 
science,  I  trust  you  would  not  have  been  an  unbeliever ; 
and  it  is  even  now  not  too  late  to  ascertain  whether  the 
Bible  is  really,  as  you  intimate,  a  cunningly,  or  even  a 
clumsily,  devised  fable.  Should  you,  to  say  no  more,  view 
the  "  Christ  of  History  "  as  I  do,  you  may  have  occasion 
to  review  the  position  you  have  taken,  which  appears  to  me 
full  of  danger.  I  must  confess  that  I  closed  your  volume 
with  very  painful  emotions,  and  my  mind  has  anxiously 
balanced  between  the  duty  which  it  seemed  to  me  I  owed 
to  my  early  and  constant  friend,  and  my  despondency  as  to 
my  power  to  produce  any  salutary  effect  upon  his  mind. 
At  last,  after  much  consideration,  I  have  concluded  to  ad- 
clivss  to  you  a  few  remarks,  in  a  spirit  of  perfect  kindness 
and  affectionate  interest,  but  of  deep  and  anxious  concern. 

My  dear ,  I  cannot  desert  my  Saviour,  —  him 

who  spoke  as  never  man  spake,  while  he  knew  what  was 
in  man  ;  who  has  paid  my  debt  when  I  was  bankrupt;  and 
who  sustained  in  my  stead  the  penalties  of  a  violated  law; 
—  I  cannot  desert  him,  and  repose  my  confidence  in  the 
visions  of  so-called  mediums.  You  and  I  are  now  old  men, 
and  the  time  is  not  remote  —  it  may  be  very  near  —  when 


A  LETTER  TO  A  FRIEND.  255 

we  shall  pass  into  the  real  world  of  spirits,  into  the  pres- 
ence of  God,  and,  as  millions  believe  with  me,  into  the 
presence  of  the  holy  angels,  and  of  the  Saviour,  and  of 
the  countless  host  of  the  spirits  whom  He  has  redeemed. 
You  may  remember  that,  at  an  early  period,  we  conversed 
much  and  freely  on  the  Christian  faith  ;  but,  as  we  did  not 
agree,  and  as  I  saw  no  hope  of  convincing  you,  while  you, 
with  a  spirit  of  candor  and  kindness,  appeared  not  to  wish 
to  invalidate  my  belief,  we  tacitly  dropped  the  subject 
But,  during  more  than  half  a  century,  we  have  maintained 
a  friendly  communion  on  matters  of  science,  a  warm  per- 
sonal friendship,  with  a  frequent  interchange  of  offices  of 
kindness.  I  was  unwilling  quite  to  relinquish  the  hope 
that  you  would  eventually  become  a  believer  in  divine  rev- 
elation, especially  as  a  happy  domestic  influence  on  the 
part  of  one  who,  through  many  years,  has  worthily  pos- 
sessed your  confidence,  respect,  and  love,  leaned  altogether 
in  the  right  direction.  Your  course  as  a  man  of  science 
has  been  honorable,  and  duly  and  justly  honored  by  your 
country  and  in  other  lands ;  while  I,  as  your  friend,  have 
not  been  slow  to  proclaim  your  merits  and  vindicate  your 
claims.  It  would  have  been  happy  if  your  public  career 

had  ended  with  science You  will  be  hurt  —  I  fear 

you  will  be  offended  —  by  my  plainness ;  but  when  you 
realize  that  this  is  the  strongest  proof  I  have  ever  given 
you  of  that  friendship  which  you  yourself  have  valued,  and 
which  has  been  coextensive  with  our  acquaintance,  and 
almost  with  our  lives,  you  will  then  perceive  that  these  are 
indeed  the  faithful  wounds  of  a  friend.  As  one  of  your 
oldest  and  most  faithful  surviving  friends,  with  a  spirit 
grieved  but  not  alienated,  with  hope  depressed  but  not  in 
despair,  I  have  now  relieved  my  mind  from  a  painful  sense 
of  responsibility.  I  stand  acquitted  to  my  own  conscience, 
to  you  and  to  God ;  and  I  earnestly  pray  now,  as  hereto- 
fore, that,  under  a  divine  influence,  you  may  see  the  spirit- 
ual world,  as  I  think  I  see  it,  through  a  divine  revelation, 


256  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

commensurate  with  time  and  reaching  through  eternity.  I 
will  still  hope  that  you  may  seek  and  find  salvation  through 
the  Redeemer,  and  that  through  his  intercession  we  may 
rejoice  together  in  acceptance  at  the  great  day  before  the 
throne  of  God,  our  sins  and  follies  being  mercifully  for- 
given. Pardon  me  if,  in  my  honest  zeal  for  your  welfare 
in  both  worlds,  I  have  transcended  the  limits  of  that  kind- 
ness and  courtesy  which  we  have  always  maintained  to- 
wards each  other,  and  I  beg  you  to  accept  this  letter  as  a 
proof  that  I  am  still,  as  ever, 

Your  faithful  friend, 

B.  SILLIMAN. 

P.  S.,  June  6.  —  This  letter  has  lain  by  me  for  some 
weeks,  partly  because  I  could  not,  until  yesterday,  obtain  a 
copy  of  "  The  Christ  of  History,"  and  partly  that  I  might 
not  hastily,  and  without  due  consideration,  approach  you. 
On  reperusal,  I  do  not  find  cause  to  suppress  or  alter  what 
I  have  Avritten ;  nor  do  I  wish  to  draw  you  into  an  argu- 
ment or  a  vindication.  The  letter  is  intended  as  a  friendly 
protest ;  pray,  when  you  have  read  it,  lay  it  by  for  a  few 
days,  and  then  read  it  again  with  a  cool  and  unexcited 
mind.  I  do  not  ask  a  reply.  I  am  content  that  I  have  re- 
lieved my  own  mind  by  appealing  to  yours  in  a  spirit  of 
candor  and  kindness.  Before  I  seal  the  envelope,  allow 
me  to  mention  a  fact  which  appears  to  me  not  inappropriate. 
Last  week  I  went  with  Mrs.  Silliman  one  hundred  miles, 
to  Woodstock,  Conn.,  to  visit  her  venerable;  father,  John 
McClellan,  Esq.,  uncle  of  the  late  Dr.  McClellan  of 
Philadelphia,  —  a  lawyer  by  profession,  now  some  months 
over  ninety  years  of  age,  but  for  seven  years  confined  by 
the  paralysis  of  one  limb  and  arm, — cheerful,  however, 
and  affectionate,  and  with  an  active  mind,  still  sound  and 
riling.  One  morning,  while  we  were  there,  as  he 
closed  his  I'.ihlc,  he  said:  "I  have  read  it  all  through  dur- 
ing the  past  and  current  year,"  and  at  that  moment  he  fin- 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  BUCHANAN.  257 

ished  it,  and  this  with  only  one  eye  which  is  useful.  Now 
this  venerable  gentleman,  just  on  the  verge  of  eternity,  finds 
in  the  Bible  the  rod  and  the  staff,  which  will  no  doubt  con- 
duct him  fearlessly  through  the  dark  valley  of  the  shadow 
of  death,  to  fairer  worlds  on  high. 

Once  more,  and  this  time,  also,  without  any  ex- 
p^ctation  on  his  part,  the  name  of  Professor  Silliman 
was  conspicuously  brought  forward  in  connection 
with  politics.  The  Missouri  invaders  of  Kansas  had 
framed  a  constitution  in  which  were  incorporated 
more  hideous  features  than  are  to  be  found  in  any 
political  instrument  of  recent  times  ;  they  had  elected 
their  legislature  under  it,  and  enacted  an  inhuman 
code  of  laws  with  the  design  to  perpetuate  slavery  and 
drive  out  or  exterminate  the  freedom-loving  settlers. 
These  in  self-defence  had  met  and  had  organized 
a  frame  of  government  for  which  they  did  not  despair 
of  obtaining  the  sanction  of  Congress.  The  admin- 
istration of  Mr.  Buchanan,  however,  was  determined 
to  sustain  the  government  set  up  by  the  "  border 
ruffians,"  and  to  treat  the  actual  settlers  as  rebels 
against  lawful  authority ;  and  the  military  forces 
were  employed  to  carry  out  this  monstrous  injustice. 
Professor  Silliman  was  one  of  the  signers  of  a  re- 
monstrance addressed  to  President  Buchanan  from 
Connecticut.  To  this  paper,  Mr.  Buchanan  published 
an  extended  reply,  professing  that  on  coming  into 
office,  he  had  "found  the  government  of  Kansas,"  — 
that  is,  the  government  of  the  invaders  of  Kansas, — 
"  as  well  established  as  that  of  any  other  territory," 
and  endeavoring  to  shirk  all  responsibility  for  the 
origin  and  character  of  that  government.  The  let- 
ter was  written  in  a  tone  of  injured  innocence.  It 

VOL.  II.  17 


258  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

contained  false  aspersions  upon  the  great  majority  of 
the  actual  inhabitants  of  Kansas,  whom  it  stigma- 
tized as  lawless  and  seditious  people.  It  also  con- 
tained a  fling  at  the  Hartford  Convention,  although 
some  of  the  signers  of  the  memorial  were  old  enough 
to  remember  that  in  the  days  of  the  Hartford  Con- 
vention, Mr.  Buchanan  was  himself  a  federalist. 
How  the  right  of  the  South  to  carry  slavery  into  the 
territories  could  ever  have  been  doubted,  the  letter 
declared  "  a  mystery  "  !  Both  the  acts  of  this  mag- 
istrate in  respect  to  Kansas,  and  the  manner  in  which 
he  defended  them,  moved  the  indignation  of  Pro- 
fessor Silliman.  And  who,  at  this  distance  of  time, 
can  read  the  history  of  the  efforts  made  to  force  slav- 
ery upon  an  unwilling  people,  without  mingled  in- 
dignation and  shame,  that  such  a  chapter  should 
deface  our  national  annals  ? 

The  annexed  extracts  are  from  the  Diary. 

Buchanan.  —  In  July,  a  brief  but  pointed  and  respectful 
remonstrance  was  signed  by  forty-three  gentlemen  of  New 
Haven,  and  a  few  from  other  parts  of  Connecticut,  and 
forwarded  to  President  Buchanan,  the  object  being  to  pro- 
test against  the  employment  of  troops  of  the  United  States, 
in  order  to  enforce  against  the  people  of  Kansas,  the  cruel 
and  wicked  code  of  laws  inflicted  upon  them  by  an  inva- 
sion from  Missouri,  creating  a  false  and  unauthorized  legis- 
lature. After  some  weeks  the  President  replied  in  a  smooth, 
plausible  letter,  written  as  a  text  for  his  party,  and  as  an 
olH-riug  for  the  South;  but  he  entirely  evaded  the  point  at 
issue.  :uul  at  the  same  time  avowed  the  most  ultra  pro-slav- 
ery doctrines.  Several  weeks  more  elapsed  ;  meetings  were 
held  by  many  of  the  signers,  and  several  replies  to  the  Pres- 
ident were  written,— one  by  Rev.  Dr.  Leonard  Bacon,  an- 
other by  Alex.  C.  Twining,  Esq.,  (the  author  of  the  protest,) 


SENATOR  DIXON'S  SPEECH.  259 

and  a  third  by  Rev.  Dr.  N.  W.  Taylor.  The  latter  was 
adopted  and  published  here,  as  the  President  had  published 
his  letter  at  Washington.  The  reply  of  Dr.  Taylor  was 
long,  but  it  was  conclusive.  It  annihilated  the  President's 
argument.  It  was  extensively  republished,  and  by  three  of 
the  principal  Washington  papers, —  the  "  Intelligencer,"  the 
"  Republic,"  and  the  "  Union  "  itself.  The  reply  is  regarded 
by  our  friends  as  entirely  satisfactory,  and  is  answered  by 
the  administration  papers  only  by  scoffs,  sneers,  and  per- 

sonalitids I  am  not  the  author  of  the  letter,  but  I 

signed  it  among  forty-three  others,  and  my  name  is  near 
the  end.  Still  their  papers  call  it  the  "  Silliman  Letter  "  to 
President  Buchanan,  and  I  am  everywhere  treated  as  the 
author  of  the  movement,  and  the  signers  are  spoken  of  as 
professors  and  clergymen,  although  very  few  were  of  that 
profession,  —  but  no  matter ;  it  is  of  no  importance  to  me, 
and  does  me  no  harm.  The  protest  has  done  good  in 
drawing  out  the  President  and  his  administration  from  con- 
cealment, and  producing  an  open  avowal  of  their  pro-slav- 
ery views  and  plans. 

The  Connecticut  memorialists  (most  of  whom  were 
of  New  Haven)  were  assailed  with  virulence  in  the 
Senate  of  the  United  States.  A  correspondent  of 
the  "  New  York  Tribune,"  under  date  of  February 
11,  1858,  thus  characterizes  the  reply  of  one  of  the 
Connecticut  senators :  — 

Senator  Dixon  delivered  in  the  Senate,  the  other  day,  one 
of  the  best  speeches  upon  the  Kansas  question,  which  has 
been  made  since  Congress  came  together.  He  examined 
the  famous  Silliman  letter  to  the  President,  and  in  the 
course  of  his  remarks  eulogized  Professor  Silliman  in  the 
following  happy  manner  :  "  And  now,  sir,  who  is  Benjamin 
Silliman,  that  he  should  be  assailed  by  name  in  the  govern- 
ment organs,  as  if  he  were  not  entitled  to  address  a  respect- 


260  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   SILLIMAN. 

ful  message  of  expostulation,  or,  if  there  were  need,  of 
reproof,  to  the  President  of  the  United  States  ?  One  of 
the  great  lights  of  modern  science,  —  known,  celebrated, 
distinguished  among  the  few  who  have  adorned  the  arts, 
and  shed  new  light  on  the  studies  most  cultivated  by  civ- 
ilized man ;  the  peer,  the  friend  of  Humboldt,  of  Davy 
(while  he  yet  lived,)  of  Arago,  of  Agassiz,  of  Chevreul,  of 
Cotta,  of  De  la  Beche,  of  Jean  Baptist  Dumas,  of  Faraday, 
of  Le  Verrier,  of  Brongniart,  of  every  great  contemporary 
name  made  illustrious  by  devotion  to  science,  —  known  all 
over  the  world,  —  known  where  many  of  our  distinguished 
countrymen  are  still  unknown ;  the  honored  instructor  of 
three  generations  of  young  men,  in  that  far-famed  Univer- 
sity, beneath  whose  classic  shades  he  is  passing  his  last 
days  ;  the  guide,  the  philosopher,  the  friend,  whose  teach- 
ings and  whose  counsels  have  been  enjoyed  by  more  of  our 
public  men  than  those  of  any  man  now  living ;  the  honored 
Professor  at  whose  feet  your  own  Calhoun  sat  for  many 
years,  when  he,  a  young  man,  went  to  New  England,  as  the 
young  men  of  Rome  went  to  Greece  to  learn  philosophy. 
There,  sir,  under  the  instructions  of  Silliman  and  Dwight 
and  Kingsley,  his  great  intellect  was  cultivated,  adorned, 
and  strengthened.  There  he  learned  to  wield  that  invinci- 
ble logic  which  enabled  him  successfully  to  encounter  the 
giants  of  those  days,  —  the  Websters,  the  Clays,  the  Ben- 
tons,  in  the  Senate,  with  constant  victory ;  or  if  not  with 
victory,  without  ever  having  been  compelled  to  acknowl- 
edge defeat.  I  know  not,  sir,  how  many  members  of  this 
body  were  trained  by  the  same  men  or  their  successors.  .  .  . 
But  this  with  deference  I  say,  that  whatever  honors  maybe 
in  store  for  any  member  of  this  body  ;  whatever  just  claims 
to  undying  fame,  the  talents,  the  acquirements,  the  elo- 
quence, the  public  services  of  the  most  distinguished  here 
may  give  him,  there  is  not  one  among  these  honored  Sen- 
ators who  may  not  deem  himself  satisfied,  all  the  hopes  o*f 
his  youth  more  than  fulfilled,  all  the  labors  of  his  manhood 


LETTER  FROM  CHARLES  SUMNER.  261 

more  than  rewarded,  if  he  may  finally  reach  the  measure 
of  fame  enjoyed  in  his  ripened  years,  by  Benjamin  Silli- 
nuin.  No  office  could  elevate  him  ;  no  honors  could  extend 
his  reputation ;  no  added  celebrity  could  make  his  name 
familiar,  where  it  is  not  now  known  among  civilized  men. 
It  is  inscribed  in  the  immortal  records  of  learning,  and  can 
never  be  forgotten  till  the  knowledge  of  humanizing  arts 
and  sciences  shall  fade  from  the  memory  of  mankind." 

Some  time  before  the  victory  of  the  settlers  of 
Kansas  was  assured,  it  began  to  be  foreseen  that  the 
iniquitous  measures  designed  to  rob  them  of  their 
rights,  would  prove  abortive. 

FROM   HON.   LYMAN   TRUMBULL. 

WASHINGTON,  December  28, 1857. 

THE  truth  is,  that  since  the  announcement  that 

slavery  exists  in  the  territories  under  the  Constitution,  and 
that  slavery  is  recognized  and  protected  everywhere  by  that 
instrument,  the  adherents  of  the  party  in  the  North  saw  it 
was  bound  to  go  down,  and  Judge  Douglas  is  making  haste 
to  escape  from  the  sinking  ship.  I  trust  the  people  of 
Kansas,  down-trodden  and  oppressed  for  nearly  three  years, 
may  soon  be  able  to  assert  their  just  rights.  In  order  that 
slavery  might  be  introduced  among  them,  the  people  of 
that  territory  have  been  subjugated  to  a  military  despotism 
ever  since  its  organization  ;  but  thank  God  for  the  prospect 
that  the  rule  of  Border  ruffians  will  soon  be  over 

FROM   HON.    CHARLES    SUMNER. 

PHILADELPHIA,  April  28, 1858. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  A  relapse  in  my  calamitous  illness 
which  left  me  for  a  while  quite  feeble,  must  be  my  apology 
for  not  sooner  acknowledging  the  favor  of  your  letter.  I 
am  happy  in  your  sympathy,  and  feel  that  our  good  cause 
is  stronger  because  it  has  your  support. 


262  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

The  present  state  of  things  cannot  last.  Such  disgrace- 
ful tyranny,  supported  by  such  disgraceful  corruption,  false- 
hood, and  baseness,  must  topple  down ;  I  am  sure  of  it. 

There  are  many  signs  which  indicate  that  we  are  on  the 
eve  of  great  events.  My  earnest  hope  is  for  strength  to 
take  part  in  the  struggle.  Pain  and  weakness  are  hard  to 
bear ;  but  harder  still  is  the  estrangement  from  duties 
which  I  have  at  heart,  rendered  necessary  by  the  state  of 
my  health. 

Accept  my  thanks  for  your  kindness,  and  believe  me, 
my  dear  sir, 

With  great  respect, 

Faithfully  yours, 

CHARLES  SUMNER. 


TO    DR.    EDWARD    HITCHCOCK. 

NEW  HAVEN,  March  8, 1858. 

I  AM  not  a  little  pleased  that  I  was,  as  I  believe, 

and  as  you  have  said,  the  first  person  who  responsibly  recog- 
nized the  correctness  of  your  conclusions  regarding  the  foot- 
tracks  in  the  rocks  of  the  Connecticut  River  valley,  as  Buck- 
land  was  the  first  in  Europe You  mention  Sena- 
tor Dixon's  remarks.  Of  course  they  were  gratifying  to  me 
who  have  been  twice  on  trial  before  that  august  body, —  the 
Senate  of  the  United  States,  —  and  twice  zealously  defend- 
ed ;  in  the  affair  of  the  rifles,  by  our  Senator,  Mr.  Foster,  and 

in  that  of  the  letter  to  Buchanan  by  Mr.  Dixon We 

have  godless  men  now  at  the  head  of  our  affairs.  May  God 
preserve  us  from  the  results  of  their  machinations  !  The 
President  and  his  abettors  seem  to  me  to  have  no  fear  of 

God  before  their  eyes,  nor  any  proper  love  of  man 

You  often  remind  me  of  Richard  Baxter,  living  in  an  age 
when  wicked  men  bore  sway,  —  always  feeling  infirmity  of 
body,  but  with  untiring  industry  and  fidelity  accomplishing 
more  labor,  and  bringing  out  finer  results,  than  most  of  your 


. 


LETTER  TO  MR.  JOHN  TAYLOR.  263 


ntemporaries.  May  you  long  live  to  prove  that  physical 
infirmity  is  not  inconsistent  with  great  mental  efficiency ! 

In  this  place,  it  is  proper  to  introduce  passages 
from  Professor  Sillimau's  letters  to  Mr.  John  Taylor 
of  Liverpool.  This  gentleman  was  an  enemy  of  the 
slave-trade  and  of  slavery  ;  and  these  letters,  though 
not  confined  to  this  topic,  give  energetic  etfpres- 
sion  to  the  feelings  with  which  Professor  Silliman 
had  beheld  the  encroachments  of  slavery  in  this 
country  during  several  years. 

TO    MR.   JOHN   TAYLOR. 

NEW  HAVEN,  September  19, 1854. 

WHAT  a  contrast  does  your  review  of  the  epochs 

you  have  named,  covering  more  than  sixty  years,  present  to 
us  of  blasted  hopes  and  despotism  triumphant  both  in  royal 
and  republican  garb.  The  interesting  but  painful  sketch 
which  you  have  drawn  of  affairs  at  home,  and  prospects 
abroad,  I  have  surveyed  with  solemn  foreboding.  The  wars 
in  which  England  has  often,  during  one  thousand  years, 
been  engaged,  have  produced  burdens  which  are  grievous  to 
be  borne.  Cowper  says,  that  war  is  a  game  at  which  kings 
would  not  play  if  people  were  wise ;  but  how  shall  the 
people  have  a  chance  to  show  their  wisdom  ?  For  conti- 
nental Europe  I  see  little  prospect  of  amelioration,  —  cer- 
tainly not  without  revolution,  and  as  long  as  millions  of 
bayonets  are  bristling  over  their  heads  the  people  cannot 
move.  Tou  have  substantial  liberty,  but  you  need  more  re- 
form, and  a  reduction  of  expenses  to  relieve  your  people 
from  taxation,  and  especially  in  the  form  of  the  odious  in- 
come tax.  Thanks  to  you  for  your  vivid  reminiscence  of 
the  ancient  renown  of  your  national  Greys.  Even  Napo- 
leon, you  will  remember,  at  the  Battle  of  Waterloo,  ex- 
pressed his  admiration  on  seeing  the  Scotch  Greys,  having 


264  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   SILLIMAN. 

first  inquired  the  name  of  thut  splendid  corps  of  cavalry. 
It  is  in  my  mind  that  at  one  time  the  dragoons  were  all 
communicants  in  the  National  Church.  Do  you  remember 
the  fact,  and  when  it  was  ?  Of  my  own  country  I  have 
now  nothing  to  boast.  The  sway  exercised  by  the  Slave 
States,  through  the  recreancy  and  corruption  of  venal  men 
from  the  Free  States,  has  produced  the  disgraceful  condition 
in  which  we  now  are.  It  is  true,  however,  that  a  deep 
feeling  of  injury  and  danger  now  swells  the  bosom  of  the 
North  and  the  Free  States  in  the  West,  and  the  result  is 
appearing  in  our  elections.  I  hope,  however,  but  with  fear. 
The  people  in  the  Free  States  are  busy  with  their  private 
concerns,  and  are  not  like  the  slaveholders,  united  by  a 
common  bond,  —  nor  like  them  are  they  prepared  to  act  in 
concert,  marching  to  the  battle  with  a  serried  front,  and 
hardly  missing  a  straggler  from  their  ranks.  I  am  im- 
pressed with  the  belief  that  the  wanton  and  wicked  destruc- 
tion of  the  Missouri  Compromise,  —  unless  their  steps 
should  be  retraced  at  the  next  session  of  Congress,  —  will 
do  away  with  all  other  compromises,  and  that  fugitive  slaves 
will  not  hereafter  be  reclaimed  in  most  of  the  Northern 
States.  It  is  remarkable  that  the  slaveholders,  who  are  so 
fond  of  quoting  the  Jewish  books  for  the  palliation,  or,  as 
they  claim,  justification  of  slavery,  seem  never  to  have 
heard  the  following  two  verses  :  Deuteronomy,  chap,  xxiii., 
verses  15  and  16,  —  "  Thou  shalt  not  deliver  unto  his  mas- 
ter the  servant  which  is  escaped  from  his  master  unto  thee  : 
he  shall  dwell  with  thee,  even  among  you  in  that  place 
which  he  shall  choose  in  one  of  thy  gates,  where  it  liketh 
him  best :  thou  shalt  not  oppress  him."  If  they  would  be 
consistent,  this  does  away  entirely  with  the  fugitive  slave- 
law.  . 


LETTERS  TO  MR.  JOHN  TAYLOR.        265 


TO  MR.  JOHN  TAYLOR. 

NEW  HAVEN,  February  7, 1855. 

I  HAVE  never  seen  the  correspondence  of  C.  J. 

Fox,  and  the  comments  of  Lord  John  Russell.  However 
dazzling  the  popularity  of  men  may  be  while  they  are 
garnished  and  gilded  by  fame,  they  generally  obtain  their 
deserts  after  death ;  and  if  posterity  do  not,  in  Egyptian  form, 
pass  judgment  upon  them,  they  do  it  in  effect-  ....  I  once 
heard  Fox  speak  in  the  House  of  Commons,  and  most  of  the 
great  men  you  have  named  were  there  that  night  and  took 
part  in  the  debate.  In  my  late  visit  I  found  most  of  those 
great  men  in  Westminster  Abbey !  Sic  transit  !  ....  In 
this  country,  also,  the  great  struggle  between  despotism  and 
freedom  is  going  on.  The  slave-power,  elated  and  bold 
on  account  of  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise 
last  winter,  now  avows  designs  of  the  most  audacious  char- 
acter, —  even  the  renewal  of  the  slave-trade  from  Africa. 
But  the  spirit  of  the  North  is  raised ;  and,  unless  our  do- 
mestic traitors,  of  whom  we  have  too  many,  should  betray 
us,  I  trust  that  we  shall  set  bounds  to  the  aggression.  The 
recent  election  of  Mr.  Seward,  the  eminent  Senator  from 
New  York,  to  the  United  States  Senate  for  six  years,  from 
March,  1855,  is  a  test  victory  for  that  State,  —  truly  the 
Empire  State ;  and  in  the  next  Congress  the  House  of 
Representatives  will  be  decidedly  anti-slavery 

TO    MR.   JOHN   TAYLOR. 

NEW  HAVEN,  July  23,  1855. 

THE  slave  aristocracy  are  now  banded  together 

to  extend  the  slave  system  and  its  political  sway  over  all 
our  new  territories,  and  over  all  that  may  be  hereafter 
acquired,  and  they  avow  the  determination  to  perpetuate 
the  system,  and  boldly  claim  for  it  a  divine  origin,  —  the 
sanction  of  all  ages,  —  the  prerogative  even  of  benevo- 
lence, and  of  being  necessary  to  liberty,  and  especially  to  a 


266  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

republican  system.  The  free  States  can  stop  the  progress 
of  the  deluge,  if  they  will ;  but  there  are  so  many  venal 
men  among  us,  and  there  are  so  many  interests  which  you 
have  so  well  pointed  out,  that  are  allied  to  the  support  of 
slavery,  that  I  look  forward  to  the  future  with  deep  anxiety. 
The  subject  cannot,  however,  rest ;  the  nation  is  fast  ar- 
ranging its  people  under  two  banners, —  that  of  freedom  and 
that  of  slavery.  I  feel  humbled  and  mortified  for  my  coun- 
try, and  can  only  hope  that  there  is  a  Providence  in  this 
case  that  may  lead  to  happier  results  than  we  can  now  fore- 
see. One  of  those  results  is  dawning  upon  the  world  in 
the  establishment,  on  the  coast  of  Africa,  of  enlightened 
Christian  communities  of  colored  people,  trained  in  the 
habits  of  order  and  submission  to  law,  and  prompted  to 
industry  by  having  its  rewards  secured  to  those  by  whom 
they  are  earned.  Like  you,  I  am  full  of  anxiety  as  to  the 
prospects  of  nations.  I  fully  agree  with  you  in  all  that  you 
say  regarding  that  infamous  usurper,  and  the  consequences 
of  his  influence  in  the  present  crisis.  Surely  the  queenly 
hand  was  polluted  when  it  touched  that  of  one  polluted 
by  so  many  crimes.  Waterloo  was  avenged,  not  in  battle 
indeed,  but  in  the  degradation  of  the  English  monarchy  in 
adopting  such  a  profligate.  The  only  consolation  seems  to 
be  that  these  two  noble  nations  have  emerged  from  centu- 
ries of  bloody  hostility,  —  not,  indeed,  to  shed  each  other's 
blood  again,  but  to  pour  out  the  blood  of  both  in  the  crim- 
soned Crimea,  in  opposition  to  a  nation  nominally  Christian, 
and  in  support  of  one  bearing  an  indomitable  hostility  to 
the  Christian  name  and  institutions.  . 


TO   MR.   JOHN    TAYLOR. 

NEW  HAVEN,  November  15, 1856. 

BY  this  time  you  have  heard  that  the  slave  aris- 
tocracy have  elected  Mr.  Buchanan.  Our  defeat  was  occa- 
sioned by  a  great  amount  of  fraudulent  voting,  chiefly  by 


LETTERS  TO  MR.  JOHN  TAYLOR.        267 

ignorant  Irish  and  Germans ;  but  more  still,  and  princi- 
pally, by  the  very  injudicious  decision  of  the  friends  of  Mr. 
Fillmore  to  run  him  on  the  course,  and  by  his  still  more 
injudicious  consent  to  stand.  It  was  easy  to  foresee  that, 
while  his  election  by  the  people  was  impossible,  it  was  very 
probable  that  he  would  draw  off  so  many  votes  from  Fre- 
mont as  to  defeat  him,  —  and  such  has  been  the  result ; 
while  Buchanan  comes  in  by  a  decided  minority  of  popular 

votes There  is  no  depression   of  spirits   in   the 

Republican  party.  The  people  of  all  the  Free  States,  ex- 
cepting four,  have  given  such  vast  majorities  as  to  afford  a 
strong  assurance  that  another  Olympiad  will  place  the  Free 
States  in  the  ascendant.  There  is  very  little  exultation  in 
the  victorious  party  ;  and  Mr.  Buchanan  will  have  no  very 
enviable  position,  with  a  multitude  of  retainers  to  gratify  ; 
with  the  heavy  pressure  of  the  slave  interest  upon  him ; 
and  a  powerful  and  increasing  opposition.  I  do  not  know 
him  personally ;  he  is  said  to  be  a  mild  man,  and  some 
predict  that  he  will  seek  credit  by  doing  well :  sed  timeo 
Danaos  et  dona  ferentes.  It  is  very  possible  that  the  result 
which  you  predict  may  come,  and  I  should  much  prefer  it 
to  having  slavery  nationalized  and  the  slave-trade  (foreign 
African)  revived,  which  is  now  loudly  demanded  by  many 
Southern  presses.  But  we  must  not  forget  that  you  and  I 
may  not  live  to  see  the  result  of  the  conflict  now  sustained 
between  freedom  and  slavery,  and  your  wise  and  devout 
reference  to  the  overruling  providence  of  God,  is  very 
timely,  and  meets  my  cordial  assent ;  and  here,  at  least  for 
the  present,  I  will  leave  this  painful  and  agitating  sub- 
ject  

TO    MR.   JOHN    TAYLOR. 

NEW  HAVEN,  December  27, 1856. 

THE  strong  interest  which  you  always  manifest 

in  the  welfare  of  this  country,  will  demand  that  I  say  some- 
thing of  the  present  posture  of  affairs.  It  is  not  regarded 


268  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

as  desperate ;  on  the  contrary,  the  friends  of  liberty  appear 
more  determined  than  ever.  Mr.  Webster,  several  years 
ago,  warned  the  South  to  beware  how  they  roused  the 
Northern  conscience.  It  is  now  aroused,  and,  I  believe, 
will  not  sleep  again.  The  spirit  of  slavery  has  appeared  so 
aggressive,  insulting,  and  cruel,  that  no  measures  can  be 
kept  with  it.  It  must  be  kept  where  it  is  ;  and  the  great 
struggle  is  maintained,  with  more  decision  than  ever,  to 
protect  Kansas.  We  have  not  sent  in  armies,  but  we  have 
clothed  the  naked  and  fed  the  hungry.  Many  hundreds 
of  boxes  and  barrels  of  clothing  have  been  forwarded, 
chiefly  by  the  benevolent  exertions  of  our  women,  and  to  a 
great  extent  by  the  work  of  their  hands ;  while  men,  both 
individuals  and  associations,  have  contributed  large  sums 
of  money  to  purchase  food.*  It  was  a  part  of  the  policy 
of  the  savage  invaders  to  prevent  cultivation  and  to  destroy 
every  resource,  so  that  the  free  settlers  might  either  per- 
ish from  want,  —  their  houses  having  been  burned  and 
property  plundered,  —  or  be  compelled,  as  many  have 
been,  to  leave  the  territory.  The  Southern  ruffians  have 
chiefly  gone  south,  and  some  bands  of  them  to  join  Walker 
in  his  piratical  enterprise  against  an  unoffending  people. 
The  new  Governor  of  Kansas,  Geary,  has  sent  the  Mis- 
sourians  home,  and  has  procured  the  dismissal  of  the  in- 
famous Judge  Lecompte,  surnamed  Jeffries,  and  his  min- 
ions. In  the  meantime,  even  now,  in  winter,  emigrants 
from  the  Free  States  are  going  into  Kansas,  and  many 
thousands  more,  we  are  assured,  will  follow  early  in  the 
spring  ;  and  not  a  few  of  the  pro-slavery  men  become  con- 
verts to  freedom  when  they  have  planted  themselves  in  the 
territory.  In  the  meantime,  the  deep-toned  underswell  of 
servile  insurrection,  growing  out  of  the  discussions  regard- 

*  The  Vermont,  irovornment  have  given  $20,000;  the  New  York  Tribune 
has  collected  $20,000  more;  the  Boston  Boot  and  Shoe  Makers  $20,000 
more;  and  many  smaller  sums  hi  hundreds  as  well  as  thousands  have  been 
forwarded. 


,      LETTERS  TO  MR.  JOHN  TAYLOR.  269 

ing  liberty  and  slavery,  which  have  reached  the  ears  of  the 
Africans,  has  arrested  the  wicked  project  for  the  revival  of 
the  slave-trade,  and  the  apprehensions  excited  on  the  plan- 
tations and  in  the  cities  will  probably  discourage  Southern 
emigration  to  Kansas.  This  terror  from  the  Almighty  ap- 
pears to  have  thrown  back  the  spirit  of  slavery  upon  its 
own  guilty  conscience ;  and  it  is  obvious,  from  the  power- 
ful assaults  made  upon  it  in  Congress,  that  the  slavery 
men,  with  a  bad  cause  and  a  bad  conscience,  evidently 
quail  before  the  manly  attacks  of  the  men  who  have  God 
and  the  right  on  their  side.  The  confidence  is  strong  that 
Kansas  will  yet  be  a  Free  State,  and  that  the  aggressions 
of  slavery  will  find  a  Northern  barrier  which  they  cannot 
pass ;  but  much  remains  yet  to  be  done,  and  I  trust  that 
the  friends  of  freedom  will  not  falter  in  this  great  conflict. 

Your  ideas  as  to  the  designs  of  the  South  comprehend- 
ing both  continents,  I  have  no  doubt  are  well-founded. 

As  to  the  policy  of  our  new  President,  we  can  form  no 
satisfactory  opinion,  and  it  would  be  idle  to  repeat  the  spec- 
ulations of  the  prints  both  at  home  and  abroad 

TO    MR.   JOHN    TAYLOR. 

NEW  HAVEN,  March  26, 185*. 

I  HAVE   already  hinted  that  we   have  gained 

nothing  in  this  country  by  the  change  of  administration. 
The  slave-power  has  now  engrossed  every  branch  of  the 
government,  and  their  plans,  evidently  matured  and  skil- 
fully arranged,  are  now  being  developed  in  an  alarming 
form.  Last  of  all,  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States,  formerly  our  palladium,  and  unpolluted  by  party 
influence,  has  now  lent  itself  as  the  instrument  of  extend- 
ing slavery  into  regions  where  it  is  not,  and  of  riveting  its 
chains  where  they  are  already  imposed.  To  you,  who  are 
so  well  informed  in  all  our  affairs,  and  who  so  well  under- 
stand the  working  of  our  political  machinery,  it  is  unneces- 


270  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

sary  for  me  to  enlarge  upon  our  position  and  our  dangers. 
Governor  Geary,  you  see,  has  been  effectually  driven  from 
Kansas,  not  having  received  the  slightest  support  in  men, 
money,  or  influence,  from  the  government  at  Washington  ; 
while  the  organized  usurpation  from  Missouri  is  carrying 
everything  with  a  high  hand,  and  will,  without  doubt,  con- 
struct a  slave  constitution  for  Kansas ;  and  a  servile  Con- 
gress—  the  majority,  I  mean  —  and  a  corrupt  administra- 
tion will  accept  the  infamous  code,  unless  the  elections  in 
the  Free  States  should  alarm  them.  I  am  grieved  and 
mortified  that  my  country  now  stands  before  the  world  as 
the  great  patron  and  supporter  of  slavery,  which,  if  the  pow- 
ers that  are  may  have  their  own  way,  is  to  be  extended 
and  sustained  by  all  the  resources  and  power  of  the  nation. 
Eevolution  may  come,  and,  if  this  pressure  should  be  greatly 
aggravated,  it  is  not  impossible  that  it  will  come.  God 
reigns,  and  out  of  evil  often  is  seen  to  educe  good  ;  and  so 
it  may  be  now,  but  I  fear  not  in  our  time,  and  I  greatly 
fear  for  my  large  family  of  the  second  generation :  we  of 
this  generation  see  only  the  beginning  of  the  end 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

HIS  CLOSING  YEARS:  THE  WAR:  HIS  RELIGIOUS 
THOUGHTS. 

The  Agreeableness  of  his  Home :  His  Occupations.  —  Progress  of  Science 
in  Yale  College.  —  The  Scientific  School.— Benefactions  of  Mr.  Shef- 
field. —  Honors  from  the  Scientific  Association.  —  Tributes  of  Respect.— 
His  Patriotic  Interest  in  the  War.  —  Letters  to  Miss  Eliza  Quincy:  Rem- 
iniscences of  Lafayette ;  Emancipation ;  Character  of  the  Rebellion ;  Con- 
duct of  France  and  England;  the  Death  of  President  Quincy.  —  Letters 
to  Rev.  Dr.  Sprague.— Letters  to  Miss  Maggie  Lindsley,  of  Nashville.— 
The  New  Year  (1861).  —  Death  of  Judge  Williams  and  President  Fel- 
ton.  —  Birthday  (1862).  —  New  Year  (1863).  —  Birthday  (1863).— 
Commemoration  of  his  Grandfather,  (Mr.  Fish,)  at  Stonington.  — Letter 
from  Dr.  Hitchcock.  —  Letter  from  Mr.  S.  F.  B.  Morse.  —  Birthday 
(1864).  — Death  of  Dr.  Knight. 

THE  situation  of  Professor  Silliman  in  the  last 
years  of  his  life  was  happier  than  usually  falls  to  the 
lot  of  men.  Though  never  rich,  he  was  free  fi^om 
want  and  provided  with  competent  means  of  sup- 
port.* His  health,  considering  his  advanced  age,  was 
remarkably  sound.  He  was  seldom  confined  to  the 
house  by  any  bodily  indisposition.  His  home  was 
as  pleasant  as  the  love  and  care  of  a  devoted  wife 
could  make  it.  On  the  one  side  of  him  was  his  son, 
Mr.  Silliman,  and  on  the  other,  his  son-in-law,  Mr. 
Dana,  —  the  house  of  each  being  separated  from  him 

*  His  income  was  increased  by  the  salary  which  he  received  as  Presi- 
dent of  the  "  American  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company,"  an  office  which 
he  held  for  about  fifteen  years,  and  resigned  January  1, 1863.  The  duties 
of  this  station  were  not  onerous,  and  they  were  fulfilled  to  the  entire  satis- 
faction of  the  Company. 


272  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

by  only  a  few  steps.  The  "  Journal  of  Science,"  on 
which  he  had  toiled  for  so  many  years,  was  regularly 
laid  on  his  table  by  these  gentlemen,  his  successors 
in  editorial,  as  well  as  academical  duty.  From  their 
families  he  was  daily  receiving  expressions  of  honor 
and  affection.  On  every  Sunday  evening  a  troop 
of  grandchildren  gathered  about  him,  whose  songs 
he  heard  with  delight,  dismissing  each  little  guest 
with  a  kiss.  None  of  them  will  forget  his  beam- 
ing countenance  in  the  midst  of  this  family-circle. 
Numerous  strangers,  and  among  them  many  of  his 
former  pupils,  who  had  occasion  to  pass  through 
New  Haven,  resorted  to  his  house  to  pay  their  re- 
spects to  him.  Occasionally  he  left  home  to  visit 
relatives  at  a  distance.  These  journeys  drew  him 
as  far  as  Hanover,  New  Hampshire,  the  abode  of  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  Hubbard,  and  even  to  Bangor,  then 
the  residence  of  Mrs.  Gilman.  Social  duties  about 
home,  —  a  class  of  obligations  which  he  always  ful- 
filled with  scrupulous  punctuality,  —  consumed  a 
portion  of  his  leisure.  He  did  not  make  the  mistake 
which  is  often  committed  by  men  who  have  led  a 
busy  life,  and  allow  himself  to  be  without  employ- 
ment. He  was  industrious  to  the  end.  He  knew 
how  to  fill  up  the  time.  Many  hours  in  the  week, 
especially  after  visitors  had  retired  at  night,  he  read 
aloud  with  Mrs.  Silliman.  In  a  list  of  a  part  of  the 
works  which  were  thus  read  in  1857,  are  found  the  fol- 
lowing:— Barnes's  "  Scriptural  Views  of  Slavery," 
"  ;i  very  searching  and  decisive  work;"  Commodore 
Perry's  «  Expedition  to  Japan,"  including  the  obser- 
vations on  Zodiacal  Light,  by  Rev.  George  Jones ; 
Kane's  "Arctic  Explorations,"  "  full  of  intensely  inter- 


HIS  OCCUPATIONS.  273 

esting  but  most  painful  instruction  ;  "  Dr.  Sprague's 
"Annals  of  the  American  Pulpit " ;  Olmsted's  "  Books 
of  Travel  in  the  South,"  "  bold,  impartial,  and  truth- 
ful ; "  Washington  Irving's  "  Life  of  Washington,"  the 
"  crowning  labor  of  the  brilliant  life  of  the  author ;  " 
Professor  Sedgwick's  "  Palaeozoic  Rocks  and  Fossils 
of  Great  Britain,"  "  a  splendid  work ;  it  is  to  be  re- 
gretted that,  being  in  part  controversial  and  antago- 
nistic to  the  views  of  Sir  R.  I.  Murchison,  it  is  tinged 
with  asperity  and  personality  ;  "  Loftus  on  the  "An- 
tiquities of  Babylonia ;  "  Coggeshall's  "  History  of 
American  Privateers,"  in  the  last  war  with  Great 
Britain.  "  Heaven  grant  that  these  two  Christian 
nations  may  never  come  into  conflict  again!"  In 
another  list,  recorded  in  1860,  are  found  Livingstone 
on  "  Southern  Africa,"  and  Barth  on  "  Middle  Af- 
rica" ;  Thomson's  "  The  Land  and  the  Book  "  ;  At- 
kinson's "  Travels  in  Siberia  "  ;  the  "  History  of  Elder 
Brewster,  the  Chief  of  the  Pilgrims  "  ;  "  Original 
Memoirs  relating  to  Columbus  and  his  Discoveries ; " 
"  Proofs  of  the  Treason  of  General  Charles  Lee " ; 
the  "  Life  of  Perthes,"  the  distinguished  German 
bookseller, —  and  other  works.  These  titles  indicate 
at  once  the  extent  and  variety  of  his  reading. 

Besides  the  employments  above  named,  no  small 
portion  of  his  later  years  was  devoted  to  the  compo- 
sition of  the  Reminiscences  of  his  own  life,  from 
which  we  have  drawn  so  largely  in  this  work,  and  to 
the  assorting  of  his  voluminous  correspondence.  In 
addition  to  these  labors,  he  wrote  a  copious  account 
of  the  character  and  services  of  his  father,  which  he 
regarded  as  a  pious  duty,  and  did  not  feel  at  rest 
until  he  had  fulfilled  it.  He  desired  the  virtues  of 

VOL.   II.  18 


274  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

this  parent  to  be  known  to  his  own  children.  And 
letter- writing  to  numerous  relatives  and  friends  did 
not  cease  to  be  a  considerable  draught  upon  his 
time. 

With  the  condition  of  the  departments  of  knowl- 
edge in  Yale  College,  which  began  with  him,  he  had 
every  reason  to  be  gratified.  Among  the  pleasing 
occurrences  in  the  latter  years  of  his  life,  was  the 
liberal  endowment  of  the  Scientific  School,  in  the 
origin  and  progress  of  which  he  had  been  intimately 
concerned. 

Previously  to  1842,  there  had  been  no  means  pro- 
vided for  the  instruction  of  advanced  students  in  the 
physical  sciences,  either  at  Yale  College  or  at  any 
of  the  other  Institutions  in  the  United  States.  Up  to 
that  time  the  academical  students  had  been  instructed 
in  chemistry  almost  exclusively  by  lectures.  Pro- 
fessor Silliman  had  been  long  in  the  habit  of  receiv- 
ing into  his  laboratory  a  very  limited  number  of  per- 
sons who  were  fitting  themselves  to  become  teachers 
of  the  departments  of  science  under  his  care.  This 
number  rarely  exceeded  two  or  three  persons  at  one 
time.  There  were  no  recitations ;  the  art  of  manipu- 
lation, the  management  of  chemical  processes,  and 
the  preparation  of  class-room  experiments,  were  the 
chief  subjects  of  attention.  Among  these  gentlemen 
were  many  who  subsequently  became  eminent  in 
these  departments.  In  1842,  Mr.  Silliman,  Jr.,  being 
then  professional  assistant  to  his  father,  made  arrange- 
ments to  teach  a  few  special  students  in  chemical 
analysis  and  mineralogy.  For  this  purpose  a  small 
analytical  laboratory  was  fitted  up  in  the  old  College 
Laboratory,  and  the  business  of  daily  instruction  in 


THE  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL.  275 

experimental  and  analytical  chemistry  was  com- 
menced. Among  the  earliest  students  under  this  new 
arrangement  was  Mr.  John  P.  Norton,  afterwards  Pro- 
fessor of  Agricultural  Chemistry  in  Yale  College ; 
and  Mr.  T.  Sterry  Hunt,  since  among  the  most  dis- 
tinguished men  of  science  in  the  United  States. 
These  studies  were  entirely  optional,  and  the  stu- 
dents were  not  even  recognized  as  members  of  the 
College,  their  names  not  appearing  upon  the  cata- 
logue. It  was  soon  evident,  however,  that  these  very 
limited  and  imperfect  means  of  instruction  met  a 
want  which  had  long  been  felt  in  the  country.  Pro- 
fessor Silliman  was  the  first  to  recognize  this  want, 
and  with  his  accustomed  zeal  and  sagacity,  set 
about  providing  a  way  to  meet  it.  Liebig's  popular 
writings  on  Agricultural  Chemistry  had  appeared 
just  before  this  time,  and  excited  everywhere  an 
active  desire  in  the  public  mind  for  more  and  better 
means  of  instruction  in  science,  particularly  in  agri- 
cultural and  other  branches  of  applied  chemistry. 
Young  Norton  had  been  moved  by  this  cause  to  seek 
the  desired  instruction  in  Professor  Silliman's  labora- 
tory, and  developed  so  much  genuine  love  of  scien- 
tific investigation,  that  Professor  Silliman  urged  him 
to  prosecute  his  studies  abroad.  With  this  view  he 
accepted  the  situation  of  private  student  in  the  lab- 
oratory of  Professor  J.  F.  W.  Johnston,  who  was  then, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Highland  Society,  laboring 
in  the  department  of  Scientific  Agricultural  Chemis- 
try in  Edinburgh.  It  was  Professor  Silliman  who 
secured  for  Mr.  Norton  this  eligible  situation,  where 
he  soon  won  the  esteem  of  his  teacher  and  where  his 
original  paper  on  the  oat,  carried  off  the  prize  which 


276  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

the  Highland  Society  had  offered  for  the  best  essay 
on  the  chemistry  of  that  plant,  and  of  the  soil  on 
which  it  grows.  Meantime,  the  gradual  development 
of  the  new  branch  of  scientific  instruction  led  to  the 
design  of  giving  it  a  recognized  place  in  the  Univer- 
sity studies.  A  memorial,  prepared  chiefly  by  Pro- 
fessor Silliman,  embodying  the  outline  of  a  School 
of  Science,  and  setting  forth  the  reasons  for  the 
establishment  of  such  a  school,  was  presented  to 
the  Corporation  of  the  College  at  their  session  in 
July,  1846.  As  was  his  habit  whenever  he  had  any 
subject  of  sufficient  importance  to  be  presented  to 
this  Body,  Professor  Silliman  went  personally  before 
the  Corporation  to  urge  upon  them  the  necessity  of 
meeting  the  growing  demands  of  the  public,  in  this 
direction,  by  the  establishing  of  such  a  new  depart- 
ment. The  request  of  Professor  Silliman  w^as  com- 
plied with,  and  the  scheme  having  been  widened,  at 
the  suggestion  of  Dr.  Woolsey,  so  as  to  embrace  ad- 
vanced instruction  in  other  subjects,  a  committee 
appointed  by  the  Corporation  reported,  at  their  ses- 
sion in  1847,  the  plan  of  a  fourth  department,  de- 
voted to  Philosophy  and  the  Arts.  But  the  first  Pro- 
fessors had  been  appointed  at  the  earlier  meeting  in 
1846.  Correspondence  had  been  opened  with  Mr. 
Norton,  then  transferred  to  Utrecht,  where  he  was 
pursuing  his  chosen  calling  with  Mulder,  and  it  was 
decided  at  that  meeting  to  commence  operations  by 
ill*-  appointment  of  this  gentleman  to  the  new  Chair 
of  Agricultural  Chemistry,  and  of  Mr.  Silliman,  Jr., 
to  that  of  Technical  Chemistry.  These  appointments 
h;ivin^  been  made,  and  Professor  Norton  having 
returned  in  the  following  year  from  Europe,  the  Yale 


THE  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL.  277 

Scientific  School  was  opened  for  pupils.  Beyond 
the  income  of  five  thousand  dollars  which  a  liberal 
benefactor  of  the  College  agreed  to  provide  for  a 
limited  period,  there  were  no  funds.  The  College 
granted  the  use  of  a  house  which  had  been  formerly 
the  President's  house,  and  was  then  vacant.  The 
changes  necessary  to  prepare  this  building  for  the 
uses  of  the  new  School,  were  paid  for  by  the  Pro- 
fessors out  of  their  private  means  and  from  the  small 
fund  of  the  School  itself,  and  for  two  years  a  rent  for 
the  building  was  paid  to  the  College.  The  requisite 
apparatus  and  library  were  provided  from  the  same 
sources.  Narrow  as  were  these  beginnings,  there 
was,  from  the  first,  evidence  of  vitality  in  the  under- 
taking. A  goodly  number  of  pupils  made  their  ap- 
pearance, and  in  the  first  class  were  several  whose 
names  are  now  known  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic. 
Of  these,  three  are  now  Professors  in  the  Scientific 
Department  of  the  College,  —  Mr.  Brush,  Mr.  John- 
son, and  Mr.  Brewer. 

Professor  Silliman  regarded  with  the  liveliest  inter- 
est the  growing  prosperity  of  this  important  branch  of 
the  College,  and  was  ever  ready  to  cooperate  in  all 
plans  for  its  better  endowment  and  the  enlargement 
of  its  means  of  usefulness.  He  had  the  satisfaction 
of  living  to  see  it  receive  the  liberal  benefactions  of 
the  gentleman  whose  name  it  now  bears,  as  well 
as  the  government  bounty  under  the  Agricultural 
College  Act,  and  numerous  smaller  private  gifts. 
From  the  small  commencement,  with  only  two  Pro- 
fessors, he  witnessed  its  transfer  to  a  spacious  and 
commodious  edifice,  with  a  large  corps  of  compe- 
tent Professors,  and  a  constantly  increasing  body  of 
students. 


278  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

When  Mr.  Sheffield  added  to  his  gift  of  the  build- 
ing a  noble  fund  for  the  support  of  instruction,  Pro- 
fessor Silliman  signified  to  him,  in  writing,  his  warm 
appreciation  of  the  spirit  which  prompted  these  large 
benefactions.  To  his  note  of  thanks  he  received  the 
annexed  reply. 

PROM   JOSEPH   E.    SHEFFIELD,    ESQ. 

NEW  HAVEN,  October  22,  1860. 
Monday  Morning. 

DEAR  SIR,  —  I  received  on  Saturday  your  valued  note 
of  the  19th,  in  which  you  are  pleased  to  speak  in  flattering 
terms  of  my  recent  donations  to  the  Scientific  School  of 
Yale  College,  and  to  add  a  brief  narrative  of  the  rise  and 
progress  of  that  important  department  of  the  College.  I 
thank  you  for  this  paper,  and  will  take  care  to  leave  it 
with  others  for  future  reference. 

I  have  also  received  from  the  Faculty  of  the  Scientific 
School  a  very  flattering  acknowledgment  of  my  efforts  in 
aid  of  the  Institution.  This  latter  paper  I  shall  take  care 
to  leave  with  my  will,  to  be  read  after  my  death  by  my 
children,  in  the  fullest  persuasion  that  its  influence  will  be 
of  a  more  lasting  nature  to  them,  and  a  more  enduring 
legacy  than  bank-notes  and  gold. 

To  you,  my  dear  sir,  who  have  labored  for  more  than 
fifty  years,  under  rather  discouraging  circumstances,  to  build 
up  that  important  department,  it  must  be  particularly  en- 
couraging and  gratifying  to  witness,  in  the  evening  of  your 
days,  an  increasing  interest  in  the  institution  on  the  part 
of  your  countrymen,  and  an  appreciation  of  its  value  that 
will  not  only  sustain  it  in  its  present  usefulness,  but  carry 
it  forward  to  perfection. 

For  the  complimentary  manner  in  which  you  have 
alluded  to  my  humble  aid  in  its  behalf,  please  to  receive 
my  warm  and  respectful  acknowledgments;  and,  in  the 


TRIBUTES   OF  RESPECT.  279 

hope  that  you  may  be  spared  many  years,  and  realize  all 
your  hopes,  I  am,  dear  sir,  with  great  respect, 
Your  friend  and  obedient  servant, 

Jos.  E.  SHEFFIELD. 
PROFESSOK  SILLIMAN. 

Professor  Silliman  was  also  permitted  to  receive 
from  another  munificent  merchant  an  announcement 
of  his  intention  liberally  to  endow  the  sciences  of 
chemistry  and  geology  in  the  undergraduate  depart- 
ment of  the  College.  He  had  the  full  assurance  that 
the  work  of  his  life  would  be  carried  forward  here- 
after on  an  expanded  scale. 

Partly  on  account  of  the  attention  he  was  giving 
to  the  manuscript  works  relating  to  himself  and  his 
family,  which  were  written  primarily  for  the  entertain- 
ment and  benefit  of  his  children,  and  at  their  request, 
the  records  in  Professor  Silli man's  Diary  become 
much  less  frequent.  They  mostly  consist  of  notices 
in  connection  with  the  decease  of  friends,  and  reflec- 
tions of  a  religious  nature.  Some  extracts,  however, 
written  during  the  last  five  years  of  his  life,  are  sub- 
joined. 

August,  1859.  The  Scientific  Association  at  Springfield. 
—  Being  the  oldest  member  of  the  Association  present, 
and  having  presided  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  Geological 
Association,  April  5,  1841,  my  attendance  on  the  present 
occasion  was  complimented  at  its  last  meeting  by  the  fol- 
lowing resolution,  moved  by  Professor  Bache  :  "  Resolved, 
that  this  Association  express  its  gratification  at  the  pres- 
ence of  our  octogenarian  friend  at  our  meetings,  and  we 
hope  that  we  may  often  meet  him  as  he  now  is,  with  his 
eye  undimmed  and  his  natural  force  unabated."  Rev.  Mr. 
Buckingham,  who  was  present,  said  that  it  was  moved  with 


280  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

deep  feeling,  and  that  the  audience  of  scientific  men  and 
strangers  received  it  with  hearty  approbation.  I  accept  it 
gratefully  as  a  tribute  to  a  veteran  who  is  now  functus 
officiis,  but,  I  believe,  with  no  feeling  of  pride  or  self-exal- 
tation  

August  8.     My  Eightieth  Birthday.  —  And  am 

I  indeed"  an  octogenarian !  God  be  praised  that,  with 
power  unimpaired,  and  with  a  cheerful  hope  for  another 
life,  I  have  been  permitted  to  finish  fourscore  years!  I 
cannot  say  that  I  have  "  only  labor,  pain,  and  sorrow,  and 
that  I  rather  sigh  and  groan  than  live."  On  the  contrary, 
I  have  a  cheering  enjoyment  of  life,  surrounded  by  a  large 
and  happy  family  of  thirty-seven  persons,  old  and  young, 
upon  no  individual  of  whom,  so  far  as  I  know,  there  rests 
any  moral  stain.  About  half  of  them  have  acknowledged 
their  Saviour  before  their  fellow-men,  and  we  hope  and 
trust  that  the  younger  members  and  the  little  ones  will,  in 
due  time,  become  true  members  of  Christ's  visible  church. 
This  is  the  greatest  blessing  which  I  can  ask  for  them ; 
and  if  piety  is  theirs,  we  may  hope  that  all  necessary  bless- 
ings will  follow,  confidence  and  affection  from  others,  and 
enough  of  this  world's  goods  to  insure  comfort  and  enable 
them  to  fulfil  their  duties  in  life  with  a  good  hope,  and 
more  I  care  not  for. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  death  of  Mr.  Charles 
Goodyear,  the  inventor,  he  writes  as  follows  :  — 

Mr.  Goodyear  was  often  with  me  during  his  earlier 
years,  and  I  aided  him  by  advice  and  encouragement, 
believing,  as  I  did,  that  he  would  eventually  succeed,  as  he 
was  industrious,  persevering,  and  ingenious.  One  day  I 
called  on  him  at  his  humble  cottage  on  Wi-shington  Hill, 
—  oUm  Sodom  Hill,  —  and  found  him  making  some  of 
liis  preparations  over  the  stove,  while  some  of  his  family 
were  sick.  He  told  me  afterwards  that  my  visit  encour- 


TRIBUTES  OF  RESPECT.  281 

aged  him,  and  that,  as  I  left  the  door,  I  told  him  to  perse- 
vere, —  that  something  important  would  yet  come  of  his 
researches,  and  that  when  he  should  be  ready  I  would 
make  a  noise  about  it,  as  I  did  in  my  lectures  in  Yale 
College,  and  by  my  influence.  In  March,  1852,  being  en- 
gaged in  a  course  of  lectures  in  the  city  of  Washington, 
Mr.  Goodyear  arrived  with  his  family,  and,  by  permission, 
I  introduced  him  to  my  friend,  Thomas  Blagden,  Esq.,  and 
family.*  In  the  course  of  conversation,  Mr.  Goodyear 
addressed  me  thus :  "  If  it  had  not  been  for  you,  sir,  I 
should  long  since  have  been  in  my  grave  ;  all  my  relations 
and  friends  discouraged  me,  and  you  alone  sustained  me 
by  your  opinion  and  your  influence." 

He  always  and  through  life  placed  a  high  value  upon  my 
support  of  him  by  a  kind  influence.  While  I  was  deliver- 
ing my  lectures  in  Washington,  1  made  a  rapid,  and  even 
perilous,  journey  to  New  York,  to  make  oath  before  a 
court  to  a  certificate  which  I  had  given,  twelve  or  fourteen 
years  before,  of  his  discovery  of  the  vulcanization  of  the 
rubber 

It  will  be  interesting  to  my  children  to  know  that  kind 
and  grateful  feelings  have  been  cherished  towards  their 
father  for  many  years  by  some  of  those  who  have  been  his 
pupils.  Dr.  Alexander  H.  Stevens,  —  class  of  1807,  — 
the  celebrated  surgeon  of  New  York,  in  a  recent  accidental 
meeting,  —  I  believe  it  was  at  the  Metropolitan  in  New 
York,  while  we  were  waiting  to  see  the  Japanese,  —  re- 
verted with  great  warmth  to  his  college  life  in  Yale,  and 
earnestly  assured  me  that  it  was  owing  solely  to  my  kind 
treatment  of  him,  and  influence  over  him,  that  he  perse- 
vered in  obtaining  his  education  in  Yale ;  that  my  treat- 
ment of  him  was  soothing  and  encouraging ;  and,  as  he 
said,  in  language  too  strong  and  too  commendatory  for  me 
to  repeat,  this  was  to  him  the  only  bright  spot  in  his  college 

life. 

*  Mrs.  Blagden  was  my  niece. 


282  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

Dr.  J.  P.  Kirkland,  of  Ohio,  wrote  to  his  niece, 
residing  in  New  Haven,  under  date  of  January  1, 
1860 :  — 

"  It  hardly  seems  possible  that  Professor  Silliman  can  be 
active.  In  the  year  1806,  soon  after  his  return  from  his 
first  visit  to  Europe,  I  listened  with  great  interest  to  the 
details  of  his  tour,  while  he  was  relating  them  to  Augustus 
and  Chauncey  Cook  in  Wallingford,  where  he  was  visiting 
his  mother.  I  was  a  mere  boy,  but  looked  upon  him  as 
quite  a  mature  man.  His  first  journal  of  travels  I  read 
and  re-read  soon  after  its  publication.  To  him  I  feel  that  a 
heavy  debt  of  gratitude  is  due  from  me.  In  the  autumn  of 
1813,  I  commenced  attending  his  chemical  and  mineral- 
ogical  lectures  in  New  Haven,  and  they  awakened  a  taste 
for  scientific  investigations  which  have  afforded  the  larger 
share  of  my  enjoyments  and  pleasure  through  life.  Be- 
sides, he  extended  to  me,  on  several  occasions,  some  little 
favors,  principally  through  the  medium  of  Lyman  Foot, 
who  then  was  a  lad  in  the  employment  of  Professor  Silli- 
man. These  favors  to  me  were  trivial,  to  be  sure  ;  but  he 
had  a  way  of  doing  acts  with  an  unaffected  kindness  which 
few  possess.  From  childhood  I  had  heard  the  College,  its 
Faculty,  and  especially  its  President,  spoken  of  with  dis- 
respect. The  epithet  of  Pope  was  ever  attached  to  the 
name  of  Dr.  Dwight.  I  viewed  him  and  his  associates  as 
imperious  tyrants.  Personal  knowledge  of  Professor  Silli- 
man induced  me  to  make  him  an  exception.  Prejudice 
thus  imbibed  had  led  me  to  pursue  my  studies  at  the  Epis- 
copal Academy  at  Cheshire  rather  than  in  Yale.  When 
about  to  attend  medical  lectures,  I  prepared  to  resort  to 
either  New  York  or  Philadelphia.  A  kind  message,  sent 
from  Professor  Silliman,  caused  me  to  visit  New  Haven 
and  to  enter  the  Yale  Medical  College.  Either  by  design 
or  accident,  I  was  thrown  in  the  way  of  President  Dwight, 
and  made  his  acquaintance.  After  a  brief  period,  I  formed 


THE  CIVIL  WAR.  283 

the  opinion  that  he  was  one  of  the  greatest  and  purest  of 
men,  and  that  Professor  Silliman  was  one  of  the  most  fin- 
ished and  kindest  of  gentlemen.  Near  half  a  century  of 
experience  and  observation  have  in  nowise  changed  that 
opinion. 

When   the   civil  war  broke   out,  Professor  Silli- 
man's  whole  heart  was  enlisted  in  the  cause  of  the 
country.      He   watched  the  progress  of  the  conflict 
with  intense  interest,  and  was  generally  hopeful  as 
to  the  result.    To  the  administration  of  Mr.  Lincoln, 
for  whom  he  had  voted,  he  rendered  his  entire  confi- 
dence and  unwavering  support.     That  the  war  might 
somehow  work  out  the  extinction  of  slavery,  he,  in 
common  with  other  good  men,  earnestly  prayed.    At 
the  conduct  of  England,  a  country  towards  which  he 
had  always  cherished  a  filial  attachment,  he  felt  deeply 
aggrieved.     The  precipitate  recognition  of  the  Con- 
federates  as   a  belligerent   power,  followed   by  the 
culpable  remissness  of  the   British   government  in 
permitting  vessels  to  sail  out  from  English  ports  to 
prey  on   our  commerce,  together  with  the  flippant 
declaration  of   Palmerston    in    the    Commons,    that 
England  would  not  modify  her  municipal  laws  to 
prevent  this  international  injustice,  and  the  unfriendly, 
contemptuous  tone  of  most  of  the  leaders  of  public 
opinion  in  that  country,  who  seemed  to  be  resolved 
not   to  know,   or,  at  any  rate,  not  to  publish  the 
truth,  were  felt  to  be  in  the  highest  degree  offensive. 
Professor  Silliman  lost  for  England  a  large  portion 
of  that  peculiar  respect  which  he,  like  most  culti- 
vated Americans,  especially  New  Englanders  of  the 
Federalist  school,  had  always  felt  for  "  the  mother 
country."    And  this  change  of  feeling  took  place  not 
without  pain. 


284  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

November  29, 1860.  Thanksgiving  Day.  Southern  Revolt. 
—  The  aspect  of  the  times  is  very  serious,  and  calls  not 
only  for  the  wisdom  of  statesmen  and  patriots,  but  for  the 
prayers  of  Christians,  to  avert  a  revolt  which  may  end  in 
civil  war.  At  present  several  of  the  Slave  States  appear 
to  be  much  incensed,  and  it  is  no  longer  safe  for  a  Northern 
man  to  travel,  even  on  the  most  innocent  business,  in  most 
of  the  Slave  States.  Personal  insults,  and  abuse  most 
gross  and  cruel,  even  to  hanging,  are  inflicted  on  mere 
imputation  of  abolition  opinions,  without  overt  acts  or 
speech.  Travelling  in  the  South  for  a  Northern  man  is 
now  more  dangerous  than  among  the  Arabs  of  the  desert, 
who  can  be  bought  off  by  small  presents.  John  C.  Cal- 
houn,  once  Vice-President,  and  disappointed  of  the  Presi- 
dency, first  originated  the  scheme  of  a  distinct  sovereignty 
of  the  Slave  States,  to  cover  islands  and  countries  adjoin- 
ing, to  be  bought  or  conquered.  The  very  alarming  state 
of  things  cast  a  shadow  over  our  enjoyment  of  this  day. 
Mrs.  Silliman  was  engaged  at  home  in  domestic  duties.  I 
attended  in  Dr.  Bacon's  church,  where  he  preached  an 
excellent  sermon  upon  the  present  crisis.  It  was  solemn, 
judicious,  and  discreet. 

In  his  letters  to  friends,  the  war  and  its  probable 
issues,  especially  in  respect  to  slavery,  were  promi- 
nent topics.  Among  his  correspondents  was  Miss 
Eliza  Quincy,  daughter  of  Hon.  Josiah  Quincy,  a 
lady  for  whose  virtues  and  accomplishments  he  en- 
tertained a  great  respect.  The  first  of  the  letters 
which  immediately  follow,  however,  relates  not  to 
the  war,  but  contains  interesting  reminiscences  * 
pertaining  to  the  visit  of  Lafayette  to  Boston  in 
1825. 


LETTERS  TO  MISS  QUINCY.  285 


TO    MISS    QUINCY. 

NEW  HAVEN,  August  23, 1861. 

You  are  right  in  the  impression  that  the  biog- 
raphy of  your  mother,  besides  its  intrinsic  merits,  has  a 
peculiar  attraction  for  me,  as  bringing  into  view  many  emi- 
nent persons  whom  I  have  known  personally,  and  many 
more  whose  fame,  and  the  events  with  which  it  was  con- 
nected, were  familiar  to  me  as  they  passed.  When,  in  1824, 
Lafayette  was  approaching  this  town  from  New  York,  I 
drove  out  upon  the  hills  west  and  south,  with  my  two  older 
daughters  of  the  ages  of  fourteen  and  twelve,  and  my  only 
son  of  eight  years.  Lafayette  was  in  an  open  barouche 
carriage  with  his  son  ;  and  we,  being  in  a  similar  vehicle, 
which  was  drawn  up  by  the  side  of  the  road,  —  we  all  rose 
erect,  and  were  uncovered  as  the  friend  of  Washington 
approached,  and  made  our  obeisance,  which  was  promptly 
returned.  Calling  with  the  crowd  of  citizens  at  the  recep- 
tion in  the  hotel,  with  Mr.  Wadsworth,  who  had  lived  in 
Lafayette's  family  in  Paris,  he  was  instantly  recognized  and 
warmly  embraced.  My  little  boy  —  grandson  of  his  early 
friend  and  associate  in  arms,  the  second  Governor  Trum- 
bull —  he  kissed  affectionately ;  and  he  yielded  to  my  in- 
vitation to  retire  as  soon  as  possible  to  my  house,  where  he 
would  find  Mrs.  Trumbull,  widow  of  his  friend  Governor 
Trumbull.  He  went  accordingly  with  his  son  and  Secre- 
tary and  the  Mayor  of  our  city.  He  was  refreshed  by  the 
retirement ;  and  the  two  hours  which  he  passed  in  my  fam- 
ily have  ever  remained  a  memorable  epoch. 

At  the  ensuing  Commencement  of  Yale,  I  was  sent  with 
another  gentleman  to  New  York,  to  invite  Lafayette  to 
honor  the  occasion  by  his  presence.  Our  arrival  by  the 
steamer  was  early  in  the  morning,  —  too  early  for  an  audi- 
ence ;  but,  to  secure  it  at  a  proper  hour,  I  sent  up  a  card 
to  the  bedchamber,  announcing  our  errand,  and  our  readi- 
ness to  wait  his  convenience.  He  sent  for  us  at  once  to 


286  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

the  dressing-room  connected  with  his  bedchamber,  and 
there  v,*c  found  him  in  gown  and  slippers,  —  the  silk  cap 
still  on  his  head.  He  received  us  with  graceful  kindness  ; 
but  previous  engagements  had  filled  the  allotted  time. 
Again,  when  President  Quincy  kindly  piloted  our  Connect- 
icut party  to  their  seats  in  the  vast  amphitheatre  of  human 
beings  who  were  waiting  the  words  of  the  great  orator  on 
Bunker  Hill,  I  was  jostled  by  the  crowd,  and  found  myself 
among  the  seventy  or  more  veteran  survivors  of  the  battle 
of  June  17,  1775.  As  no  one  questioned  my  right  to  be 
there,  I  was  not  displeased  to  find  myself  in  such  company. 
As  I  listened  to  Mr.  Webster's  glowing  oration,  I  searched 
with  my  eyes  for  Lafayette,  supposing  that  he  would  be  of 
course  among  the  magnates  on  the  stage  with  the  orator ; 
but  I  searched  in  vain.  At  last,  when  Mr.  Webster  alluded 
personally  to  Lafayette,  up  he  rose  from  among  his  humble 
fellow-soldiers  of  the  battle,  —  where,  with  his  usual  happy 
tact,  he  had  placed  himself,  rather  than  among  privileged 
orders  on  the  stage. 

Mrs.  Lloyd  had  yielded  her  splendid  drawing-rooms  for 
the  military  reception  of  General  Lafayette's  old  comrades 
in  war.  I  was  present,  and  was  surprised  at  the  readiness 
with  which  he  recognized  the  men  of  the  Revolution.  One 
of  them  assisted  in  bearing  him  off  from  the  battle-field  of 
Brandywine,  when  wounded  in  the  leg.  I  believe  I  must 
give  you  the  credit  of  summoning  up  in  my  mind  vivid 
recollections  of  that  memorable  June  17,  1825,  to  which 
you  have  so  beautifully  alluded.  Those  interviews  recur  to 
my  memory  like  pleasant  visions. 

That  splendid  reception  in  the  united  houses  of  Mr. 
Webster  and  Colonel  Thorndike  (a  door,  cut  for  the  occa- 
sion in  the  partition-wall,  made  them  one),  was  the  most 
imposing  scene  of  the  kind  which  I  ever  witnessed.  How 
grand  and  how  joyous  it  was  !  Lafayette,  the  observed  of 
all  observers,  was  the  monarch  of  the  night,  and  no  mon- 
arch ever  held  a  grander  levee:  it  was  morally  grand, 
with  moderate  physical  excitement. 


LETTERS  TO  MISS  QUINCY.  287 

The  lady  who  did  me  the  honor  to  lean  on  my  arm  that 
evening  will  remember  that  the  popping  of  the  corks  of 
champagne-bottles  was  no  unlike  counterpart  of  the  pop- 
ping of  the  guns  in  the  battle  on  the  hill ;  but  with  this 
important  difference,  that  the  reports  were  harmless.  That 
evening  has  ever  remained  with  me  a  bright  subject  of 
recollection,  and  it  never  recurs  without  recalling,  in  agree- 
able associations,  the  lady  who  made  the  occasion  so  pleas- 
ant to  me. 

You  perceive  that  I  am  in  sympathy  with  you  in  recall- 
ing past  events,  and  persons  who  have  passed  away,  and 
their  features,  their  sayings,  and  doings.  Those  able  and 
excellent  men  of  the  Connecticut  delegation,  to  whom  you 
refer,  are  distinctly  in  my  recollection  ;  but  I  will  not  trust 
myself  further  in  this  line,  lest  I  should  weary  you.  Your 
notice  of  Colonel  Tallmadge,  and  his  protection  of  your- 
self, is  very  interesting,  and  deserves  to  be  preserved 
among  the  incidents  of  his  life.  T  regret  never  to  have  seen 
the  biographical  memoir  by  his  son,  and  I  must  endeavor 
to  obtain  it  from  him.  He  was  a  gallant  soldier,  an  elo- 
quent speaker,  and  an  accomplished  gentleman.  I  hope 
that  your  nephew  will  escape  without  injury  in  the  conflicts 
that  must  be  expected  in  this  very  wicked  and  causeless 
war.  Several  of  our  personal,  and  some  of  our  family, 
friends  have  been  engaged  in  the  service,  and  those  that 
were  in  the  late  disastrous  battle  have  returned  without 
personal  injury 

TO    MISS    QUINCY. 

NEW  HAVEN,  March  21, 1862. 

I  AGREE  with  you  entirely  in  the  wisdom  of 

President  Lincoln's  emancipation  message,  —  grand  and 
wise  views,  present  and  prospective  ;  and  his  communica- 
tion, abounding  with  good  sense,  is  proved  to  be  his  own, 
without  revision  by  any  one,  —  as,  in  the  midst  of  excellent 
sense,  there  is  an  absence  of  scholarly  finish ;  it  is  strong, 
but  rough-hewn  and  knotty. 


288  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   SILLIMAN. 

I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you  for  the  intensely  inter- 
esting narrative  of  the  plot  of  the  assassins,  and  of  the 
manner  in  which  it  was  providentially  defeated.*  HOAV 
desperately  wicked  has  been  this  rebellion  from  its  first 
hour  to  the  present.  It  has  been  exceeded  in  wicked- 
ness by  only  one  conspiracy,  and  that  was  the  first  in  the 
order  of  time :  its  leader  was  an  able  captain,  but  he  was 
beaten  and  thrown  over  the  battlements  of  heaven.  I 
trust  it  is  not  unchristian  to  wish  the  leader  of  the  present 
rebellion  may  meet  with  a  similaj  fate. 

You  allude  to  the  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  liberated 
slaves,  and  among  the  results  of  this  struggle  we  may  re- 
gard the  spirit  of  benevolence  which  it  has  excited  as  an 
important  benefit,  and  perhaps  in  no  direction  more  im- 
portant than  on  behalf  of  the  immense  host  which  must  be 
protected,  relieved,  and  directed  by  great  efforts,  both  of 
government  and  individuals 

TO   MISS    QUINCY. 

NEW  HAVEN,  December  5,  1862. 

YOUR  remark  respecting  our  transient  friend- 
ships is  most  painfully  true,  as  my  long  life  has  enabled  me 
fully  to  realize  ;  but  there  is  a  friendship  which  time  can- 
not destroy,  and  which  will  revive  and  flourish  in  a  better 
world.  I  hardly  know  whether  to  congratulate  your  nephew 
and  his  friends  on  his  promotion  to  higher  duties  in  this 
dreadful  struggle.  We  cannot  doubt  that  he  will  honor 
the  eminent  ancestor  whose  commission,  revealed  after  the 
repose  of  a  century,  must  appear  to  him  almost  as  if  he 
were  hailed  from  another  world,  and  told  to  go  forward 
and  to  do  his  duty  well,  as  no  doubt  he  will.  My  best 
wishes  attend  him 

*  Tin-  j.lnt  t.)  assassinate  Mr.  Lincoln  on  his  way  to  Washington,  just 
before  his  first  inauguration.  —  F. 


LETTERS  TO  MISS  QUINCY.  289 


TO   MISS    QUINCT. 

NEW  HAVEN,  April  8, 1863. 

IT  is  grateful  to  our  feelings  to  view  New  Eng- 
land, as  regards  its  state  governments,  as  a  unit,  ready 
and  willing  to  cooperate  with  our  loyal  sisters  in  putting 
down  the  Rebellion.  Still  we  are  waging  an  anxious  war, 
terribly  destructive  of  life,  and  fruitful  of  horrid  mutila- 
tions of  the  human  form  divine,  caused  by  the  ingenious 
inventions  in  means  of  destruction,  so  that  the  old-fashioned 
war  by  bullets  and  field  artillery  seems  comparatively  a 
civil  game. 

I  trust  your  father's  mind  is  cheered  by  hope,  as  my  own 
is  ;  and  if  I  am  disposed  sometimes  to  despond,  I  endeavor 
to  realize  that  the  rebels  hold  not  one  foot  of  free  terri- 
tory ;  that  we  hold  several  of  the  former  Slave-States, 
and  parts  of  several  more ;  that  nearly  all  the  fortresses 
stolen  from  us  by  the  rebels  are  recovered ;  that  we  hold 
their  principal  southern  city,  and  are  menacing  the  rest; 
that  our  nation  is  girding  herself  for  the  first  time  in  this 
war,  as  a  nation  ;  and  that  our  revenue  surpasses  expecta- 
tion, and  is  cheerfully  paid.  In  the  view  of  all  these  things, 
hope  prevails,  —  although  the  war  may  be  protracted,  and 
we  have  the  difficult  problem  to  settle  as  to  the  eventual 
disposition  of  the  colored  people,  —  but  God,  who  appears 
to  have  permitted  this  war  for  the  sake  of  destroying  slav- 
ery will,  I  trust,  provide  means  for  the  full  accomplishment 
of  his  own  designs,  although  human  foresight  may  not  see 

the  end I  am  glad  if  there  is  an  improved  feeling 

in  England  towards  this  country.  I  believe  it  has  risen 
little  above  the  level  of  the  middle  classes.  It  is  but  too 
evident  that  both  England  and  France  are  hopefully  look- 
ing to  this  crisis  as  the  struggle  that  is  to  destroy  our  na- 
tional unity.  France  insults  us  in  no  ambiguous  language, 
when  she  makes  her  wicked  invasion  of  Mexico,  on  pre- 
tence of  resisting  the  progress  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race. 

VOL.   II.  19 


290  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

Should  she,  contrary,  I  believe,  to  the  national  sentiment 
at  home,  obtain  a  firm  establishment  in  Mexico,  it  would 
not  be  long  before  she  would  revive  her  old  claim  to  Texas 
and  Louisiana,  and  if  she  should  sustain  the  Southern  Con- 
federacy, the  two  powers  may  then  agree  on  the  division 
of  the  old  Gallic  Territory  in  the  Southwest. 

England  favors  the  enormous  piracy  on  our  commerce 
by  permitting  any  number  of  piratical  ships  to  be  built  in 
Britain,  and  to  be  equipped  for  piracy,  and  to  sail  without 
hindrance,  while  her  merchants  are  permitted  to  send  out 
to  Charleston  and  other  ports  of  the  Confederacy  an  im- 
mense amount  of  warlike  stores  and  clothing,  medicines, 
arms,  great  and  small,  and  every  appliance  of  actual  war. 
Several  of  these  ships,  it  is  true,  have  been  captured  by 
our  blockading  squadrons  ;  but  so  many  of  them  succeed 
in  running  the  blockade,  that  the  rebels  are  bountifully 
supplied  with  all  they  need,  except  provisions.  In  the 
mean  time  our  ships,  in  great  number,  and  in  the  aggre- 
gate of  immense  value,  are  robbed  and  burned  on  the  seas, 
in  distant  as  well  as  proximate  regions.  We  are  now 
submitting  to  travel,  to  transport  our  property,  in  English 
bottoms,  and  thus,  in  both  ways,  our  commerce  is  crippled. 
The  English  government  look  on  with  pleasure,  and  antici- 
pate the  time,  they  imagine  not  remote,  when  the  United 
States  will  be  divided  into  an  empire  on  the  Gulf,  another 
on  the  Pacific,  and  perhaps  a  fourth  in  the  Northwest.  The 
influence  of  the  dying  counsels  of  Prince  Albert,  and  that 
of  his  good  Queen,  have  hitherto  operated  as  a  restraining 
power,  now  supported  by  the  outspoken  honest  sentiments 
of  the  masses  in  England,  which,  when  fully  expressed,  no 
English  ministry  would  ever  dare  to  disregard.  There  is 
also  great  meanness  in  taking  advantage  of  this  atrocious 
Rebellion,  to  insult  and  cripple  us  when  we  have  on  our 
hands  a  war  which  demands  all  our  energy  and  resources. 
But  the  time  may  come  when  these  accounts  will  be  settled 
in  Quebec. 


LETTERS  TO  MISS  QUINCY.  291 

TO   MISS    QUINCY. 

NEW  HAVEN,  July  8, 1864. 

IN  consideration  of  the  reverence  and  admiration  which 
I  have,  during  many  years,  cherished  for  your  late  beloved 
and  honored  father,  I  doubt  not,  my  dear  Miss  Quincy,  that 
you  will  pardon  this  early  expression  of  my  sincere  sym- 
pathy in  your  great  loss,  and  the  deep  regret  which  I  feel 
that  our  country  can  no  longer  reckon  among  the  living 
her  most  venerable  and  venerated  patriot.  Should  we  not, 
however,  be  deeply  grateful  that  a  kind  Providence  gave 
him  to  us  and  to  his  country,  until  he  was  well  advanced 
in  the  tenth  decade  of  his  century  of  years  ?  Nay,  he  is 
not  now  dead,  but  has  left  behind  him  the  living  influence 
of  his  long  and  noble  life,  and  his  name  is  enrolled  with 
that  of  Washington,  and  the  band  of  patriots  who  acted  with 
him  in  the  cause  of  their  country  and  mankind.  To  that 
cause  he  was  faithful  to  the  death.  I  have  just  reperused 
his  noble  response  to  the  young  men  of  the  Union  Club, 
of  February  27,  1863,  the  last  production  of  his  pen  which 
I  have  seen.  I  trust  that  his  faith  and  hope  sustained  him 
in  his  transit  to  immortality 

TO   MISS    QUINCY. 

NEW  HAVEN,  August  13,  1864. 

I  CANNOT  sufficiently  thank  you,  my  good  friend, 

for  the  faithful  record  which  you  have  given  me, of  your 
father's  closing  weeks  and  days  and  hours. 

How  tranquil  and  chastened  was  the  scene  of  death,  — 
quiet,  calm,  and  resigned,  with  only  his  devoted  daughters 
and  faithful  attendant,  while  we  know  that  God  and  the 
Saviour  were  nigh.  You  have  given  me  a  particular  pleas- 
ure by  the  assurance  that  "  there  was  no  friend  whom  your 
father  more  highly  estimated  and  valued  than  myself,  and 
that  for  many  years  I  have  held  that  place  in  his  affection, 
heightened  by  a  mutual  sympathy  regarding  the  great 


292  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

struggle  in  our  country."  The  great  kindness  received  by 
me  and  my  family  from  your  parents,  early  won  my  grati- 
tude and  friendship,  —  and  when  I  was  called  to  act  a  pub- 
lic part  in  Boston,  occupying  no  fewer  than  six  seasons, 
and  in  a  position  both  conspicuous  and  responsible,  I  felt 
strong  in  the  support  and  countenance  of  President  Quincy, 
and  it  is  a  great  satisfaction  to  me  to  know  that  I  had  a 
place  not  only  in  his  esteem  but  in  his  affection 

How  solicitous  he  was  that  the  war  might  prove  to 
be  the  door  to  emancipation,  is  shown  from  the  en- 
suing letters  to  Dr.  Sprague. 

TO    REV.    DR.    W.   B.    SPRAGUE. 

BANGOR,  MAINE,  August  5, 1861. 

MY  DEAR  AND  REVERED  FRIEND, —  ....  In  all  that  you 
write  concerning  this  most  atrocious  and  wicked  war,  and  in 
all  your  pious  and  wise  sentiments  looking  to  the  great  Gov- 
ernor of  the  world,  I  fully  concur.  I  also  agree  with  you 
perfectly  in  your  estimate  of  the  probable  issue  of  this  con- 
flict, as  regards  those  on  whose  account  it  is  waged.  They 
perfectly  understand  the  matter,  and  no  doubt  the  slave 
quarters  on  the  plantations,  and  the  kitchens  of  the  houses 
of  cities,  are  the  scenes  of  animated  discussions  and  of  inter- 
esting communications  of  the  progress  of  events.  Oh  that 
some  State  would  inaugurate  the  experiment  of  making 
their  slaves  hired  laborers  on  their  plantations,  under  due 
regulations  to  prevent  idleness  and  vice,  —  and  might  we 
not  hope  for  success  as  in  Barbadoes  and  even  in  Jamaica. 
One  successful  result  would  induce  other  States  to  follow, 
and  the  negro  would  become,  in  many  instances,  ambitious 
to  acquire  property  and  character.  But  the  entire  subject 
rests  with  God,  who  will,  in  due  time,  dispose  of  the  great 
nation  of  Africans,  now  by  a  million  larger  than  our  entire 
nation  was  when  our  Revolution  began.  He  will  dispose 
of  it  in  some  way  that  we  cannot  now  foresee.  The  South 


LETTERS  TO  REV.  DR.  W.  B.  SPRAGUE.  293 

is  infatuated  and  deceived,  and  it  is  madness  to  contemplate 
an  indefinite  augmentation  of  this  black  population.  The 
national  sentiment  seems  now  to  be  maturing  to  the  con- 
clusion, that,  as  slavery  is  the  cause  of  our  troubles,  it 
must  in  some  way  be  destroyed, —  Heaven  grant  that  it  may 
be  done  in  a  way  consistent  with  justice,  mercy,  and  right- 
eousness ! 

TO    REV.    DR.   W.    B.    SPRAGUE. 

NEW  HAVEN,  June  15, 1861. 

I  ALSO  have  been  impressed  with  the  large  har- 
vesting, of  late,  of  wise  and  good  people,  who  have  been, 
perhaps,  taken  away  from  the  evil  to  come.  The  death  of 
Judge  White  of  Salem,  inflicted  a  loss  upon  me  as  well  as 
yourself.  I  knew  him  first  at  Salem,  where  I  delivered  a 
course  of  Geology  in  September,  1834,  and  it  was  my  first 
effort  out  of  Connecticut.  Judge  White  was  an  attentive 
hearer,  and  a  constant  one.  You,  I  presume,  have  seen  his 
large  library  of  literature,  rather  than  science,  which,  al- 
though, it  was  appreciated  by  him,  was  not  his  first  love. 
After  the  course  was  finished,  he  remarked  to  me  to  this 
effect :  "  When  in  your  introductory,  you  said  that  Geology 
was  among  the  natural  sciences,  second  only  to  astronomy 
in  grandeur  and  sublimity,  I  doubted,  —  but  I  must  now 
in  the  language  of  the  courts  say,  you  have  made  out  your 
case,  and  are  entitled  to  a  favorable  verdict."  From  that 
time  on  we  were  friends,  and  occasionally  met  in  Boston, 
Cambridge,  and  Salem,  and  once  in  my  own  house.  He 
was  a  lovely  gentleman,  —  a  fine  scholar,  and,  I  hope  well 
for  him,  although  he  differed  from  us.  Does  not  the  more 
enlarged  experience  from  progress  in  life  tend  to  increase 
our  charity,  and  have  you  not  found  even  your  own  liberal 
and  catholic  mind  enlarged  by  your  peculiar  labors  of  late 
years,  so  as  to  embrace  more  of  your  fellow-men  within  the 
circle  of  your  charity  ?  Judge  Shaw  and  Judge  White  were 
hardly  divided  in  death.  Like  yourself,  my  dear  friend, 


294  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

I  am  deep  in  the  newspapers,  and  deeper  still  in  thoughts 
and  anxieties  for  our  country.  Many  of  my  night  hours 
have  been  passed  in  sleepless  anxiety,  from  which  even 
prayer  could  not  always  relieve  me.  My  solicitude  was 
most  intense,  while  a  doubt  remained  whether  Washington 
was  safe,  and  it  was  not  materially  relieved  until  the  great 
uprising  of  the  North  a,nd  Northwest  —  a  moral  miracle  — 
proved  that  God  had  taken  the  matter  in  hand,  and  would, 
in  the  end,  vindicate  the  right,  while  slavery  is  committing 

suicide 

The  entire  movement  is  very  wicked.  A  con- 
spiracy, avowed  from  the  first  to  have  for  its  object  the 
overthrow  of  the  most  beneficent  human  government  that 
the  world  has  ever  seen,  —  a  government  dispensing  count- 
less blessings  to  the  people  and  blessings  only,  —  is  wicked 
beyond  the  power  of  language  to  express,  and  if  the  effort 
were  successful  it  would  almost  extinguish  the  hope  of 
mankind  for  free  and  equitable  government 

During  the  progress  of  the  war,  he  corresponded 
with  a  young  lady  of  Nashville,  Tennessee,  who  was 
a  remote  connection  of  his  family,  but  whom  he  had 
never  seen.  One  of  her  letters  to  a  friend  at  the  North 
had  been  shown  him,  and  the  loyal  spirit  which 
it  breathed  had  strongly  interested  his  mind.  An 
accident  which  befell  this  letter  led  to  the  opening  of 
his.  correspondence  with  her,  a  small  portion  of  which 
is  given  below. 

TO   MISS    MAGGIE    LINDSLET. 

NEW  HAVEN,  September,  1862. 

As  my  own  domestic  circles  include  twenty-three 

grandchildren,  of  whom  fourteen  are  females,  —  of  all  ages 
from  childhood  to  womanhood,  not  to  mention  the  matrons, 
—  you  may  readily  imagine  that  I  am  ever  under  a  benign 
female  influence,  and  that  my  affections  may,  therefore, 


LETTERS   TO  MISS  LINDSLEY.  295 

remain  full  of  sympathy,  and  that  they  are  not  chilled  by 
age.  As  you  appeal  from  the  photograph  which  you  have 
been  so  kind  as  to  send  me,  and  give  me  the  pleasant  assur- 
ance of  a  blooming  face  and  a  sunny  radiance  in  the  living 
original,  —  so  permit  me  to  add  that  the  grave  features 
which  did  not  smile  upon  you  when  you  opened  the  letter, 
will  glow  with  a  warm  welcome  when  you  enter  our  door, 
and  that  he  who  wears  them  will  laugh  with  the  children, 
and  play  with  them  too,  and  respond  in  sympathy  with  all 
that  is  bright  and  pleasant  in  the  family.  Excuse  this  im- 
plied self-commendation.  I  have,  indeed,  St.  Paul  for  an 
example,  but  I  will  not  shelter  myself  under  even  that  great 
name.  I  will  rather  add  that  I  wish  to  convert  the  grave 
veteran  professor  of  your  imagination  into  a  familiar  friend, 
with  whom  half  an  hour's  conversation  will  make  you  feel 
as  if  you  had  known  him  always.  I  will  enclose,  to  the 
care  of  your  grandma,  a  photograph  or  two  which  you  have 
only  to  clothe  with  a  smile,  and  you  will  instantly  be  at 
home  with  the  original 

TO    MISS    LINDSLEY. 

NEW  HAVEN,  March  2, 1863. 

YOUR  thoughts  on  the  emancipation  proclama- 
tion, and  on  the  subject  of  slavery  generally,  do  you  much 
honor.  It  is,  I  believe,  a  rare  example  that  a  person  edu- 
cated in  a  Slave  State,  and  accustomed  to  regard  that  species 
of  injustice  as  a  necessary  element  of  society,  comes  volun- 
tarily to  regard  it  as  a  violation  of  natural  right,  and  as  in- 
consistent with  our  Saviour's  golden  rule  of  doing  to  others 
as  we  would  wish  them  to  do  to  us.  This  is  the  more  remark- 
able in  a  person  so  young  as  yourself,  and  in  a  young  lady 
too,  trained  in  a  family  in  which,  no  doubt,  the  yoke  has  been 
made  as  easy  and  the  burden  as  light  as  is  consistent  with 
the  enforcement  of  an  unwilling  service,  —  generally  unwill- 
ing, because  uncompensated  ;  although  I  am  aware  —  hav- 
ing known  many  slave-holders,  and  having  travelled  in  most 


296  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

of  the  Slave  States  —  that  there  are  many  instances  of  grate- 
ful attachment  to  a  master  or  mistress  on  account  of  kind 
and  generous  treatment.  Still  we  must  regard  slavery  as  a 
system  of  oppressive  coercion,  violating  the  natural  right  to 
one's  own  person  and  faculties,  and  the  results  of  the  labor, 
effort,  and  ingenuity  of  the  individual,  —  and  moreover  his 
right  to  all  that  belongs  to  the  family  relation  of  wife  and 
children.  Although  my  father  -—  a  lawyer,  a  deacon  in 
the  church,  a  magistrate,  and  an  officer  in  active  military 
service  through  the  American  Revolution  —  was  an  owner 
of  slaves,  and  although  I  was  brought  up  among  them,  I  do 
not  remember  the  time  when  slavery  was  not  detestable 
even  to  my  juvenile  mind,  and  I  have  been  expecting  the 
judgment  of  God  upon  us  for  this  national  sin  :  and  as 
nations  do  not  exist  in  the  other  world,  they  are  punished 
in  this  world.  We  are  suffering  that  punishment  now,  — 
the  North  measurably  as  having  participated  in  the  slave- 
trade,  and  having  participated  also  in  the  profits  of  invol- 
untary labor ;  the  South  is  being  punished  without  measure, 
as  having  cherished  the  institution,  —  as  they  chose  to  call 
it,  —  and  as  having  waged,  and  as  still  waging,  a  wicked 
and  bloody  war,  undertaken  for  the  perpetuation  of  slavery, 
and  for  its  extension  without  limit  of  time  or  space. 

The  war  was  inaugurated,  also,  to  gratify  the  ambition 
of  a  few  leaders  who  would  not  submit  to  the  constitutional 
result  of  a  lawful  election.  Slavery  is,  therefore,  the  sup- 
port and  cause  of  this  most  sanguinary  rebellion,  and  God 
is  punishing  the  nation  while  he  is  working  its  deliverance 
from  the  sin,  shame,  and  danger  of  holding  in  bondage 
4,000,000  of  human  beings,  born  generally  on  our  soil,  and 
entitled  to  all  the  rights  and  privileges  of  humanity.  God 
has  permitted  this  rebellion  in  order  to  destroy  slavery,  and 
we  can  see  why  He  has  not  granted  uniform  success  to  the 
Federal  arms,  and  has  sometimes  even  overshadowed  us  with 
dark  clouds,  and  those  gathering  again  and  again,  but  with 
cheering  sunshine  between.  Nothing  less  than  this  suffer- 


LETTERS  TO  MISS  LINDSLEY.  297 

ing  and  alarm  would  have  brought  the  government  and  the 
friends  of  freedom  to  realize  that  palliatives  would  never 
effect  a  cure,  and  that  the  malignant  cancer  must  be  extir- 
pated. If  we  had  been  uniformly  successful,  and  that  early, 
there  might  have  been  a  truce,  but  there  would  have  been 
no  permanent  peace,  and  no  security 

TO   MISS    LINDSLEY. 

NEW  HAVEN,  July  13, 1864. 

WE  of  our  family  circle  have  been  not  a  little 

interested  in  your  account  of  the  fidelity  and  devotion  of 
your  domestic  servants.  This  tells  well  as  to  your  treat- 
ment of  them,  and  it  shows  that  they  are  not  without  good 
sense  to  perceive  that  they  have  a  happy  home.  When 
those  who  wish  to  retain  colored  servants  will  treat  them 
with  justice  and  kindness,  —  paying  them  reasonable  com- 
pensation, —  forbidding  the  lash,  the  branding  iron,  and  the 
bull-dog  chase,  they  may  hope  for  good  and  attached  ser- 
vants. To  all  this  there  will  doubtless  be  exceptions.  We 
understand  from  good  and  trustworthy  authority,  (I  have  my 
information  from  personal  friends  personally  conversant 
with  the  facts,)  that  the  negro  laborers  on  the  newly  organ- 
ized plantations  on  the  lower  Mississippi,  being  treated  as 
I  have  described,  are  entirely  faithful  and  obedient,  and 
among  the  most  industrious  and  faithful  of  laborers 

TO    MISS   LINDSLEY. 

NEW  HAVEN,  September  29, 1864. 

I  CONGRATULATE  you  upon  the  splendid  success 

of  General  Sherman,  justly  regarded  as  of  the  highest  im- 
portance to  the  Union  cause.  We  trust  he  will  hold 
Atlanta  and  sustain  his  communications  with  you ;  and  as 
Sheridan  and  Farragut  have  nearly  finished  their  local  war- 
fare, we  trust  that  Grant  will  be  permitted  to  bring  up  that 
triumphant  finale,  which  with  God's  blessing  shall  save  our 
cause,  —  which  is  the  cause  of  God  and  of  mankind 


298  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

The  certainty  that  his  remaining  time  must  be 
short,  was  not  absent  from  his  thoughts ;  yet  it 
brought  no  gloom. 

January  1st.     The  New  Tear  1861,  ^.82 I 

am  now  nearer  by  one  year  to  the  eternal  world,  and  it 
may  be  written  of  me,  "  this  year  shalt  thou  die  ; "  and  I 
am  admonished  by  the  removal  of  my  youthful  grand- 
daughter *  that  I  must  soon  follow.  If  I  could  not  rely  upon 
the  great  salvation  wrought  out  by  our  Saviour,  I  should 

be  dismayed  at  the  approach  of  death I  hope  I  am 

not  deceived,  and  that  I  may  be  accepted  by  my  Maker, 
although  I  may  appear  among  the  most  humble  of  the 
redeemed 

Judge  Williams.^ He  was  two  years  in  advance 

of  my  brother  and  me  in  Yale  College,  he  being  a  Junior 
while  we  were  Freshmen,  —  he  having  entered  the  College 
in  1790  and  we  in  1792.  We  were,  in  1792-3,  fellow- 
boarders  at  Dr.  Joseph  Darling's,  in  the  Greenough  House, 
that  stood  in  front  of  what  is  now  Divinity  College.  In 
our  walk  to  College  one  morning,  Mr.  Williams  mentioned 
that  the  French  had  guillotined  their  King,  Louis  XVI. 
As  his  death  took  place  on  the  25th  of  January,  1793,  the 
mention  of  it  was  probably  in  February.  I  was  then  in  my 
fourteenth  year,  nearly  sixty-eight  years  ago,  and  the  recol- 
lection of  it  is  still  fresh  in  my  memory.  From  that  period 
our  acquaintance  was  continued,  and  as  Mr.  Thomas  S. 
Williams  had  a  brother,  Samuel  Porter  Williams,  in  my 
class,  we  were  drawn  nearer  together  by  this  circumstance. 
In  February  1798,  I  resorted  to  Wethersfield,  being  in 
my  nineteenth  year,  and  during  nine  months  I  instructed 
the  subscription  school.  For  a  few  weeks  I  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  family  of  Sheriff  Williams,  father  of  Thomas  S. 

*  Miss  Maria  T.  Church,  who  died  December  23,  I860.  — F. 

t  II«   died  DC,, Miihr r  15,  1801.  — F. 


COMMENCEMENT  OF  1862.  299 

I  had  occasional  meetings  with  him  in  successive  years ; 
and  after  my  marriage,  that  connection  brought  me  into 
familiar  intercourse  with  that  portion  of  Hartford  society 
with  which  Mr.  Williams  was  intimate. 

This  season  —  the  winter  of  18G1-2  —  has  been  distin- 
guished by  the  removal  of  many  eminent  and  excellent 
persons.  Among  them  no  one  has  struck  me  with  more 
surprise  than  President  Felton.  He  was  a  very  interest- 
ing man,  and  it  is  a  subject  of  regret  with  me  that  an 
Address,  when  he  was  inaugurated,  has  lain  on  my  table 
unread  and  not  acknowledged.  I  intended  to  do  both, 
but  the  opportune  moment  seemed  never  to  arrive.  Being 
at  Cambridge  with  Mrs.  Silliman  in  August  last,  we  called 
at  President  Felton's  door,  and  I  left  my  card,  he  not 
being  at  home.  I  think  I  should  have  then  thanked  him 
for  his  Address,  but  it  is  now  too  late.  Harvard  now 
numbers  four  ex-presidents  living  and  in  health, — President 
Quincy,  Dr.  Walker,  Mr.  Sparks,  and  Mr.  Everett,  and  I 
can  remember  President  Willard,  President  Webber,  and 
President  Kirkland.  Yale  and  Harvard  are  both  in 
mourning,  —  we  for  Prof.  Lamed.  President  Day,  Rev. 
Dr.  Fitch,  and  myself  are  all  that  remain  of  the  old  Fac- 
ulty of  Yale. 

July  30  and  31, 1862.  Commencement  Season.  The  meet- 
ing of  the  Alumni  was  held  as  usual My  Own  class 

is  now  reduced  to  five  persons,  —  John  Harvey  Tucker 
of  Bermuda,  Levi  Rollins  of  Wethersfield,  Timothy  Bishop 

of  New  Haven,  and  the  two  Silliman  brothers 

Prof.  Thacher  gave  interesting  reminiscences  of  the  late 
Mr.  Edward  C.  Herrick,  and  Prof.  Porter  of  the  late  Prof. 
Lamed.  Judge  Ellsworth  brought  forward,  and  by  a  pow- 
erful speech  supported,  a  strong  resolution  regarding  the 

war Seventy  Commencements  have  been  held 

since  I  entered  the  Institution  with  my  brother  in  1792, 


300  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

and  I  believe  I  have  been  present  at  about  sixty.  Per- 
haps this  may  be  my  last,  —  that  rests  with  my  Maker, 
and  I  hope  to  be  satisfied  with  the  decision.  It  cannot  be 
long  before  my  class  will  become  extinct,  and  we  shall  pass 
into  the  vast  group  of  the  stelligeri.  Oh  that  we  may  be 
among  those  that  shine  as  the  stars  in  the  blessed  world ! 

August  11,  1862,  being  the  first  Sabbath  in  my  eighty- 
fourth  year,  I  acknowledge  with  deep  and  joyful  gratitude 
the  prolongation  of  my  life  to  this  advanced  period.  I 
have  survived  many  dear  friends,  —  both  my  parents,  my 
brothers  of  the  half-blood,  four  of  my  children,  and 
their  blessed  mother  of  precious  memory,  both  her 
parents,  her  surviving  sister,  Mrs.  Wadsworth,  and  her 
husband  Daniel  Wadsworth,  and  very  many  other  highly 

valued  friends In  the  first  century  of  Yale 

College  there  are  only  twenty  survivors,  and  five  of  them 
of  the  class  of  1796,  —  my  own  class.  It  will  not  require 
another  decade  of  years  to  remove  every  individual  of  the 
twenty  survivors.  They  must  all  be  octogenarians  or  more, 
and  some  of  them  nonogenarians,  and  one  is  about  one 
hundred, —  he  will  be  of  that  age  September  9,  1862.  It 
would  probably  be  a  large  allowance  to  give  the  twenty 
an  average  of  five  years ;  that  addition  to  my  own  years 
would  carry  me  to  eighty  -  eight,  and  my  brother  to  his 
ninetieth  year.  I  endeavor  to  realize  it  as  a  settled  con- 
viction that  my  remaining  time  must  be  short,  and  may 
be  very  short.  My  reliance  is  placed  entirely  upon  my 
blessed  Saviour,  and  being  without  any  claim  to  personal 
merit  in  the  view  of  my  Judge,  I  commit  my  soul  to  the 
lifeboat  of  Christ,  and  hope  to  reach  the  heavenly  shore. 

In  company  with  Rev.  George  Jones  he  went  to 
look  at  the  iron-clad  vessels  which  were  in  process 
of  construction  in  New  York. 


THE  NEW-YEAR  OF  1863.  301 

November,  1862.  If  all  our  iron-clads  that  are  now  in 
progress  should  be  successfully  finished,  we  need  not  fear 
even  the  power  of  hostile  England  as  manifested  in  the 
allowed  construction  of  ships  within  her  ports,  destined  to 
prey  upon  our  commerce  on  the  high  seas.  Sea-going 
iron-clads  may,  by  -  and  -  by,  supplant  the  wooden  walls. 
Forts  also,  of  brick  or  stone,  or  even  of  wood,  may  be  iron- 
clad, and  magazines  and  barracks  may  be  protected  in 
the  same  manner.  It  seems  probable,  therefore,  that  on 
the  whole,  humanity  may  gain  by  this  strange  invention. 
This  will  not,  however,  prevent  bloody  battles  on  land  be- 
tween armies  that  enjoy  locomotion.  It  is  true  that  before 
the  invention  of  gunpowder,  men  went  to  battle  covered 
by  iron  armor,  and  the  horses  even  were  protected  more 
or  less  in  the  same  manner,  which  in  this  age  would 
afford  no  protection  against  rifled  cannon  and  against  the 
explosion  of  shells.  May  God  of  his  infinite  mercy  grant 
that  the  time  may  be  hastened  when  wars  shall  cease,  and 
when  the  mild  influence  of  the  gospel  of  peace  shall  teach 
mankind  to  love  each  other  as  brethren  ! 

1863.  —  The  New  Year,  January  1 I  am  now 

in  the  front  rank  of  aged  people  among  us  and  among  my 
connections.  President  Day  entered  his  ninetieth  year 
August  3,  1861.  My  brother,  G.  S.  Silliman,  finished  his 
eighty-fifth,  October  26.  Timothy  Bishop,  my  classmate, 
was  eighty-five  October  22.  Mrs.  Gold  Silliman  was 
eighty-four  October  3,  1862.  I  was  eighty-three  August  8, 
1862.  My  classmate,  John  Harvey  Tucker,  of  Bermuda, 
if  living,  must  be  eighty-six :  he  was  seventy  in  August, 
1846,  when  here.  Levi  Rollins,  a  classmate,  was  seventy- 
one  in  August,  1846,  and  must  now  be  eighty-seven, — I 
have  not  heard  of  his  death :  his  residence  is  in  Wethers- 
field.  My  early  friend,  Betsey  Whittlesey,  was  eighty- 
eight  in  October,  1862.  Although  I  am  the  youngest 
among  the  aged  living  friends  named  above,  I  am  fully  in 


302  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

the  front  rank,  and  my  removal  at  any  time  will  not  be 
extraordinary,  but  may  be  expected  soon  in  the  regular 
course  of  mortality.  I  await  the  event  with  calmness,  not 
from  any  confidence  in  my  own  merits,  but  I  confide  en- 
tirely in  the  mercy  of  God,  manifested  through  his  Son, 
whose  atonement  covers  even  the  vilest  sinners  if  they 
repent  and  submit  themselves. 

August  8.  Birthday,  Aged  Eighty -Four.  Prayer  of 
Thanksgiving,  Penitence,  Faith,  and  Hope.  —  0  Thou  great 
and  glorious  God,  revealed  to  us  in  three  persons,  — 
Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost !  Although  we  cannot  com- 
prehend the  unity  of  God  manifested  in  three  persons,  we 
see  that  there  are  manifestations  of  Creator,  Redeemer, 
and  Sanctifier,  in  the  creation  of  the  universe,  in  the  mer- 
ciful provision  for  the  redemption  and  salvation  of  man- 
kind, and  their  sanctification  by  the  Holy  Spirit  as  the 
means  of  preparing  them  for  salvation.  O  heavenly  Fath- 
er, Creator,  Redeemer,  and  Sanctifier  !  I  humbly  accept 
the  fact  as  I  accept  the  revelations  of  science,  which  are 
equally  inscrutable  to  me  as  regards  their  nature  and 
cause,  although  the  effects  are  manifest.  I  am  aware, 
blessed  God,  that  my  mind  is  dark  and  ignorant  by 
nature  ;  still,  enough  is  brought  to  light  in  nature  and 
revelation  to  justify  our  faith  in  what  we  cannot  now  un- 
derstand ;  and  what  we  know  not  now,  we  may  know  here- 
after. My  life  has  been  prolonged  to  fourscore  years  and 
four.  I  trust,  heavenly  Father,  that  I  am  deeply  grateful 
for  this  long  life  full  of  mercies,  although  very  imperfectly 
requited  to  Thee  by  the  obedience  due  from  a  humble  being 
to  my  great  benefactor.  To  recite  my  mercies  would  be  to 

recount  the  story  of  my  life While  recounting  my 

mercies,  I  would  not  forget  my  sins  and  follies.  When  I 
compare  my  heart  and  life,  O  Thou  infinite  triune  God ! 
with  the  purity  and  strictness  of  thy  holy  law,  —  with  thy 
law  which  is  all  reasonable  and  right,  —  I  feel  how  unreli- 


HIS  BIRTHDAY.  303 

able  must  be  my  hopes  of  salvation  upon  the  ground  of 
personal  merit.  Merit!  Although  we  may  feel  that  we 
have  been  just  and  kind  to  our  fellow-men,  we  can  have 
none  that  can  justify  us  in  the  sight  of  God,  —  of  a  being 
of  sinless  perfection,  of  boundless  power,  of  strict  jus- 
tice, but,  happily  for  poor  sinful  human  beings,  of  mercy 
.also,  overshadowing  all  his  other  perfections.  We  need 
.not  approach  Thee  simply  with  fear  and  trembling,  but 
with  deep  humility,  and  humble  confidence  that  Thou  art 
both  able  and  willing  to  save  those  who  come  to  Thee 
with  sincere  penitence  and  sorrow  for  sin,  and  trusting  in 
thine  infinite  mercy.  The  bruised  reed  Thou  wilt  not 
break,  and  the  smoking  flax  Thou  wilt  not  quench.  Thou 
hast  justified  our  hopes  of  salvation  if  we  come  unto  Thee, 
trusting  in  the  divine  Saviour.  In  God's  inscrutable 
providence,  a  virgin,  forewarned  by  the  visit  of  the  angel 
sent  clown  by  Thee,  —  espoused,  indeed,  but  not  yet  given 
to  any  man,  —  a  virgin  did  conceive  by  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  a  child  was  born,  not  only  sinless  in  na- 
tivity, but  destined  to  remain  sinless  through  his  wonderful 
life,  —  the  only  sinless  life  that  has  ever  been  seen  in  our 
world ;  —  and  this  immortal  being,  born  of  woman,  be- 
came our  elder  brother,  subject  to  all  our  innocent  in- 
firmities, and  innocent  still  under  every  temptation.  Thou 
didst  permit  him  to  represent,  while  on  earth,  thine  own 
infinite  purity  and  power.  Although  he  had  not  where  to 
lay  his  head,  while  he  went  about  doing  good,  blindness, 
deafness,  lameness,  paralysis,  and  death  itself  obeyed  his 
voice  ;  the  blind  eyes  saw  ;  the  deaf  ears  heard  ;  the  palsied 
limb  became  active  again  ;  and  the  dead  were  raised  to 
life.  This,  O  heavenly  Father,  is  the  divine  Saviour  in 
whom  we  trust.  His  death  on  the  cross  assures  our  hopes 
of  salvation.  Still  this  death  on  the  cross,  — this  death  of 
bodily  agony,  and  still  more  of  mental  agony,  —  this  igno- 
minious death,  —  death  on  the  cross  between  two  thieves, 
—  death,  not  by  a  moment  of  transient  agony,  as  in  the 


304  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

executions  of  our  time,  but  by  long  hours  of  cruelty  and 
protracted  sufferings,  —  this  death  is  to  us  a  great  mystery. 
It  is  hardly  permitted  to  us  to  inquire  whether  the  noblest 
visitant  of  our  earth,  clothed  indeed  in  human  form,  but 
without  sin ;  who  went  about  doing  good ;  who  spake  as 
never  man  spake ;  who  commanded  the  elements,  and 
knew  what  was  in  man  ;  —  whether  his  life,  his  teachings, 
his  works  of  mercy,  and  his  miraculous  ascent  to  heaven, 
leaving  his  commission  to  his  disciples  of  every  age  to 
preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature, —  whether  all  this 
would  have  been  sufficient  to  prove  his  heavenly  mission 
and  secure  its  end  without  subjecting  the  Son  of  God  to 
the  ignominy  and  heartless  cruelty  of  a  heathen,  a  Roman 
execution.  Here,  again,  we  must  "  wait  the  greater  teacher, 
death,  and  God  adore."  Even  the  Saviour  cried :  "  If  it 
be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from  me  !  "  but  his  heart  re- 
plied :  "  Not  my  will  but  thine  be  done."  He  left  to  his 
friends  the  consolation  of  the  Eucharist. 

"  'T  was  on  that  dark  and  doleful  night  —  " 

The  whole  hymn  is  copied  in  the  Diary. 

He  participated  with  warm  interest  in  a  success- 
ful effort  to  procure  a  monument  to  be  placed  in  the 
Cemetery  at  North  Stonington,  in  honor  of  his 
grandfather,  Rev.  Joseph  Fish.  He  took  part  in  the 
ceremonies  relating  to  this  venerated  ancestor,  when 
his  descendants  were  gathered  together,  and  a  com- 
memorative discourse  was  preached  by  Mr.  Hubbell, 
the  present  pastor  of  the  church  in  that  place.  This 
occasion  excited  many  interesting  recollections. 

Several  persons  who  had  carriages  took  our  party  by 
appointment  to  the  site  of  the  ancient  black  meeting-house, 
of  which  not  a  vestige  remains.  We  next  visited  the  cem- 
etery, and  saw  the  new  monument,  which  gave  us  entire 


COMMEMORATION  AT  STONINGTOX.  305 

satisfaction  ;  and  it  is  the  most  conspicuous  object  there. 
The  original  plain  stone  that  was  erected  in  memory  of  my 
grandfather  is  still  preserved,  and,  after  being  cleaned,  the 
inscription  is  quite  legible.  At  the  foot  of  this  grave  are 
two  small  graves,  one  of  an  infant  son  of  my  grandparents, 
and  the  other  of  a  young  daughter  of  my  mother,  who 
died  while  she  was  on  a  visit  at  Stonington.  Mr.  Hubbell 
uttered  over  the  grave  of  Mr.  Fish  a  very  solemn  prayer. 
We  had  little  time  for  the  reflections  due  to  the  place.  I 
recall  to  mind  the  funeral  scene  of  May,  1781,  when  my 
father  and  mother,  the  Noyes'  sons,  and  the  two  little  boys, 
with  sympathizing  friends,  were  assembled  around  this 
grave,  eighty  -  two  years  ago  (to  May,  1863).  In  the 
meeting  of  yesterday,  myself,  a  grandson  eighty-four  years 
old,  spoke  of  the  memory  of  grandparents,  who  had  de- 
parted more  than  eighty  years  ago.  We  made  a  rapid 
transition  to  the  site  of  the  house  of  the  reverend  ancestor. 
A  new  house  had  been  built  nearly  on  the  site  of  the  former 
building.  Nothing  remains  except  some  timbers  and  other 
parts  of  the  old  building,  that  are  wrought  into  the  new. 
The  well  remains,  and  we  drank  of  its  excellent  water. 
A  few  old  apple-trees,  belonging  to  a  former  orchard  that 
produced  very  good  fruit,  are  still  extant.  The  site  was 
pleasant,  and  Long  Island  Sound  can  be  seen  from  the 
ground.  This  place  was  the  seat  of  many  interesting  events 
in  the  by-gone  years,  and  here  my  grandfather  wrote  his  ex- 
cellent letters  and  sermons,  and  fervent  prayers  ascended 
daily  to  heaven.  My  son  has  written  a  fuller  account,  in 
some  respects,  of  our  Stonington  experience.  Nothing  was 
wanting  but  more  time  to  think,  converse,  and  observe. 
We  left  the  place  with  the  most  agreeable  impressions,  and 
with  grateful,  pensive  thoughts  of  the  past. 

The  present  of  a  photographic  likeness  of  himself, 
drew  a  touching  response  from  his  now  venerable 
pupil  and  friend. 

VOL.  ii.  20 


306  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 


FROM    DR.    EDWARD    HITCHCOCK. 

AMHERST,  May  7, 1863. 

DEAR  SIR,  —  When  I  opened  your  letter,  my  eyes  fell 
first  upon  the  photograph,  and  it  is  so  very  perfect,  and 
gives  the  expression  of  your  face  so  exactly  like  what  it 
was  when  more  than  forty  years  ago  I  first  heard  you  lec- 
ture, and  a  hundred  times  afterwards,  that  a  crowd  of 
reminiscences  came  over  me,  and  I  had  quite  a  crying  spett 
before  reading  the  letter.  This  shows  the  weakness  of  my 
nerves ;  but  it  also  shows  how  powerful  was  the  influence 
of  your  eloquence  and  your  kindness  upon  me  in  those 
early  days,  when  I  was  bashful  and  uncultivated,  poor  and 
without  scientific  friends.  Certain  it  is  that  your  instruc- 
tion and  encouragement  and  example  have  had  mpre  influ- 
ence upon  me  to  make  me  what  I  have  been,  than  those  of 
any  other  man,  and,  if  I  have  not  been  grateful,  God  for- 
give ino  ! 

Wo  have  both,  as  you  say,  had  interesting  fields  of 
labor ;  yours  much  the  widest  and  most  important ;  mine 
was  humbler  and  rough,  but  still  opening  opportunities  for 
doing  good.  I  thank  God  for  it,  and  only  lament  that  it 
has  been  so  poorly  cultivated.  How  cheering  it  is  to  know 
that  we  have  the  righteousness  of  another  to  depend  upon 
when  we  come  into  judgment 

The  fallowing  letter  from  the  same  source  is  dated 
a  few  months  later. 

FROM    DR.    EDWARD    HITCHCOCK. 

AMHKKST,  August  26, 1863. 

I  STILL  linger  on  the  shores  of  time,  balancing, 

as  it  were,  between  life  and  death,  and  suffering  intensely. 
Still  (iod  mingles  many  mercies  in  the  bitter  cup,  and 
allows  me  to  accomplish  several  things  which  I  had  never 
hoped  to  do.  I  have  been  able,  for  instance,  to  correct  all 


LETTERS  FROM  FRIENDS.  307 

the  proof-sheets  of  a  work  of  four  hundred  pages,  which  I 
wrote  a  year  or  two  ago,  entitled  "  Reminiscences  of  Am- 
herst  College,"  but  which  I  expected  to  leave  unpublished. 
The  work  is  a  good  deal  biographical  and  autobiographical, 
but  is  intended  mainly  to  give  a  history  of  Amherst  Col- 
lege up  to  the  present  time.  I  have  given  a  geological 
map  of  the  region  around  the  College,  and  three  views  of 
the  College  at  different  periods.  I  was  greatly  indebted  to 
you  for  your  last  kind  letter  of  sympathy  and  condolence, 
and  intended  to  answer  it,  but  my  strength  would  not 
allow.  Many  debts  of  this  kind  must  remain  unpaid  till  I 
enter,  if  I  ever  do,  the  house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal 
in  the  heavens.  God  grant  that  in  such  spiritual  bodies, 
without  sin,  we  may  hold  everlasting  communion. 
Sincerely  and  affectionately  yours, 

EDWARD  HITCHCOCK. 

Among  the  many  marks  of  reverence  and  grati- 
tude which  he  was  daily  receiving,  the  following  from 
a  ijupil  who  has  acquired  a  world-wide  distinction, 
deserves  to  be  placed  on  record. 

FROM    S.   F.    B.    MORSE,   ESQ 

NEW  YORK,  February  15,  1864. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  A  letter  was  handed  me  this  morning, 
directed  in  the  well-known  hand  of  my  respected  and  ven- 
erated instructor,  to  whom  the  American  world,  at  least,  is 
so  deeply  indebted  for  the  first  and  most  efficient  impulse 
given  to  science  in  our  country. 

I  thank  you  sincerely  for  the  photograph  which  was 
within  the  envelope,  and  which  shows  you  yet  erect  and 
fresh,  with  more  of  youth  marked  in  your  figure  and  face 
than  in  the  enclosed  reciprocated  photograph,  of  the  boy 
whom  I  cannot  but  think  you  remember  as  somewhat  way- 
ward and  unpromising  when  your  pupil  in  years  long  gone 
by.  Yet  you  see  some  indications  on  his  breast  of  foreign 


308  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

appreciation  of  benefit  conferred  on  the  nations,  indicated 
in  the  mode  by  which  these  nations  testify  their  favorable 
regard.  If  the  gratification  such  tokens  naturally  give  to 
the  recipient,  pertains  in  a  large  degree  to  me,  yet  I  cannot 
but  think  that  the  sower  of  the  seed  will  himself  be  gratified 
at  the  evidence  that  the  seed  which  was  sown  did  not  per- 
ish in  the  ground.  May  you  yet  have  many  years  of  health 
and  enjoyment,  the  glory  of  your  family,  and  the  pride  of 
your  State  and  country. 

With  sincere  respect  and  esteem, 

Your  friend  and  old  pupil, 

SAMUEL  F.  B.  MORSE. 

The  reception  of  two  of  his  grandchildren  into  the 
church,  gave  him  much  joy. 

November  1,  1863.  — Admission  to  the  Communion  of  the 
Yale  College   Church,  of  Benjamin  Silliman,  3d,  and  his 

sister  E (he  fourteen  and  she  in  her  thirteenth  year). 

On  this  day  I  had  the  great  satisfaction  of  sitting  down  at 
the  Holy  Communion  with  the  loved  grandchildren  named 
above.  They  are  believed  on  satisfactory  grounds  to  be 
spiritually  qualified  for  this  interesting  step.  They  are  of 
exemplary  lives  and  conduct,  and  we  trust  that  their  hearts 
are  right  with  God ;  and  this  being  the  fact,  nothing  could 
be  more  gratifying  to  myself  and  my  family. 

Soon  after  he  records  the 

Sickness  of  JZ .  —  But  our  hopes  about  dear  E 

are  fluttering  in  the  wind.  She  had  been  drooping  for 
nearly  a  week  before  November  1st,  and  having  some  fever 
upon  her,  Dr.  Hubbard,  her  physician,  thought  it  imprudent 
for  her  to  attend  at  the  chapel  on  the  day  when  she  was 
admitted  to  the  church  ;  but  her  heart  was  much  engaged 
in  the  object,  and  her  father  took  a  close  carriage,  and  she 


RELIGIOUS   THOUGHTS.  309 

and  her  brother  were  admitted.  She  returned  home  to 
occupy  a  sick-bed,  and  has  remained  ever  since  critically 
sick  with  typhoid  fever,  and  the  precious  life  (November 
18,  Wednesday)  still  hangs  in  doubt. 

Later,  he  writes :  — 

Dear  E — —  has  been  spared,  and  is  now  hopefully  recov- 
ering. 

Sabbath  Morning,  July  3,  1864.  Communion  Day.  —  It  is 
a  relief  to  turn  from  the  recital  of  battles  and  daily  blood- 
shed, now  occurring  in  Georgia  and  Virginia,  to  the  peace- 
offering  of  our  blessed  Saviour,  even  his  own  precious  blood 
shed  on  the  cross  for  our  redemption  from  the  pollution 
and  curse  of  sin.  This  day,  in  regular  course,  we  of  the 
College  are  again  to  be  favored  by  partaking  of  the  bread 
and  wine,  representing  the  broken  body  and  blood  of  our 
divine  Redeemer.  The  longer  I  live  the  more  highly  do  I 
appreciate  this  great  provision  made  for  our  redemption. 
One  o'clock.  —  We  have  just  returned  from  the  ordinance. 
I  had  the  great  satisfaction  of  sitting  in  the  midst  of  ten 
members  of  my  family,  with,  I  trust,  well-founded  confi- 
dence that  they  are  members  of  Christ's  family ;  and  I  have 
a  hope  that  I  am  not  excluded.  I  felt,  I  trust,  a  sincere 
sympathy  with  all  the  youthful  circle  around.  It  was  to  me 
an  interesting  occasion. 

The  following  hymn  was  sung :  — 

"  Not  all  the  blood  of  beasts 

On  Jewish  altars  slain, 
Could  give  the  guilty  conscience  peace, 
Or  wash  away  the  stain,"  &c. 

In  the  annexed  paragraph,  he  refers  to  the  remarks 
made  on  the  preceding  anniversary  of  his  birth. 

August  8.  Birthday.  Eighty-Jive  Tears.  — ...  There  was 
a  solemn  impression  resting  on  my  mind  when  I  wrote  those 
remarks,  and  on  the  reperusal  of  them  and  of  the  accom- 


310  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

panying  prayer,  I  do  not  perceive  anything  to  alter.  With 
those  sentiments  and  prayers,  I  must  probably  pass  into 
eternity,  and  it  is  not  improbable  it  may  be  in  this  current 

year I  can  only  repeat  that  my  sole  dependence  for 

salvation  rests  upon  the  blessed  Redeemer,  who  appears  to 
me  more  and  more  precious  as  I  daily  approach  the  period 
when  I  shall  receive  my  discharge  from  this  life,  to  enter 
on  the  endless  future. 

To  the  mention  of  the  death  of  Dr.  Knight,  a 
pupil  and  younger  colleague,  though  himself  a  ven- 
erable man,  he  adds :  — 

On  the  founding  of  the  Medical  Institution  of  Yale  Col- 
lege, the  late  Dr.  Eli  Ives,  (obiit  October,  1861,)  and  Dr. 
Knight,  (obiit  August  25,  1864,)  were  agreed  upon  between 
President  Dwight  and  myself,  as  Professors,  and  Dr.  Nathan 
Smith,  was  added.  I  was  already  appointed  ten  years  be- 
fore. We  four  were  the  first  Professors  of  the  Medical 
School,  and  the  aged  and  venerable  Dr.  Eneas  Munson 
was  added  as  a  mark  of  respect ;  but,  as  was  expected,  he 
never  took  any  active  part  in  the  instruction.  I  am  now, 
therefore,  (September  4,  1864,)  the  sole  survivor  of  the 
Board  of  Medical  Professors.  In  addition  to  those  named 
above,  death  has  removed  those  named  below,  —  Dr. 
Thomas  Hubbard,  Dr.  Wm.  Tully,  Dr.  Nathan  Smith,  Dr. 
Timothy  P.  Beers,  Dr.  Charles  Hooker. 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 

HIS  DEATH:  HIS  CHARACTER  AND  SERVICES. 

His  Last  Days.  —  Circumstances  of  his  Death.  —  His  Funeral.  —  The  Char- 
acter of  his  Mind.  —  His  Work  as  a  Man  of  Science :  Remarks  of  Pres- 
ident Woolsey:  Letter  from  Professor  Jeffries  Wyman:  Remarks  of 
Professor  .1.  P.  Cooke:  Letter  from  Professor  Joseph  Henry.  — His  Ser- 
vices to  Yale  College  and  Character  as  a  College  Officer :  Remarks  of 
President  Woolsey:  Letter  from  Professor  Thacher:  Letter  from  Pro- 
fessor Porter:  Remarks  of  Dr.  Bacon.  — His  Kindness:  Letter  from  Dr. 
Charles  Beck:  Letter  from  Mr.  S.  F.  B.  Morse.  — The  Courtesy  of  his 
Manners:  Remarks  of  President  Woolsey:  Letter  from  Rev.  George 
Jones.  —  His  Love  of  Esteem.  —  His  Domestic  Virtues :  Communica- 
tions from  Mrs.  Church,  Mrs.  Hubbard,  and  Mrs.  Dana:  Letter  from 
Judge  S.  J.  Andrews.  —  His  Impression  upon  others:  Remarks  of  Pro- 
fessor Wyraan :  Letter  from  Professor  C.  U.  Shepard :  Letter  from  Rev. 
Dr.  Spragtie. 

WE  now  approach  the  last  records  in  the  Diary. 
After  the  few  extracts  which  will  soon  be  given,  the 
remaining  pages  are  a  blank.  Professor  Silliman 
states  the  origin  of  the  illness,  which,  quite  unex- 
pectedly to  himself  and  to  others,  terminated  in  his 
sudden  death. 

Sabbath,  November  20,  1864.  Neuralgia.  —  I  attended 
the  College  Chapel  last  Sabbath,  November  13,  in  my  usual 
health,  and  might  have  so  remained  had  I  not  gone  out 
again  in  the  evening.  There  was  a  very  large  audience 
assembled  to  hear  the  statements  of  four  gentlemen,  — 
Dr.  Parish,  and  others,  respecting  the  Sanitary  Commis- 
sion, in  relation  to  the  army  and  the  country.  The  discus- 


312  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

sion  was  very  interesting,  and  showed  the  immense  impor- 
tance of  this  institution,  and  of  the  sister  institution  —  the 
Christian  Commission  —  to  the  suffering  soldiers,  and  to 
the  army.  So  great  is  the  insufficiency  of  the  public  pro- 
vision for  sick  and  wounded  men,  that  the  army  evidently 
could  not  have  kept  the  field  but  for  these  institutions,  and 
especially  the  Sanitary. 

The  air  was  so  heated  by  a  large  audience,  in  addition  to 
the  fires  and  lights,  that  when  we  withdrew,  (Mrs.  Skinner 
being  with  me,)  a  wintry  wind  struck  me,  and  the  next 
evening  I  became  a  sufferer.  Pain  seized  my  chest  exter- 
nally, and  became,  at  the  time  of  retiring,  so  severe  that  we 
used  friction,  and  in  the  night  the  pain  was  transferred  to 
the  arms,  from  the  shoulder  to  the  elbows,  and  became 
worse  than  ever.  In  the  morning,  after  a  sleepless  night, 
the  pain  became  seated  between  the  shoulders,  and  in  the 
back  of  the  head.  In  the  course  of  the  day  the  pain  sub- 
sided, but  left  me  unwell ;  the  stomach  refused  to  retain 
food ;  some  fever  supervened,  and  I  became  decidedly  an 
invalid.  So  I  remained  through  the  week,  and  was  confined 
to  the  house.  I  am  gaining  a  little  from  day  to  day, —  with 
a  little  appetite,  and  some  power  of  retaining  food.  I  am 
not  able  to  attend  public  worship  at  present,  but  am  thank- 
ful that  I  am  able  to  employ  my  time  usefully  at  home.  I 
am  warned,  by  this  occurrence,  that  my  health,  although 
usually  so  good,  may  be  in  an  instant  subverted,  and  that 
the  call  for  departure  may  be  sudden,  as  has  happened  to 
Mr.  Elton  of  Waterbury,  and  others,  during  the  last  week. 
I  leave  time  and  manner  with  my  Creator,  relying  entirely 
upon  Christ  Jesus,  my  ever-blessed  Saviour,  to  rescue  me 
from  the  power  and  condemnation  of  sin. 

November  21st,  Monday. — I  have  been  able  to  resume 
my  pen,  and  am  gradually  recovering  my  usual  state  of 
feeling.  But  the  shock  has  been  rather  severe,  and  to  an 
old  man  serious.  As  the  cause  is  apparent,  I  must  avoid  in 
future  the  exposure  to  a  cold  night  air,  which  brought  on 


HIS  LAST  DATS.  313 

the  attack.    The  next  may  fasten  on  the  lungs  or  the  heart, 
and  may  prove  final. 

The  notices  which  follow  are  each  connected  in 
the  Diary  with  a  paragraph  cut  from  a  newspaper. 
The  first  relates  to  Mr.  Lincoln's  piety. 

President  Lincoln's  recognition  of  a  Saviour  and  surrender 
to  him.  —  More  to  his  honor  is  this  brief  paragraph  than  all 
that  his  country  can  bestow.  We  have  ever  regarded  him 
as  an  honest  and  patriotic  statesman,  and  there  were  many 
passages  in  his  writings  and  in  his  action  that  have  favored 
the  hope  that  he  is  a  good  man.  His  truthfulness  is  trans- 
parent, and  we  have  now  decided  reason  to  believe  that  he 
is  indeed  a  good  man. 

Death  of  the  Rev.  Dan  Huntington.  —  The  annexed  notice 
is  very  interesting  to  me.  I  was  only  two  years  after  him 
in  college  life.  The  annexed  notice  is,  I  believe,  correct. 
His  early  friends  will  learn  with  satisfaction  that  in  his  last 
years  "he  returned  with  great  satisfaction,  and  was  wel- 
comed to  the  worship  and  communion  of  the  orthodox 
church." 

He  was  led  to  attend  the  meeting  in  behalf  of  the 
Sanitary  Association  on  Sunday  evening,  November 
13,  the  occasion  of  his  first  attack,  partly  from  the 
interest  he  felt  in  Dr.  Parish,  whom  he  had  ascer- 
tained, on  inquiry,  to  be  a  son  of  the  Quaker  gentle- 
man, who,  as  is  related  in  the  earlier  part  of  this 
Memoir,  had  once  commended  him  for  declining  to 
go  with  his  fellow-students  to  Peale's  Museum  on 
Sunday.  Through  the  following  week,  he  was  con- 
fined to  the  house,  but  able  to  receive  calls  from  his 
friends.  On  Thursday,  the  17th,  he  had  an  inter- 
view of  half  an  hour  or  more  with  Judge  Gould  of 
Troy.  On  Friday,  President  Day  called.  A  picture 


314  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

of  the  New  Haven  Green,  as  it  was  long  ago,  with 
the  old  brick  church  and  adjacent  burial-ground  upon 
it,  had  been  brought  to  Professor  Silliman,  and  they 
examined  the  picture  together  with  much  interest, 
marking  especially  the  edifice  where,  seventy  years 
before,  they  had  spoken  their  commencement  pieces. 
He  said  to  Mrs.  Silliman  (who  entered  the  room  after 
the  President  came  in),  —  "  You  know  I  have  told 
you  that  whenever  there  was  trouble,  we  were  sure 
to  see  President  Day,  and  it  is  so  still :  here  he  is ; 
he  has  come  out  this  unpleasant  day  to  see  me." 
He  appeared  to  yearn  for  the  presence  of  his  son, 
who  had  been  absent  for  several  months  in  California. 
On  the  3d  of  November  he  had  written  to  the  younger 
Professor  Silliman,  adverting  in  the  course  of  the 
letter  —  which  reached  its  destination  a  month  after 
its  date,  when  the  hand  that  wrote  it  was  motionless, 
—  to  the  affectionate  solicitude  which  the  latter  had 
expressed  respecting  his  father's  health.  In  that  last 
letter,  he  said  :  "  Every  day,  thanks  for  your  preser- 
vation and  prosperity  ascend  from  our  family  altar, 
with  prayers  for  your  safe  return.  We  suppose  that 
you  have  relinquished  Oregon  and  Vancouver,  and 
that  you  may  be  with  us  by  or  before  the  new  year. 
It  will  be  a  joyful  day  when  we  can  again  embrace 
you.  I  was  tenderly  touched  by  what  you  wrote  in 
one  of  your  letters  to  S ,  in  allusion  to  the  possi- 
bility of  my  absence  when  you  return,  but  we  will 
look  forward  to  a  happy  meeting  here,  and  hope  for 
a  happier  one  hereafter."  Now,  the  desire  to  see  his 
son  was  strongly  awakened.  On  Thursday,  a  tele- 
graphic message  was  sent  to  him,  so  worded  as  to 
hasten  his  departure  without  exciting  undue  alarm. 


HIS  LAST  DAYS.  315 

Afterwards,  as  Professor  Silliman  appeared  to  be 
decidedly  better,  a  message  to  that  effect  was  also 
sent.  On  Sunday  evening,  the  20th,  he  received  as 
usual  the  group  of  relatives  from  the  adjacent  houses. 
He  said  that  he  needed  exercise,  and  took  his  cane 
to  walk.  In  passing  the  sofa,  he  took  the  hand  of  a 
little  grandchild,  and  walked  with  her  for  some  time 
through  the  rooms,  appearing  much  interested  in  his 
conversation  with  her.  As  he  resumed  his  seat  he 
drew  her  still  younger  sister  to  him,  and  kissing  her, 
said  :  —  "  The  dear  old  gentleman  is  not  very  strong, 
and  feels  too  tired  to  walk  any  more  to-night ;  he  has 
walked  with  one  dear  little  girl,  and  next  Sabbath 
night  he  will  walk  with  this  one."  As  usual,  he  had 
a  gentle  word  for  every  one.  It  was  remarked  that 
during  these  last  days  some  kind  expression  that 
might  well  serve  for  a  farewell  to  each  of  his  near 
friends,  was  uttered,  seemingly  by  accident.  In  truth 
such  kind  words,  sincere  as  they  were  kind,  might 
have  been  noted  on  any  other  week,  but  now  they 
were  not  forgotten.  On  Monday  he  wrote  a  letter 
of  condolence  to  a  neighbor,  Mr.  Wilcox,  whose  son 
had  died  in  the  war.  And  on  the  same  day  he  wrote 
a  note  to  his  aged  friend,  Miss  Whittlesey,  who  had 
been  his  friend  from  childhood.  In  the  lively  letters 
exchanged  between  him  and  early  companions,  sixty 
or  seventy  years  before,  the  name  of  this  lady,  a 
general  favorite  in  the  social  circle  to  which  both 
belonged,  is  frequently  mentioned.  Now  she  was 
ninety-one  years  old,  and  very  feeble  in  mind  and 
body.  Yet  she  was  able  to  appreciate  the  kindness 
that  dictated  this  letter. 


316  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

NEW  HAVEN,  November  21, 1864. 
Monday,  A.  M. 

To  Miss  Whittlesey,  — 

PEAK  FRIEND,  —  Longer  time  than  usual  having  elapsed 
since  our  last  call  upon  you,  Mrs.  Silliman  having  been 
confined  to  the  house  mainly  for  several  weeks  by  a  hard 
cold  and  cough,  and  myself  by  an  indisposition  for  a  week 
past,  I  am  not  willing  to  remain  longer  silent  without  con- 
veying a  few  words  of  kindness  to  my  good  old  friend. 

Our  last  direct  information  of  your  state  was  by  our  dear 

F ,  a  little  before  she  left  us  for  her  northern  home.    She 

reported  favorably  of  your  health  and  cheerfulness,  and  it  is 
always  pleasing  to  know  that  as  the  sun  of  life  approaches 
his  setting,  it  is  not  all  dark  along  the  edge  of  the  sky,  but 
that  a  heavenly  radiance  cheers  the  evening  twilight  of  life, 
and  gives  intimation  of  a  glorious  morning  to  follow.  Life 
is  almost  past  with  us  ;  my  work  is  mainly  done,  and  we 
have  little  more  to  do  than  to  wait  for  our  call.  Our  ground 
of  reliance  is  familiar  to  you  and  to  me,  and  I  pray  God 
that  we  may  be  able  to  make  the  happy  application.  The 
provision  made  by  our  blessed  Saviour  in  his  life  and  death, 
is  sufficient  for  all  our  spiritual  wants,  as  I  trust  we  shall 
experience  when  we  have  passed  through  the  dark  valley 
of  the  shadow  of  death.  I  enclose  a  little  consolatory 
pamphlet,  which  has  given  me  consolation  in  affliction.  It 
opens  a  bright  view  of  heaven,  —  imaginative  in  the  scene, 
but  real  in  the  fulfilment  of  hope. 

Affectionately,  your  sincere  friends, 

B.  and  S.  I.  SILLIMAN. 

The  tract  sent  with  this  letter  was  entitled  "  The 
Awakening,"  a  translation  from  the  German.  On 
Tuesday  he  felt  stronger,  and  made  several  calls  in 
Hillhouse  Avenue,  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  house. 
He  was  anxious  to  return  as  soon  as  possible  the  visits 
which  he  had  received  during  the  week  previous.  In 


HIS  SUDDEN  DEATH.  317 

the  afternoon,  and  on  Wednesday,  he  received  various 
friends  who  came  in  to  see  him,  and  evinced  much 
vivacity  in  conversation.  An  interview  with  Rev. 
Dr.  Fitch  he  especially  enjoyed.  "  I  showed  him," 
he  said,  "  that  anecdote  of  President  Lincoln  which 
I  pasted  into  my  Journal  last  night,  and  he  was 
affected  to  tears,  and  that  led  to  pleasant  conversation 
on  religious  subjects  ;  we  agree  entirely."  On  Wed- 
nesday evening,  a  respected  neighbor,  Mr.  Coit,  spent 
an  hour  with  him.  The  conversation  was  animated, 
relating  chiefly  to  what  both  had  seen  at  different 
times  in  Europe.  Early  on  Thursday  morning,  he 
awoke  after  a  sound  sleep.  He  was  disposed  to  con- 
versation, and  expressed  to  Mrs.  Silliman  his  sense 
of  the  great  blessings  he  had  received  in  life.  He 
then  prayed  audibly  for  the  country,  —  it  was  the 
day  of  National  Thanksgiving  appointed  by  the  Pres- 
ident, —  for  his  family,  and  especially  for  his  absent 
son.  He  repeated  the  Lord's  Prayer,  and  then  the 
hymns,  beginning 

"  Lord  in  the  morning  thou  shalt  hear," 
"  Trembling  before  thine  awful  throne." 

He  seemed  much  refreshed  by  sleep,  and  remarked 
that  his  voice  was  so  clear  that  he  could  have  more 
extended  services  in  family  worship  that  morning  than 
had  been  possible  of  late,  and  that  he  could  perhaps 
go  out  to  church.  He  then  expressed  to  his  nearest 
friend  the  gratitude  and  affection  he  felt  for  her  ;  and 
just  as  the  words  had  dropped  from  his  lips,  he  drew 
a  long  breath,  —  it  was  his  last.  Without  a  struggle, 
in  a  moment,  his  noble,  gentle  spirit  passed  from  its 
earthly  tenement.  Such  a  death  well  deserved  to 


318  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

be  called  a  euthanasia.  For  many  days  before,  it 
seemed  to  all  that  "  heaven  shone  about  him." 

The  disease  of  which  Professor  Silliman  died  was 
probably  an  affection  of  the  heart.  The  illness  from 
which  he  had  apparently  rallied,  so  that  his  family 
were  relieved  from  immediate  anxiety  respecting 
him,  was  considered  by  his  physician  to  be  a  mani- 
festation of  this  disease. 

The  funeral  of  Professor  Silliman  took  place  on 
the  28th  of  November.  After  a  brief  religious  ser- 
vice at  his  house,  his  body  was  carried  to  the  Centre 
Church,  where  for  several  hours  an  opportunity  was 
afforded  to  see  his  face  for  the  last  time.  It  was 
observed  that  the  look  of  remarkable  benevolence 
and  sweetness  which  his  features  had  worn  in  life 
did  not  fade  out  in  death.  The  public  services  were 
attended  by  a  large  concourse,  including  represent- 
atives of  a  number  of  literary  institutions.  Prayer 
was  offered  by  Rev.  Dr.  Bacon,  and  a  Commemora- 
tive Discourse  was  delivered  by  President  Woolsey. 


The  traits  of  Mr.  Silliman's  mind  and  heart  have 
been  so  fully  brought  to  light  in  the  foregoing  pages, 
that  on  this  topic  little  more  need  be  said.  It  is 
not  claimed  —  and  he  would  have  been  the  last  to 
claim  —  that  he  had  that  rare  insight  of  genius 
which  divines  the  secrets  of  Nature.  Yet  no  one 
could  have  done  the  work  that  he  did  without  the 
possession  of  more  than  ordinary  powers  of  mind. 
His  whole  turn  was  more  practical  than  speculative. 
His  perceptions  were  quick,  his  judgments  sound, 
and  all  his  mental  operations  were  marked  by  good 


IIIS  INTELLECTUAL  QUALITIES.  319 

sense.  To  a  vigorous  understanding  he  united  a 
power  of  application  which  made  him  through  life 
a  most  industrious  man.  These  qualities,  together 
with  his  rhetorical  talents,  and  the  winning  features 
of  character  and  manner  that  belonged  to  him,  well 
fitted  him  for  his  peculiar  work.  That  work  was  to 
collect  and  diffuse  scientific  truth.  His  vocation  was 
that  of  a  teacher.  Through  the  period  of  his  active 
service  he  was  awake  to  the  progress  of  discovery. 
In  a  letter  addressed  to  Professor  A.  M.  Fisher,  be- 
fore the  news  of  the  loss  of  the  Albion  had  reached  this 
country,  and  which  came  back  to  the  writer  from 
London,  he  says :  —  "I  will  thank  you,  when  you 
visit  the  lecture-rooms  and  scientific  establishments 
in  London,  Paris,  and  Edinburgh,  to  notice  witTh 
reference  to  me,  whatever  is  new  and  interesting, 
and  to  make  a  memorandum  of  it  at  the  time.  An 
insulated  lecturer  is  in  danger  of  growing  rusty  and 
falling  short  of  the  progress  of  improvement.  Should 
you  see  any  new  piece  of  chemical  apparatus,  which 
comes  within  the  means  in  your  hands,  I  wish  you 
would  secure  it."  In  this  spirit  he  managed  his 
department  of  instruction.  Nor  is  he  without  merit 
as  an  investigator,  although  his  distinction  does  not 
lie  here.  He  was  never  very  careful  to  claim  for 
himself  the  credit  of  scientific  discovery.  At  the 
same  time,  he  took  delight  in  doing  honor  to  the 
discoveries  of  others.  His  first  edition  of  "  Henry's 
Chemistry,"  appeared  in  1808,  with  the  modest  an- 
nouncement, — "  to  which  are  added  notes  by  a 
Professor  of  Chemistry  in  this  country."  As  soon 
as  Gay  Lussac's  method  of  obtaining  potassium  by 
the  decomposition  of  its  hydrate  by  heat  in  an  iron 


320  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

tube,  was  known  in  this  country,  Professor  Silliman 
repeated  the  process  with  success,  obtaining  potas- 
sium for  the  first  time,  it  is  believed,  in  America.* 
He  was  the  first  to  notice  and  record  the  effect  of 
a  powerful  voltaic  battery  in  volatilizing  carbon  and 
transferring  it  from  the  positive  to  the  negative  pole 
in  a  state  of  vapor.  His  paper  on  this  subject  is 
full  of  curious  interest,  and  was  a  long  way  in  ad- 
vance of  the  then  existing  state  of  knowledge.!  Pro- 
fessor Silliman  labored  zealously  with  the  oxy-hydro- 
gen  blow-pipe  of  Dr.  Hare,  to  determine  the  fusi- 
bility of  different  substances,  and  made  interesting 
discoveries  in  this  direction.  His  investigation  in 
reference  to  the  Weston  Meteor  has  already  been 
mentioned.  Such  labors  indicate  that  he  was  not 
indifferent  or  inactive  in  respect  to  the  progress  of 
the  sciences  which  he  taught.  But  his  fame  rests 
upon  his  work  as  a  pioneer,  opening  the  way  in  this 
country  for  new  branches  of  science,  and  securing 
for  them  countenance  and  respect,  and  as  a  teacher 
who  inculcated  scientific  truth  in  a  way  to  interest, 
in  an  almost  unexampled  degree,  his  auditors.  His 
enthusiasm  kindled  the  enthusiasm  of  others. 

"  As  a  lecturer,"  says  President  Woolsey,  "  he  was  al- 
most unsurpassed.  Without  a  severe  logical  method,  he 
threw  so  much  zeal  into  his  discourse,  expressed  himself 
with  such  an  attractive  rhetoric,  and  supported  his  doc- 
trine by  experiments  of  such  almost  unfailing  beauty  and 
success,  that  all  audiences  delighted  to  hear  him  ;  so  that 
for  years  no  lecturer  so  attractive  could  address  an  assem- 
bly, whether  gathered  within  the  walls  of  a  college  or  from 

*  This  was  in  1808.     See  a  note  in  his  Chemistry,  Vol.  I.  p.  246. 
t  See  Prof.  Silliman's  Letter  to  Dr.  Hare,  Silliman's  Journal,  [I.]  V. 
108,  (1822.) 


HIS  MERITS  AS  A  LECTURER.  321 

the  people  of  crowded  cities.  In  his  own  lecture-room 
the  students  felt  the  genial  sway  of  his  oratory.  No  other 
such  instructions  were  given,  uniting  at  once  pleasure  and 
improvement.  Hence  for  many  years  the  study  of  chem- 
istry was,  perhaps,  the  most  popular  one  in  the  institu- 
tion. In  the  latter  years  of  his  professional  life  the  science 
of  geology  seemed  to  take  the  largest  share  of  his  interest. 
And,  here,  the  grandeur  of  the  subject-matter  seemed 
especially  fitted  to  kindle  and  exalt  his  fervor.  The  mighty 
agencies  that  have  moulded  the  earth  over  and  over,  as 
clay  is  moulded  in  the  hands  of  the  potter,  the  immense 
ages  which  almost  appall  the  imagination,  this  vast  frame- 
work of  the  earth,  the  theatre  of  such  sublime  displays, 
and  over  all,  before  the  eye  of  faith,  the  Divine  Architect 
carrying  the  great  building  forward,  until  it  had  become 
a  fit  dwelling-place  for  his  immortal  creature,  man,  — 
these  grand  objects  inspired  him,  and  he  threw  the  inspi- 
ration into  his  audiences,  wherever  they  were  gathered."  * 

Professor  Silliman's  lectures  in  the  class-room 
must  have  been  more  effective  than  academical  lect- 
ures on  science  in  this  country  had  been  before  his 
time.  A  graduate  of  Harvard  College,  whose  pro- 
ductions have  enriched  the  literature  of  the  country, 
writes  :  —  "  My  liveliest  recollections  of  him  are,  I 
think,  as  a  lecturer  at  New  Haven  in  the  autumn 
of  1814.  He  showed  then  a  vigor,  a  spirit,  and  a 
freshness  of  manner  to  which  I  had  not  been  accus- 
tomed, and  which  I  think  I  have  seldom  seen  equalled 
since.  His  audience,  too,  which  consisted,  if  I  right- 
ly remember,  of  medical  students  as  well  as  under- 
graduates, seemed  to  have  been,  as  it  were,  trained 
by  him  to  profit  by  his  teachings;  many  of  them 
.taking  notes,  and  showing  their  interest  in  other 

*  Funeral  Discourse,  pp.  8,  9. 

VOL.  II.  21 


322  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   SILLIMAN. 

ways  to  which  I  had  not  then  been  accustomed  in 
the  lecture-rooms  of  our  Professors."  *  His  lectures, 
as  well  as  the  experiments  that  illustrated  them, 
were  prepared  with  much  care.  He  was  never  con- 
tent with  merely  repeating  what  he  had  said  and 
done  in  a  previous  year.  Each  season,  in  connec- 
tion with  the  delivery  of  his  lectures,  he  took  care 
to  read  in  private  some  new  work  upon  the  science 
which  he  was  teaching,  in  order  to  refresh  his  mind 
and  assist  him  to  present  the  subject  in  new  lights. 
The  brilliant  success  of  his  popular  lectures  is  abun- 
dantly attested.  The  following  letter  is  from  a  gen- 
tleman whose  personal  excellence  and  scientific  at- 
tainments give  weight  to  his  testimony  :  — 

PROFESSOR   JEFFRIES    WYMAN    TO    G.    P.    FISHER. 

CAMBRIDGE,  October  20, 1865. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  I  gladly  comply  with  your  wish  to  offer 
a  few  words  with  regard  to  Professor  Silliman  as  a  public 
teacher.  My  acquaintance  with  him  as  such  was  in  con- 
nection with  the  Lowell  Institute,  of  which  I  happened  to 
be  curator  at  the  time  he  lectured.  It  must  be  remem- 
bered that  with  this  institution  began  a  new  era  in  popular 
education  in  this  community.  Through  the  munificence  of 
its  founder,  Mr.  John  Lowell,  it  was  able  to  place  within 
the  reach  of  all  classes  instruction  in  the  physical  sciences, 
in  natural  history,  natural  and  revealed  religion,  and  gen- 
eral literature,  and  this  from  the  ablest  teachers,  and  gra- 
tuitously. 

AVith  the  exception  of  an  inaugural  address  from  the 
lion.  Kdward  Everett,  Professor  Silliman  was  the  first 
who  came  before  an  audience  under  its  auspices.  Feeling 
that,  among  institutions  with  kindred  objects,  it  had  unprer 

»  From  a  letter  of  Prof.  George  Ticknor  to  G.  P.  Fisher,  Sept.  5,  1865. 


HIS  MERITS  AS  A  LECTURER.  323 

cedented  opportunities  for  doing  good,  he  often  referred  to 
the  great  responsibility  which,  under  the  circumstances, 
rested  upon  him,  and  of  the  vast  importance  it  was  that  at 
the  outset  the  standard  of  lectures  should  be  made  as  high 
as  possible.  He  was  unwearied  in  his  endeavors  to  meet 
the  occasion  suitably.  Those  who  listened  to  him,  and 
saw  everything  pass  off  so  easily,  —  every  experiment  in 
its  place,  and  almost  invariably  a  success,  —  knew  nothing 
of  the  thought  and  labor  which  preceded  in  the  prepara- 
tions. After  a  quarter  of  a  century,  he  spoke  to  me  of  the 
anxiety  which  these  duties  had  cost  him. 

His  lectures  on  chemistry  and  geology  were  given  in  the 
Odeon,  the  largest  building  in  Boston  devoted  to  such  pur- 
poses, and  capable  of  holding  about  fifteen  hundred  per- 
sons, and  on  his  evenings  every  seat  was  pretty  sure  to  be 
filled.  Such  audiences  to  popular  lectures  on  scientific 
subjects  were,  it  is  believed,  until  then,  wholly  unknown. 
They  certainly  excited  the  wonder  and  astonishment  of 
foreign  and  scientific  men  who  came  amongst  us.  His 
gifts  as  a  teacher  were  of  such  marked  excellence  that  it  is 
not  easy  to  do  justice  to  them.  There  was  a  charm  in  his 
cordial  manner  and  genial  temperament  which  attracted 
all,  and  a  sympathy  at  once  grew  up  between  himself  and 
his  audience.  As  he  entered  the  room,  they  were  assured 
by  the  dignity  of  his  presence  and  the  earnestness  of  his 
manner  that  his  heart  was  in  the  work.  The  best  evidence 
of  his  power  is  to  be  found  in  the  fact  that  he  was  able  to 
hold  the  attention  of  so  large  a  number  for  two  consecu- 
tive hours,  with  only  a  short  recess,  notwithstanding  it  had 
become  the  established  usage  in  the  community  that  a  lect- 
urer was  expected  not  to  exceed  a  single  hour.  The  feel- 
ing manifested  toward  him  was  that  of  reverence.  The 
refined  and  educated  classes  were  always  largely  repre- 
sented at  his  lectures ;  and  there  are  not  a  few  who  can 
fairly  trace  to  the  inspiration  of  these  the  beginning  of  a 
scientific  career.  It  may  be  fairly  claimed  that  no  one  in 


324  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

this  country  has  done  more  than  he,  through  his  popular 
lectures,  no  less  than  his  academic  courses,  to  create  and 
foster  a  love  for  geology  and  the  physical  sciences.  Sir 
Charles  Lyell,  in  his  second  visit  to  the  United  States,  says, 
that  everywhere,  even  in  States  most  remote  from  New 
England,  he  met  with  those  who,  having  listened  to  his 
lectures,  had  invariably  imbibed  a  love  for  the  subjects  he 
taught.  The  progress  due  to  his  beneficent  influence  can- 
not be  easily  estimated.  The  influence  he  exerted,  the 
progress  he  stimulated,  were  the  work  of  his  life,  —  a  great 
boon  to  science. 

But,  however  highly  we  may  esteem  him  as  a  teacher 
and  a  man  of  science,  there  were  traits  of  character  which 
always  as  deeply  impressed  those  who  came  in  contact 
with  him,  but  of  which  it  would  hardly  become  me  to 
speak.  His  benevolence  wa*s  apparent  to  all.  To  benefit 
another  was  the  natural  impulse  of  his  heart.  It  was  easy 
to  see  that  mechanics  and  all  others  —  and  there  were 
many  who  in  one  way  or  another  helped  in  the  preparation 
of  his  lectures  —  became  devoted  to  him  at  once,  never 
failed  to  receive  words  of  encouragement  from  him,  and 
never  parted  from  him  but  with  profound  respect.  I  welt 
remember  a  little  boy  who  was  one  of  his  assistants,  whose 
surroundings  had  been  the  most  unpromising  for  anything 
good.  Professor  Silliman  took  a  deep  interest  in  him  at 
sight,  and,  as  long  as  they  were  together,  seemed  to  have 
for  him  almost  the  solicitude  of  a  father,  in  doing  what  he 
could  for  his  improvement  in  mind  and  character.  But 
this  was  only  one  of  a  thousand  incidents  of  a  similar  nature 
scattered  through  a  long  life. 

It  was  my  happiness  to  spend  a  short  time  with  him, 
within  a  year  of  his  death.  It  was  truly  a  privilege  to 
see  him,  in  the  evening  of  his  days,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  a 
life  so  full  of  goodness.  As  he  walked  through  the  avenue 
near  his  house,  there  was  the  friendly  greeting  to  and  from 
all.  Hardly  a  child  passed  who  did  not  do  him  reverence, 


HIS  MERITS  AS  A  LECTURER.  325 

and  receive  a  kind  word  in  return.  The  best  impulses  of 
the  heart  which  marked  him  through  life  were  still  fresh, 
and  all  was  peace. 

Apart  from  the  useful  instruction  that  was  im- 
parted in  these  lectures,  not  only  to  educated  peo- 
ple, but  also  to  intelligent  mechanics,  who  heard 
them,  they  stimulated  individuals  to  the  study  of 
science,  who  afterwards  themselves  became  pro- 
ficients in  the  same  branches  of  knowledge.  Prof. 
Josiah  P.  Cooke,  of  Harvard  College,  concluded  his 
course  of  lectures  before  the  Lowell  Institute,  in 
1859,  with  these  remarks  :  — 

I  should  be  suppressing  a  generous  emotion,  were  I  not, 
in  concluding,  to  allude  to  the  very  peculiar  circumstances 
under  which  I  have  filled  this  place.  With  one  exception, 
the  only  course  of  lectures  on  chemistry  before  this  Insti- 
tution, previous  to  the  one  just  concluded,  were  delivered 
by  Professor  Silliman,  of  New  Haven,  in  the  years 
1839-43.  At  those  lectures  I  was  an  attentive  listener. 
Although  a  mere  boy,  —  one  of  the  youngest  of  those 
present,  —  I  then  acquired  my  taste  for  the  science  which 
has  since  become  the  business  of  my  life.  Returning,  after 
so  short  an  interval,  to  occupy  the  place  of  him  who  was 
thus  unconsciously  my  instructor,  —  I  might  add,  my  only 
instructor  in  chemistry,  —  I  know  of  no  way  in  which  I  can 
pay  a  higher  tribute  to  his  worth,  or  to  the  usefulness  of 
this  noble  charity,  of  which  he  was  only  the  almoner,  than 
by  a  simple  statement  of  these  facts.  If,  in  future  years, 
students  of  Nature  shall  arise,  who  can  trace  back  their 
earliest  essays  in  science  to  any  humble  influence  of  mine, 
I  shall  feel  that  my  labor  has  been  more  than  rewarded, 
and  that  my  efforts  have  been  crowned  with  success. 

The  habit  of  addressing  popular  audiences  had  an 


326  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

influence  upon  his  method  and  style  as  a  lecturer  in 
College.  He  indulged  in  more  digression  than  had 
been  his  custom  in  earlier  days.  He  took  delight  in 
alluding  to  his  friends  and  scientific  contemporaries, 
and  in  interweaving  observations  and  anecdotes  not 
strictly  belonging  to  the  topic  under  discussion.  He 
was  aware  of  this  peculiarity,  and  in  the  book  in 
which  he  recorded  the  briefs  of  his  lectures,  which 
was  kept  in  his  laboratory,  he  repeatedly,  at  the 
termination  of  his  courses,  censures  himself  in  this 
particular  and  writes  down  a  caution  for  his  own 
benefit  in  the  future.  Thus  in  his  comments  upon 
the  chemical  course  of  1843-4,  he  says  :  —  "  Digres- 
sions and  extraneous  remarks  —  less  frequent  and 
extended  than  heretofore,  but  there  is  room  for  more 
compression  and  suppression."  If  this  habit  detracted 
from  the  scientific  value  of  his  lectures,  it  probably 
caused  them  to  be  heard  with  increased  interest  by 
the  most  of  his  pupils. 

The  practical  utility  of  science  was  always  kept  in 
view  by  Professor  Silliman.  He  looked  upon  scien- 
tific truth  as  a  means  of  promoting  human  comfort 
and  happiness.*  Hence  he  desired  to  carry  his  knowl- 
edge to  those  who  were  engaged  in  manual  labor. 
Reference  has  been  made  on  a  previous  page  to  his 
cooperation  with  Mr.  Brewster  in  efforts  for  the  in- 
struction of  the  working  men  of  New  Haven.  This 
gentleman  remarks  :  *  —  "  Professor  Silliman  ever 
evinced  a  deep  feeling  of  interest  in  the  moral  and 
intellectual  improvement  of  the  mass  of  the  people. 
Prompted  by  his  encouragement,  I  erected  Franklin 
Hall  for  the  purpose  of  providing  instruction  in  the 

*  In  a  letter  to  Professor  Daiia,  dated  November  26, 1864. 


HIS   SERVICES  TO  SCIENCE.  327 


elements  cT  mechanical  science  to  those  who  could 
not  attend  lectures  in  the  day-time.  He  assisted  me 
in  obtaining  the  means  to  illustrate  the  experiments 
to  be  made,  and  introduced  me  to  his  Assistant  in 
Yale  College,  Mr.  Charles  U.  Shepard,  who  assumed 
the  position  of  curator  of  Franklin  Hall.  Professor 
Silliman  and  Professor  Olmsted  gave  courses  of 
lectures  to  the  people  of  this  city.  The  beneficial 
effects  were  manifest  by  the  erection  of  steam-engines, 
and  the  perfecting  of  machinery,  greatly  aiding  in 
the  development  of  mechanical  skill  in  its  application 
to  the  useful  arts.  These  benefits  have  long  been 
manifest  in  all  departments  of  business.  This  was 
the  first  time,  I  believe,  that  College  Professors  had 
gone  out  to  lecture  to  the  people  upon  natural  and 
mechanical  science." 

One  who  does  the  work  which  Professor  Silliman 
did  for  the  cause  of  science,  is,  perhaps,  liable  to 
receive  less  than  justice  from  those  who  come  after 
him.  The  branches  of  knowledge  which  he  has  cul- 
tivated attain  to  so  high  a  grade  of  progress  that  the 
period  of  his  activity  is  looked  upon  as  a  day  of 
small  things.  Mistakes  and  deficiencies,  inevitable 
in  the  infancy  of  a  science  and  specially  natural  to 
one  who  is  performing  the  work  of  a  pioneer,  are 
liable  to  be  magnified  beyond  their  just  importance. 
But  liberal  and  thoughtful  minds  will  not  be  betrayed 
into  the  error  of  undervaluing  the  arduous  work 
which  paves  the  way  for  a  long  era  of  progress  ;  nor 
will  such  minds  be  inclined  to  carp  at  the  labors  of 
men  to  whom  they  owe  so  large  a  debt.  When  the 
duration  of  Professor  Silliman's  career  and  the  varied 
channels  in  which  his  scientific  exertions  were  directed, 


328  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

are  taken  into  account,  the  sum  of  his  influence  will 
be  seen  to  have  been  vast.  "  Among  the  pupils  of 
half  a  century,"  says  Professor  Caswell,  "  how  many 
have  caught  the  enthusiasm  of  the  master,  and  given 
their  energies  to  science,  and  placed  their  names  high 
on  the  list  of  its  honored  cultivators!  How  many 
hundreds  and  thousands  of  those  who  in  different 
cities  have  listened  to  his  eloquent  lectures,  have 
learned  to  appreciate  science,  and  gather  refined 
pleasure  from  its  culture,  and  give  to  it  their  hearty 
patronage  !  How  regularly  and  how  widely  has  his 
Journal  carried  to  the  reading  public  intelligence  of 
the  latest  discoveries,  and  the  best  practical  applica- 
tions of  science  !  Considering  all  this,  who  shall  say 
that  his  efficient  influence  has  not  been  felt  in  every 
institution  of  learning,  in  every  profession,  nay,  in 
every  workshop,  and  every  cultivated  field,  in  this 
broad  land  of  ours !  "  * 

The  usefulness  of  Professor  Silliman,  as  a  scien- 
tific man,  is  properly  set  forth  in  the  following  letter 
from  a  gentleman,  than  whom  no  other  is  better 
entitled  to  represent  the  science  of  the  country. 

PROFESSOR   JOSEPH    HENRY   TO    G.    P.    KISIIKR. 

SMITHS!  >M  AN    I NSTITUTE, 

ber  Ki,  18li5. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  Your  letter  requesting  me  to  give  my 
impressions  of  the  life  and  services  of  Professor  Silliman, 
and  of  the  effect  of  his  labors  on  the  progress  of  knowl- 
edge in  our  country,  with  reminiscences  of  a  personal 
character,  was  received  at  this  Institution  during  my  ab- 
sence, and  I  now  embrace  the  first  opportunity  since  my 
return  to  comply  with  your  request.  I  have,  however,  to 

*  From  a  Memoir  of  1'n.frssor  Silliman,  read  before  the  National  Academy 
of  Science,  January  25, 1866. 


HIS  SERVICES  TO  SCIENCE.  329 

regret,  that  neither  my  time  nor  power  of  expression  will 
enable  me  to  do  justice  to  the  subject.  I  hope,  never- 
theless, that  my  communication,  such  as  it  is,  may  not  be 
too  late  for  the  object  intended,  for  I  should  be  sorry  to 
lose  this  opportunity  of  bearing  testimony  to  my  high  ap- 
preciation of  the  character  of  our  lamented  friend. 

I  must  leave  to  others  to  give  an  account  of  the  details 
and  features  of  his  every-day  life ;  for,  although  I  flatter 
myself  that  I  shared  his  friendship,  and  know  that  on  dif- 
ferent occasions,  and  in  various  ways,  I  experienced  his 
kindness,  yet  my  personal  intercourse  with  him  was  casual, 
and  only  at  considerable  intervals  of  time.  My  first 
knowledge  of  Professor  Silliman,  beyond  the  occasional 
hearing  of  his  name,  was  derived  from  reading  his  "  Trav- 
els in  England  and  Holland."  The  manner  in  which  he 
described  what  he  saw  and  experienced  in  his  visit  to 
Europe,  at  a  time  when  visitors  from  the  New  World  to  the 
Old  were  far  less  numerous  than  they  are  now,  and  the 
candor  and  kind  feeling  which  he  manifested,  awakened  in 
me,  at  a  time  of  life  when  I  was  most  susceptible  of  im- 
pressions, a  warm  sympathy  with  the  traveller,  which  ren- 
dered him  an  object  of  special  interest,  and  was  destined 
in  time  to  be  developed  into  friendship  and  admiration  by 
a  more  intimate  acquaintance  with  his  character. 

I  carefully  traced  his  route  on  the  map,  and  gave  such 
attention  to  his  statements,  that  many  of  the  scenes  which 
he  described,  and  the  incidents  which  he  related,  still  re- 
main on  my  memory,  without  a  renewal  of  the  impression, 
after  the  lapse  of  many  years.  This  book  was  very  pop- 
ular with  all  classes  of  readers  in  this  country ;  the  copy 
which  I  read  was  met  with  by  me  in  an  ordinary  farm- 
house in  a  neighborhood  in  which  I  was  teaching  a  district 
school,  and  gave  evidence,  in  its  worn  condition,  of  having 
been  frequently  perused.  From  the  candor  of  its  state 
ments,  and  the  spirit  which  it  evinced,  this  work  tended 
much  to  soften  the  asperities  of  feeling  which  existed  at 


330  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

the  time  of  its  publication  between  England  and  the 
United  States.  His  "  Travels  in  Canada "  was  also  pe- 
rused with  like  interest ;  and,  from  its  first  appearance  till 
the  present  time,  I  have  been  a  constant  reader  of  the 
"  American  Journal  of  Science,"  and  from  each  succeeding 
number  have  derived  instruction  and  pleasure. 

The  first  time  I  saw  Professor  Silliman  was  on  the  occa- 
sion of  a  visit  to  New  Haven  in  1830.  I  need  scarcely  say 
that  although  I  had  formed  an  exalted  opinion  of  his  char- 
acter, he  more  than  realized,  in  personal  appearance,  in  gen- 
eral bearing,  and  in  fascination  of  manner,  the  high  ideal 
which  I  had  conceived  of  him.  He  exercised,  at  that  time, 
a  wide  and  commanding  influence  on  the  science  of  the 
country,  —  gave  dignity  to  its  pursuit,  was  the  eloquent  ex- 
pounder of  its  principles,  the  able  advocate  of  its  impor- 
tance, and  its  defender  against  the  denunciation  of  zealous, 
though  narrow-minded  theologians  ;  and  that  too  with  an 
humble  and  devout  acceptance  of  the  essential  truths  of 
Revelation.  The  highest  generalizations  of  science,  though 
of  inestimable  value  in  the  way  of  the  classification,  the 
prediction,  and  in  some  cases  of  the  control  of  the  opera- 
tions of  Nature,  are  yet  but  approximations  to  truth,  pro- 
visionally adopted,  and  continually  subject  to  modification 
and  restatement  with  the  progress  of  discovery,  and  the 
ever-widening  horizon  of  knowledge  ;  while  the  proposi- 
tions of  Revelation,  although  so  plain  in  their  moral  bear- 
ing, that  the  "  wayfaring  man,  though  a  fool,  need  not 
err,"  in  their  scientific  aspect  require,  for  elucidation  and 
proper  interpretation,  the  most  profound  learning  of  the 
past,  and  all  the  lights  which  the  present  and  the  future 
can  afford.  In  such  a  condition  of  affairs,  surely  humility 
and  tolerance  are  both  required  in  order  to  a  harmonious 
cooperation  of  religion  and  science  in  the  great  work,  of 
human  improvement. 

Ho  was  the  first  to  introduce  in  this  country  public  lec- 
tures illustrated  by  experiments  on  a  scale  of  magnitude, 


HIS  SERVICES  TO  SCIENCE.  331 

and  of  a  character  to  interest  a  popular  audience ;  and  his 
success  in  this  enterprise  was  such  as  to  give  an  impulse 
not  yet  exhausted  to  a  means  of  adult  instruction  which, 
though  it  has  been  abused,  is  well  calculated  under  proper 
regulations  to  effect  much  social  and  personal  good.  As  a 
popular  lecturer  he  was,  at  the  time  of  which  I  speak,  one 
of  the  best  I  have  ever  heard.  To  the  advantages  of  a 
commanding  figure,  a  pleasing  and  expressive  countenance, 
of  ready  elocution  and  correct  literary  taste,  he  added  great 
skill  in  experimental  manipulation  and  ingenuity  in  pre- 
senting and  illustrating  the  prominent  truths  of  .geology 
and  chemistry,  and  never  failed  to  enchain  the  attention  of 
his  hearers,  and  to  awaken  in  their  minds  emotions  not  only 
of  intellectual  pleasure,  but  also  of  moral  enjoyment.  I  can 
say,  at  least,  most  emphatically,  that  such  was  the  impres- 
sion produced  upon  myself  by  the  lectures  which  I  heard  him 
deliver  to  the  Mercantile  Library  Association  of  New  York. 
In  these  lectures  he  evidently  shared  with  his  audience  the 
pleasure  of  the  occasion  ;  he  was  not  only  full  of  his  sub- 
ject, but  manifestly  delighted  in  its  exposition  and  illustra- 
tion. Another  trait  of  his  character  displayed,  was  the 
enthusiasm  with  which  he  dwelt  upon  the  scientific  labors 
of  his  own  countrymen,  the  desire  he  exhibited  to  place, 
in  a  favorable  light,  what  they  had  accomplished  under  the 
difficulties  and  discouragements  incidental  to  a  new  coun- 
try ;  and  to  claim  for  them  the  sympathy,  encouragement, 
and  the  support  of  his  audience. 

The  establishment  and  maintenance  of  the  "  American 
Journal  of  Science,"  under  restricted  pecuniary  means,  was 
an  enterprise  which  involved  an  amount  of  thought  and  of 
labor  for  the  expenditure  of  which  he  has  well  merited  the 
gratitude  not  only  of  his  own  countrymen,  but  of  the  world. 
It  has  served  not  only  to  awaken  a  taste  for  science  in  this 
country  by  keeping  its  readers  continually  informed  of  the 
discoveries  in  science  wherever  it  is  cultivated  ;  but  above 
all,  it  has  called  into  the  field  of  original  observation  and 


332  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

research  a  corps  of  efficient  laborers,  and  has  furnished  a 
ready  means  of  presenting  the  results  of  their  labors  to  the 
world,  through  a  medium  well  suited  to  insure  attention, 
and  to  secure  proper  acknowledgment  for  originality  and 
priority.  Nor  are  the  results  which  have  been  thus  evoked 
few  or  unimportant,  since  many  of  them  relate  to  the  ob- 
jects and  phenomena  of  a  vast  continent  almost  entirely 
unexplored,  in  which  Nature  has  exhibited  some  of  her 
operations  on  a  scale  of  grandeur  well  calculated  to  correct 
the  immature  deductions  from  too  limited  a  survey  of  similar 
appearances  in  the  Old  World.  For  conducting  such  a  jour- 
nal. Professor  Silliman  was  admirably  well  qualified.  He  oc- 
cupied a  conspicuous  position  in  one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
respectable  institutions  of  learning  in  this  country ;  he  was 
intimately  acquainted  with  the  literature  of  science  ;  was  a 
fluent,  clear,  and  impressive  writer,  an  accurate  critic,  and 
above  all,  a  sage  and  impartial  judge.  It  is  almost  impos- 
sible, without  actual  experience,  to  form  an  adequate  idea 
of  the  amount  of  labor  and  absorption  of  thought  required 
to  properly  conduct  a  journal  of  this  character.  It  is  es- 
sential to  its  success  that  it  should  appear,  without  fail,  on 
the  day  fixed  for  its  publication,  and  in  order  to  this,  that  a 
supply  of  suitable  matter  must  be  always  in  preparation  in 
advance.  On  this  account  the  permanent  collaborators  must 
be  continually  urged  to  punctuality  in  completing  their 
allotted  tasks,  and  every  tendency  to  procrastination  in  all 
connected  with  the  enterprise  persistently  counteracted. 
The  proof-sheets  must  be  critically  read,  and  the  accounts 
of  the  paper-maker,  the  printer,  and  the  binder,  carefully 
audited.  Though  some  of  these  details  may  be  delegated 
to  others,  yet,  unless  the  proprietor  himself  keeps  a  watch- 
ful eye  on  the  whole,  he  may  soon  find  himself  involved  in 
difficulties  of  a  very  disagreeable  nature.  But  this  is  not 
all ;  nearly  every  article  presented  for  publication  calls  for 
a  correspondence  between  the  editor  and  the  author ;  it 
frequently  happens  that  certain  points  need  further  eluci- 


HIS  SERVICES  TO  SCIENCE.  333 

dation,  errors  demand  correction,  and  in  many  cases  state- 
ments and  opinions,  especially  those  which  might  lead  to 
controversy,  require  modification.  The  editor  is  also  re- 
sponsible for  the  scientific  character  of  the  articles  admit- 
ted, and  the  selection  of  these  is  frequently,  not  only  a 
matter  of  delicacy,  but  also  of  difficulty,  lest  the  self-esteem 
of  a  sensitive  author  be  too  deeply  wounded,  or  the  first 
effort  of  a  youthful  aspirant  to  scientific  reputation  too 
rudely  repressed.  In  reply  to  some  remarks  on  an  article 
of  less  scientific  merit  than  the  general  standard  of  the 
Journal,  Professor  Silliman  once  said  to  me,  —  "  Could  you 
see  what  I  reject,  and  the  amount  of  correspondence  which 
such  rejection  involves,  you  would  not  be  surprised  that  I 
should  occasionally  suffer  an  article  to  appear  not  strictly 
in  accordance  with  my  own  views.  I  try,  however,"  con- 
tinued he,  "  to  express  disagreeable  truths  in  language  as 
little  offensive  as  possible  ;  to  encourage  beginners,  and  to 
elicit  observations  of  natural  phenomena  even  from  those 
who  make  no  pretensions  to  science."  This  was  a  judicious 
course,  since  thousands  of  valuable  facts,  palpable  to  every 
one,  present  themselves  in  the  field  and  in  the  workshop, 
and  are  suffered  to  pass  away  for  want  of  a  proper  record 
which  might  serve  to  fix  them  as  elements  of  future  gener- 
alizations. Though  it  has  been  the  aim  of  the  editor  of  the 
"  American  Journal,"  to  thus  gather  up  and  preserve  the 
minutest  materials  of  scientific  knowledge,  yet  the  work 
has  always  maintained  that  dignity  of  character  which  be- 
comes its  important  mission,  and  that  strict  impartiality 
which  alone  is  compatible  with  the  advance  of  truth. 

Through  his  instruction  of  a  large  class  of  admiring 
pupils,  collected  from  almost  all  parts  of  this  continent ; 
through  his  hospitable  attention  as  a  citizen  of  New  Haven 
to  the  many  visitors  of  that  beautiful  city ;  through  his 
public  lectures,  and  by  means  of  the  Journal,  Professor 
Silliman  became  more  widely  known,  and  more  highly 
appreciated,  than  any  other  man  of  science  in  this  country ; 


334  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

and  his  influence,  which  was  fully  commensurate  with  his 
reputation,  was  freely  given  to  whatever  tended  to  im- 
prove humanity  and  to  promote  religion.  He  was  without 
ostentation,  and  his  actual  acquirements  as  well  as  his  self- 
respect  left  no  room  for  pretensions  to  universal  knowl- 
edge. He  affected  none  which  had  not  fallen  within  the 
scope  of  his  mature  and  proper  studies.  Hence  he  was  ever 
ready  to  receive  information  from  any  source  which  could 
supply  it;  while  he  never  failed  to  gratify  the  teacher, 
whoever  he  might  be,  by  the  deportment  of  an  attentive 
and  interested  listener. 

His  labors  as  a  teacher  and  an  editor  were  too  absorb- 
ing to  allow  him  to  devote  much  time  to  original  research ; 
what  he  did,  however,  in  this  line,  gave  indications  that 
more  important  results  would  have  followed  had  his  ener- 
gies not  been  applied  in  the  way  in  which  the  more  imme- 
diate and  more  urgent  wants  of  his  country  had  directed 
them. 

It  frequently  happens,  and  perhaps  too  in  accordance 
with  a  general  tendency,  that  the  professed  teacher  falls 
behind  the  actual  state  of  the  science  of  his  day  ;  while  on 
the  other  hand  the  visionary  speculator  attempts  vain  ex- 
cursions into  the  future,  and  by  projects  which  are  at  the 
time  premature,  if  not  entirely  chimerical,  only  injures  the 
cause  he  has  unadvisedly  assayed  to  advance.  Professor 
Silliman  fell  into  neither  of  these  errors,  but  was  emphati- 
cally the  man  of  his  time,  acting  in  accordance  with  its 
spirit  and  laboring  so  to  direct  its  energies  and  to  control 
its  tendencies  as  to  render  the  world  wiser  and  better.  His 
whole  career  was  prosperous  in  a  remarkable  degree.  The 
part  he  was  called  to  act  in  the  drama  of  life  was  well 
adapted  to  his  mental  and  moral  peculiarities,  —  was  well 
timed  as  to  the  scientific  condition  of  his  country  and  ad- 
mirably well  performed.  Though  professionally  occupied 
with  the  consideration  of  material  phenomena  he  was 
thoroughly  imbued  with  the  subordination  of  these  to  the 


HIS  SERVICES  TO  YALE  COLLEGE.  335 

spiritual  essence  of  our  nature,  and  though  industriously 
devoted  to  the  duties  of  life,  his  views  and  aspirations  were 
not  confined  to  this  sphere  of  existence,  but  extending 
beyond  time,  constantly  mingled  with  the  events  of  the 
present  the  condition  of  the  future  through  the  hope  and 
faith  of  an  humble  Christian. 

The  services  rendered  by  Professor  Silliman  as 
an  officer  of  Yale  College,  independently  of  the  di- 
rect benefit  of  his  instructions,  were  of  the  highest 
importance.  His  name  and  fame  attracted  students. 
His  influence  secured  benefactions. 

"  His  personal  presence,"  says  President  Woolsey,  "  his 
great  popularity,  his  fine  powers  of  persuasion,  caused  him 
to  be  put  forward  whenever  there  were  wants  to  be  urged 
before  the  legislature  or  before  private  friends,  whenever 
strangers  of  distinction  were  to  be  honored,  whenever  on 
academic  festivals  responses  were  due  from  the  authorities 
of  the  Institution.  There  were,  I  believe,  in  the  universities 
of  the  Middle  Ages  orators  annually  appointed  who  repre- 
sented their  communities  on  public  occasions.  He,  in  his 
prime,  was  our  standing  orator,  the  principal  medium  be- 
tween those  who  dwelt  in  the  academic  shade  and  the  great 
public. 

"  A  very  important  duty  of  Professor  Silliman  grew  out 
of  his  function  as  a  member  of  the  College  Faculty.  For 
more  than  fifty  years  he  sat  and  voted  in  that  Faculty,  aided 
in  discipline  as  well  as  instruction,  and  being  the  senior 
Professor,  had  a  prominent  place  in  all  Faculty  measures. 
Dr.  Dwight,  without  doubt,  would  not  have  selected  him 
for  the  new  professorship,  unless  his  clear  eye  had  discov- 
ered in  him  the  power  of  governing  and  controlling  ;  and 
his  career  as  a  tutor  must  have  been  satisfactory.  When 
he  took  the  Professor's  chair,  no  especial  part  of  the  College 
discipline  fell  on  him ;  he  had  no  care  of  a  division,  and 


336  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

hence  had  less  direct  and  intimate  contact  with  the  students 
than  most  of  the  other  officers  exercised.  It  was  natural, 
therefore,  that  he  should  think  less  of  rules  than  those  whose 
business  it  is  to  enforce  them.  But  his  influence  was  all 
exerted  in  favor  of  discipline  and  order,  and  especially  where 
insubordination  and  combination  to  resist  law  was  rife,  —  as 
happened  more  than  once  between  thirty  and  forty  years 
ago,  —  he  was  a  tower  of  strength  to  the  government.  His 
influence  again,  as  a  man,  upon  those  students  whom  he 
knew,  or  who  were  committed  to  his  special  care,  was  often 
exceedingly  happy.  It  is  but  a  few  months  ago  that  a  gen- 
tleman of  high  standing  in  one  of  our  large  cities  told  me 
how  Professor  Silliman  had  saved  him  from  waywardness 
and  disgrace,  and  how  an  attachment  was  thus  begun  which 
had  never  been  weakened.  Many  such  ties  were  estab- 
lished with  young  persons  who  are  now  prominent  men  in 
various  parts  of  this  land,  and  who,  when  they  get  the  news 
of  his  death,  will  feel  that  a  guide  and  a  true  friend  has 
passed  away." 

The  conscientious  and  religious  spirit  which  guided 
him  in  his  official  work  may  be  seen  in  the  annexed 
memorandum,  written  on  one  of  his  birthdays  nearly 
forty  years  ago.  It  was  during  a  period  which  was 
unusually  marked  by  disturbances  in  College. 

Sabbath  Morning,  August  8, 1830. — Among  the 

painful  things  of  the  year,  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  is 
the  secession  of  nearly  one  half  of  the  Sophomore  class 
from  their  duty,  ending  in  open  rebellion,  and  the  exhibition 
of  very  disrespectful  language  and  conduct  to  their  late 
instructors.  They  have  attempted  to  menace  us  with  a 
league  not  to  return  unless  their  dismissed  classmates,  three 
in  number,  shall  be  restored.  AVe  on  our  part,  have  come 
to  the  painful  but  necessary  decision  that  none  of  these 
youths  —  forty-three  in  number  —  shall  ever  return  to  the 
Institution.  This  event,  especially  as  it  is  the  third  of  the 


HIS  CHARACTER  AS  A  COLLEGE  OFFICER.         337 

kind  since  August,  1826,  should  admonish  us  to  be  vigilant, 
discreet,  and  faithful ;  uniting  energy  with  kindness,  and 
always  asking  wisdom  of  Him  who  is  able  to  direct.  These 
events  should  prevent  us  from  feeling  any  pride  that  Yale 
College  has  flourished  so  much  ;  we  see  that  its  prosperity 
may  be  blasted  ;  public  opinion  may  turn  against  it,  and  its 
overflowing  numbers  may  dwindle  to  a  small  band.  I  am 
not  apprehensive,  however,  that  public  confidence  will  be 
withdrawn  on  account  of  this  event.  I  have  no  doubt  the 
public  will  vindicate  us,  but  they  will  inquire  why  these 
created  rebellion  ;  the  answer  is  found  in  the  inflammable 
materials  that  are  accumulated  here,  partaking  too  much  — 
as  regards  a  considerable  portion  of  our  youth  —  of  the 
factious,  insubordinate,  and  ambitious  spirit  which  is  so 
strongly  manifested  in  our  public  affairs.  If  the  College 
government  should  be  overpowered,  it  would  be  from  this 
cause.  This  country  is  literally  swayed  by  a  democracy  of 
greater  extent  and  power  than  ever  existed  on  earth,  and 
its  spirit  infests  our  seminaries  of  learning.  We,  however, 
have  only  to  go  on  undeviatingly  in  the  discharge  of  our 
duty,  and  trust  the  event  with  Him  who  rules  the  destinies 
of  nations.  In  rny  own  particular  case,  I  feel  more  and 
more  both  the  propriety  and  necessity  of  perfect  and  hab- 
itual submission  to  the  Divine  will ;  of  more  vigilance  and 
faithful  self-control,  that  all  my  thoughts,  affections,  words, 
and  conduct  may,  as  far  as  possible,  correspond  with  the 
divine  example  of  Christ,  who  was  pure,  holy,  harmless,  and 
undefiled.  Not  that  I  think  that  I  can  earn  salvation  by 
my  poor  obedience,  constantly  marred  by  sins  and  imper- 
fections ;  but,  it  is  presumptuous  to  relax  in  our  efforts ; 
we  have  no  right  to  live  carelessly,  or  in  known  sin,  and 
then  throw  the  burden  of  sin  on  Christ ;  we  should  labor 
as  if  it  all  depended  on  ourselves,  and  still  remember  that 
our  salvation  is  not  of  debt,  but  of  grace. 

As  might  be,  conjectured  from  the  mildness  of  his 

VOL.  ii.  22 


338  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

character,  he  was,  especially  as  he  grew  old,  generally 
disposed  to  lenient  measures  against  offenders.  But 
incivility  of  manners  towards  a  superior,  insult  and 
injury  offered  to  younger  students,  and  falsehood,  he 
was  prompt  to  punish.  For,  though  so  amiable  in 
temper,  he  was  a  high-spirited  man,  quick  to  perceive 
and  to  resent  every  sort  of  meanness.  He  was  hon- 
ored and  loved  by  his  pupils  to  the  end.  One  of  the 
younger  graduates  of  the  College,  a  candid  and  dis- 
cerning judge,  after  adverting  to  his  "  too  genial  dis- 
cipline and  his  discursiveness  at  times  in  lectures," 
adds  the  remark,  —  "  there  was  among  all  of  us  a 
very  deep  feeling  of  love  and  admiration  for  him,  and 
of  pride  in  him."  * 

Two  gentlemen  who  were  associated  with  Profes- 
sor Silliman,  both  in  the  relation  of  pupils  and  of 
colleagues  in  the  College  Faculty,  have  kindly  com- 
municated their  impressions  of  him  as  a  College 
officer. 

PROFESSOR   T.   A.    THACHER   TO   G.    P.   FISHER. 

MY  DEAR  PROFESSOR  FISHER,  —  The  first  time  I  re- 
member to  have  seen  Professor  Silliman  was  the  morning 
of  the  loth  of  September,  the  day  before  Commencement 
in  1831.  He  was  presiding  at  the  examination  of  candi- 
dates for  admission  to  College,  and  I  was  one  of  the  can- 
didates. The  impression  which  he  made  on  me  then  as  to 
his  personal  and  social  traits,  respecting  which  yon  inquire, 
was  never  essentially  changed  during  the  long  period  of 
our  personal  and  official  intercourse.  He  seemed  to  wear 
with  perfect  naturalness  and  ease  the  character  of  a  gentle- 
man. He  showed  the  same  urbanity,  the  same  considcrate- 

«  From  a  letter  of  Hon.  Andrew  D.  White,  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  to  G.  P. 
Fisher,  September  8, 1805. 


LETTER  FROM  PROFESSOR  THACHER.  339 

ness,  the  same  play  of  spirit,  and  withal  the  same  unoffend- 
ing frankness  which  appeared  in  him  to  the  close  of  life. 
I  had  forgotten  to  bring  testimonials  of  character  from  the 
preparatory  school  which  I  had  attended,  and  ventured  to 
refer  him  to  one  of  the  College  tutors,  who,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  last  preceding  year,  had  been  one  of  my  teachers 
in  the  school.  "Ah,"  said  he  with  a  smile,  "  you  may  have 
lost  your  character  since  that  teacher  left  your  school." 
During  the  same  examination,  I  remember  that  he  was  not 
deterred  by  my  standing  within  hearing  distance,  from  dis- 
tinctly but  politely  reproving  a  tutor  for  spitting  from  one 
of  the  windows  of  the  gallery  of  the  chapel,  where  the 
examination  was  held.  Nor  was  he  satisfied  with  the  tutor's 
reply  that  he  had  been  careful  to  look  before  committing 
the  act ;  for  it  was  the  act  which  offended  him,  as  much  as 
the  danger  of  passers-by.  lie  would  have  set  up  in  every 
public  place  the  in  hoc  loco  despui  religio  est. 

Professor  Silliman's  method  of  examination  was  different 
from  that  of  Professor  Kingsley,  whose  presence  on  that 
occasion  I  also  vividly  remember.  He  was  inclined  to  form 
a  general  estimate  of  a  young  man's  promise  by  the  indica- 
tions which  were  more  obvious.  Professor  K.  on  the  other 
hand,  seemed  to  have  the  faculty  of  quickly  opening  a  shaft 
into  the  very  being  of  a  man,  and  seeing  what  was  in  him ; 
and  his  work  was  soon  done,  unless  he  was  either  detained 
by  a  kindled  interest  in  the  personality  of  some  bright- 
minded  candidate,  or  by  a  desire,  in  the  case  of  some  other, 
to  find  the  evidence  of  fitness,  which  was  not  at  first 
apparent.  Both  of  them  were  rather  disposed  to  overlook 
deficiencies  as  far  as  it  was  by  any  means  proper  to  do  so, 
and  as  years  went  on  they  grew  uneasy  under  the  gradually 
increasing  stringency  of  the  examination. 

My  earlier  memory  of  Professor  Silliman  is  very  much 
associated  with  that  same  chapel,  for  it  was  not  until  I  was 
near  my  degree  that  I  came  under  his  instruction  in  science. 
He  for  many  years  officiated  at  prayers  every  Sunday  even- 


340  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

ing,  and  with  other  Professors  attended  in  the  chapel  many 
other  evenings  in  the  week.  His  manner  in  the  desk  was, 
on  the  whole,  I  should  say,  prevailingly  rhetorical,  and  is 
probably  more  distinctly  remembered  by  the  multitude  of 
his  pupils  than  that  of  any  one  of  his  colleagues.  He  was 
quite  rapid,  so  that  he  almost  produced  the  impression  that 
he  would  lose  no  time  ;  but  he  spoke  with  a  full  flowing 
voice,  with  rising  and  falling  tones  which  were  sometimes 
perhaps  a  little  extravagant,  but  always  delightful  for  their 
melody.  It  is  easy  to  recall  with  what  unction  and  swing 
he  used  to  read  his  favorite  hymns,  such,  for  instance,  as 
the  one,  peculiarly  appropriate  to  Sunday  evening,  which 
begins  — 

"  Frequent  the  day  of  God  returns," 

And  ends  with  the  stanza,  — 

"  Where  we  in  high  seraphic  strains 

Shall  all  our  powers  employ, 
Delighted  range  the  ethereal  plains 
And  take  our  fill  of  joy." 

Or  the  one  beginning,  — 

"  Stern  winter  throws  his  icy  chains." 

He  was  more  accustomed  than  others  also  to  adapt  his 
selections,  whether  of  hymns  or  of  Scripture,  to  the  time,  the 
seasons  of  the  year,  or  public  occurrences,  or  the  events 
of  our  College  life.  In  prayer  his  mind  was  fertile,  and 
his  petitions  sometimes  unusual.  A  stranger  would  hardly 
have  discovered  in  his  public  devotions  how  profound  was 
his  habitual  reverence  for  the  Supreme  Being.  You  know 
with  what  affectionate  reverence  he  was  accustomed  on 
more  private  occasions  to  draw  near  to  God  as  his  only 
sufficient  friend.  I  have  hardly  in  my  life  been  more 
touched  by  the  utterances  of  a  Christian  man  than  I  was  by 
some  remarks  on  the  subject  of  prayer  made  by  him  in  one 
of  the  latest  years  of  his  life  at  an  evening  meeting  for 
religious  instruction  and  worship  in  the  President's  lecture- 
room.  We  could  see,  from  the  words  he  addressed  to  us, 


LETTER  FROM  PROFESSOR  THACHER.  341 

how  he,  now  past  fourscore,  was  in  the  habit  of  coming  to 
God  with  the  simplicity  and  frankness,  and  dependent  spirit 
of  a  child,  acknowledging  all  his  faults  and  weaknesses,  as 
well  as  sins,  unveiling  his  whole  life  with  all  its  hopes  and 
fears  as  in  the  confidence  of  secret  love,  counting  nothing 
which  affected  him  too  insignificant  to  whisper  into  the  ear 
of  the  Almighty  Father. 

But  to  return  for  a  moment  longer  to  the  chapel ;  you 
know  that  the  students  at  the  close  of  the  services  always 
waited  respectfully  for  the  Professors  to  pass  between  their 
ranks  and  leave  the  house  first.  The  President  was  wont 
to  attend  prayers  in  the  morning  only.  Professor  Silliman 
took  the  lead,  receiving  the  bows  of  the  Seniors  and  Fresh- 
men successively  with  all  the  stateliness  and  easy,  grace  of 
a  man  born  to  head  a  procession.  Professor  Kingsley  came 
next,  indicating  by  his  whole  bearing  that  in  his  soul  he 
had  no  inclination  to  pomp.  And  yet  if  any  breach  of 
decorum  occurred  as  they  passed  along,  the  latter  would  be 
more  prompt  than  the  former  to  rebuke  it  on  the  spot. 
These  two  were  followed  by  Professor  Goodrich,  and  some- 
times by  Professor  Fitch,  and  then  Professor  Olmsted. 
How  much  of  the  very  character  of  these  College  men  was 
indicated  by  their  manner,  as  they  thus  passed  down  from 
the  desk  to  the  door  of  the  chapel !  But  they  all  have  long 
since  ceased  to  be  seen  there.  For  years  there  has  been 
no  man  in  the  whole  Academical  Faculty  of  the  College 
who  was  in  it  when  I  presented  myself  for  examination  as 
I  have  described  above. 

As  a  colleague  in  the  Faculty,  Professor  Silliman  was 
courteous  and  unassuming,  and  was  willing  to  take  his  share 
of  the  labor  and  responsibility  of  discipline  in  all  serious 
cases,  either  of  special  offence,  or  of  general  disorder  by  day 
or  at  night.  He  was  quite  ready  to  administer  personal 
rebuke  to  students  who  were  improper  in  their  behavior, 
and  would  sometimes  with  no  little  warmth,  request  that 
those,  for  instance,  whose  improper  attitudes  during  worship 


342  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   SILLIMAN. 

on  the  Sabbath  had  attracted  his  attention,  should  be  sent 
to  him  for  private  admonition.  On  the  other  hand  he  was 
somewhat  impatient  of  rules  against  petty  offences,  and 
reminded  us  that  he  had  protested  against  the  adoption  of 
the  system  of  rules  which  culminated  in  dismissing  from 
College  every  student  who  incurred  twenty  marks  for  ab- 
sence from  College  exercises  in  a  term. 

Toward  the  younger  members  of  the  Faculty,  those  who 
had  recently  come  from  the  rank  of  pupils,  where  they  had 
looked  up  to  him  with  reverence,  his  considerate  bearing 
was  such  as  to  make  them  feel  at  home  in  their  new  and 
delicate  position.  He  at  once  called  them  his  colleagues  in 
the  grave  business  of  the  instruction  and  government  of  the 
College,  and  seemed  disposed  with  unaffected  sincerity  to 
take  them  to  a  full  equality  with  himself  as  such.  Not  that 
there  was  any  want  of  this  respect  on  the  part  of  others 
toward  the  younger  officers,  but  he  was  more  carefully 
demonstrative.  So  when  any  tutor  announced  his  purpose 
of  soon  laying  down  his  office,  Professor  Silliman  almost 
invariably  improved  the  opportunity  to  utter  some  com- 
plimentary word,  and  to  express  his  regret  that  the  services 
of  the  retiring  officer  should  cease. 

There  was  one  thing  which  may  be  mentioned  in  this 
connection,  interesting  in  itself  and  also  as  illustrating 
further  the  traits  of  character  in  Professor  S.,  of  which  I 
have  spoken.  I  refer  to  the  marked  respect  and  affection 
with  which  he  invariably  spoke  to  and  of  his  only  senior 
colleague.  This  was  very  observable  from  the  earliest  time 
of  my  association  with  him,  and  continued  to  the  close  of 
life,  and  it  was  the  more  striking  from  the  fact  that  that 
colleague  was  only  one  year  before  him  as  a  graduate,  and 
was  appointed  to  a  professorship  in  the  College  at  the  same 
session  of  the  Corporation,  at  which  he  was  himself  made 
Professor  of  Chemistry.  But  the  truth  is,  the  very  nature 
of  Professor  Silliman  found  enjoyment  in  the  manifestation 
as  well  as  the  entertainment  of  such  feelings.  He  met  all 


LETTER  FROM  PROFESSOR  PORTER.  343 

his  friends  with  an  expression  of  genuine  pleasure  at  the 
meeting.  His  presence  in  any  circle  kindled  a  pleasant 
warmth,  and  shed  an  additional  brightness ;  and  his  disap- 
pearing from  this  academic  community  in  which  he  was 
through  so  long  a  life  an  essential  element,  is  like  the  going 
out  of  a  cheerful  and  cheering  household  fire. 

There  are  many  other  things  which  I  might  say,  but  I 
will  not  prolong  my  letter,  already  perhaps  too  long. 

FROM  PROFESSOR  NOAH  PORTER. 

MY  first  knowledge  of  Professor  Silliman  was  in  1827, 
when  he  examined  me  in  Geography  for  admission  to  Yale 
College.  He  was  then  forty-eight  years  old,  tall,  erect,  of 
a  fair  complexion,  and  with  benignant  expression,  carefully 
and  even  elegantly  dressed,  very  dignified,  and  yet  very 
attractive  in  his  manners.  I  was  greatly  impressed  by  the 
extent  of  his  knowledge,  the  rapidity  of  the  movements  of 
his  mind,  the  affability  of  his  address,  and  the  great  kind- 
ness of  his  heart.  He  was  the  presiding  officer  of  the  Board 
of  Examiners  at  that  time  and  for  many  years,  and  there 
are  doubtless  hundreds  of  the  graduates  of  the  College  who 
can  recall  similar  impressions  of  his  graceful  dignity,  and 
his  unaflfecied  kindness,  on  an  occasion  which  is  always 
memorable  and  trying.  The  next  occasion,  when  he  made 
a  very  strong  impression  upon  my  thoughts  and  feelings, 
was  at  the  delivery  of  a  few  familiar  lectures  to  the  class, 
not  many  weeks  after  our  admission  to  the  College.  We 
were  summoned  to  the  laboratory, —  to  us  a  most  mysterious 
apartment,  made  impressive  by  the  manifold  and  multiform 
arrangements  of  furnaces,  retorts,  and  crucibles,  —  to  hear 
the  Professor  discourse  to  us,  in  respect  to  the  College  life 
to  which  we  had  so  recently  been  introduced,  —  the  life  so 
peculiar  in  its  evil  and  its  good,  —  and  advise  us  in  respect 
to  our  manners  and  our  morals.  The  topics  of  his  lectures 
were  miscellaneous,  —  our  personal  habits,  our  diet,  our 
sleep,  methods  of  study  and  reading,  the  use  of  tobacco 


344  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

and  of  strong  liquors,  the  moral  exposures  in  student  life, 
our  safeguards,  &c.  These  topics  were  treated  by  the  Pro- 
fessor in  his  usual  manner,  —  fluent,  self-possessed,  rapid, 
varied,  often  digressive,  sometimes  mirthful,  and  then  grave 
and  serious.  At  times,  —  especially  when  describing  the 
ruin  of  some  promising  youth,  or  the  desecration  of  the 
Chapel  by  daring  mischief,  —  his  soul  would  be  moved  with 
grief,  and  his  eyes  would  fill  with  tears.  These  lectures 
made  a  very  strong  impression  upon  the  class  in  respect  to 
the  matters  discussed ;  but  most  and  best  of  all,  they  left 
one  still  stronger,  —  of  the  kindness  of  the  Professor,  and 
of  his  earnest  desire  to  promote  the  welfare  of  the  students. 

He  took  his  turn  in  officiating  at  evening  prayers  on  Sun- 
day, and  his  well-remembered  phrases  and  intonations  in 
reading  the  Scriptures,  and  in  prayer,  would  remind  us  of 
his  sincere  and  unaffected  piety.  It  was  always  impressive 
and  elevating  to  hear  him  pray  in  the  College  Chapel.  On 
occasions  of  night  disturbances  about  the  College,  Pro- 
fessor Silliman  was  prompt  and  active,  and  the  students  be- 
lieved that  he  was  the  determined  foe  of  mischief  and  dis- 
sipation. By  these  methods,  though  he  gave  no  instruction 
to  the  members  of  the  two  lower  classes,  his  presence  and 
influence  were  felt  by  all,  and  his  character  was  influential, 
well  understood,  and  highly  appreciated  by  the  whole  com- 
munity. 

At  the  beginning  of  our  Junior  year,  we  attended  a  part 
of  his  course  of  chemical  lectures.  It  was  a  memorable 
time  when  we  were  permitted  to  go  to  the  laboratory  to 
hear  Professor  Silliman,  and  witness  the  experiments.  The 
manner  of  the  Professor  was  free,  self-possessed,  and  rapid. 
His  matter  was  clearly  conceived  by  himself,  but  not  com- 
municated after  a  very  strict  method.  He  assumed  so  much 
knowledge  on  the  part  of  the  hearer,  that  he  touched  many 
points  too  lightly,  glanced  at  them  too  rapidly,  and  digressed 
too  frequently  to  make  his  lectures  very  valuable  as  a  phi- 
losophical discipline.  The  great  principles  of  chemical 


LETTER  FROM  PROFESSOR  PORTER.  345 

science  were,  however,  very  distinctly  impressed  upon  our 
attention,  and  the  properties  of  the  most  important  ele- 
ments, and  the  laws  and  effects  of  their  combination,  were 
familiar  to  our  thoughts,  by  the  brilliant  and  attractive  ex- 
periments of  the  eloquent  expounder.  His  treatment  of 
the  practical  uses  of  some  of  the  more  familiar,  as  of  the 
use  of  silex  in  glass-making,  and  of  alumen  in  pottery, 
were  very  instructive  and  interesting  to  every  ingenious 
mind.  His  many  digressions  might  be  open  to  objection 
when  tried  by  the  rules  of  a  severer  method,  but  they 
served  the  important  office  of  stimulating  and  enlarging 
the  minds  of  his  hearers.  The  incidental  influences  of 
Professor  Silliman's  lectures  in  this  regard  were,  perhaps, 
more  valuable  than  the  knowledge  which  he  imparted. 

In  our  Senior  year  we  heard  his  course  in  chemistry  in 
full,  as  also  his  course  in  mineralogy  and  geology.  The 
last  was  the  most  exciting  of  all,  and  at  a  period  still  later 
than  this,  these  lectures  were  more  brilliantly  illustrated 
by  specimens  and  drawings,  and  they  became  still  more 
attractive.  In  them  all,  he  was  the  same  bland  and  pol- 
ished gentleman,  exerting  a  powerful  influence  for  good  by 
his  very  presence  and  manners,  and  quickening  the  intel- 
lects of  his  admiring  hearers  by  the  many  points  of  truth 
which  he  suggested,  and  the  vast  number  of  relations  which 
he  brought  to  view. 

I  was  tutor  in  College  from  1833  till  1835,  at  the  time 
when  Professor  Silliman  entered  upon  that  course  of  ac- 
tive labor  which  he  enjoyed  so  greatly.  About  that  time 
the  relation  of  the  discoveries  of  Geology  to  the  truth  of 
the  Mosaic  record,  attracted  public  attention,  and  I  well 
remember  with  what  ready  confidence  he  undertook  to  ex- 
plain the  difficulties  involved,  and  to  reconcile  the  discrep- 
ancies which  were  supposed  to  be  irreconcilable.  The 
students  of  theology  proposed  the  discussion  of  the  subject 
in  their  debating  society,  and  Professor  Silliman  was  in- 
vited to  join  in  the  debate.  He  very  willingly  assented, 


346  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

and  entered  the  lists  with  his  recent  pupils,  with  all  the 
ardor  of  a  young  student ;  never  embarrassed,  however 
hardly  he  might  be  pressed;  always  ingenious,  however 
skilfully  he  might  be  assailed  ;  frank  to  confess  his  want  of 
acquaintance  with  some  of  the  principles  of  evidence  and 
argument,  which  his  logical  antagonists  brought  against 
him,  but  challenging  their  explanation  of  the  multitude  of 
facts  which  he  so  fluently  recited  arid  so  eloquently  en- 
forced. 

I  was  acquainted  with  Professor  Silliman,  as  his  col- 
league, from  1847  till  the  time  of  his  death,  being,  during 
all  this  time,  a  very  near  neighbor,  seeing  him  in  the  most 
familiar  and  sacred  relations  of  life.  He  was  the  same  to 
the  end.  After  he  remitted  the  active  duties  of  his  profes- 
sion, he  gave  himself  up  to  reading,  to  writing,  and  to  social 
intercourse.  Conducting  his  life,  in  all  particulars,  after  a 
system  such  as  would  be  annoying  and  burdensome  to  most 
men,  but  which  was  natural  to  one  who  dignified  every- 
thing that  pertained  to  himself,  even  the  minutest  acts 
and  events. 

As  a  College  officer,  Professor  Silliman  was  conscientious 
and  faithful.  He  never  shrunk  from  any  labors  or  duties 
which  the  College  required  at  his  hands.  His  whole  heart 
and  being  and  pride  were  in  the  College.  He  did  not  in- 
terest himself  in  all  the  details  of  its  management  and  dis- 
cipline, for  he  wisely  judged  that  he  had  less  capacity  than 
some  others  to  direct  and  act  as  the  exigency  might  require. 
He  was  at  times,  perhaps,  too  careless  of  detail  and  routine, 
inclined  to  be  lenient  when  severity  was  imperatively  de- 
manded ;  but  he  was  always  true  to  the  government,  and 
sustained  it  by  his  dignity,  and  not  unfrequently  his  stern 
rebuke.  In  what  was  called  the  Great  Rebellion  of  1828, 
he  was  very  prominent  in  sustaining  the  most  vigorous  acts 
of  the  College  Faculty,  as  well  as  active  in  reclaiming 
those  who  had  committed  themselves  to  the  wrong.  He 
was  a  swift  witness  against  vice  and  profligacy,  in  all  their 


LETTER  FROM  PROFESSOR  PORTER.  347 

forms.    His  mildness  and  benignancy  of  temper  gave  to  his 
rebukes  additional  point  and  power. 

In  some  repects  it  was  unfortunate  for  Professor  Silliman 
that  he  gave  instruction  by  lectures  only.  It  is  not  surpris- 
ing that  he  preferred  to  lecture,  and  that  he  judged  that 
this  was  the  best  method  of  teaching  chemistry.  It  was 
taught  in  this  way  in  the  Scotch  Universities  when  he 
studied,  and  he  very  naturally  received  the  impression  that 
it  could  be  taught  in  this  way  with  the  greatest  success. 
Indeed,  the  necessity  of  performing  experiments  seemed 
to  make  lectures  necessary.  Professor  Silliman's  own  apti- 
tudes and  inclinations  would,  of  course,  lead  him  to  prefer 
this  as  the  sole  method.  Had  he  examined  his  classes  with 
greater  thoroughness,  had  he  oflener  asked  himself  what 
was  the  best  method  of  impressing  and  receiving  the  prin- 
ciples and  facts  which  he  set  forth,  and  held  himself  rigidly 
to  the  rules  which,  in  this  way,  he  could  not  but  have  formed, 
he  would  have  imparted  more  knowledge  and  secured  a 
more  thorough  discipline,  though  he  might  have  been  less 
attractive  as  a  lecturer.  However,  the  methods  which  were 
most  natural  to  himself  were,  on  the  whole,  the  most  useful 
to  the  world,  at  the  time  when  he  was  most  active  and  labo- 
rious. That  he  was  active  and  diligent  as  a  reader  and  stu- 
dent, no  man  could  doubt  who  was  familiar  with  his  daily 
life,  or  knew  the  extent  of  his  labors  and  responsibilities. 
For  many  years  the  sole  responsibility  of  conducting  the 
"  Journal  of  Science,"  and  of  sustaining  its  pecuniary  lia- 
bilities, rested  upon  him.  His  correspondence  with  rela- 
tives and  friends,  both  scientific  and  social,  was  always 
very  onerous,  though  it  was  to  him  a  pleasure.  His  reading 
was  very  extensive.  In  the  rapidly  advancing  science  of 
chemistry,  and  in  the  rapidly  opening  science  of  geology, 
there  was  the  necessity  of  constant  activity,  and  of  the 
power  of  readily  acquiring  and  thoroughly  mastering  the 
new  discoveries  and  the  new  theories.  He  delivered  a  lect- 
ure almost  daily  for  more  than  thirty  weeks  of  the  year, 


348  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

superintending  the  preparation  for  his  experiments,  and  the 
arrangement  and  repairs  of  his  apparatus. 

After  adverting  with  just  praise  to  other  personal 
traits  of  Professor  Silliman,  especially  his  kindness 
to  the  poor  and  his  patriotism,  Professor  Porter 
closes  with  a  reference  to  his  religious  character. 

His  religious  character  was  in  harmony  with  himself. 
He  received  without  questioning  those  views  of  the  truths 
of  the  Scriptures  which  had  been  received  by  his  ancestors, 
very  much  as  they  were  held  by  his  revered  friend  and 
companion,  Dr.  Dwight.  The  grounds  on  which  he  rested 
his  faith  in  them  were  rather  the  fruits  which  they  had 
produced  in  the  great  and  good  men  of  New  England,  than 
any  very  profound  theological  reflection.  He  had  seen  much 
of  the  Protestant  world  in  his  early  manhood  and  was  suf- 
ficiently satisfied  with  the  practical  workings  of  the  faith  of 
the  original  churches  of  New  England,  to  make  their  faith 
and  piety  his  own.  His  habits  of  private  and  domestic 
devotion  were  most  exemplary.  He  always  witnessed  a 
good  confession  of  his  faith  in,  and  reverence  for,  the 
Divine  Redeemer,  whatever  might  be  the  society  in  which 
he  was  cast,  whether  believing  or  disbelieving,  and  where- 
ever  he  was,  whether  at  home  or  abroad,  whether  on  the 
land  or  on  the  sea.  To  do  less  than  this  would  have  offended 
against  the  sentiment  of  loyal  courtesy  towards  the  purest 
and  most  exalted  of  his  friends,  as  well  as  the  Divine 
Ruler,  Redeemer,  and  Judge  of  men.  It  was  his  pleasure 
and  his  joy  to  labor  in  this  way  for  the  diffusion  of  Chris- 
tian faith  among  men.  It  was  in  beautiful  keeping  with 
the  movements  of  his  being  and  aspirations  of  his  soul,  that 
he  breathed  out  his  life  in  an  act  of  humble  thankfulness 
to  God  for  his  goodness  to  himself,  and  in  a  warm  and 
affectionate  expression  of  love  to  his  nearest  earthly  friend. 

In  connection  with  these  remarks  from  the  col- 


REMARKS  OF  REV.  DR.  BACON.  349 

leagues  of  Professor  Silliman,  the  observations 
which  were  made  by  Rev.  Dr.  Bacon  at  a  meeting 
of  the  Connecticut  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences, 
will  be  read  with  interest.  The  meeting  was  de- 
voted to  the  consideration  of  Professor  Silliman's 
character  and  work, —  Professor  Lyman  being  in  the 
chair.  The  letter  of  Rev.  Dr.  Porter,  of  Farming- 
ton,  which  is  given  on  a  previous  page  of  this  Me- 
moir, had  been  read,  and  to  this  Dr.  Bacon  alludes 
at  the  beginning  of  his  remarks. 

The  letter  which  has  been  read  recalls  vividly  to  my 
mind  my  first  personal  interview  with  the  venerable  writer. 
When  I  graduated,  forty-four  years  ago,  Dr.  Porter,  of 
Farmington  (though  nobody  had  then  begun  to  offend  his 
modesty  by  calling  him  Doctor),  seemed  to  me  almost  as 
old  as  he  now  does,  —  though  it  is  a  mathematical  truth 
that  he  was  much  younger,  being  only  seventeen  years  out 
of  College.  Having  become  myself  a  graduate,  and  having 
settled  up  my  worldly  affairs  in  this  place,  I  set  out  the  day 
after  Commencement,  with  my  College  room-mate,  on  a 
pedestrian  journey  to  Hartford,  which  was  then  my  home ; 
and,  being  in  no  hurry,  we  took  the  longest  road,  by  way 
of  Farmington,  not  having  walked  that  road  before.  We 
took  the  liberty  of  calling  on  the  minister  of  Farmington, 
and  had  a  kind  reception.  Talking  about  College  and 
Commencement,  he  told  us  our  advantages  had  been  far 
greater  than  his,  because  it  was  his  misfortune  to  pass 
through  College  just  before  the  great  improvements  in  the 
course  of  studies,  —  a  misfortune  which  it  now  seems  to  me 
has  befallen  many  of  us,  for  great  improvements  in  the 
course  of  study  have  been  of  frequent  occurrence  within 
my  memory. 

Two  of  the  long-forgotten  things  mentioned  by  Dr. 
Porter  remained  in  my  day.  One  was  the  inauguration 


350  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

of  tutors  by  the  ceremony  of  a  public  assent  to  the  Con- 
fession of  Faith  and  Form  of  Church  Government  agreed 
upon  by  the  Saybrook  Synod  in  1708,  —  a  method  of  in- 
auguration which  was  used  while  I  was  in  College,  and 
sometime  afterwards,  except  when  the  tutor  elect  hap- 
pened to  be  an  approved  dissenter  from  that  form  of  gov- 
ernment, in  which  case  the  ceremony  was  dispensed  with. 
The  other  was  the  use  of  Morse's  "  Geography  "  as  a  book 
to  be  recited,  of  which  I  have  a  feeling  remembrance  to 
this  day,  —  remembering  well  the  bulk  of  the  volumes, 
but  too  little  of  what  was  in  them.  I  find  myself,  there- 
fore, to  have  passed  through  College  just  at  the  era  at 
which  Dr.  Porter  thought  he  passed  through,  —  namely, 
when  the  great  improvements  were  about  to  be  introduced ; 
for  my  classmate,  President  Woolsey,  was  the  last  tutor 
inaugurated  by  the  ancient  ceremony,  and  I  think  my  class 
was  the  last  that  recited  the  "  Geography."  (Professor 
Lyman  here  remarked  that  the  study  was  discontinued  in 
1825.) 

I  remember  vividly  the  first  glimpse  I  ever  had  of  Pro- 
fessor Silliman,  whose  name  I  remember  from  my  early 
childhood.  It  was  in  Hartford,  just  after  the  close  of  the 
war  with  Great  Britain.  One  of  the  first  fruits  of  the 
peace,  —  at  least  one  of  the  first  to  make  a  deep  impres- 
sion on  a  boy  of  thirteen  years,  —  was,  that  a  queer-look- 
ing foreigner,  an  Italian,  I  believe,  with  English  words 
enough  to  buy  and  sell,  —  a  strange  personage  in  those 
times,  —  came  along,  and  opened  a  shop  for  a  little  while 
in  Hartford.  He  had  in  his  window  what  seemed  a  won- 
derful assortment  of  prints,  some  of  them  representing 
famous  buildings.  But  what  was  a  still  greater  attraction 
to  the  school-boys,  he  sold  torpedoes,  —  little  wads  of 
paper  filled  with  fulminating  powder,  and  exploding  with- 
out fire  when  thrown  upon  the  ground.  I  was  gazing  at 
that  attractive  shop-window  one  day,  when  two  gentlemen, 
passing  along,  stopped  for  a  moment.  One  of  them  was  Mr. 


KEMARKS  OF  REV.  DR.  BACON.  351 

Wadsworth  of  Hartford,  whom  of  course  I  knew.  The 
other  was  a  stranger,  whose  manly  strength  and  beauty  of 
person  and  ruddy  freshness  of  countenance  were  in  marked 
contrast  with  the  thin  features  and  attenuated  form  of  Mr. 
Wadsworth.  They  looked  at  a  print  in  the  window.  u  Do 
you  not  recognize  it  ? "  said  Mr.  Wadsworth  to  his  com- 
panion. "Oh  yes,"  was  the  reply;  "it  is  Guildhall."  I 
had  some  feeling  akin  to  sublimity  in  the  thought  that  I 
was  standing  so  near  two  gentlemen  at  once,  who  had 
travelled  to  London  and  seen  Guildhall ;  and  the  impres- 
sion became  deeper  when  I  was  told,  a  moment  afterwards, 
that  the  stranger  was  Professor  Silliman,  Mr.  Wadsworth's 
brother-in-law. 

When  I  came  to  College  two  years  afterwards,  President 
Dvvight  had  just  passed  away  ;  and  though  I  had  heard 
the  names  of  the  eminent  men  who  had  been  associated 
with  him,  and  were  still  connected  with  the  College,  the 
name  that  was  most  brilliant  to  my  imagination  was  that 
of  Professor  Silliman,  who  had  been  made  famous  by  his 
published  volumes  of  travels  in  Great  Britain  and  on  the 
Continent  of  Europe.  That  work  —  "  Silliman's  Journal " 
it  was  called  —  made  its  author  widely  known  long  before 
there  was  any  popular  interest  in  the  sciences  of  which  he 
was  the  pioneer  Professor.  Thus  he  became  —  somewhat 
as  Dr.  Dwight  was  in  his  time  —  a  medium  of  connection 
between  the  learned  and  scientific  community  of  the  Col- 
lege and  the  great  world  outside.  From  first  to  last,  his 
usefulness  was  due  in  no  small  measure  to  the  fact  that  he 
was  an  organ  of  communication  between  this  College  com- 
munity, secluded  by  the  nature  of  its  pursuits,  and  the 
great  outside  community  for  which  the  College  exists. 
There  was  formerly  —  there  is  now  —  something  like  a 
natural  tendency  among  the  people  at  large  to  be  jealous 
of  institutions  of  learning,  as  if  there  was  something  aris- 
tocratic and  anti-popular  in  them.  No  man  in  the  history 
of  the  College  has  done  more  than  Professor  Silliman  has 


352  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

done  to  overcome  this  jealousy,  and  to  make  the  mass  of 
the  people  outside  aware  of  the  value  of  these  institutions 
to  the  Commonwealth,  and  of  the  value  of  scientific  in- 
quiries and  pursuits  as  related  to  commerce  and  manufac- 
tures, and  to  all  productive  industry.  A  just  appreciation 
of  what  he  has  done  cannot  be  had  without  taking  the 
view  from  this  position.  Professor  Silliman's  celebrity  as 
a  scientific  man  was  gained  not  so  much  by  what  he  did  in 
the  way  of  original  exploration  and  discovery,  as  by  his 
skill  in  teaching  and  diffusing  science,  and  especially  by 
the  success  of  his  endeavors  to  create  an  interest  among 
all  intelligent  people  in  the  particular  departments  com- 
mitted to  his  charge.  It  is  chiefly  as  a  teacher  of  what 
other  men  had  discovered  that  he  did  his  great  work  for 
science.  I  think  that  many  gentlemen  here  —  especially 
those  whose  memories  of  College  life  are  thirty  years  old 
and  upward  —  will  agree  with  me  in  saying  that,  to  the 
students  of  those  days,  the  hearing  of  Professor  Silliman's 
lectures  on  chemistry  was  a  definite  era  in  their  intellectual 
development  My  mind,  since  I  heard  those  lectures  and 
saw  the  illustrative  experiments,  has  never  been  the  same 
that  it  was  before.  They  opened  before  me  a  new  volume 
of  the  great  book  of  Nature ;  they  revealed  to  me  a  new 
aspect  of  the  material  universe.  I  had  studied,  after  a 
fashion,  Enfield's  "  Natural  Philosophy,"  and  had  some 
rude  conception  of  matter  considered  in  its  mechanical 
aspects  and  relations.  But  when  he  opened  his  volume 
of  the  great  book,  which  it  is  the  attempt  of  all  physical 
science  to  interpret,  I  felt  that  a  new  light  was  thrown  upon 
every  material  thing  in  Nature.  Thenceforward,  every- 
thing in  the  universe  of  matter  —  from  the  mote  in  the 
sunbeam  to  the  sun  itself,  or  the  remotest  star  —  was  asso- 
ciated with  thoughts  of  analysis  and  synthesis,  and  of  ele- 
mentary atoms  and  forces.  Assuming  that  others  were 
charmed  and  enlightened  as  I  was,  I  may  say  that  the 
effect  of  those  lectures  on  the  hearers  was  lifelong,  enter- 


HIS  KINDNESS.  353 

ing  into  their  intellectual  existence,  and  modifying  their 
habits  of  observation,  of  thought,  and  inquiry,  and  of 
imagination. 

So  in  that  other  field  of  science  through  which  Pro- 
fessor Silliman  led  us  in  the  "  auld  lang  syne,"  the  hearing 
of  his  lectures  was  to  me  a  memorable  experience.  From 
that  time  to  this,  I  have  never  seen  a  pebble  by  the  way- 
side without  some  thought,  distinct  or  indistinct,  of  the 
ocean  in  which  it  was  rounded,  and  the  geological  eras 
through  which  it  has  come  to  us. 

Benevolence  was  the  habit  of  Professor  Silliman's 
feelings.  Its  genial  warmth  was  felt  by  all,  whether 
high  or  low,  rich  or  poor,  who  came  near  him.  In 
this  regard  he  was  no  respecter  of  persons.  Appli- 
cants for  pecuniary  aid,  even  when  their  claims  were 
poorly  verified,  he  found  it  hard  to  deny.  His  heart 
seemed  to  warm  towards  the  stranger,  and  towards 
any  whom  it  was  in  his  power  to  aid  by  friendly 
offices.  A  volume  might  be  filled  with  letters  to 
him,  acknowledging  acts  of  kindness.  The  follow- 
ing communication  from  a  distinguished  scholar 
does  justice  to  this  beautiful  trait  of  Professor  Silli- 
man's character. 

DR.    CHARLES    BECK   TO    G.   P.    FISHER. 

CAMBRIDGE,  July  5, 1865. 

DEAR  SIR,'  —  In  your  letter  of  the  1st  instant,  which 
reached  me  yesterday,  you  ask  me  to  communicate  to  you 
my  recollections  and  impressions  of  the  late  Professor  Sil- 
limpn.  I  comply  with  your  request  with  the  more  readi- 
ness, because  desirous  that  full  justice  should  be  done  to 
that  excellent  man,  as  regards  his  position  as  a  scholar,  a 
citizen,  and  a  man.  I  can  illustrate  his  genuine  disinter- 


354  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

ested  kindness  by  an  instance  which  cannot  possibly  be 
open  to  a  question  as  to  the  purity  and  disinterestedness  of 
his  motives.  This  instance  is  my  own  case.  When  I  first 
met  Professor  Silliman,  forty  years  ago  last  February,  he 
was  a  man  of  wide  and  firmly  established  reputation  as  a 
scientific  man,  of  an  honorable  and  influential  social  posi- 
tion, and  trusted  and  looked  up  to  by  his  fellow-citizens, 
/was  an  unknown  stranger,  with  no  friends,  who  had  come 
to  this  country  in  search  of  free  political  institutions,  and  a 
sphere  of  usefulness  suited  to  his  acquirements  and  abil- 
ity, —  certainly  a  very  unpromising  subject  to  bestow  favor 
upon,  if  hope  or  expectation  of  a  return  had  had  a  place 
in  Mr.  Silliman's  mind.  Such  were  our  relative  positions 
at  our  first  meeting.  Yet  the  reception  which  he  gave  me 
could  not  have  been  more  kind,  more  considerate,  if  I  had 
been  a  valued  friend  of  many  years.  With  that  delicate 
tact  which  distinguished  all  his  acts  of  kindness,  adapting 
them  to  the  condition,  wants,  and  taste  of  the  recipient,  he 
introduced  me  immediately  to  another  of  the  distinguished 
scholars  of  Yale, —  Professor  Gibbs,  —  who  was,  even  then, 
deeply  read  in  the  works  of  German  theologians  and  phi- 
lologists, thinking  that  it  would  be  pleasant  for  me  to  hold 
intercourse  with  one  of  similar  pursuits  to  mine. 

I  had  also  an  opportunity  of  judging  of  his  mode  of  lect- 
uring, being  present  at  one  of  his  lectures  on  chemistry. 
The  first  circumstance  which  struck  me  very  forcibly,  was 
the  presence  of  a  large  number  of  young  ladies,  who  evi,- 
dently  followed  the  eloquent  lecturer  with  as  close  an  atten- 
tion as  the  students  of  the  College.  Though  my  imperfect 
knowledge  of  the  language  did  not  enable  me  to  form  a 
competent  judgment  of  the  matter  and  form  of  Professor 
Silliman's  lecture,  I  could  judge  from  the  effect  upon  his 
audience,  how  successful  he  was  in  imparting  to  others  the 
same  deep  interest  for  his  science  which  he  felt  himself. 

The  genuine  kindness  which  marked  my  first  reception 
by  Professor  Silliman,  characterized  our  succeeding  inter- 


LETTER  FROM  S.  F.  B.  MORSE,  ESQ.  355 

course.  My  memory  could  easily  furnish  me  with  many 
striking  examples,  but  I  will  close  with  mentioning  the  last 
one.  I  happened  to  pass  through  New  Haven  just  a  week 
before  his  death.  I,  of  course,  called  upon  him,  but  he  was 
unable  to  receive  me.  In  a  few  hours  after,  he  sent  the 
appended  note,  not  knowing  that  I  had  already  left  town. 

I  almost  envy  you  the  task  of  preparing  the  biography 
of  so  excellent  a  man,  thus  living  over,  as  it  were,  the  life 
of  a  truly  good  man.     I  remain,  with  sincere  regard, 
Your  obedient  servant, 

CHARLES  BECK, 

To  Professor  Beck :  — 

MY  DEAR  SIR, —  I  was  much  disappointed  this  morning  to 
learn  that  you,  with  Professor  Salisbury,  had  just  left  our 
door.  A  loss  of  voice  (temporary,  I  trust)  renders  conversa- 
tion difficult ;  but  I  could  have  seen  you,  gentlemen,  never- 
theless, if  you  would  excuse  my  imperfect  enunciation.  Mr. 
Salisbury  will,  I  trust,  repeat  his  call  at  no  distant  day,  but 
as  my  prized  opportunities  of  seeing  you  are  rare,  I  should 
still  be  gratified  to  see  you  and  Professor  Salisbury  too,  if 
he  will  excuse  the  informality  of  the  invitation.  Always 
with  high  respect  and  very  kind  regard, 
I  remain,  dear  sir, 

Your  faithful  friend  and  servant, 

B.  SlLLIMAN. 

The  following  tribute  is  of  a  similar  tenor :  — 

S.   F.   B.    MORSE,  ESQ.,  TO    G.   P.   FISHER. 

POUGHKEEPSIE,  July  20, 1865. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  — I  have  ever  looked  upon  Pro- 
fessor Silliman  as  my  ideal  of  a  perfect  Christian  gentleman, 
and  as  the  model  of  a  neighbor.  He  was  ever  ready  to  con- 
tribute to  the  relief  of  any  one  in  distress,  always  ready  in 
a  thousand  delicate  ways  to  alleviate  the  lacerated  feelings 


356  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   SILLIMAN. 

of  those  under  Providential  bereavement,  and  these  kindly 
offices  were  rendered  in  so  unobtrusive  and  courteous  a 
manner,  as  to  enhance  them  tenfold.  I  never  knew  a  more 
unselfish  man,  a  man  of  larger  heart,  and  if  I  differed  from 
him  in  opinion  in  regard  to  the  complicated  questions  of  the 
day,  I  felt  assured  that  his  views  and  acts  were  the  result 
of  conscientious  conviction.  I  think  the  cause  of  science 
in  the  United  States  owes  its  progress  more  to  Professor 
Silliman  than  to  any  other  individual. 

His  memory  is  cherished  by  me  with  the  warmest  affec- 
tion and  deepest  reverence. 

All  who  have  occasion  to  think  or  speak  of  Pro- 
fessor Silliman,  are  sure  to  revert  to  the  courtesy  of 
his  manners.  His  deportment  was  equally  removed 
from  stiffness  on  the  one  hand,  and  from  a  vulgar 
familiarity  on  the  other. 

"  He  was,"  says  President  Woolsey,  "  among  all  the  men 
who  have  lived  in  this  city  during  the  present  century  — 
as  I  think  will  be  conceded  by  everybody — the  most  fin- 
ished gentleman.  And  this  was  true  of  him  in  the  highest 
sense.  I  mean  that  it  pertained  not  to  his  exterior,  but  to 
his  character  and  his  soul.  It  was  founded  on  a  high  sense 
of  honor,  a  delicate  perception  of  what  was  due  to  others, 
and  was  due  from  them  to  him.  His  dignity  of  manner 
was  not  so  much  modelled  after  the  old  style,  which  the 
gentlemen  of  the  days  before  the  Revolution  handed  down, 
as  it  ran  back  into  dignity  of  character ;  it  proceeded  from 
a  self-valuation,  which,  without  being  assuming,  takes  the 
right  place,  neither  depriving  others  of  what  is  their  due, 
nor  being  afraid  to  occupy  a  position  which  is  fairly  one's 
own.  But  the  radical,  essential  trait  of  his  gentlemanly 
character  was  gentleness  and  kindness.  This  led  him  to 
study  the  pleasure,  to  respect  the  feelings  of  those  in  whose 
society  he  was  placed  ;  and  this,  whether  they  were  high  or 


LETTER  FROM  REV.  GEORGE  JONES.  357 

low  in  the  world.  For  the  poor,  the  dependent,  the  young, 
the  undistinguished,  —  for  all,  he  had  a  good  word ;  and 
the  word  was  not  an  empty  token,  but  the  indication  of  the 
truth  that  lay  in  the  heart.  Hence  all  loved  him."  * 

A  communication  from  Rev.  George  Jones,  Chap- 
lain in  the  United  States  iNavy,  who  married  a  niece 
of  Professor  Silliman,  touches  on  this  and  other  vir- 
tues of  his  character. 

BROOKLYN,  N.  Y.,  July  24, 1865. 

IT  is  often  the  case  with  the  writings  of  individ- 
uals that  some  go  beyond,  some  fall  short  of  the  real  nature 
of  the  writer,  and  Professor  Silliman's  were  frequently  of 
the  latter  kind.  They  do  not  show  him  to  be  the  com- 
panionable, hearty,  genial  man  that  he  was,  with  sympathies 
ready  to  gush  out  at  any  moment,  though  they  were  well 
regulated.  Indeed,  there  was  a  quick,  spontaneous  good- 
ness about  him,  which  would  be  very  apt  to  give  way  to  a 
degree  of  stiffness  in  the  case  of  any  one  sitting  down  to 
the  more  formal  business  of  writing.  I  think  the  most 
striking  thing  in  Professor  Silliman  was  his  freshness  of 
feeling,  even  to  the  very  last  of  his  life.  He  was  one  of  the 
few,  the  very  few,  persons  whom  we  meet,  who,  in  this 
respect  seem  as  if  they  do  not  grow  and  never  can  grow 
old.  My  intimate  acquaintance  with  him  commenced  thirty- 
seven  years  ago,  and  continued  unbroken  till  his  decease  ; 
and  in  this  respect  I  never  knew  in  him  any  change.  It 
was  one  of  the  greatest  charms  in  his  companionship,  for  it 
not  only  made  the  dignity  of  his  age  and  his  great  acquire- 
ments sit  gracefully  upon  him,  but  it  drew  one  powerfully 
toward  him  from  the  instinctive  perception  that  such  a 
heart  must  be  a  thoroughly  true  one  towards  God  and 
towards  alt  men. 

This  leads  me  to  speak  of  another  thing  about  him  ;  and 
that  is  the  quick  manner  in  which  he  and  children  always 
*  Funeral  Discourse,  p.  13. 


358  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

drew  towards  each  other,  —  he  to  them,  they  to  him.  Any 
one  who  knew  him  could  see  this ;  but  I  witnessed  a  striking 
exemplification  of  it  two  years  ago,  during  one  of  his  visits 
to  this  city.  He  had  asked  me  to  take  him  to  see  our  iron- 
clads, and  we  went,  first  to  see  the  Keokuk  and  Roanoke, 
at  the  Novelty  Iron  Works,  then  to  the  Green  Point  Works, 
also,  while  there,  to  Francis'  Life-boat  Manufactory,  and  then 
across  New  York  to  one  of  the  new  monitors  lying  in  the 
Hudson.  I  give  here  the  whole  excursion,  for  it  will  show 
his  bodily  activity  at  that  period  of  life,  since  notwithstand- 
ing my  repeated  cautions  as  to  fatigue,  he  was  still  leading 
on  ;  but  my  chief  purpose  was  to  say,  that,  in  every  omnibus 
which  we  entered,  if  there  were  children  he  immediately 
noticed  them,  and  quickly  made  them  his  friends.  Such 
scenes  were  quite  characteristic  of  the  Professor,  and  I  have 
seen  a  great  many  of  them  in  the  course  of  our  numerous 
excursions  together. 

In  this  connection  I  may  as  well  remark  on  his  uniform 
politeness  to  all  the  workmen,  in  "every  workshop  which  we 
entered ;  not  a  condescending  politeness,  such  as  we  may 
sometimes  see  used  by  men  in  high  stations,  and  which  is 
more  offensive  far  than  no  notice  at  all,  but  that  which  a 
true  gentleman  will  exhibit  towards  every  one. 

During  these  thirty-seven  years,  I  have  known  Professor 
Silliman,  I  believe,  thoroughly,  for  he  laid  himself  open  to 
me  as  probably  he  did  to  few  persons,  and  he  was  indeed 
always  a  very  transparent  person.  I  have  seen  him  in  all 
situations  and  under  all  circumstances,  domestic  and  public  ; 
have  seen  him  honored  and  applauded,  and  have  stood  by 
him  in  his  trials  ;  and  I  believe  that  in  all  that  intercourse 
I  never  knew  him  to  do  a  wrong  act  or  say  a  wrong  word, 
or,  as  far  as  I  could  judge,  think  a  wrong  thought.  This  is 
saying  a  great  deal ;  and  perhaps  some  would  smile  at  the 
extent  of  the  eulogy  ;  but  those  who  knew  him  will  believe 
that  there  is  no  extravagance  in  the  remark.  His  life  was 
in  exact  accordance  with  his  death.  Both  were  beautiful. 


HIS  DOMESTIC  CHARACTER.  359 

I  never  saw  him  angry  ;  but  his  indignation  at  matters 
requiring  such  feeling  was  prompt,  and  showed  itself  in 
decisive  words  and  acts ;  his  impulses  were  quick,  but 
always  generous  and  noble,  and  they  formed  a  very  pleasing 

part  of  his  character His  religion  was  a  constant 

flame,  brightening  his  own  path,  and  giving  light  to  all 
around  him. 

The  love  of  esteem  was  an  evident  trait  of  Mr. 
Silliman.  It  was  manifested  from  early  life.  Every 
reader  of  these  volumes  will  notice  the  satisfaction 
he  took  in  the  appreciation  accorded  to  his  labors, 
and  in  his  extending  fame.  It  would  be  a  grave 
error,  however,  to  conclude  that  he  had  a  sensibility 
to  admiration,  which  amounted  to  a  weakness.  He 
had  too  much  self-respect  to  turn  out  of  his  path  to 
seek  applause ;  he  was  as  far  as  possible  removed 
from  the  spirit  of  envy  and  detraction  ;  and  the  desire 
of  esteem  was  not  the  mainspring  of  his  exertions. 
On  the  contrary,  he  was  as  frank  as  he  was  courteous, 
in  avowing  his  opinions  to  those  who  differed  from 
him,  and  he  would  instantly  risk  or  sacrifice  his  pop- 
ularity rather  than  desert  a  principle.  While  he  was 
thus  established  in  his  integrity,  he  neither  felt  nor 
affected  a  cynical  indifference  to  the  favorable  opinion 
of  his  fellow-men  ;  and  the  pleasure  which  their  ap- 
probation and  respect  gave  him,  was  more  apparent 
in  his  case  than  in  that  of  men  who  are  less  apt  to 
expose  their  feelings. 

When  we  cross  Mr.  Silliman's  threshold  and  see 
him  in  his  own  family,  the  most  attractive  side  of  his 
character  is  presented  to  view.  Here  the  force  and 
gentleness  that  were  blended  in  his  nature,  appeared 
in  his  mild  but  firm  sway  over  his  children.  Here 


360  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

his  good  temper,  never  breaking  out  in  sallies  of 
passion,  made  perpetual  sunshine  in  the  household. 
Here,  too,  his  vivacity  and  humor  had  full  play  ;  and 
his  kindness  towards  all  men  shone  out  in  his  just 
and  charitable  judgments.  And  here  the  sincerity 
and  warmth  of  his  heart  were  most  manifest,  and  his 
reverence  for  God  and  sacred  things  made  an  atmos- 
phere of  peace  around  him.  That  this  is  not  an 
exaggerated  picture  of  the  domestic  character  of 
Professor  Silliman,  can  be  established  by  the  best 
of  testimony.  We  are  permitted  to  insert  the  fol- 
lowing communication  from  his  eldest  daughter, 
Mrs.  Church  :  — 

My  earliest  recollections  are  of  a  loving,  sympathizing 
and  reasonable  parent.  I  cannot  recall  any  instance  of  im- 
patient or  unjust  treatment  at  his  hands.  When  very  young 
children  we  were  allowed  to  be  with  him  in  his  busiest 
hours,  if  only  we  played  quietly  without  needing  his  inter- 
ference. Even  now  I  can  recall  the  kind  tone  in  which  he 
would  say,  "  My  little  girl  will  not  trouble  papa."  He 
always  entered  the  house  with  a  smile,  —  if.  we  were  near, 
would  make  some  playful  remark,  often  joining  in  our  play, 
throwing  his  large  cloak  over  one  or  two  at  our  game  of 
hide-and-seek.  Among  my  pleasant  memories  are  long 
drives  with  him  when  it  was  the  custom  to  travel  in  one's 

own  carriage.    A  journey  to  H was  recreation  to  him  ; 

he  would  drive,  and  tell  us  stories,  help  us  to  count  all  the 
vehicles  of  various  kinds  we  met  on  the  road,  ask  us  ques- 
tions in  our  lessons,  repeat  scraps  of  poetry,  and  allow  us 
to  hold  the  reins  while  he  walked  up  the  hills.  After  tea, 
when  we  were  older,  he  would  give  us  lessons  on  the  globe, 
explaining  the  latitude  and  longitude,  and  different  geo- 
graphical terms  and  divisions.  He,  first  of  any  one,  crit- 
"cized  my  compositions  and  youthful  effusions,  and  so  kindly 


COMMUNICATION  FROM  HIS  DAUGHTER.  361 

and  encouragingly  that  I  never  feared  to  go  to  him,  lest  he 
should  laugh  at  my  jejune  productions.  In  fact  he  never 
ridiculed  any  for  their  ignorance  of  what  to  him  was  mere 
ABC,  but  would  patiently  enlighten  them,  or  direct 
them  to  sources  of  information.  He  never  decided  dog- 
matically upon  any  question  or  subject  which  was  new  to 
him,  but  would  say,  "  Such  a  thing  might  or  might  not  be, 
he  would  examine  before  he  could  decide."  I  recall  a  long 
period  of  his  life  when  he  was  intensely  busy,  early  and 
late,  scarcely  taking  time  for  meals  and  sleep,  yet  he  would 
always  spare  a  few  moments  most  patiently  to  any  one 
needing  aid  or  advice.  He  was  never  fretful  or  complain- 
ing, making  the  best  of  all  inconveniences,  and  finding  some 
way  around  all  difficulties.  Cheerful  and  hopeful,  both  con- 
stitutionally and  by  reason  of  the  Christian  faith  within,  his 
fortitude  always  helped  to  sustain  the  timid,  and  encourage 
the  hesitating.  Detraction,  mimicry,  and  ridicule  of  the 
absent,  were  most  repugnant  to  him,  and  would  call  forth 
in  any  of  his  own  family  a  rebuke  that  was  keenly  felt.  His 
anger,  if  he  can  be  said  to  have  manifested  that  quality,  was 
aroused  by  unkindness  or  injustice  toward  others,  rarely 
by  any  treatment  of  which  he  was  the  recipient.  He  was 
not  merely  just,  but  liberal  and  generous  to  a  proverb, 
disdaining  anything  niggardly  or  underhanded,  or  mean, 
•intensely. 

No  dread  of  being  for  hours  alone  with  papa  ever  came 
into  our  young  minds,  for  we  did  not  fear  him  ;  the  only 
thing  we  feared  was  his  displeasure,  and  that  was  never 
undeservedly  incurred.  Well  do  I  remember,  as  I  grew 
older,  the  admiration  I  had  for  his  noble  presence,  finished 
manners,  and  elevated  conversation,  when  he  was  in  the 
prime  of  his  life.  The  polished  exterior  which  Lord  Ches- 
terfield's rules  might  give,  was  with  him  the  result  of 
Christian  kindness  and  association  with  refined  and  culti- 
vated people,  irrespective  of  forms  and  conventionalities. 

He  was  an  enthusiastic  traveller,  knowing  where  to  find 


362  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   SILLIMAX. 

objects  of  interest,  whether  curiosities  in  nature  or  historical 
localities  ;  he  had  a  ready  anecdote,  or  narrative  of  a  con- 
versation, or  a  battle,  which,  told  in  his  animated  manner, 
always  impressed  itself  upon  the  memory  of  the  young. 

His  very  thoughtful,  deferential  love  for  our  mother  was 
an  example  to  her  children  ;  nothing  which  would  con- 
tribute to  her  comfort  or  pleasure  was  forgotten,  even  when 
he  was  most  engrossed  in  his  professional  labors. 

It  was  his  pure  Christian  character  which  made  him 
what  he  was  in  each  relation  of  life,  and  which  enforced 
the  moral  and  religious  instruction  he  ever  gave  as  oppor- 
tunity occurred. 

Mrs.  Hubbard  writes  of  her  father  as  follows :  — 

Among  my  earliest  recollections  of  my  dear  father,  his 
unwearied  patience  and  affectionate  care  of  his  little  chil- 
dren, is  vividly  impressed  upon  my  memory.  Some  of  us 
suffered  from  childish  ailments,  causing  painful,  wakeful 
nights.  Well  do  I  remember  how  tenderly  we  were  soothed, 
and  how  patiently  everything  was  done  for  our  comfort,  no 
matter  at  what  cost  of  much-needed  rest  for  himself. 

The  beautiful  Bible  stories  were  first  learned  from  his 
narration  ;  a  treat  it  was  when  we  could  draw  from  him 
Daniel  in  the  den  of  lions,  and  Joseph  and  his  brethren. 
Another  treat  too,  was  to  have  papa  hear  our  Sabbath  even- 
ing recitation  of  the  Assembly's  Catechism,  —  he  would 
make  it  so  plain  and  almost  pleasant  to  us. 

Never,  I  am  sure,  can  any  of  us  remember  that  he  spoke 
to  us  in  anger ;  his  reproofs  were  so  tender  that,  while  they 
almost  broke  our  hearts,  we  felt  more  than  ever  drawn  to 
him  in  love. 

His  constant  watchful  care  for  our  religious  interests,  we 
can  never  forget ;  his  earliest  present  to  us  was  a  Bible, 
the  older  ones  each  as  the  fourth  birthday  came,  receiving 
it,  inscribed  to  us,  from  our  affectionate  father. 

He  was,  in  all  his  busy  life,  an  early  riser,  and  whoever 


HIS   DOMESTIC   Tli.UTS.  363 

of  us  was  early  enough,  was  sure  to  find  him  with  his  Bible 
in  his  hand,  or  hear  his  voice  raised  in  his  morning  devo- 
tion. In  my  early  days,  bereavements  were  numerous  in 
the  household :  four  of  the  lambs  of  the  flock  were  taken 
away  in  quick  succession;  then  he  always  gathered  the 
broken  band  and  led  us  in  prayer  to  Him  who  gave  and 
who  recalled  his  own. 

The  first  of  these  bereavements  was  in  the  death  of  our 
father's  mother ;  his  grief  on  that  occasion,  and  the  reverent 
love  manifested,  are  fresh  in  my  mind,  and,  till  the  last  of 
his  life,  I  never  knew  him  to  pass  the  spot  where  her  grave 
lay  without  raising  his  hat  and  remaining  uncovered  till  lie 
had  left  the  place  behind. 

Our  confidential  friend  he  ever  was ;  we  could  go  to  him 
with  the  utmost  freedom  and  unbosom  our  troubles ;  no 
matter  what  business  was  pressing  on  him,  he  had  time  to 
hear  all,  and  to  give  us  his  most  tender  sympathy  and  affec- 
tionate counsel.  Every  burden  was  lightened  when  dear 
father  helped  us  to  bear  it.  Especially  was  this  the  case 
with  our  religious  difficulties,  and  with  some  of  us  these 
were  heavy.  Never  can  we  forget  how  the  clouds  would 
roll  away,  as  he  would  listen  patiently  to  all  our  troubles, 
and  then  so  clearly  show  us  the  true  ground  on  which  to 
rest,  —  the  infinite  love  and  mercy  of  our  heavenly  Father, 
through  the  grace  of  Christ,  —  and  as  often  as  the  clouds 
returned,  so  often  and  so  tenderly  would  he  go  over  the  same 
ground  till  the  cloud  passed  to  return  no  more.  A  remark 
of  Leigh  Richmond's  daughter,  1  am  sure,  was  the  feeling 
of  us  all,  —  "  That  when  our  hearts  felt  too  hard  and  cold 
to  thank  God  for  anything  else,  we  could  always  thank  Him 
for  such  a  father." 

The  traits  of  Professor  Silliman,  as  they  appeared 
in  his  family  life,  are  further  touched  upon  in  the  an- 
nexed paragraphs  from  the  pen  of  Mrs.  Dana. 


364  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

My  childish  memories  of  our  beloved  father,  of  course, 
commence  when  he  was  already  in  the  full  maturity  of  life, 
when  having  recovered  from  the  impaired  health  conse- 
quent upon  the  illness  and  death  of  Trumbull,  and  the  sub- 
sequent afflictions  in  the  family,  he  was  once  again  strong 
and  vigorous.  I  never  knew  him  as  in  other  than  perfect 
health,  and  as  I  grew  older,  fully  appreciated  his  noble  face 
and  manly  presence. 

He  was  forty-four  when  I  was  born,  (1823,)  and  by  the 
time  I  was  old  enough  to  take  heed  of  his  occupations,  he 
was  full  of  cares  and  duties,  quite  too  busy  to  give  the  per- 
sonal attention  to  the  instruction  of  his  two  younger  daugh- 
ters, which  had  been  the  privilege  of  their  elder  sisters. 
There  are  some  bright  pictures,  far  away  in  the  early  days, 
when  we  children  rejoiced  in  having  him  quite  to  ourselves. 
One  of  these  was  on  a  journey  to  Springfield  when  I  could 
not  have  been  much  more  than  eight.  He  drove  an  open 
carriage,  with  his  little  girls  and  a  young  playmate  for  his 
companions,  while  our  mother  was  with  our  uncle  and  aunt 
in  a  coach.  It  was  very  grand,  in  youthful  eyes,  to  travel 
in  the  coach  with  the  fine  horses,  but  still  we  children  all 
preferred  the  freedom  we  had  with  him,  and  the  interest 
he  took,  not  only  in  amusing  us,  but  in  giving  us  instruction 
along  the  way. 

I  distinctly  recall  his  manner  to  our  invalid  uncle,  his 
patience  with  narratives  always  minute,  sometimes  tedious, 
and  how  tenderly  his  strength  and  vigor  were  loaned  to 
one  who  so  needed  both.  We  were  accustomed  to  see  our 
father  looked  up  to,  and  his  gentle  deference  to  this  elder 
friend  was  new  and  beautiful  to  us. 

It  was  his  habit  early  to  take  his  children  into  his  con- 
fidence, to  teach  them  that  the  privacy  of  home  and  the 
freedom  of  family  conversation  were  a  bond  upon  them 
also.  lie  liked  to  have  them  know  and  understand  what 
he  was  doing,  and  often  read  any  paper  or  discourse  he 
was  preparing  with  peculiar  care  to  our  mother  and  her 


HIS  DOMESTIC  TRAITS.  305 

daughters.  It  was  a  maxim  with  him,  that  any  objection 
that  suggested  itself  to  one  mind  might  occur  to  another, 
and  the  modest  remark  of  his  youngest  auditor  received 
attention.  We  were  often  called  to  help  him  '•  read  proof," 
and  were  thus  allowed  to  feel  ourselves  of  use,  —  a  privi- 
lege children  keenly  enjoy.  His  habits  of  neatness  and 
order  made  it  pleasant  to  him  to  find  his  study -table 
brushed,  and  all  things  nicely  arranged.  By  great  care  in 
the  use  of  my  prerogative,  I  was  gradually  allowed  free 
scope.  Often  cards  of  memoranda  might  be  found  among 
his  papers,  headed  "  Stevens."  To  the  inquiry  what  this 
meant,  he  laughingly  acknowledged  he  could  not  tell!  lie 
had  seen  such  on  the  table  of  his  tutor  at  Fairfield,  —  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Eliot,  — when  a  mere  lad,  and  had  almost  uncon- 
sciously followed  the  example.  It  was  one  of  the  few 
habits  of  his  life  for  which  he  could  not  "  render  a  reason." 

His  readiness  and  eloquence  in  the  lecture-room  became 
a  proud  pleasure  to  us,  and  I  can  well  remember  the  amuse- 
ment our  dear  mother  caused  us  by  saying,  late  in  her  life, 
that  she  had  never  heard  him  speak  without  a  fear  that  he 
might  "  break  down."  This  was  merely  an  indication  of  her 
habitual  timidity  and  caution.  The  word  fail  never  could 
have  any  connection  with  him.  I  went  with  him  once  to 
a  Lyceum  lecture  in  this  place,  where,  after  the  audience 
were  assembled,  it  was  learned  that  the  speaker  could  not 
appear.  Those  in  charge,  in  their  perplexity,  appealed  to 
our  father,  and  on  the  spur  of  the  moment  he  rose  and 
spoke,  I  think,  nearly  two  hours,  on  the  atmosphere.  I 
was  sure  we  had  fared  better  than  if  the  original  programme 
had  been  carried  out,  and  well  remember  the  glee  with 
which  we  came  home  to  tell  the  tale,  and  surprise  "  mother." 

He  was  ever  the  life  of  home,  loving  and  bright,  ready 
with  a  playful  remark  to  encourage  any  brightness  in  his 
children,  but  with  never  any  sympathy  for  satire,  or  for  wit 
that  bore  a  sting.  He  was  never  too  tired  to  greet  us  with 
a  kind  word,  and  always  took  a  tender  pleasure  in  having 


386  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

us  about  him.  Of  a  Sunday  evening,  when  free  from  the 
cares  of  the  week,  he  sat  longer  in  his  place  at  the  table 
after  tea,  the  two  little  girls  often  stole  behind  his  chair, 
and  with  each  an  arm  around  his  neck,  enjoyed  hearing  him 
sing,  — 

"  While  shepherds  watched  their  flocks  by  night." 

He  delighted  to  tell  and  we  to  hear,  the  stories  of  his 
early  home,  his  father's  capture,  and  his  own  recollections 
of  his  boyish  life  at  Fairfield.  His  love  and  reverence  for 
his  parents,  came  out  with  great  force  in  these  sketches. 

As  years  passed  on  and  grandchildren  came  to  his  home 
and  heart,  we  saw  the  tenderness  of  his  character  in  a  new 
relation.  The  little  ones  were  ever  welcome,  and  their 
feeling  toward  him  proved  the  truth  of  his  oft-repeated 
remark,  that  "children  and  women  always  knew  who 
liked  them."  They  delighted  in  grandpa's  coming,  and 
soon  learned  to  climb  his  knee  and  expect  a  ride.  It  was 
a  pretty  picture  to  see  two  little  creatures  enjoying  this 
pleasure.  I  can  almost  hear  now  his  hearty  laugh  when 
told  that  one  of  the  grandsons  had  treated  his  little  sister's 
dolls  to  a  ride  with  grandpa's  tune  ! 

When  in  the  autumn  of  1859,  it  became  necessary  for 
us  to  seek  health  in  foreign  travel,  the  dear  old  home 
was  most  kindly  opened  to  our  two  younger  children. 
Of  course  they  brought  care  with  them,  but  the  patient 
love  never  failed,  and  the  letters  that  were  so  eagerly 
looked  for  in  a  distant  land,  always  bore  tender  notice  of 
the  little  ones.  They  became  very  dear  to  both  grand- 
parents, and  when  in  a  year  after  our  return,  they  were 
both  called  to  the  mansions  of  our  heavenly  Father,  the 
sorrow  was  deeply  shared.  During  the  dying  hour  of  our 
little  daughter,  dear  grandpa  stole  into  the  room,  slipping 
off  his  shoes  to  move  more  quietly.  The  blue  eyes  were 
fixed  upon  him  standing  at  the  foot  of  the  bed,  and  the 
little  spirit  departed  with  the  closing  words  of  his  earnest 


LETTER  FROM  JUDGE  S.  J.  ANDREWS.  367 

prayer !  The  affliction  opened  anew  his  early  wound  in 
the  death  of  Trumbull,  and  he  mourned  with  us. 

It  is  no  small  satisfaction  that  of  the  twenty-three  grand- 
children living  at  the  time  of  his  death,  all  but  two  will 
remember,  and  in  different  degrees  appreciate,  the  noble 
person,  warm  heart,  and  loving  manner  that  were  their 
knowledge  of  a  grandfather. 

I  am  tempted  to  close  this  pleasant  task  by  quoting  the 
words  of  one  who  was  among  us  for  a  few  hours  only,  within 
the  last  four  years :  —  "  When  I  saw  your  father,  vigorous 
though  venerable,  and  in  the  evening  of  life  surrounded  by 
such  a  posterity,  my  thoughts  went  back  to  the  times  of 
primitive  peace,  and  as  my  lips  were  about  to  frame  the 
word,  the  '  Patriarch '  spake  for  himself.  They  were  always 
sublime  to  me,  and  Genesis  a  favorite  book  for  its  beautiful 
family  relationships  which  my  own  wants  ever  led  me  to 
value  so  highly." 

And  thus  it  ever  was,  and  with  increasing  beauty  as  this 
life  brightened  into  the  perfect  day.  None  came  within 
the  circle  of  his  kindness  —  and  how  far  and  wide  it  ex- 
tended —  who  did  not  feel  themselves  improved,  comforted, 
and  armed  with  new  courage  to  seek  that  excellence  which 
in  him  was  so  lovely  because  so  full  of  love. 

NEW  HAVEU,  November  18, 1865. 

That  the  estimate  of  a  father's  excellence,  which 
has  been  presented  above,  is  not  overdrawn,  is  shown 
by  the  following  letter  from  the  accomplished  lawyer 
who  was  for  several  years  an  inmate  of  his  house- 
hold. 

JUDGE    8.   J.   ANDREWS    TO    G.   P.   FISHER. 

CLEVELAND,  June  30,  1865. 

DEAR  SIR,  —  Your  favor  of  the  10th  inst.  was  duly 
received,  but  found  me  so  much  occupied  that  I  was  un- 
able to  give  it  immediate  attention. 


368  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

It  was  my  privilege  to  be  connected  with  Mr.  Silliman 
as  his  assistant,  from  the  fall  of  1821  until  the  winter  of 
1823,  and  for  a  considerable  part  of  that  time  to  be  a  mem- 
ber of  his  family.  It  was  when  his  health  was  broken 
down  by  care,  excessive  labor,  and  domestic  affliction,  and 
when  if  ever  any  infirmities  of  temper  or  character  were 
likely  to  be  revealed  to  one  intimately  associated  with  him. 
I  cannot  pretend,  however,  after  such  a  lapse  of  time,  to 
state  particular  facts  or  incidents,  if  such  there  were  that 
influenced  my  opinion  ;  but  I  retain,  and  shall  retain  to  the 
last  hour  of  consciousness,  the  general  impression  made 
upon  me  by  his  daily  life.  I  thought  then,  —  and  subse- 
quent experience  and  observation  have  not  reversed  the 
judgment,  —  that,  viewed  in  all  its  aspects,  his  was  the 
most  faultless  character  I  had  ever  known.  The  nearer 
you  approached  it  the  more  symmetrical  and  beautiful  it 
appeared ;  and  those  who  met  him  only  in  the  occasional 
intercourse  of  society,  though  delighted,  as  all  were  de- 
lighted, with  his  genial  conversation  and  manners,  had 
really  no  adequate  conception  of  his  excellence  and  attrac- 
tiveness, as  exhibited  in  the  undress,  if  I  may  so  express 
myself,  of  domestic  life.  As  the  head  of  a  family,  he 
seemed  to  me  to  be  absolutely  perfect.  His  considerate 
care  and  kindness  extended  to  the  humblest  member  of 
his  household  ;  and,  while  he  never  forgot  the  respect  that 
was  due  to  others  in  the  relation  he  sustained  to  them,  he 
rendered  to  them  just  the  measure  of  attention  and  regard 
to  which  they  were  entitled.  Under  the  pressure  of  ill 
health,  which  so  often  invites  forbearance  even  towards 
good  men,  though  his  cheerfulness  was  occasionally  abated, 
he  was  never  irritable,  never  impatient,  never  unmindful 
of  the  claims  or  comfort  of  others,  nor  did  he  ever  in  my 
presence  utter  a  harsh  expression  or  betray  an  unkind  feel- 
ing towards  any  human  being.  Indeed,  I  used  to  think, 
that  in  his  estimate  of  men  and  their  conduct,  his  charity 
sometimes  trespassed  a  little  upon  the  domain  of  a  just 


REMARKS  OF  PROFESSOR  WYMAN.  369 

and  proper  discrimination.  In  an  affectionate  and  united 
family  group,  such  as  is  not  often  seen  in  this  world,  he  was 
the  central  figure,  imparting  happiness  to  all,  and  reaping 
his  reward  in  the  immeasurable  love  and  reverence  of  all. 
In  a  word,  he  was,  in  the  largest  and  best  sense  of  the  ex- 
pression, a  Christian  gentleman,  who  felt  the  power  of  re- 
ligion in  his  own  heart,  and  commended  it  to  others  by  the 
silent  but  persuasive  teachings  of  a  consistent  life. 

What  I  have  written  is  probably  too  indefinite  to  sub- 
serve your  purpose  ;  but  I  am  afraid  to  enter  upon  details, 
or  to  put  trust  iu  my  memory,  after  an  interval  of  more 
than  forty  years,  embracing  the  active  period  of  life,  and 
devoted  to  the  duties  and  exactions  of  a  laborious  pro- 
fession. 

Such  was  the  impression  which  Mr.  Silliman  made 
on  those  who  knew  him  best.  It  confirms  the  view  that 
was  taken  of  him  by  persons  whose  opportunity  of 
intercourse  with  him  was  less.  Says  Professor  Jef- 
fries Wyrnan  (whose  estimate  of  Mr.  Silliman  as  a 
lecturer  has  already  been  given) :  — 

"  For  Professor  Silliman's  life  and  character  I  have  a 
feeling  of  deep  reverence.  This  is  greater  than  that  to- 
wards any  other  person  with  whom  I  have  come  in  con- 
tact in  the  relation  of  a  teacher.  I  prize  highly,  very 
highly,  what  he  taught  me  in  science,  and  the  direction  he 
gave  to  my  studies,  all  unconsciously  to  himself;  but  I 
have  no  words  to  express  my  admiration  of  the  moral  dig- 
nity of  his  character  and  its  beneficent  influence.  After 
the  lapse  of  a  quarter  of  a  century,  I  find  myself  often 
recurring  to  the  teachings  and  example  set  before  us 
during  the  seasons  he  passed  in  Boston.  His  cordial  greet- 
ing ;  his  dignified,  yet  often  joyous,  manner ;  his  freedom 
from  bigotry ;  his  earnestness  and  devotion  to  the  pursuits 
of  knowledge ;  his  readiness  to  impart  his  stores  of  learn- 

VOL.  ir.  21 


370  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

ing ;  his  kindness  of  heart,  and,  above  all,  his  great  Christian 
excellence,  his  peaceful  and  finished  life,  have  made  him  to 
me  a  model  man." 

Two  communications  from  cherished  friends  of 
Professor  Sillirnan,  in  which  his  traits  are  correctly 
depicted,  though  in  the  warm  colors  of  friendship, 
will  close  this  memoir. 

PROFESSOR    C.   U.    SHEPARD    TO    G.    P.    FISHER. 

LONDON,  August  10,  1865. 

MY  DEAR  PROFESSOR  FISHER, — Yours  of  the  14th 
ultimo  has  just  been  forwarded  to  me  from  Gottingen.  To 
your  request  for  a  few  reminiscences  of  Professor  Silli- 
man,  I  respond  with  the  utmost  pleasure.  You  ask  me  to 
make  them  as  personal  as  possible.  Were  I  to  consult  my 
feelings,  they  would  be  wellnigh  filial.  My  first  acquaint- 
ance with  his  name  goes  back  to  the  period  when  I  had 
just  begun  to  read  books  of  travel  and  history.  Never 
shall  I  cease  to  remember  the  strange  delight  with  which 
I  pored  over  his  journal  of  a  residence  in  this  land.  It 
introduced  me  to  an  entirely  new  world  of  ideas,  to  ob- 
jects more  grand  than  I  had  ever  dreamed  of,  characters 
who  seemed  superhuman,  sciences  incomprehensible,  and 
adventures  by  sea  and  by  land  that  filled  me  with  irresist- 
ible longings.  The  perusal  of  the  work  imparted  a  color 
to  my  entire  'existence.  And,  although  nearly  twenty 
years  elapsed  before  I  met  with  the  author,  and  not  until 
many  years  after  the  death  of  my  father,  so  soon  as  I  saw 
him,  my  heart  went  out  to  meet  him  with  the  feelings  of  a 
son.  Our  acquaintance  originated  in  some  contributions 
to  his  "  Journal  of  Science  "  which  I  had  made  while  yet  a 
student  in  Amherst  College.  This  had  led  to  an  exchange 
of  letters,  and  ultimately  to  a  request  of  mine  to  become 
a  student  in  his  laboratory.  The  proposal  was  kindly  ac- 
ceded to,  and  I  soon  found  myself  pleasantly  located  at 


LETTER  FROM  PROFESSOR  C.  U.  SHEPARD.        371 

New  Haven,  in  possession  of  unrestricted  access  to  all  the 
scientific  departments  of  the  Institution.  He  manifested 
the  deepest  interest  in  favoring  and  assisting  me  in  all  my 
studies,  permitting  me  to  examine  freely  the  treasures  of 
the  Gibbs  Cabinet  of  Minerals,  —  then  the  only  one  of 
note  in  the  country,  —  and  encouraged  me  to  engage  in 
chemical  researches,  accompanied  by  the  generous  per- 
mission of  ordering  for  the  Laboratory  whatever  might  be 
needed  in  their  prosecution.  After  thus  spending  a  few 
months,  a  vacancy  occurred  in  the  office  of  Assistant  to 
the  Professor  of  Chemistry.  The  Professor  at  once  ten- 
dered the  situation  to  myself.  It  was  the  more  gladly  ac- 
cepted, because  it  gave  me  the  certainty  of  a  longer  and 
closer  intimacy  with  my  instructor  than  I  could  have  ex- 
pected under  any  other  circumstances.  In  particular,  it 
brought  me  more  frequently  to  his  house,  and  gradually 
into  intimate  relations  with  his  family,  where,  I  soon  dis 
covered,  that  the  most  attractive  side  of  his  character  was 
displayed.  In  all  the  virtues  of  the  family  and  the  household 
I  must  ever  esteem  him  as  one  of  the  worthiest  and  the 
best.  It  is  not  permitted  me  to  speak  of  many  instances 
of  goodness  with  which,  in  this  sphere,  I  became  acquainted. 
They  are,  however,  indelibly  impressed  upon  my  memory, 
and  interwoven  with  the  inmost  fibres  of  my  heart ;  and 
yet  I  cannot  wholly  avoid  allusion  to  the  family  adoption 
of  one  who  preceded  by  several  years  her  foster-parents 
to  the  better  world,  and  in  whose  history  my  own  brightest 
earthly  joys  were  written.  An  auspicious  destiny  affixed 
us  for  almost  a  life-long  residence  as  his  immediate  neigh- 
bors, and  for  this  whole  period  no  shadow  intervened  to 
mar  our  happiness,  or  to  dim  our  admiration  of  the  character 
of  Professor  Silliman.  He  was  a  man  so  nearly  without 
faults,  that  if  he  had  them  they  were  so  over-dazzled  by  his 
excellences  you  could  not  detect  them.  It  also  strikes  me 
in  comparing  him  with  others  that  his  virtues  were  more 
nearly  natural  than  in  these.  For  whereas  it  seems  to 


372  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLDIAN. 

require  constant  watchfulness  and  discipline  to  prevent 
most  persons  from  sometimes  failing  in  what  is  graceful  and 
noble,  with  him  these  actions  were  involuntary  and  spon- 
taneous. His  goodness  was  so  untinctured  by  calculation, 
so  all-embracing,  so  gentle  !  He  deeply  struck  all  who 
came  in  contact  with  him, —  the  high  and  low,  the  unlearned 
and  the  educated.  These  were  the  first  words  of  Humboldt 
to  me  on  handing  him  the  card  of  my  instructor :  —  "  Pro- 
fessor Silliman  is  an  excellent  character."  He  felt  a  sincere 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  every  one  with  whom  he  came  in 
contact,  and  fully  showed  it  by  appropriate  speech  and 
action.  His  manners  were  marked  by  the  most  natural 
dignity  and  nobleness.  For  easy,  sprightly,  instructive  con- 
versation, he  surpassed  any  man  I  have  known.  He  was 
the  charm  of  the  social  circle,  and  one  in  whose  solitary 
companionship  you  never  tired.  His  correspondence  was 
equally  entertaining,  and  reminded  one  of  some  of  the  best 
models  of  the  old  English  letter- writers.  His  charity  to- 
wards his  fellow-men  was  a  striking  feature  in  his  character. 
He  not  only  lived  up  to  the  posthumous  injunction  against 
evil  speaking,  but  he  abstained  from  it  in  respect  to  the 
living.  He  encountered  opposition  of  opinion  without  the 
smallest  discomposure,  as  if  satisfied  that  all  knowledge  was 
not  yet  attainable,  and  that  nothing  but  the  truth  would 
at  last  stand.  He  never  manifested  the  common  phases  of 
literary  ambition,  but  seemed  quite  satisfied  to  lead  a  life 
of  general  usefulness  to  mankind.  And  I  think  he  was  as 
far  remove,d  as  any  one  I  have  known  from  the  vulgar  im- 
putation of  making  activity  a  life-labor  for  reward.  At  least 
tint  compensations  on  which  he  fixed  his  eyes  were  lofty 
and  remote,  and  such  perhaps  as  might  be  inferred  from  a 
remark  he  made  to  me  respecting  a  common  friend,  who 
under  circumstances  of  great  difficulty  had  procured  the 
freedom  of  a  highly  educated  and  almost  white  young  man 
and  his  mother,  both  of  whom  were  on  the  eve  of  being 
sold  into  distant  slavery.  "  That,"  said  he,  "  is  an  action 


LETTER  FROM  PROFESSOR  C.  U.   SHEPARD.        373 

that  it  will  be  pleasant  to  think  of  in  heaven."  He  was 
neither  elated  by  success  or  depressed  by  disappointment 
His  cheerfulness  of  mind  and  bodily  elasticity  were  wonder- 
ful. I  never  saw  him  out  of  humor,  or  apparently  fatigued. 
He  was  never  idle,  never  in  a  hurry.  His  temperance  was 
remarkable.  The  pleasure  he  derived  from  the  table  could 
only  be  seen  in  the  agreeable  flow  of  conversation  attend- 
ing the  meal.  I  never  heard  him  remark  upon  a  dish,  nor 
did  I  ever  see  him  drink  wine.  His  health  was  perfect. 
During  our  entire  acquaintance  he  never  complained  of  an 
uneasiness  in  my  hearing.  He  required  the  least  amount 
of  sleep  for  the  preservation  of  all  this  vigor  and  freshness, 
of  any  man  of  whom  I  have  read.  Gloomy  anticipations 
found  with  him  no  resting-place.  Of  death  he  used  to 
speak  with  the  utmost  composure  ;  and  he  has  said  to  me 
while  we  were  occupied  with  the  experiments  to  be  pro- 
duced at  his  lecture,  that  he  was  just  as  ready  to  go  then, 
if  it  was  God's  will,  as  from  any  other  place,  or  at  any  other 
time. 

I  do  not  of  course  speak  of  the  claims  of  Professor 
Silliman  as  a  patriot,  a  philanthropist,  a  scholar,  or  a 
Christian  ;  others  will  better  testify  on  all  these  points. 
But  I  may  perhaps  be  permitted  to  observe  in  closing  that 
I  cannot  doubt  of  his  free  admission  to  a  place  among  the 
deserving  names  of  mankind.  Had  the  energies  of  his  life, 
instead  of  being  devoted  to  the  diffusion  of  science  in  a 
new  country,  been  concentrated  upon  a  single  department 
of  knowledge,  his  claims  to  scientific  eclat  would  be  more 
easily  established  ;  just  as  the  deep  grooves  across  a  moun- 
tain of  granite  produced  by  the  passage  of  an  ancient  ice- 
berg, are  better  seen  than  the  more  beneficent  effects,  even, 
that  result  from  the  deposition  of  the  same  amount  of 
water  over  fertile  fields,  under  the  gentle  form  of  dew. 


374  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   SILLIMAN. 


REV.   DR.    SPRAGUE   TO    G.   P.   FISHER. 

ALBANY,  July  11,  1865. 

MY  DEAR  PROFESSOR  FISHER,  —  I  will  not  dissemble 
the  fact  that  I  feel  honored  by  your  request  that  I  should 
communicate  to  you  some  of  my  recollections  of  our  dear 
and  venerated  friend,  Professor  Silliman,  in  aid  of  your 
proposed  memoir  of  him ;  but  I  greatly  fear  that  the  best  I 
can  do,  in  compliance  with  your  request,  will  disappoint 
you.  My  relations  with  him  during  several  of  his  last  years, 
were  indeed  intimate,  even  affectionate ;  but  our  meetings 
were  by  no  means  frequent,  and  nearly  all  our  intercourse 
was  through  the  medium  of  a  correspondence  which  is 
already  in  your  possession.  I  will  state  a  few  incidents  in 
connection  with  the  history  of  my  acquaintance  with  him, 
which  come  readily  to  my  remembrance,  together  with  the 
general  impression  which  his  character  made  upon  me. 

My  first  knowledge  of  Professor  Silliman  dates  back  to 
the  period  when  he  returned  from  Europe,  after  his  sojourn 
there  with  a  view  to  prepare  himself  for  the  duties  of  his 
professorship.  His  name,  at  this  time,  became  well  known 
in  and  around  my  native  place,  (Andpver,  Conn.,)  from  the 
fact  that  Andover  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  Lebanon,  the 
residence  of  Governor  Trumbull,  to  whose  daughter  he  was 
engaged  to  be  married  ;  and  the  visits  that  he  used  to  make 
to  this  charming  lady  served  as  materials  for  gossip  a  dozen 
miles  off.  After  a  while  the  Journal  of  his  travels  and 
residence  abroad  appeared  in  two  volumes,  and  though  I 
was  not  much  more  than  a  dozen  years  old,  well  do  I 
remember  with  what  wonder  and  delight  I  followed  him 
about  in  his  transatlantic  wanderings,  and  how  much  more 
interested  I  was  in  those  books  than  in  any  others  I  had 
ever  read.  When  I  came  to  College  in  1811,  I  was  not  a 
little  curious  to  see  the  man  of  whom  I  had  heard  so  much, 
and  with  whose  writings  my  youthful  mind  had  become  so 
entranced.  When  he  was  pointed  out  to  me,  I  thought 


LETTER  FROM  REV.  DR.  SPRAGUE.  375 

him,  so  far  as  everything  pertaining  to  his  countenance  and 
figure,  his  air  and  manner,  was  concerned,  just  about  the 
most  perfect  specimen  of  humanity  that  I  had  ever  fallen 
in  with.  During  the  first  two  years  of  my  College  life,  I  do 
not  remember  ever  to  have  spoken  with  Mr.  Silliman,  nor 
indeed  in  my  Junior  year,  except  as  he  questioned  me  in 
common  with  the  rest  of  the  class,  to  find  out  what  we  had 
remembered  of  his  chemical  and  mineralogical  lectures. 
But  I  used  to  gaze  at  him  every  Sunday,  as  he  sat  in  the 
gallery  of  the  old  chapel,  in  spite  of  Dr.  Dwight's  eloquent 
and  powerful  preaching,  as  if  part  at  least  of  my  errand 
there  had  been  to  admire  a  graceful  and  beautiful  person. 
If  my  memory  serves  me,  the  first  time  I  ever  spoke  with 
him  was  in  April,  1815,  less  than  six  months  before  the 
close  of  my  College  course  ;  and  both  the  occasion  and  the 
nature  of  the  interview  are  embalmed  in  my  memory.  It 
was  during  a  revival  of  religion  which  swept  with  power 
through  the  College,  and  brought  the  most  thoughtless  into 
an  attitude  of  serious  reflection,  and,  in  respect  to  not  a 
small  number,  seemed  to  work  the  great  change  decisive 
of  their  eternal  destiny.  My  own  mind  was  drawn  power- 
fully in  a  new  direction,  insomuch  that  I  felt  myself  obliged 
to  stay  away  from  the  recitations  and  lectures,  I  believe,  for 
two  or  three  days.  As  I  was  coming  up  Chapel  Street  one 
morning,  I  saw  Professor  Silliman  at  a  little  distance  from 
me,  and  as  I  knew  that  I  had  to  render  my  excuse  for 
absence  from  his  lectures,  I  thought  I  might  as  well  do  it 
then  ;  and  I  accordingly  approached  him,  stated  to  him  the 
reason  of  my  absence,  and  begged  him  to  excuse  me.  His 
answer  was  so  kind,  I  may  say  so  sympathetic,  that  he  not 
only  put  me  entirely  at  rest,  but  drew  me  to  him  in  cords 
of  gratitude  and  affection  ;  and  I  suppose  his  kindly  demon- 
strations were  all  the  more  pleasing  from  my  having  just 
been  told  that  one  of  my  classmates,  in  similar  circum- 
stances, had  offered  the  same  excuse  to  another  member 
of  the  Faculty,  and  had  been  given  to  understand  that  it 


376  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN. 

was  hardly  sufficient,  as  one  duty  could  not  be  allowed  to 
crowd  out  another.  I  do  not  remember  to  have  had  any 
further  personal  interviews  with  Mr.  Silliman,  while  I  re- 
mained at  New  Haven,  except  that  just  at  the  close  of  my 
College  life  he  did  something  towards  procuring  me  a  place 
as  a  teacher,  and  showed  great  kindness  in  introducing  me 
to  it. 

After  I  left  College,  I  occasionally  met  Mr.  Silliman  at 
New  Haven  and  elsewhere ;  but  though  I  ventured  to 
reckon  him  among  my  friends,  and  more  than  once  received 
from  him  expressions  of  good-will,  I  never  felt  that  my 
relations  with  him  were  intimate  until  some  ten  or  twelve 
years  ago.  At  the  dedication  of  the  Dudley  Observatory 
in  1856,  —  an  occasion  which  I  believe  brought  together 
a  greater  number  of  distinguished  persons  than  were  ever, 
at  any  other  time,  assembled  in  our  city,  —  our  venerable 
friend  was  present,  and  I  had  the  honor  of  having  him  for 
a  guest ;  and  I  never  saw  him  when  he  was  more  communi- 
cative or  agreeable.  Mr.  Everett,  and  one  or  two  other 
kindred  spirits  were  with  us  at  the  same  time ;  and  each 
rendered  the  others  more  brilliant  and  interesting.  Though 
the  Professor  had  then  numbered  more  than  his  threescore 
and  ten  years,  he  was  just  as  bright  and  sociable  and  cheer- 
ful, just  as  ready  to  impart,  and  as  eager  to  obtain,  informa- 
tion on  every  subject,  as  if  he  had  been  at  the  zenith  of  his 
activity. 

The  last  time  I  saw  him  was  at  the  Yale  College  Com- 
mencement in  1800,  when  his  mind  and  his  heart  were  full 
of  the  perils  that  seemed  to  hang  over  the  country.  lie 
expressed  the  strongest  conviction  that  slavery  was  at  once 
our  great  national  calamity  and  sin,  and  that  that  must  be 
wiped  out  before  our  nation  could  ever  attain  to  the  glo- 
rious destiny  that  awaits  it.  Either  in  conversation  or  in 
one  of  his  letters,  he  gave  me  a  detailed  account  of  the 
outrageous  insult  of  which  he  was  the  subject  from  a  set  of 
rebel  vandals  in  New  Orleans,  who  removed  from  its  place, 


LETTER  FROM  REV.  DR.  SPRAGUE.  377 

in  some  public  building,  a  fine  picture  of  him,  for  which 
he  had  been  requested  to  sit,  and  destroyed  it  by  throwing 
it  into  the  river.*  On  the  whole,  when  I  think  of  Profes- 
sor Silliman,  I  bring  before  me  a  man  who  had  as  few  in- 
firmities, and  as  many  sterling  good  qualities,  as  we  can 
reasonably  expect  to  find  in  this  imperfect  state.  I  recall 
with  admiration  his  attractive  exterior ;  his  fine  person  and 
winning  address;  but  with  much  greater  admiration  his 
noble  qualities  of  mind  and  heart ;  his  quickness  of  percep- 
tion ;  his  facility  at  combining  and  arranging  his  vast 
stores  of  knowledge,  and  his  graceful  style  of  communica- 
tion ;  his  invincible  fidelity  to  his  own  convictions ;  his 
kindness,  his  charity,  and  above  all,  his  earnest  devotion  to 
the  cause  of  Christ,  —  as  I  think  of  these  and  other  traits, 
his  character  rises  before  me  as  a  specimen  of  humanity 
in  its  most  exalted  form.  The  best  wish  I  can  express 
for  my  dear  old  Alma  Mater  is,  that  this  character  may  be 
reproduced  in  all  who  shall  hereafter  occupy  her  high 
places. 

*  Recent  intelligence  renders  it  probable  that  Professor  Silliman  had 
been  misinformed,  aud  that  the  picture  was  not  destroyed. — F. 


APPENDIX  I. 


LETTERS    TO    THE    SECOND    GOVERNOR    TRUMBULL   FROM 
GENERAL  WASHINGTON  AND  MAKTHA  WASHINGTON. 

GENERAL  WASHINGTON  TO  GOVERNOR  TRUMBULL.* 

MOUNT  VERNOX,  December  4, 1788. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  It  is  some  time  since  I  had  the  pleasure  to 
receive  your  favor  of  the  28th  of  October,  but  as  I  had  nothing 
particular  to  send  in  return,  I  postponed  writing  until  the  present 
time,  to  see  whether  anything  new  would  turn  up.  Nothing  of 
importance  has  occurred  ;  but  in  the  mean  time,  I  was  extremely 
happy  to  find  that  your  State  was  going  on  so  well  as  to  Federal 
affairs ;  and  you  will  permit  me  to  say,  that  I  have  been  not  a  little 
pleased  with  observing  that  you  have  stood  so  high  in  the  nomina- 
tion for  representatives  to  Congress. 

In  general,  the  appointments  to  the  Senate  seem  to  have  been 
very  happy.  Much  will  depend  upon  having  disinterested  and 
respectable  characters  in  both  Houses ;  for  if  the  new  Congress 
should  be  composed  of  characters  in  whom  the  citizens  will  natu- 
rally place  confidence,  it  will  be  a  most  fortunate  circumstance  for 
conciliating  their  good-will  to  the  government,  and  then  if  the 
government  can  be  carried  on  without  touching  the  purses  of  the 
people  too  deeply,  I  think  it  will  not  be  in  the  power  of  the  adver- 
saries of  it  to  throw  everything  into  confusion,  by  effecting  pre- 
mature amendments.  A  few  months  will,  here  even,  show  what 
we  are  to  expect. 

I  believe  you  know  me  sufficiently  well,  my  dear  Trumbull,  to 
conceive  that  I  am  very  much  perplexed  and  distressed  in  my  own 
mind,  respecting  the  subject  to  which  you  allude.  If  I  should 
(unluckily  for  me)  be  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  giving  an  an- 
swer to  the  question,  which  you  suppose  will  certainly  be  put  to 

*  This  letter  was  written  a  few  months  before  the  new  government  went 
into  operation.  Washington  was  inaugurated,  April  30,  1789.  —  F. 


380  APPENDIX. 

me,  T  would  fain  do  what  was  in  all  respects  best.  But  how  can  I 
know  what  is  best,  or  on  what  shall  I  determine?  May  Heaven 
assist  me  in  forming  a  judgment,  for  at  present  I  see  nothing  but 
clouds  and  darkness  before  me.  Thus  much  I  may  safely  say  to 
you  in  confidence  ;  if  ever  I  should,  from  any  apparent  necessity, 
be  induced  to  go  from  home  in  a  public  character  again,  it  will 
certainly  be  the  greatest  sacrifice  of  feeling  and  happiness  that  ever 
was  or  ever  can  be  made  by  him  who  will  have,  in  all  situations, 
the  pleasure  to  profess  himself  with  sentiments  of  real  esteem, 
Your  affectionate  friend  and  obed'.  servant, 

G°-  WASHINGTON. 
THE  HON.  JONATHAN  TRUMBULL. 

GENERAL  WASHINGTON  TO  GOVERNOR   TRUMBULL. 

PHILADELPHIA,  March  3,  1797. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  Before  the  curtain  drops  on  my  political  life, 
which  it  will  do  this  evening, —  I  expect  forever, —  I  shall  acknowl- 
edge, although  it  be  in  a  few  hasty  lines  only,  the  receipt  of  your 
kind  and  affectionate  letter  of  the  2.3d  of  January  last. 

When  I  add  that,  according  to  custom,  all  the  acts  of  the  ses- 
sion, except  two  or  three;  very  unimportant  bills,  have  been  pre- 
sented to  me  within  the  last  four  days,  you  will  not  be  surprised 
at  the  pressure  under  which  1  write  at  present ;  but  it  must  aston- 
ish others  who  know  that  the  Constitution  allows  the  President  ten 
days  to  deliberate  on  each  bill  that  is  brought  before  him,  that  he 
should  be  allowed  by  the  legM.iture  less  than  half  that  time  to 
consider  all  the  business  of  the  session  ;  and  in  some  instances, 
scarcely  an  hour,  to  revolve  the  most  important.  But  as  the  scene 
is  closing  with  me,  it  is  of  little  avail  now  to  let  it  be  with  mur- 
murs. 

I  should  be  very  unhappy  if  I  thought  my  relinquishing  the 
reins  of  government  would  produce  any  of  the  consequences 
which  your  fears  forebode.  In  all  free  governments,  contention 
in  elections  will  take  place  ;  and  whilst  it  is  confined  to  our  own 
citizens,  it  is  not  to  be,  regretted,  —  but  severely  indeed  ought  it 
to  be  reprobated  when  occasioned  by  foreign  machinations.  I 
trust,  however,  that  the  good  sense  of  our  countrymen  will  guard 
the  public  weal  against  this,  and  every  other  innovation  ;  and  that, 
although  we  may  be  a  little  wrong,  now  and  then,  we  shall  return 


APPENDIX.  381 

to  the  right  path  with  more  avidity.  I  can  never  believe  that 
Providence,  which  has  guided  us  so  long,  and  through  such  a 
labyrinth,  will  withdraw  its  protection  at  this  crisis. 

Although  I  shall  resign  the  chair  of  government  without  a  sin- 
gle regret,  or  any  desire  to  intermeddle  in  politics  again,  yet  there 
are  many-of  my  compatriots  (among  whom  be  assured  1  place  you) 
from  whom  I  shall  part  sorrowing;  because,  unless  I  meet  with 
them  at  Mount  Vernon,  it  is  not  likely  I  shall  ever  see  them  more, 
as  I  do  not  expect  I  shall  ever  be  twenty  miles  from  it  after  I  am 
tranquilly  settled  there.  To  tell  you  how  glad  I  should  be  to  see 
you  at  that  place  is  unnecessary  ;  but  this  I  will  add,  that  it  would 
not  only  give  me  pleasure,  but  pleasure  also  to  Mrs.  Washington 
and  others  of  the  family,  with  whom  you  are  acquainted  ;  and  who 
all  unite  in  every  good  wish  for  you  and  yours,  with,  dear  sir, 
Your  sincere  friend  and  affectionate  servant, 

G°-  WASHINGTON. 

JONATHAN  TRUMBULL,  Esq. 

The  early  part  of  the  following  letter  relates  to  a  plan 
for  emancipating  the  Southern  dependencies  of  I^uropean 
powers  in  America,  and  of  combining  with  them  in  a  system 
of  common  defence.  This  scheme  had  been  broached  in 
a  letter  of  Colonel  Trumbull  to  Washington.*  The  con- 
cluding portion  of  the  annexed  letter,  together  with  the 
communication  from  Washington  which  follows  it,  presents 
an  interesting  disclosure  of  his  feelings  in  view  of  a  proposi- 
tion that  be  should  stand  as  a  candidate  for  tbe  Presidency 
for  a  third  term.  His  sentiments  in  regard  to  tbe  position 
of  the  Federal  party  and  the  character  of  their  opponents, 
are  clearly  set  forth. 

GENERAL    WASHINGTON    TO    GOVERNOR    TRUMBULL. 

MOUNT  VKRNOX,  July  21, 1799. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  Your  favor  of  the  22d  ultimo  got  to  my 
hands  yesterday,  only.  It  came  safe,  and  without  any  apparent 
marks  of  violence ;  but  whence  the  length  of  its  passage,  I  am 
unable  to  inform  you. 

*  The  letter  of  Colonel  Trumbull  with  the  response  of  Washington,  may 
be  found  in  Colonel  Trumbull's  Reminiscences,  Appendix,  (p.  379,  sej.) 


382  APPENDIX. 

To  yon,  and  to  your  brother,  Colonel  John  Trumbull,  I  feel 
much  indebted  for  the  full,  frank,  and  interesting  communication 
of  the  political  sentiments  contained  in  both  your  letters. 

Tlie  project  of  the  latter  is  vast, —  and  under  any  circumstances 
would  require  very  mature  consideration  ;  but  in  its  extent,  and 
an  eye  being  had  to  the  disorganizing  party  in  the  United  States, 
I  am  sure  it  would  be  impracticable  in  the  present  order  of  things. 

Not  being  able  to  convey  my  ideas  to  you,  on  this  subject,  in 
more  concise  terms  than  I  have  already  done  to  your  brother,  in 
answer  to  the  letter  he  informs  you  he  had  written  to  me,  I  shall 
take  the  liberty  of  giving  you  an  extract  thereof,  as  follows:  — 

"  For  the  political  information  contained  in  it,  (that  is,  his  letter,) 
"  I  feel  grateful,  as  I  always  shall  for  the  free  unreserved  cominu- ' 
"  nication  of  your  sentiments  upon  subjects  so  important  in  their 
"  nature  and  tendency.  No  well-informed  and  unprejudiced  man, 
"  who  has  viewed  with  attention  the  conduct  of  the  French  gov- 
"  eminent  since  the  revolution  in  that  country,  can  mistake  its 
"  objects,  or  the  tendency  of  the  ambitious  projects  it  is  pursu- 
"  ing.  Yet,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  a  party,  and  a  powerful  one 
"  too,  among  us,  affect  to  believe  that  the  measures  of  it  are  dic- 
"  tated  by  a  principle  of  self-preservation  ;  that  the  outrages  of 
"  which  the  Directory  are  guilty,  proceed  from  dire  necessity  ;  that 
"  it  wishes  to  be  upon  the  most  friendly  and  amicable  terms  with 
"  the  United  States ;  that  it  will  be  the  fault  of  the  latter  if  this  is 
"  not  the  case  ;  that  the  defensive  measures  which  this  country  has 
"  adopted,  are  not  only  unnecessary  and  expensive,  but  have  a 
"  tendency  to  produce  the  evil  which,  to  deprecate,  is  mere  pre- 
"  tence  in  the  government ;  because  war  with  France,  they  say,  is 
"  its  wish ;  that  on  the  militia  we  should  rest  our  security  ;  and 
"  that  it  is  time  enough  to  call  upon  these  when  the  danger  is 
"  imminent  and  apparent. 

"  With  these  and  such  like  ideas  attempted  to  be  inculcated  upon 
"  the  public  mind  (aided  by  prejudices  not  yet  eradicated),  and 
"  with  art  and  sophistry,  which  regard  neither  truth  nor  decency  ; 
"  attacking  every  character,  without  respect  to  persons,  public  or 
"  private,  who  happen  to  differ  from  themselves  in  politics,  I  leave 
"you  to  decide  on  the  probability  of  carrying  such  an  extensive 
"  plan  of  defence  as  you  have  suggested  in  your  last  letter,  into 
"  operation,  and  in  the  short  period  which  you  suppose  may  be 
"  allowed  to  accomplish  it  in." 


APPENDIX.  383 

I  come  now,  my  dear  sir,  to  pay  particular  attention  to  that  part 
of  your  letter  which  respects  myself. 

I  remember  well  the  conversation  which  you  allude  to,  and 
have  not  Ibrgot  the  answer  I  gave  you.  In  my  judgment  it  ap- 
plies with  as  much  force  now  as  then;  nay  more,  because  at  that 
time  the  line  between  parties  was  not  so  clearly  drawn,  and  the 
views  of  the  opposition  so  clearly  developed  as  they  are  at  pres- 
ent: of  course,  allowing  your  observation  (as  it  respects  myself ) 
to  be  founded,  personal  influence  would  be  of  no  avail. 

Let  that  party  set  up  a  broomstick,  and  call  it  a  true  son  of 
liberty,  —  a  democrat,  —  or  give  it  any  other  epithet  that  will  suit 
their  purpose,  and  it  will  command  their  votes  in  toto !  *  Will 
not  the  Federalists  meet,  or  rather  defend  their  cause,  on  the  op- 
posite ground  ?  Surely  they  must,  or  they  will  discover  a  want 
of  policy,  indicative  of  weakness  and  pregnant  of  mischief;  which 
cannot  be  admitted.  Wherein,  then,  would  lie  the  difference 
between  the  present  gentleman  in  office,  and  myself? 

It  would  be  matter  of  sore  regret  to  me,  if  I  could  believe  that 
a  serious  thought  was  turned  towards  me  as  his  successor,  not  only 
as  it  respects  my  ardent  wishes  to  pass  through  the  vale  of  life  in 
retirement,  undisturbed  in  the  remnant  of  the  days  I  have  to  so- 
journ here,  unless  called  upon  to  defend  my  country  (which  every 
citizen  is  bound  to  do),  but  on  public  ground  also ;  for,  although 
I  have  abundant  cause  to  be  thankful  for  the  good  health  with 
•which  I  am  blessed,  yet  I  am  not  insensible  to  my  declination  in 
other  respects.  It  would  be  criminal,  therefore,  in  me,  although  it 
should  be  the  wish  of  my  countrymen,  and  I  could  be  elected,  to  ac- 
cept an  office  under  this  conviction,  which  another  would  discharge 
with  more  ability  ;  and  this,  too,  at  a  time  when  I  am  thoroughly 
convinced  I  should  not  draw  a  single  vote  from  the  anti-Federal 
side,  and,  of  course,  should  stand  upon  no  other  ground  than  any 
other  Federal  character  well  supported ;  and,  when  I  should  be- 
come a  mark  for  the  shafts  of  envenomed  malice  and  the  basest 
calumny  to  fire  at,  —  when  I  should  be  charged  not  only  with 
irresolution,  but  with  concealed  ambition,  which  waits  only  an 
occasion  to  blaze  out,  —  and,  in  short,  with  dotage  and  imbecility. 

All  this,  I  grant,  ought  to  be  like  dust  in  the  balance,  when  put 
in  competition  with  a  great  public  good,  when  the  accomplishment 
of  it  is  apparent.  But,  as  no  problem  is  better  defined  in  my 

*  As  an  analysis  of  this  position,  look  to  the  pending  election  of  Gov- 
ernor in  Pennsylvania. 


384  APPENDIX. 

mind  than  that  principle,  not  men  is  now,  and  will  be,  the  objeel 
of  contention  ;  and  that  I  could  not  obtain  a  solitary  vote  from 
that  party  ;  that  any  other  respectable  Federal  character  would 
receive  the  same  suffrages  that  I  should ;  that  at  my  time  of  life 
(verging  towards  threescore  and  ten)  I  should  expose  myself, 
without  rendering  any  essential  service  to  my  country,  or  answer- 
ing the  end  contemplated;  prudence  on  my  part  must  arrest  any 
attempt  of  the  well-meant  but  mistaken  views  of  my  friends  to 
introduce  me  again  into  the  chair  of  government. 

Lengthy  as  this  letter  is,  I  cannot  conclude  it  without  express- 
ing an  earnest  wish  that  some  intimate  and  confidential  friend  of 
the  President's  would  give  him  to  understand  that  his  long  absence 
from  the  seat  of  government,  in  the  present  critical  conjuncture, 
affords  matter  for  severe  animadversion  by  the  friends  of"  govern- 
ment, who  speak  of  it  with  much  disapprobation  ;  while  the  other 
party  chuckle  at  and  set  it  down  as  a  favorable  omen  for  them- 
selves. It  has  been  suggested  to  me  to  make  this  communication, 
but  I  have  declined  it,  conceiving  that  it  would  be  better  received 
from  a  private  character,  more  in  the  habits  of  social  intercourse 
and  friendship. 

With  the  most  sincere  friendship  and  affectionate  regard, 
I  am,  always, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

G°.  WASHINGTON. 

His  Excellency 

JONATHAN  TRUMBULL. 


GENERAL    WASHINGTON    TO    GOVERNOR    TRUMBULL. 

MOUNT  VEKNON,  30th  August,  1799. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  Your  favor  of  the  10th  instant  came  duly  to 
hand.  It  gave  me  pleasure  to  find,  by  the  contents  of  it,  that 
your  sentiments  respecting  the  comprehensive  project  of  Colonel 
Trumbull  coincided  with  those  I  had  expressed  to  him. 

A  very  different  state  of  politics  must  obtain  in  this  country, 
and  more  unanimity  prevail  in  our  public  counsels,  than  is  the 
case  at  present,  ere  such  a  measure  could  be  undertaken  with  the 
least  prospect  of  success.  By  unanimity  alone  the  plan  could  be 
accomplished  :  —  while,  then,  a  party,  and  a  strong  one  too,  is  hang- 
ing upon  the  wheels  of  government,  opposing  measures  calculated 


APPENDIX.  385 

solely  for  internal  defence,  and  is  endeavoring  to  defeat  all  the 
laws  which  have  In-i-u  passed  for  this  purpose,  by  rendering  them 
obnoxious,  to  attempt  anything  beyond  this,  would  be  to  encoun- 
ter certain  disappointment.  And  yet,  if  the  policy  of  this  coun- 
try, or  the  necessity  occasioned  by  the  existing  opposition  to  its 
measures,  should  suffer  the  French  to  possess  themselves  of  Louisi- 
ana and  the  Floridas,  either  by  exchange  or  otherwise,  I  will 
venture  to  predict,  without  the  gift  of  "  second  siyltt"  that  there 
will  be  "  no  peace  in  Israel,"  —  or,  in  other  words,  that  the  rest- 
less, ambitious,  and  intriguing  spirit  of  that  people  will  keep  the 
United  States  in  a  continual  state  of  warfare  with  the  numerous 
tribes  of  Indians  that  inhabit  our  frontiers,  for  doing  which  their 
"  diplomatic  skill "  is  well  adapted. 

With  respect  to  the  other  subject  of  your  letter,  I  must  again 
express  a  strong  and  ardent  wish  and  desire  that  no  eye,  no 
tongue,  no  thought,  may  be  turned  towards  me  for  the  purpose 
alluded  to  therein.  For,  besides  the  reasons  which  I  urged 
against  the  measure  in  my  last,  and  which,  in  my  judgment  and 
by  my  feelings,  are  insurmountable,  you  yourself  have  furnished  a 
cogent  one. 

You  have  conceded,  what  before  was  self-evident  in  my  mind, 
namely,  that  not  a  single  vote  would  thereby  be  drawn  from  the 
anti-Federal  candidate.  You  add,  however,  that  it  might  be  a  mean 
of  uniting  the  Federal  votes.  Here,  then,  my  dear  sir,  let  me 
ask,  what  satisfaction,  what  consolation,  what  safety,  should  I  find 
in  support  which  depends  upon  caprice  ? 

If  men,  not  principles,  can  influence  the  choice  on  the  part  of 
the  Federalists,  what  but  fluctuations  are  to  be  expected  ?  The 
favorite  to-day  may  have  the  curtain  dropped  on  him  to-mor- 
row, while  steadiness  marks  the  conduct  of  the  Anti's ;  and  who- 
ever is  not  on  their  side  must  expect  to  be  loaded  with  all  the 
calumny  that  malice  can  invent ;  in  addition  to  which  I  should 
be  charged  with  inconsistency,  concealed  ambition,  dotage,  and  a 
thousand  more  et  ceteras. 

It  is  too  interesting  not  to  be  again  repeated,  that  if  principles, 
instead  of  men,  are  not  the  steady  pursuit  of  the  Federalists,  their 
cause  will  soon  be  at  an  end ;  if  these  are  pursued,  they  will  not 
divide  at  the  next  election  of  a  President ;  if  they  do  divide  on  so 
important  a  point,  it  would  be  dangerous  to  -trust  them  on  any 
other, — and  none  except  those  who  might  be  solicitous  to  fill  the 

VOL.  ii.  25 


386  APPENDIX. 

chair  of  government  would  do  it.  In  a  word,  my  dear  sir,  I  am  too 
far  advanced  into  the  vale  of  life  to  bear  such  buffeting  as  I  should 
meet  with  in  such  an  event.  A  mind  that  has  been  constantly 
on  the  stretch  since  the  year  1 753,  with  but  short  intervals  and 
little  relaxation,  requires  rest  and  composure  ;  and  I  believe  that 
nothing  short  of  a  serious  invasion  of  our  country  (in  which  case 
I  conceive  it  to  be  the  duty  of  every  citizen  to  step  forward  in  its 
defence)  will  ever  draw  me  from  my  present  retirement.  But, 
let  me  be  in  that  or  in  any  other  situation,  I  shall  always  remain, 

Your  sincere  friend,  and  affectionate  humble  servant, 
His  Excellency  G°.  WASHINGTON. 

GOVERNOR  TRUMBULL. 

MARTHA  WASHINGTON  TO  GOVERNOR  TRUMBULL.* 

MOUNT  VERNON,  January  15,  1800. 

DEAR  SIR,  —  When  the  mind  is  deeply  affected  by  those  irrep- 
arable losses  which  are  incident  to  humanity,  the  good  Christian 
will  submit  without  repining  to  the  dispensations  of  Divine  Prov- 
idence, and  look  for  consolation  to  that  Being  who  alone  can  pour 
bahn  into  the  bleeding  heart,  and  who  has  promised  to  be  the 
widow's  God.  But,  in  the  severest  trials,  we  find  some  allevia- 
tion to  our  grief  in  the  sympathy  of  sincere,  friends  ;  and  I  should 
not  do  justice  to  my  sensibility,  was  I  not  to  acknowledge  that 
your  kind  letter  of  condolence  of  the  30th  of  December  was 
grateful  to  my  feeling.  I  well  knew  the  affectionate  regard  which 
my  dear  deceased  husband  always  entertained  for  you,  and  there- 
fore conceive  how  afflicting  his  death  must  have  been  to  you. 
The  quotation  which  you  have  given  of  what  was  written  to  you 
on  a  former  melancholy  occasion,  is  truly  applicable  to  this.  The 
loss  is  ours  ;  the  gain  is  his. 

For  myself,  I  have  only  to  bow  with  humble  submission  to  the 
will  of  that  God  who  giveth  -and  who  taketh  away,  looking  for- 
ward with  faith  and  hope  to  the  moment  when  I  shall  be  again 
united  with  the  partner  of  my  life.  But,  while  I  continue  on 
earth,  my  prayers  will  be  offered  up  for  the  welfare  and  happiness 
of  my  friends,  among  whom  you  will  always  be  numbered,  being, 

Dear  Sir, 
Your  sincere  and  afflicted  friend, 

MARTHA  WASHINGTON. 

*  This  letter  was  in  response  to  a  letter  of  condolence,  written  after  the 
death  of  General  Washington. 


APPENDIX  II. 


LETTERS  TO  COLONEL  JOHN  TRUMBULL  FROM  LAFAYETTE, 
JOHN  ADAMS,  JEFFERSON,  BENJAMIN  WEST,  AND  LORD 
GRENViLLE. 

FROM  LAFAYETTE  TO  COLONEL  TRUMBULL.* 

PAKIS,  January  4, 1824. 

MY  DEAR  SfR, — Words  cannot  sufficiently  express  how  happy 
you  have  made  me  by  your  most  valuable  and  no  less  welcome 
present.  I  received  it  in  my  usual  family  retirement  at  La  Grange, 
and  was  delighted  with  many  happy  recollections  it  did  produce, 
among  which  the  pleasure  of  my  friendly  acquaintance  with  the 
painter  had  a  very  great  share.  I  at  once  recognized  all  the  por- 
traits, and  think  you  have  been  remarkably  fortunate  in  hitting  not 
only  the  features  but  the  manners  and  deportment  of  the  principal 
characters.  It  is  so  much  the  case,  that  my  children,  who,  George 
excepted,  were  very  young  when  they  had  a  peep  at  John  Adams, 
pointed  out  the  father  from  their  acquaintance  with  the  son.  Han- 
cock, Charles  Thompson,  Jefferson,  Franklin,  Roger  Sherman, 
&c.,  &c.,  suddenly  appeared  to  me  in  the  grand  act  which  has  be- 
gun the  era  of  national  freedom  and  self-government.  I  hailed 
the  banner  under  which  I  enlisted  in  my  youth,  and  shall  die  in 
old  age ;  and  I  bless  the  great  artist,  the  good  fellow-citizen  and 
soldier  to  whom  I  was  obliged  for  so  many  lively,  affectionate,  and 
patriotic  sensations. 

It  is  to  me  also  an  inexpressible  gratification  to  think  your  ad- 
mirable pencil  has  fixed  me  on  the  grand  central  rotunda  of  the 
capitol  of  the  United  States,  in  the  situation  where  I  like  myself 
best,  namely,  in  my  American  regimentals,  under  our  Republican 
continental  colors,  at  the  head  of  my  beloved,  gallant,  affectionate 
light  infantry,  at  the  successful  close  of  the  Virginia  campaign.  I 
cannot  promise  you  my  actual  features  would  do  justice  to  your 
portrait  of  that  time  ;  but  the  heart  is  the  same. 

*  In  acknowledgment  of  the  present  of  a  copy  of  the  engraving  of  Trum- 
bull's  picture  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  —  F. 


388  APPENDIX. 

The  account  you  give  of  the  great  water  communication  through 
those  countries  which  I  saw,  for  the  most  part,  a  wilderness,  while 
I  acted  as  commander  in  the  Northern  Department,  is  truly  en- 
chanting. In  those  wonders  of  freedom,  national  sense,  and  unshac- 
kled industry,  my  mind  seeks  a  refuge  from  too  many  disgusts  and 
disappointments  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic.  Let  us  not,  however, 
despair  of  European  liberty,  much  less  range  among  those  who 
create  discouragement  by  proclaiming  it ;  but  let  it  be  also  the  fun- 
damental rule  of  the  American  Republics  to  beware  of  any  sort  of 
European  influence,  whether  hostile  or  friendly,  —  the  pretended 
benevolence  of  the  British  government  having  of  late  been  as 
much  if  not  more  fatal  to  Italy,  the  Peninsula,  and  by  and  by, 
probably,  to  Greece,  than  all  the  violence  of  the  pretended  holy 
alliance  of  a  gang  of  continental  monarchs  and  aristocrats.  Amidst 
so  much  despotism,  privilege,  corruption,  perfidy,  and  servility,  the 
message  of  the  President  has  suddenly  appeared  as  an  admirable 
mass  of  light  to  show  to  the  nations  of  Europe  what  is  a  free  people, 
and  a  popular  magistrate.  Receive  my  most  affectionate  thanks, 
good  wishes,  and  regards,  and  believe  me,  forever, 

Your  sincere  constant  friend, 

LAFAYETTE. 


JOHN   ADAMS    TO    COLONEL    TRUMBULL. 

QUIXCY,  January  1,  1817. 

MY  DEAR  Sm,  —Your  kind  letter  of  the  26th  of  December 
has  given  me  more  pleasure  than  it  would  be  prudent  or  decent 
for  me  to  express. 

Your  design  has  my  cordial  approbation  and  best  wishes.  But 
you  will  please  to  remember  that  the  burin  and  the  pencil,  the 
chisel  and  the  trowel,  have  in  all  ages  and  countries,  of  which  we 
have  any  information,  been  enlisted  on  the  side  of  despotism  and 
superstition.  I  should  have  said,  of  superstition  and  despotism,  for 
superstition  is  the  first  and  universal  cause  of  despotism. 

Characters  and  counsels  and  actions,  merely  social,  merely  civil, 
merely  political,  merely  moral,  are  always  neglected  and  forgotten. 

Architecture,  sculpture,  painting,  and  poetry,  have  conspired 
against  the  rights  of  mankind;  and  the  Protestant  religion  is  now 
unpopular  and  odious,  because  it  is  not  friendly  to  the  fine  arts. 

I  am  not,  however,  a  disciple  of  Rousseau.   Your  country  ought 


APPENDIX.  389 

to  acknowledge  itself  more  indebted  to  you  than  to  any  other  art- 
ist who  ever  existed ;  and  I  therefore  heartily  wish  you  success. 

But  I  must  beg  pardon  of  my  country  when  I  say,  that  I  see  no 
disposition  to  celebrate  or  remember,  or  even  curiosity  to  inquire 
into  the  characters,  actions,  or  events,  of  the  Revolution. 

I  am,  therefore,  more  inclined  to  despair  than  to  hope  for  your 
success  in  Congress,  though  I  wish  it  with  all  my  heart. 

I  should  be  glad  to  be  informed  of  your  progress,  being,  with 
sincere  esteem  and  real  affection, 

Your  friend, 

COL.  TRUMBULL.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

JOHN  ADAMS  TO  COLONEL  TRUMBULL. 

QUINCY,  March  18, 1817. 

DEAR  SIR,  —  I  thank  you  for  your  favor  of  the  3d,  and  con- 
gratulate you  on  your  success,  which  I  hope  and  believe  will  be  an 
honorable  and  noble  establishment,  though  it  may  not  be  so  lucra- 
tive as  I  wish  it,  for  life. 

There  is  a  coincidence  of  circumstances  which  affects  me  very 
sensibly.  A  son  of  Governor  Trumbull  so  meritorious  and  so 
conspicuous  a  character  in  the  Revolution,  an  officer  of  rank  and 
merit  in  the  Revolutionary  army,  a  painter  of  Warren  and  Mont- 
gomery, is  now  destined  to  transmit  to  posterity  some  of  its  most 
celebrated  military  events ;  one  only  merely  political. 

The  dimensions,  eighteen  by  twelve,  appear  vast:  though  I 
never  passed  through  Antwerp  without  gazing  at  all  the  paintings 
of  Rubens,  I  cannot  depend  upon  my  memory  to  say  that  even 
his  "  Descent  from  the  Cross,"  or  his  "  Apotheosis  of  the  Virgin," 
exceed  these  measures. 

I  have  been  informed  that  one  of  the  greatest  talents  of  a  paint- 
er, is  a  capacity  to  comprehend  a  large  space,  and  to  proportion 
all  his  figures  to  it. 

Truth,  nature,  fact,  should  be  your  sole  guide.  Let  not  our 
posterity  be  deluded  by  fictions  under  pretence  of  poetical  or 
graphical  licenses. 

Now  sir,  as  I  have  taken  the  liberty  of  friendship  to  preach  to 
you,  I  ask  your  indulgence  for  a  question  or  two. 

Who  of  your  profession  will  undertake  to  paint  a  debate  or  an 
argument?  Discussions  in  the  legislature  we  call  debates;  the 
disputes  in  the  tribunals  of  justice  we  call  arguments. 


390  APPENDIX. 

Who  will  paint  the  argument  in  the  council  chambers  in  Bos- 
ton, in  the  month  of  February,  1761,  between  Mr.  Gridley  and 
Mr.  Otis,  upon  the  question  of  Writs  of  Assistants  ?  I  dare  not 
draw  the  chai-acters  of  Gridley  or  Otis.  The  latter,  as  if  he  had 
been  inspired  with  a  spirit  of  prophecy,  laid  open  to  the  view  of  a 
crowded  audience  all  that  has  since  happened  in  America.  Here 
the  Revolution  commenced.  Then  and  there  the  child  was  born. 

Who  will  paint  Samuel  Adams  at  the  head  of  ten  thousand  free- 
men and  volunteers,  with  his  quivering  paralytic  hands  in  the 
council  chamber  shaking  the  souls  of  Hutchinson  and  Dalrymple, 
and  driving  down  to  the  Castle  the  two  offending  regiments,  which 
Lord  North  ever  afterwards  called  "  Sam  Adams's  two  regiments  "  ? 

I  have  known  enough  of  your  discretion  to  believe  it  unneces- 
sary to  caution  you  to  consider  this  letter  as  confidential  from 
Your  friend, 

JOHN  TRUMBULL,  Esq.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

THOMAS   JEFFERSON   TO    COLONEL   TRUMBULL. 

MONTICELLO,  January  10,  1817. 

DEAR  SIR,  —  Our  last  mail  brought  me  your  favor  of  Decem- 
ber 26.  The  lapse  of  twenty-eight  years  which  you  count  since 
our  first  intimacies  has  diminished  in  nothing  my  affection  for  you. 
We  learn,  as  we  grow  old,  to  value  early  friendships,  because  the 
new-made  do  not  fit  us  so  closely.  It  is  an  age  since  I  have  heard 
of  Mrs.  Church.  Yet  her  place  in  my  bosom  is  as  warm  as  ever ; 
and  so  is  Kitty's.  I  think  I  learned  from  some  quarter  that  Mrs. 
Cosway  was  retired  to  a  religious  house  somewhere.  And  Madame 
de  Corny,  what  is  become  of  her  ?  Is  she  living  or  dead  ?  Thus 
you  see  how  your  letter  calls  up  recollections  of  our  charming 
coterie  of  Paris,  now  scattered  and  estranged,  but  not  so  in  either 
my  memory  or  affection.  It  has  made  me  forget,  too,  that  the  tor- 
pitude  of  age,  with  a  stiffening  wrist,  (the  effect  of  its  Paris  dislo- 
cation,) warns  me  to  write  letters  seldom  and  short.  To  the  object 
of  yours,  therefore.  You  think  you  need  a  borrowed  patronage  at 
Washington.  No,  my  dear  sir,  your  own  reputation,  your  talent, 
known  to  all,  is  a  patronage  with  all ;  to  which  any  addition 
offered  would  be  impertinent,  if  you  did  not  ask  it ;  and  mine  es- 
pecially is  now  obsolete.  The  turns  of  the  magic  lanthern  have 
shifted  all  the  figures ;  and  those  it  now  presents  are  strangers  to 


APPENDIX.  391 

me.  Merely  to  show  you  my  willingness,  however,  I  inclose  you 
a  letter  to  Colonel  Monroe,  who,  without  it,  would  do  everything 
he  could  for  you,  and  with  it  not  the  less.  His  warm  heart  infuses 
zeal  into  all  his  good  offices.  I  give  it  to  him  the  rather,  also,  be- 
cause he  will  be  in  place  when  you  will  need  them.  Mr.  Madison 
will  be  away,  and  it  would  be  useless  to  add  to  the  labors  of  his 
letter-reading  ;  and  I  know,  moreover,  his  opinions  and  dispositions 
towards  you  to  be  as  favorable  as  can  be  wished.  I  rejoice  that 
the  works  you  have  so  long  contemplated  are  likely  to  come  to 
light.  If  the  legislature,  to  the  reedification  of  the  public  build- 
ings, will  take  up  with  spirit  their  decoration  also,  yours  must  be 
the  first  object  of  their  attentions. 

I  hope  they  will  do  it,  and  honor  themselves,  their  country,  and 
yourself,  by  preserving  these  monuments  of  our  Revolutionary 
achievements. 

My  daughter,  whom  you  knew  an  infant,  has,  with  her  family, 
given  me  a  dozen  associates  at  our  daily  table.  She  is  well,  and  re- 
members all  her  friends  affectionately.  I  am,  as  I  ever  have  been, 
Sincerely  yours, 

COLONEL  TRUMBULL.  TII:  JEFFERSON. 


BENJAMIN   WEST    TO    COLONEL    TRUMBULL. 

DEAR  SIR,  —  The  letter  you  favored  me  with  on  your  arrival 
at  New  York,  did  not  come  to  hand  till  three  months  and  one  day 
after  the  date,  and  then  brought  by  the  penny-post,  and  not  by 
the  gentleman  whom  it  was  meant  to  introduce  to  a  sight  of  my 
paintings. 

The  favorable  opportunity  by  my  nephew,  John  Clarkson,  re- 
turning to  Philadelphia,  I  could  not  permit  to  pass  without  giving 
you  this  letter,  and  some  account  of  the  arts  and  artists  here. 

Mr.  Sharp  is  attentive  to  the  plate  from  your  picture  of  Gibral- 
tar, and  promises  to  be  successful  in  that  production. 

The  "  Chatham,"  by  Bartolozzi,  is  not  yet  ready,  Copley  finding 
some  points  not  to  his  satisfaction.  Bartolozzi  has  just  finished  a 
large  print  from  my  picture  of  St.  Paul,  at  Greenwich,  in  a  style 
much  to  my  satisfaction,  being  a  mixture  of  etching  and  engrav- 
ing united,  and  forms  a  print  exactly  answering  to  my  finished 
sketches  in  painting. 

Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  through  the  misfortune  of  being  deprived 


392  APPENDIX. 

of  the  sight  of  one  of  his  eyes,  has  dropped  the  pencil,  and,  in  all 
probability,  the  transcending  powers  of  young  Lawrence,  in  por- 
trait painting,  will  be  the  man  to  succeed  him  in  that  department 
of  art.  My  son,  Raphael,  with  his  brother,  has  returned  from 
Switzerland  ;  he  has  brought  a  rich  portfolio  of  sketches  from  the 
grand  features  of  that  country,  and  is  just  on  the  point  of  finish- 
ing a  larger  picture  from  Shakspeare's  "  Tempest."  The  moment 
is,  where  the  ship  is  cast  on  shore,  and  Trinculo  finds  Caliban, 
through  fear,  lying  on  the  ground.  I  believe  there  is  not  a  pict- 
ure to  be  found  where  the  elements  are  so  masterly  brought  to- 
gether, and  more  imagination  shown  than  in  this  picture. 

My  pencil  is  now  proceeding  with  the  pictures  of  the  great  de- 
sign of  his  Majesty's  Chapel,  in  "Windsor  Castle.  I  have  executed 
several  of  the  large  pictures  for  it  since  you  left  this  country, 
besides  a  large  cartoon  to  paint  from  on  glass,  for  a  window  in  the 
Collegiate  Church  at  Windsor,  and  a  finished  sketch  for  my  next 
great  picture  for  Alderman  Boydell's  Shakspeare  Gallery  ;  the 
subject  is  u  Ophelia  in  Madness  before  the  King  and  Queen."  Tho 
many  that  have  seen  it  are  pleased  to  compliment  me  on  its  suc- 
cess. I  have  made  another  sketch  which  is  for  Macklin's  Gallery, 
from  which  a  print  is  to  be  made  for  his  Bible  ;  the  subject  is, 
"  Christ  showing  a  Little  Child  as  the  Emblem  of  Heaven." 

But  of  all  the  artists  that  have  attained  the  power  of  Diving  life 
to  their  productions,  it  is  Mrs.  Cosway ;  for  the  beginning  of  last 
June,  she  produced  a  living  child  of  the  feminine  gender,  and  be- 
fore six  weeks  were  at  an  end,  she  took  her  departure  for  Rome, 
and  left  Cosway  to  nurse  the  child 

If  this  hasty  scribble  can  afford  you  any  entertainment,  I  shall 
be  happy  ;  as  for  any  other  news,  the  general  accounts  will  inform 
you  this  country  thinks  of  nothing  else  but  fighting  the  Spaniards. 

Mr.  Poggi  is  again  in  Holland  ;  Mrs.  Poggi  and  her  children 

are  well.     Mrs.  B is  at  Fulham  with  her  friend,  Mrs.  King, 

who  had  the  misfortune  to  have  her  only  son  killed  in  a  duel,  ten 
days  past,  at  Margate. 

Mrs.  West  and  my  sons  are  well ;  they  desire  to  be  remembered 
to  you. 

I  am,  dear  sir, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

BENJAMIN  WEST. 
*,  October  14, 1790. 


APPENDIX.  393 

My  nephew,  John  Clarkson,  will  show  you  the  print  of  St.  Paul, 
from  the  picture  at  Greenwich. 

To  MR.  TRUMBULL. 

BENJAMIN   WEST    TO    COLONEL    TRUMBULL. 

LONDON,  February  0, 1805. 

DEAR  SIR,  —  Mr.  Calton  moving  with  his  family  to  New 
York,  I  embrace  the  opportunity  by  him  to  give  this  letter  the 
chance  of  finding  you  there.  Mrs.  West,  myself,  and  all  the 
Poggies,  with  many  of  your  other  friends,  are  apprehensive  that 
some  misfortune  has  befallen  you  or  Mrs.  Trumbull,  that  has  oc- 
casioned none  of  us  hearing  from  you  since  your  departure  from 
England.  Speaking  of  the  Poggies,  I  have  to  inform  you  that 
Mr.  Poggi  is  now  with  his  family ;  he  returned  to  them  through 
Holland  in  October  last.  They  are  well,  and  are  distressed  in 
not  hearing  from  Mrs.  Trumbull,  as  are  likewise  Mrs.  West  and 
myself,  for  we  want  to  know  how  the  climate  of  America,  etc., 
agrees  with  her. 

Our  politics,  as  a  fighting,  money-making  people,  go  on  much 
as  when  you  left  us  last  year :  it  is  a  stream  which  overwhelms 
everything  else.  The  fine  arts  are  but  little  thought  of  in  our 
military  dash,  except  by  his  Majesty  (who,  thank  God,  is  in  per- 
fect good  health,  as  I  witnessed  some  days  past,  when  I  was  with 
him  in  Windsor  Castle  for  several  hours),  who  at  present  is  form- 
ing in  that  Castle  a  collection,  made  from  all  his  other  palaces,  of 
the  best  pictures  they  contained  ;  the  Queen's  house  is  utterly 
stripped,  so  are  Kensington  and  Hampton  Court ;  but  his  Majesty, 
not  to  deprive  Mr.  Holloway  of  the  opportunity  of  finishing  his  en- 
gravings from  the  Cartoons,  has  sent  them  to  their  old  station  at 
Hampton  Court,  there  to  remain  till  he  (Holloway)  has  finished 
them.  His  Majesty  resides  in  the  Castle,  and  told  me  that  he 
now  felt  himself  at  home,  —  where,  I  say,  may  he  long  continue. 
He  has  recently,  by  a  single  act,  placed  all  those  vipers  (who  have 
been  endeavoring  to  sting  and  drive  me  from  the  Chair  of  the 
Royal  Academy  for  some  years  past)  under  my  feet.  The  fact 
was  simply  as  follows: — On  the  10th  of  December  last,  —  the 
time  for  electing  the  President  and  the  other  officers  for  the  en- 
suing year,  —  Mr.  Trisham  rose  and  addressed  the  general  assem- 
bly—  viz.,  that  they  were  then  to  make  choice  of  a  proper  person 


394  APPENDIX. 

to  fill  the  Chair  of  that  Institution  ;  and,  as  the  present  President 
had  not  done  his  dnty  as  President,  and  had  lost  his  j\fajesty's  con- 
fidence, it  would  be  highly  improper  to  reelect  him ;  and  as  it  was 
proper  that  one  should  fill  the  Chair  who  had  his  Majesty's  confi- 
dence, Mr.  Wyatt  was  that  person.  He  therefore  proposed  Mr. 
Wyatt  to  the  general  assembly  to  be  elected  as  their  future 
President.  He  was  supported  in  this  by  Sir  Francis  Bourgeoise, 
Sir  William  Beachey,  Mr.  Copley,  Cosway,  Yenn,  and  others. 
Mr.  Trisham  —  to  give  more  force  to  what  he  had  advanced 
respecting  the  President  having  lost  his  Majesty's  confidence  — 
informed  the  general  assembly  that  he  would  substantiate  its 
truth,  or  he  should  hold  himself  the  most  contemptible  of  all 
beings,  unworthy  of  a  seat  in  that  Academy,  and  deserving  the 
contempt  of  all  its  members ;  and  then  informed  them  that  Mr. 
Yenn  had  a  message  from  his  Majesty,  which  he  was  commanded 
to  deliver  there  to  that  purpose ;  this  threw  the  general  assembly 
into  great  agitation,  and  most  of  the  members  called  on  Mr.  Yenn 
to  inform  them  what  were  the  commands  he  bore  from  hia  Majesty] 
but  Mr.  Yenn  not  rising,  I  then  addressed  him,  by  saying,  that  if 
he  bore  a  message  from  his  Majesty,  I  would  answer  for  myself, 
and  for  most  of  the  members,  that  his  Majesty's  message  would 
be  received  by  them  with  the  most  profound  respect  and  atten- 
tion, lie  therefore  had  but  to  make  it  known.  The  general 
assembly  repeated  my  words,  which  brought  up  Mr.  Yenn  with 
much  agitation,  when  he  declared  that  he  had  no  message  from 
his  Majesty ;  the  King  had  not  commanded  him  to  deliver  any- 
thing respecting  the  elections  that  night.  The  speeches  which 
followed  that  declaration  of  Mr.  Yenn  you  may  easily  imagine, 
for  most  of  the  members  \vere  on  their  feet  at  once.  The  election 
was  called  for,  and  I  was  reflected  President,  —  twenty  for  me, 
and  seven  for  Wyatt,  and  three  blanks,  —  supposed  to  be  some 
of  Mr.  Wyatt's  party,  who  took  the  alarm  when  they  found  that 
Mr.  Yenn  had  no  message.  As  all  elections  must  be  confirmed  by 
his  Majesty,  some  of  the  party  was  so  bold  as  to  say  that  although 
the  election  was  carried  in  my  favor,  the  King  would  not  sustain 
it  —  I  should  then  know  his  Majesty's  displeasure  when  I  went 
with  the  election  to  him  for  his  signature.  A  few  days  after,  it 
became  my  duty  to  wait  on  his  Majesty  with  the  papers  contain- 
ing the  several  elections  for  his  examination  and  signature.  His 
Majesty  was  in  Windsor  Castle,  and,  when  J  came,  into  his  pres- 
ence, he  received  me  more  as  a  brother  and  friend  than  as  one 


APPENDIX.  395 


who  had  lost  his  confidence.  The  elections  received  his  full  ap- 
probation and  signature  after  which  he  was  graciously  pleased  to 
hold  me  in  his  confidence  for  three  hours  and  a  half.  Thus  armed 
with  his  signature  to  my  election,  and  his  full  confidence,  as  well 
as  his  signature  to  the  election  of  Mr.  Fuseli  as  Keeper  of  the 
Royal  Academy,  whom  the  same  party  had  opposed  by  placing 
Mr.  lligouad  against  him,  with  a  declaration  that  his  Majesty 
would  have  no  one  for  Keeper  but  Mr.  Rigouad,  and  would  not 
sanction  any  other  person ;  but  in  this  their  calculations  were  as 
false  as  in  that  of  mine,  as  the  King  highly  approved  the  choice 
the  Academy  had  made  in  selecting  Mr.  Fuseli  to  the  place  of 
Keeper. 

«A  few  days  after  I  returned  from  Windsor,  I  ordered  the  Sec- 
retary to  summon  a  general  assembly,  to  receive  his  Majesty's 
decisions  on  the  elections  of  President  and  Keeper  of  the  Koyal 
Academy :  this  ambiguous  word  brought  the  whole  parties  to 
know  what  had  been  his  Majesty's  will. 

I  opened  the  business  to  the  general  assembly  by  a  short  ac- 
count of  the  gracious  manner  in  which  I  had  been  received  by  the 
King,  —  both  as  President  and  as  Mr.  West,  —  and  then  laid  the 
papers  of  the  elections,  with  the  royal  signatures  to  them,  on  the 
table.  I  must  confess  I  never  saw  an  opposition  so  crushed,  or  a 
majority  act  with  more  becoming  moderation  and  dignity,  on  any 
occasion,  than  on  that;  and  observing  a  disposition  in  some  of 
the  members  to  move  for  censure  being  made  on  some  of  the 
most  active  in  the  opposition,  I  declaimed  against  any  such  acts ; 
that  it  was  my  wish  not  a  minute  should  be  entered  on  our  books  ; 
that  an  event  so  disgraceful  should  not  be  recorded :  my  triumph, 
and  the  triumph  of  my  friends,  was  the  King's  signatures  on  the 
table.  Let  those  who  had  informed  the  general  assembly  that  I 
had  lost  the  King's  confidence  retire  unnoticed  —  and  leave  them 
to  their  own  thoughts ;  and  I  then  recommended  the  prosperity 
of  the  arts  and  the  Institution,  and  that  if  any  other  person's  be- 
ing in  the  Chair  would  contribute  more  to  their  prosperity,  I 
would  wait  on  his  Majesty  to  relinquish  it  to  that  person,  and 
give  him  and  the  arts  my  support  as  long  as  I  was  able.  Mr. 
Farrington,  Mr.  Lawrence,  Flaxman,  Nollikins,  Hoppenor,  Shee, 
Banks,  and  all  the  professional  strength  of  the  Academy,  spoke 
on  the  occasion,  and  handsomely  touched  on  my  being  one  of  the 
four,  and  the  only  surviving  one,  that  founded  the  Academy, 
under  his  present  Majesty ;  and  took  an  extended  view  of  my 


396  APPENDIX. 

professional  character,  tendering  me  their  thanks  for  the  support 
I  had  ever  given  to  that  Institution  and  the  arts  in  England.  By 
the  short  sketch  I  have  given  of  what  had  passed  in  the  Academy, 
you  will  see  that  the  Institution  is  in  the  hands  of  his  Majesty 
and  myself  and  friends. 

With  respect  to  other  particulars  in  the  arts,  I  have  to  inform 
you  that  Alderman  Boydell  is  dead,  and  that  the  Shakspeare 
Gallery  has  been  decided  by  lottery,  and  it  has  fallen  to  the  lot  of 
Mr.  Tassee,  of  Lester-Fields  (the  maker  of  gems),  and  that  poor 
Banks,  the  sculptor,  now  lies  dead. 

In  regard  to  myself  and  family,  —  Mrs.  West  continues  much 
the  same  as  when  you  left  us.  My  eldest  son,  his  wife,  and  little 
girl,  are  well.  My  youngest  son,  his  wife,  and  little  Benjamin 
the  lluler,  are  likewise  well.  In  regard  to  myself,  I  have  just 
come  through  a  bad  cold,  but  have  escaped  the  gout ;  and  am  on 
the  fourth  division  of  the  great  window  for  Forrest  to  work  the 
glass  after. 

From  what  passed  between  Mr.  Livingston  and  me  when  he 
was  in  London  from  Paris,  I  had  flattered  myself  he  would,  on 
his  return  to  France,  have  honored  me  with  the  means  of  becom- 
ing a  member  of  the  New  York  Academy  ;  but  I  do  suppose  the 
press  of  business  he  had  on  leaving  that  city  prevented  his  doing  it. 
Should  you  see  him,  I  beg  you  will  present  my  respects  to  him. 

It  will  be  a  gratification  to  me  to  hear  from  you  how  the  arts 
are  likely  to  be  protected  in -America;  it  will  be  in  its  power 
to  do  great  things  with  respect  to  the  arts,  and  this  is  the  moment 
for  it  to  start,  as  the  higher  excellences  in  them  are  past  their 
zenith  on  this  side  of  the  water,  and  the  advantage  which  Italy, 
France,  Flanders,  Holland,  and  England  recently  received  by  cher- 
ishing them, — those  advantages  may  be  embraced  by  America, 
both  for  her  honor  and  riches,  as  the  whole  world  will  lie  open  to 
her  commerce.  Her  youths  have  the  fire  of  genius,  and  her  men 
have  the  thinking  of  philosophers  !  It  is  the  combination  of  those 
qualities  which  have  rendered  the  Greeks'  name  eternal  in  all  that 
vras  refined  in  the  higher  excellence  of  art ;  and  in  my  opinion 
there  has  not  existed  a  people  so  likely  to  be  their  rivals  as  the 
Americans. 

With  great  esteem  and  friendship,  I  have  the  honor  to  be, 
Dear  Sir, 

Your  most  obedient  and  obliged, 

BENJAMIN  WEST. 


APPENDIX.  397 

P.  S.  —  Since  writing  the  above  this  morning,  Mrs.  West  has 
informed  im-  that  she  received  Mrs.  Trumbull's  letter,  dated  New 
York,  January  2.  It  has  given  Mrs.  West  and  myself  much 
pleasure  to  find  you  are  well.  Make  my  love  to  her,  and,  when 
you  have  an  opportunity,  let  me  hear  from  you.  If  you  are  in  tho 
way  of  seeing  Mr.  Jay  and  Mr.  King,  I  beg  you  to  present  my 
respects  to  them,  and  say  that  a  great  man  with  us  often  inquires 
after  their  health.  I  beg  also  to  be  remembered  to  Mr.  Murray, 
Jun.,  and  to  Mr.  Archibald  Robinson.  I  have  not  forgot  the  cast 
of  the  anatomy  figure  which  we  have  in  the  Royal  Academy. 

It  will  be  sent  to  the  Academy  at  New  York  in  the  course  of 
next  summer. 

Haste  prevents  me  from  copying  this  letter ;  you  will  therefore 
excuse  its  incorrectness. 

JOHN  TRUMBULL,  Esq. 

LORD    GRENVILLE   TO   COLONEL   TRUMBULL. 

November  23, 1814. 

SIR,  — No  apology  whatever  could  be  necessary  for  your  letter, 
conveying  information  on  a  subject  in  which  I  take  so  deep  an 
interest.  Among  the  circumstances  to  which  I  look  back  with 
most  pleasure  in  the  close  of  a  long,  and  I  hope  not  wholly  use- 
less, public  life,  is  that  of  the  uniform,  though  frequently  ineffect- 
ual, efforts  which  I  have  made  for  the  maintenance  of  peace  and 
of  friendship  between  my  own  country  and  the  United  States. 
How  much  the  conduct  of  both  governments  has  contributed  to 
disappoint  those  wishes,  I  need  not  say  to  a  person  as  well  in- 
formed on  the  subject  as  you  are. 

Lamenting  deeply  the  existence  and  continuance  of  the  war,  I 
felt  additional  grief  when  I  saw  it  assuming  a  shape  of  unusual 
and  revolting  ferocity,  unnecessarily  aggravating  the  public  and 
general  evils  of  such  a  state  by  the  wanton  infliction  of  private 
and  individual  calamity.  To  do  all  in  his  power  to  check  the 
progress  of  such  a  system,  seems  to  me  the  duty  of  every  man, 
and  I  took  the  very  first  opportunity  of  expressing  my  abhorrence 
of  it,  (on  whatever  side  it  originated,)  and  of  calling  for  official 
measures  to  prevent  its  continuance.  Had  this  claim  been  re- 
sisted, I  was  prepared  and  resolved  to  pursue  the  subject  further. 
Nor  did  I  desist  from  that  intention  until  I  received  public  and 


398  APPENDIX. 

solemn  assurances  that  orders  had  already  been  sent  out  to  Amer- 
ica for  the  discontinuance  of  such  measures,  and  for  a  return  to 
the  practice  of  modern  and  civilized  war,  provided  the  same 
course  shall  in  future  be  adhered  to  by  those  -whom  I  lament  to 
call  our  enemies. 

This  was  the  only  practical  result  that  could  be  hoped  for  from 
pursuing  the  subject  further.  An  inquiry,  which  party  first  re- 
sorted to  practices  which  both  equally  disclaim  in  principle,  and 
justify  only  on  the  ground  of  retaliation,  could  now  only  produce 
fruitless  recriminations,  tending  more  to  irritation  than  to  peace. 
I  therefore  let  the  matter  rest  there,  but  with  the  full  purpose  of 
renewing  it,  should  the  expectations  now  held  out  be  ultimately 
disappointed. 

1  am,  with  great  truth  and  regard,  sir, 

Your  most  faithful  humble  servant, 

GKENVILLE. 


INDEX. 


Accum,  Frederic,  i.  142. 

Adams,  John,  his  letters  to  Col.Trum- 
bull,  ii.  388,  389. 

Adams,  John  Quincy,  Prof.  Silliman's 
conversations  with,  i.  365,  seq. 

Agassiz,  Louis,  ii.  81,  82;  letters  to 
Prof.  Silliman  from.  ii.  150,  seq. ; 
his  visit  to  Prof.  Silliman,  ii.  219. 

Albert,  Prince,  ii.  213. 

Allen,  Prof.  William,  i.  152. 

Allston,  Washington,  i.  354. 

Andrews,  Sherlock  J.,  becomes  an 
assistant  of  Prof.  Silliman,  i.  304; 
his  valuable  aid,  i.  306;  his  resig- 
nation and  subsequent  history,  i. 
314;  his  remarks  on  the  character 
of  Prof.  Silliman,  ii.  367. 

Appleton,  Nathan,  i.  351. 

Armstrong,  Lieut.-Gov.,  i.  347. 

Athens,  the  scenery  about,  i.  29. 

Avery,  Prof.,  i.  303. 

B. 

Bacon,  Rev.  L.,  D.  D.,  i.  53,  399;  ii. 
25,  318  ;  his  remarks  respecting 
Prof.  Silliman,  ii.  34!). 

Bache,  Prof.  A.  D.,  ii.  279. 

Bakewell,  Robert,  his  character  and 
services  to  science,  i.  281;  his  let- 
ters to  Prof.  Silliman,  ii.  51,  seq. ; 
ii.  188,  193;  his  last  illness  and 
death,  ii.  '205. 

Bakjewell,  Robert,  Jr.,  ii.  2. 

Baldwin,  Simeon,  i.  47. 

Baldwin,  R.  S.,  i.  367. 

Banks,  Sir  Joseph,  his  conversazioni, 
i.  146. 

Barclay,  Dr.  John,  his  lectures,  i.  172. 


Barlow,  Joel,  i.  149. 

Beattie,  Prof.  Ormond,  i.  303. 

Beck,  Dr.  Charles,  i.  403 ;  his  remarks 
on  the  kindness  of  Prof.  Silliman, 
ii.  353. 

Beecher,  Rev.  Lyman,  D.  D.,  i.  324. 

Bernard,  General,  i.  311. 

Berzelius,  his  letters  to  Prof.  Silli- 
man, ii.  35,  seq. 

Bigelow,  Dr.  Jacob,  i.  346. 

Binney,  Horace,  i.  98. 

Black,  Rev.  Mr.,  i.  188. 

Blagden,  Rev.  G.  W.,  D.  D.,  i.  387. 

Blake,  William,  i.  319. 

Boston,  good-will  of  its  people  to- 
wards Prof.  Silliman,  i.  37-2. 

Bowditch,  Dr.  Nathaniel,  i.  349. 

Bowman,  John,  and  his  family,  ii.  12. 

Brewer,  Prof.  William  II.,  i.  277.  319. 

Brewster,  James,  establishes  the 
"Franklin  Institute,"  i.  339  n. ; 
his  remarks  on  Prof.  Silliman's  in- 
terest in  the  education  of  the  peo- 
ple, ii.  326. 

Brewster,  Sir  David,  Prof.  Silliman's 
acquaintance  with,  i.  179. 

Bronson,  Enos,  i.  98. 

Brooks,  Peter  C.,  i.  350. 

Brougham,  Lord,  his  letter  respect- 
ing Prof.  Silliman.  i.  i  .->:>. 

Bruce,  Dr.  Archibald,  i.  272. 

Brush,  Prof.  Geo.  J..  i.  319 ;  ii.  101, 
112,  277. 

Buchan,  Karl  of,  his  appearance  and 
conversation,  i.  181. 

Buchanan,  James,  his  correspondence 
with  citizens  of  Connecticut,  ii.  257 ; 
his  election  to  the  Presidency,  ii. 
267. 

Buckland,  William,  D.  D.,  ii.  56. 

Bunker,  James  M.,  i.  364. 

Burr,  Thaddeus,  i.  24. 


400 


INDEX. 


c. 

Calhoun,  John  C.,  his  letters  to  Prof. 
Silliman,  i.  288.  325;  his  conversa- 
tion with  Prof.  Silliman,  i.  309;  his 
opposition  to  the  reelection  of  J. 
Q.  Adams,  i.  367;  his  death  and 
character,  ii.  97;  his  responsibility 
for  the  Southern  rebellion,  ii.  284. 

California,  ii.  224. 

Cambridge  ( England),  University  of, 
Prof.  Silliman's  visit  to.  i.  153. 

Caswell,  Prof.  Alexis,  his  remarks 
on  Prof.  Silliman's  influence,  ii. 
328. 

Caton,  Richard,  ii.  6. 

Channing,  Rev.  W.  E.,  D.  D.,  i.  215, 
345,  yiii). 

Channing,  Mrs.  W.  E.,  i.  215,  355. 

Charleston,  Prof.  Silliman's  visit  to, 
ii.  8. 

Chauncey,  Judge  Charles,  i.  47. 

Chauneey,  Charles,  i.  54,  97,  98. 

Chauncey,  Elihu,  i.  54,  97,  98,225; 
his  death,  ii.  82. 

Chauncey,  Nathaniel,  i.  54. 

Chemistry,  in  Yale  College  in  the 
last  century,  i.  8J;  Prof.  Sillimau's 
work  on,  i'.  319. 

Choate,  Rums,  i.  356. 

Church,  Mrs.  .1.  H.,  her  remarks  on 
the  domestic  traits  of  Prof.  Silli- 
man, ii.  3tif). 

Church,  Walter  S.,  ii.  101. 

Clap,  President,  of  Yale  College,  i. 
88. 

Clayton,  John  M.,  ii.  97. 

CleaveJand,  Prof.  Parker,  his  letter 
to  Prof.  Silliman,  i.  20!). 

Codmau,  Rev.  .John,  D.  D.,  i.  158. 

Conybcarc,  Prof.,  his  letter  to  Prof. 
Silliman.  ii.  IS). 

Cooke,  Prof.  J.  P.,  his  remarks  on 
Prof.  Silliman,  ii.  325. 

Cooper,  .1.  Kenimore,  his  letter  to 
Prof.  Silliman,  i.  334. 

Coop.'!-,  Dr.  Thomas,  i.  286. 

Cordirr.  i.  17-2;  ii.  10:2. 

Cox,  S.  II..   D.  I).,  ii.  128. 

Croswell,  KVv.  Harry,  D.  D.,  i.  280. 

Custis,  George,    Washington   Parke, 

D. 

Daggett,  David,  i.  47;  his  letter  to 
Prof.  Silliman,  i.  270. 


Dalton,  Dr.  John,  i.  139. 

Dana,  .lames  1).,  becomes  an  assist- 
ant of  Prof.  Silliman,  i.  318;  be- 
comes the  successor  of  Prof.  Silli- 
man, ii.  130;  his  reputation  abroad, 
ii.  160;  his  work  on  corals,  ii.  168; 
Dr.  Mantell  on  his  papers,  ii.  206; 
his  induction  into  the  otlice  of  pro- 
fessor, ii.  237. 

Dana,  Mrs.  J.  D.,  her  remarks  on  the 
domestic  traits  of  Prof.  Sillimaii, 
ii.  363. 

Dana,  R.  II.,  i.  396. 

Dana,  R.  H.,  Jr.,  i.  396,  397. 

Daubeny,  Prof.  Charles,  his  letters  to 
Prof.  Silliman,  ii.  172,  se'j. 

Davis,  Rev.  llenrv,  L).  D.,  i.  53. 

Davis,  Isaac  P.,  i.'  366. 

Davis,  Judge  John,  i.  351. 

Davy,  Sir  Humphrey,  i.  151. 

Day,  Rev.  Jeremiah',  1).  D.,  i.  30,  43, 
49,52,75,114;  his  letters  to  Prof. 
Silliman,  i.  117,  230,  203,  204,  206; 
Prof.  Silliman's  letters  to,  i.  200, 
203,  204,  206 ;  ii.  106 ;  his  efforts  to 
procure  the  Gibbs  Cabinet,  i.  280; 
his  resignation,  ii.  79;  his  last  in- 
terview with  Prof.  Silliman,  ii.  313. 

Deane,  Dr.  .lames,  ii.  HO. 

Denison,  Charles,  i.  52;  his  letters  to 
Prof.  Silliman,  i.  114,  119,  198; 
Prof.  Silliman's  letters  to,  i.  204, 
207,  212. 

Dessaussure,  II.  W.,  his  letters  to 
Prof.  Silliman,  i.  267,  3:; •'!. 

Dewey,  Prof.  Chester,  i.  303. 

Dickson,  Rev.  David,  i.  187. 

Dixon,  .lames  F.,  his  encomium  on 
Prof.  Silliman  in  the  U.  S.  Senate, 
ii.  259. 

Duncan,  Grier,  ii.  8,  14. 

Duncan,  Lucius  C.,  ii.  8,  14. 

Dutton,  Rev.  Aaron,  i.  ;">!. 

Dutton,  Rev.  S.  W.  S.,  D.  D.,  ii.242. 

Dutton,  Warren.  53. 

Dwight,  Rev.  Louis,  i.  855. 

Dwiuht.K'ev.  Sereno,  F...  D.I). ,  i.  303. 

Dwight,  Rev.  Timothy,  D.I).,  i.  24, 
28,  30,  49.67,  1!»S;  his  induction  in- 
to the  ollice  of  President,  i.  :!1  ;  his 
instructions,  i.  32;  on  the  Demo- 
cratic societies  i.  4-J;  bis  enlarged 
views  respecting  science,  i.  90;  of- 
fers the  professorship  of  chemistry 
to  Prof.  Silliman,  i.  !ll;  approves 
of  his  plan  of  visiting  Kurc|>".  i.  1-JS; 
his  letter  to  Dr.  John  Robison,  i. 
156 ;  his  letter  to  Prof.  Silliman,  i. 


INDEX. 


401 


199;  his  service  in  the  chapel  at 
the  conclusion  of  peace  with  Great 
Britain,  i.  iM-i;  his  interest  in  the 
lectures  on  geoluu'v,  i.  -Ji;:>;  his 
death,  i.  2tj6;  his  mode  of  dictating 
his  writings,  i.  307. 

E. 

Eaton,  Prof.  Amos,  i.  303. 

"  Edinburgh  Review,"  i.  139. 

Eliot,  Rev.  A.,  of  Fairfield,  i.  11,  23, 

25 ;  ii.  88. 
Ely,  Rev.  David,  D.  D.,  anecdote  of, 

Everett,  Edward,  i.  281,  354;  on 
the  "Journal  of  Science,"  i.  273; 
his  eulogy  on  John  Lowell,  i.  383 ; 
his  introduction  of  Prof.  Silliman 
at  the  Lowell  Lectures,  i.  384;  his 
inauguration  at  Cambridge,  ii.  31; 
his  oration  at  Albany,  ii.  250. 

F. 

Faraday,  Prof.  Michael,  ii.  214,  226. 

Fairfield,  society  in,  in  the  last  cen- 
tury, i.  24. 

Fairish,  Prof.,  interviews  of  Prof.  Sil- 
liman with,  i.  153. 

Felton,  C.  U-,  ii.  299. 

Fish,  John,  i.  306. 

Fish,  Rev.  Joseph,  i.  5;  ii.  84;  com- 
memoration in  honor  of,  ii.  304. 

Fish,  Rebecca,  i.  11. 

Fisher,  Prof.  A.  M.,  i.  289;  his  death, 
i.  305;  his  last  letters  to  Prof.  Sil- 
liman, i.  321;  Prof.  Silliman's  let- 
ter to,  ii.  319. 

Fitch,  Rev.  Kbenezer,  D.  D.,  i.  125. 

Fitch,  Rev.  Kleazar  T.,  I).  D.,  his  ser- 
mon on  Justification,  ii.  95 ;  his  last 
interview  with  Prof.  Silliman,  ii. 
317. 

Foot,  Lyman,  becomes  an  assistant 
of  Prof.  Silliman,  i.  2!)8;  his  sub- 
sequent history,  i-  299. 

Foster,  L.  F.  S.jiis  defence  of  Prof. 
Silliman  in  the  U.  S.  Senate,  ii.  243. 

Fowler,  Mr.  (teacher  of  Prof.  Silli- 
man), ii.  20. 

Fowler,  Prof.  William  C.,  i.  303. 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  anecdotes  of,  i. 
12,  73. 

Fremont,  John  C.,  his  explorations, 
ii.  169 ;  his  defeat  in  the  Presiden- 
tial election,  ii.  251. 

Fulton,  Robert,  i.  149. 


G. 

Gallaudet,  Rev.  T.  H.,  D.  D.,  i.  125. 

Gannett,  Rev.  K.  S.,  IU).,i.345,  355, 
389,  402. 

Gas,  illumination  by.  i.  145. 

Geology,  its  relations  to  Genesis,  ii. 
1  132,  'l-.M. 

Gerry,  Vice-President,  the  family  of, 
i.  367. 

Gibbs,  Col.  George,  his  cabinet,  i. 
214;  his  personal  kindne-s  t«  1'rof. 
Silliman,  i.218;  transfers  his  cab- 
inet to  Yale  College,  i.  256;  ad- 
vises the  establishment  of  "  The 
Journal  of  Science,"  i.  272;  sells 
his  cabinet  to  Yale  College,  i.  278. 

Gibbs,  Ruth.  (See  Channing,  Mrs. 
W.  E.) 

Goodrich,  Hon.  Chauncey,  i.  201. 

Goodrich,  Prof.  C.  A..  \\\<  efforts  to 
procure  the  Gibbs  Cabinet,  i.  280; 
ii.  95. 

Goodyear,  Charles,  ii.  280. 

Gorham,  Dr.  John,  i.  158. 

Gregory,  Dr.  James,  his  person  and 
manners,  and  his  lectures,  i.  161. 

Grimke,  Thomas  S.,  i.  218. 

Griscom,  Dr.  John,  i.  306 ;  Prof.  Sil- 
liman's letters  to,  ii.  108,  seq. 

Griswold,  George,  i.  273. 

Gurley,  Rev.  R.  R.,  his  letter  to  Prof. 
Silliman,  i.  404. 


H. 

Hale,  John  P.,  his  letter  to  Prof.  Sil- 
liman, ii.  245. 

Hall,  Capt.  Basil,  i.  407. 

Hamilton,  Capt.,  his  work  on  the 
United  States,  ii.  191. 

Hare,  Robert,  i.  98,  seq.  303;  on 
"  The  Journal  of  Science,"  i.  289. 

Hartford,  Prof.  Silliman's  lectures  in, 
i.  340. 

Hayne,  Robert  Y.,  his  correspondence 
with  Prof  Silliman,  i.  295. 

Henry,  Prof.  Joseph,  his  remarks  on 
Prof.  Silliman's  services  to  science, 
ii.  328. 

Henry,  Dr.  William,  i.  139 ;  his  let- 
ter to  Prof.  Silliman,  ii.  39. 

Herschel,  Sir  J.  F.  W.,  on  Mr.  E.  P. 
Mason,  ii.  178 ;  on  Lamarck's  the- 
ory, ii.  201). 

Hitchcock,  Rev.  Edward,  D.  D.,  the 


402 


INDEX. 


beginning  of  his  intercourse  with 
Prof.  Sil'liman,  i.  302;  his  corre- 
spondence with  Prof.  Sillhnan,  ii. 
1:35,  soy.,  2.J2,  30i>;  his  bird-tracks, 
ii.  202. 

Holmes.  Dr.  O.  W.,  ii.  31. 

Hope,  Dr.  Thomas,  his  person  and 
manners,  and  his  lectures,  i.  160; 
his  advocacy  of  the  Huttoniaii  the- 
ory, i.  167. 

Hub'bard,  Prof.  O.  P.,  his  character 
as  an  assistant  of  Prof.  Silliman, 
i.  318;  i.  375. 

Hubhard,  Mrs,  O.  P.,  her  remarks  on 
the  domestic  traits  of  Prof.  Silli- 
man, ii.  362. 

Hull,  Commodore  Isaac,  his  account 
of  the  capture  of  the  Guerriere.  i. 
331. 

Humboldt,  Alexander  von,  ii.  103. 

Humphreys,  Mrs.  A.  F.,  her  letter  of 
condolence  to  Prof.  Silliman,  i.  289. 

Humphrey,  Kev.  H.,  D.  p.,  i.  125. 

Hunting-ton,  Kev.  Dan,  ii.  313. 

Hunt,  Prof.  T.  Sterry,  i.  319. 


I. 


Ion,  Col.,  ii.  10. 

Irving,  Washington,  Prof.  Silliman's 

interviews  with,  ii.  249. 
Ives,  Dr.  Eli,  i.  260. 

J. 

Jackson,  Andrew,  Prof.  Silliman's 
description  of,  i.  375. 

Jackson,  Dr.  C.  T.,  i.  354,  391;  ii.  81. 

Jackson,  Dr.  -lames,  i.  346. 

.Jarvis,  Kcv.  S.  F.,  D.  D.,  i.  125. 

Jay,  John,  i.  21)4. 

Jr.'tl'i  r.-on,  Thomas,  his  letter  to  Col. 
Trmnbul],  ii.  :!!)(). 

Johnson,  Prof.  Samuel  W.,  ii.  277. 

Johnston,  Prof.  J.  F.  W.,  his  letter 
to  Pro!'.  Silliman,  ii.  181. 

Jones,  l.Yv.  (icorge,  ii.  300;  his  re- 
marks on  Prof.  Silliman,  ii.  357. 

"Journal  of  Science,"  account  of  its 
establishment,  i.  272. 

K. 

Kansas,  Prof.  Silliman's  action  re- 
specting thg  troubles  in,  ii.  241,  seq.f 
his  remarks  on,  ii.  267, 270. 


Kent,  Hon.  James,  his  letters  to  Prof. 
Silliman,  i.  230,  2)3,  405;  his  let- 
ter to  Judge  Baldwin  respecting 
_Prof.  Silliman,  ii.  80. 

Kingslev,  Prof.  James  L.,  i.  52;  his 
letters7  to  Prof.  Silliman,  i.  113,  3!)<J, 
400;  ii.  25;  letters  of  Prof.  Silli- 
man to,  i.  202,  208,  246,  2i)0,  402, 
403;  his  death,  ii.  116;  his  review 
of  Stuart  on  geology,  ii.  135;  his 
interviews  with  Dr.  Mantell,  ii.  211, 
231;  characterized  bv  Prof.  T  hack- 
er, ii.  339,  341. 

Kingslev,  William  L.,  ii.  2. 

Kirkland,  Dr.  J.  P.,  on  the  character 
of  Prof.  Silliman,  ii.  282. 


Lafayette,  his  letters  to  Prof.  Silli- 
man, i.  330,  331;  Prof.  Silliman's 
reminiscences  of,  ii.  285;  his  letter 
to  Col.  Trumbull,  ii.  387. 

Lamb,  Thomas,  i.  345. 

Lardni-r,  Dr.  Dionysius,  ii.  209. 

Lawrence,  Abbott,'  i.  354,  357,  369. 

Lawrence,  Amos,  ii.  124. 

Lawrence,  William,  i.  343. 

Lcdeivr,  Baron,  his  cabinet,!.  281. 

Leilingwell,  Prof.  Edward,  i.  303. 

Legare,  John  B.,  ii.  9. 

Le>lic,  ('apt.,  ii.  75. 

Leslie,  Prof.  John,  interview  of  Prof. 
Silliman  with,  i.  178. 

Liehig,  Prof.,  ii.  173. 

Lincoln,  President,  his  emancipation' 
proclamation,  ii.  287;  his  religious 
character,  ii.  313. 

Liston,  Sir  Robert,  visit  of  Prof.  Sil- 
liman to,  i.  185. 

Loring,  William  J.,  i.  343,  344. 

Lothrop,  Kev.  S.  K.,  D.  D.,  i.  349, 
891. 

Lowell  Institute,  Prof.  Silliman's  con- 
iicction  with,  i.  382.  (See  Silliman, 
Benjamin). 

Lowell,  John,  i.  389. 

Lowell,  John  A.,  i.  382,  386. 

Lyell,  Sir  Charles,  i  -27,  405;  ii.  28, 
52,  54,  60,  102,  144,  l'J5,  196,  198, 
202,  204,  211,  212,  217,  220,  221. 


M. 

Maclean,  Prof.  John,  i.  110. 


INDEX. 


403 


Maclean,  President,  of  Princeton,  i. 
110. 

Maclure,  William,  his  character  and 
services  t<>  science,  i.  284;  his  cor- 
respondence with  Prof,  Silliman, 
ii.  40. 

Mantell,  Dr.  G.  A.,  Prof.  Kingsley's 
visit  to,  i.  27;  ii.  52,  58,  G4,  101; 
his  death,  ii.  123;  his  intercourse 
with  Prof.  Silliman,  ii.  183,  seq.; 
his  letters,  ii.  IS!!,  .try.  ;  his  illness, 
ii.  200;  liis  "  Medals  of  Creation," 
ii.  207 ;  on  the  "Geology  of  the  Isle 
of  Wight,"  ii.  216;  his  lectures  at 
Leeds,  ii.  228. 

Marsh,  Kbene/.er  Grant,  53. 

Marsh,  Kev.  John,  D.  L/.,  his  remin- 
iscences of  Prof.  Silliman,  i.  48. 

Martinean,  Harriet,  i.  369. 

Mason,  Ebenezer,  i.  I'.i2. 

Mason,  Jeremiah,  i.  390,  402;  ii.  86. 

Mason,  Kev.  John  M.,  D.  D.,  i.  134, 
192. 

Mattoon,  Gen.  E.,  ii.  76. 

Medical  School  of  Yale  College,  its 
origin,  i.  200;  ii.  310. 

Meigs,  Prof.  Josiah,  i.  35,  89. 

Meteor,  the  \Veston,  i.  221,  344. 

Mexico,  war  of  the  U.  S.  with,  ii.  215. 

McClellan,  John,  ii.  256. 

McKnight,  Dr.  J.  M.  S.,  i.  125. 

McLean,  Louis,  i.  375. 

Monroe,  James,  i.  309. 

Monroe,  Prof.,  i.  172. 

Morris,  Charles,  ii.  237. 

Morse,  Rev.  J.,  D.  D.,  i.  73. 

Morse,  S.  F.  13.,  his  letter  to  Prof. 
Silliman,  ii.  307;  his  remarks  on 
Prof.  Silliman,  ii.  355. 

Murchison,  Sir  R.  I.,  ii.  62,  102;  his 
letters  to  Prof.  Silliman,  ii.  167; 
his  work  on  the  Silurian  system, 
ii.  177,104. 

Murdock,  John,  Prof.  Silliman's  visit 
to  his  plantation,  ii.  20. 

Murray,  Dr.  John,  his  character  as 
a  lecturer,  i.  166 ;  his  advocacy  of 
the  Wenierian  theory,  i.  167;  his 
letter  to  Prof.  Silliman,  i.  271. 

Murrav,  Lindley,  interview  of  Prof. 
Silliiuan  with,  i.  153. 

N. 

Nelson,  Lord,  his  last  embarkation 

at  Portsmouth,  i.  137. 
New  England,  primitive  manners  of, 

i.  14. 


New  Haven,  geology  of,  i.  170 ;  threat- 
ened invasion  ol,  l>y  tin-  British,  i. 
262;  commemoration  of  the  settle- 
ment of,  i.  399. 

Nicholson,  Mr.  William,  i.  141;  ii.  55. 

Norton.  Prof.  John  P.,  ii.  118,128, 
275,  -JTti. 

Noves,  Dr.  Burr,  becomes  an  assist- 
a'nt  of  Prof.  Silliman,  i.  :jlf.;  his 
subsequent  hi-tory.  i.  317. 

Noyes,  l.Vv.  James,  i.  •">. 
Noyes,  Kev.  John  (Sen.),  i.  5. 
Noyes,  Kev.  John,  i.  5. 
Noyes,  Joseph,  i.  5. 

o. 

Olds,  Rev.  Gamaliel,  i.  303. 

Olmsted,  Prof.  Denison,  his  service 
as  an  assistant  of  Prof.  Silliman, 
i.  300;  his  subsequent  history,  i. 
300. 

Owen,  Prof.  R.,  his  letters  to  Prof. 
Silliman,  ii.  169;  his  article  on  the 
Iguanodon,  ii.  203. 

Oxford  University,  the  study  of  phys- 
ical sciences  in,  ii.  175, 177. 

P. 

Park,  Prof.  E.  A.,  D.D.,  i.  360. 
Park,  Robert,  i.  343,  347,  359. 
Parker,  John,  i.  345. 
Parkman,  Rev.  Mr.,  i.  345. 
Pearson,  Dr.  George,  his  lectures,  i. 

144. 

Peel,  Sir  Robert,  ii.  208,  227. 
Perkins,  B.  D.,  i.  220. 
Phillips,  S.  C.,  i.  360. 
Pierpont,  Rev.  John,  his  reminiscen- 
ces of  Prof.  Silliman,  i.  130. 
Pourtalis,  Count,  ii.  82. 
Polk,  James  K.,  ii.  7. 
Polk,  Bishop  Leonidas,  ii.  16. 
Pope,  Milton,  ii.  8. 
Porter,  Prof.  Charles  II.,  i.  319. 
Porter.  Rev.  Noah  (Sen.).   !>•  !>.,  his 

reminiscences  of  Prof.  Silliman,  i. 

50;  letter  from  Prof.  Silliman  to, 

i.  119;  ii.  ;J4'.». 
Porter,  Prof.  N.,  ii.  299;  his  remarks 

on  the  character  of  Prof.  Silliman, 

ii.  343. 
Priestley,  Dr.  Joseph,  his  character, 

i.  107";  Prof.  Silliman's  acquaint- 


404 


INDEX. 


ance  with  i.  107;   remarks  of,  i. 
127. 
Prince,  Rev.  T.  D.,  D.  D.,  i.  360. 

Q. 

Quincy,  Eliza,  correspondence  of 
Prof.  Silliman  with,  ii.  284,  seq. 

Quincy.  Josiah  (Sen.),  his  letters  to 
Prof.  SiHiman,  i.  328,  329,  351;  ii. 
247,  248;  his  history  of  Harvard 
College,  i.  400,  402;  remarks  of 
Prof.  Silliman  on,  ii.  291. 

E. 

Rebellion,  the  Southern,  feelings  of 
Prof.  Silliman  concerning,  ii.  283, 
290,  292,  294,  296;  remarks  on,  ii. 
284,  288,  289 ;  the  support  derived 
from  England  and  France  by,  ii. 
289. 

Redfield,  William  C.,  ii.  153. 

Rawdon,  Lord,  his  appearance,  i.  183 ; 
remarks  of  Prof.  Silliman  on,  i. 
183. 

Ritter,  Carl,  his  letters  to  Prof.  Silli- 
man, ii.  105,  .svy. 

Robison,  I  )r.  John,  letter  of  President 
l>\vi--ht  to.  i.  l.Mi. 

Rogers,  Prof.  W.  B.,  ii.  182. 

Roscoe,  William,  i.  136. 

Kose,  Pn.f.  II.,  i.  27. 

Russia,  remarks  of  Prof.  J.  F.  W. 
Johnston  on,  ii.  181. 

Ryland,  Rev.  John,  D.  D.,  i.  147. 

S. 

Salisbury,  Prof.  Edward  K.,  ii.  130. 

Saratoga  Springs  in  1797,  i.  308. 

Sargrant.  John,  i.  98.  ' 

Sevbert,  Dr.  A.Iain,  i.  215. 

Seymour,  Lord  Webb.  i.  181. 

Shattuek,  Dr.,  i.  :J54. 

Sheilirld.  Joseph  I-:.,  his  benefactions 
to  Yal<>  College,  ii.  277;  his  letter 
to  IW.  Silliman,  ii.  278. 

Sheffield  Si-i.-miii,-  School,  history  of 
the,  ii.  274.  $eq. 

Shepard.  Prof.  Cliarlrs  II.,  his  char- 
acter as  an  a>>i.-taiit  of  Prof.  Silli- 
man, i.  317;  i.  37r>:  ii.  8,  337  •  his 
remarks  on  the  character  of  1'rol'. 
Silliman,  ii.  .'570,  s<  7. 

Sigourney,  L.  H.,  her  poem  addressed 


to  Prof.  Silliman,  i.  61;  her  letter 
to  Prof.  Silliman,  i.  323, 
SILLIMAN,  P.KN.JAMIN,  his  birth,  i.  1; 
origin  of  his  family,  i.  1,  2;  his 
father's  Revolutionary  services,  i. 
3,  4;  his  ancestors  in  the  maternal 
line,  i.  4,  se(j. ;  his  father's  capture 
by  the  British,  i.  6;  his  mother's 
retirement  to  Trumbull,  i.  8;  his 
father's  character  and  manners,  i. 
10;  his  maternal  grandmother,  i. 
11 ;  his  visit,  in  1792.  to  Stonington, 
i.  12 ;  his  training  in  respect  to  man- 
ners, i.  14;  hi.s  recollections  of  his 
father's  death,  i.  ir>;  his  early  re- 
ligious training,  i.  17;  his  first 
school,  i.  19;  his  mother  and  her 
family  after  his  father's  death,  i. 
21;  his  preparation  for  colK 
23;  his  early  love  of  natural 
ery,  i.  25;  enters  Yale  College,!. 
27;  his  character  in  college,  i.  28; 
his  diary  in  college,  i.  2i',  .-•< •</. ;  his 
employment  after  graduation,  i.  45 ; 
teaches  in  Wetherstield  (1798),  i. 
40;  a  law-student  in  New  Haven, 
i.  47;  his  inauguration  as  tutor,  i. 
50;  his  early  friends,  i.  .VJ;  his  fed- 
eralism, i.  54  ;  bis  early  produc- 
tions, i.  5.r>,  f<'(/.  ;  IUN  correspondence, 
(1790-1S02)  i.  i;2.  seq.;  his  early 
religious  views  and  impressions,  i. 
78,  seq. ;  unites  with  the  college 
church,  i.  83;  his  appointment  to 
the  professorship  of  chemistry,  i.  87, 
sry.  ;  his  first  interview,  on  the 
subject,  with  I  "resident  Dwight,  i. 
91  ;'his  first  winter  in  Philadelphia, 
i.  97,  se<j. ;  his  as.-oeiates  in  Phila- 
delphia, i.  98;  his  opportunities  for 
professional  improvement,  i.  100; 
attends  the  lectures  of  Dr.  Wood- 
house,  i.  100;  his  friendship  with 
Kobcrt  Hare,  i.  103:  attends  Dr. 

Barton's  lectures,  i.  lor>;  attends 

Dr.  AVistar's  lectures,  i.  l()(i;  his 
interview  with  Dr.  Priestley,  i.  107; 
spends  the  summer  of  ISO.'!  in  New 
Haven,  i.  109;  his  brief  residence 
in  Princeton,  i.  !()!»;  his  second 
winter  in  Philadelphia,  i.  Ill  ;  his 
correspondence  while  a  student  in 
Philadelphia,!.  112;  his  tirst  labors 
as  Professor,  i.  1'Jl,  *iy.  ;  his  subter- 
ranean laboratory,  i.  122:  plan  of 
visiting  Europe,  i.  1-7;  I.'ev.  John 
1'ierpont's  reminiscences  of,  i.  i;{0; 
his  visit  to  New  York  prior  to  sail- 


INDEX. 


405 


ing,  i.  133;  particulars  of  his  visit 
to  Europe,  i.  l-'di.  .«'>/.,•  his  inter- 
views \\  ilh  l>r.  Henry  ami  Dr.  Dill- 
ton,  i.  l.'.'.t;  his  acquaintance  with 
William  Nicholson,  i.  141:  his  ac- 
quaintance with  1'Yederic  Acruin, 
i.  142;  with  Dr.  (Icorgf  IVarsm.  i. 
144:  with  Sir.Io-eph  Hanks,  Davy, 
Watt.  \Yollastun.  &C.,  i.  14(i:  with 
Dr.  Kylaud,  i.  147:  his  excursion- to 
the  mines  of  Cornwall,  i.  148;  his 
interviews  with  Benjamin  West, 
Barlow,  and  Fulton,  i!  14!»:  hi-  in- 
terviews \vitli  Sir  llumphrev  Daw 
and  Prof.  William  Allm.'i.  152; 
his  visit  to  the  l'ni\vr>itv  of  Cam- 
bridge, i.  153;  his  visit  to  Lindley 
Murray,  i.  153;  his  residence  in 
Edinburgh,  i.  1;V>.  mt/.;  his  ac- 
quaintance with  Dr.  Hope,  i.  IT)!); 
Avith  Dr.  (Ire gory,  i.  161;  with  Dr. 
John  Murray,  i.  ItHi;  his  remarks 
on  the  rival  theories  in  geology,  i. 
Ki8;  his  acquaintance  with  Dr. 
John  Barclay,  i.  172;  his  accident 
on  Salisbury  Craig,  i.  175;  his  ac- 
quaintance with  Dugald  Stewart, 
i.  170 ;  with  I'rof.  Leslie,  i.  178 ;  with' 
Sir  David  Brewster,  i.  179,  with 
Lord  Webb  Seymour  and  Dr. 
Thomas  Brown,  i.  180;  with  Dr. 
Anderson  and  the  Earl  of  Buchan, 
i.  181 ;  his  remarks  on  the  Earl  of 
Moira  (Lord  Rawdon),  i.  183;  his 
visit  to  Sir  Robert  Liston,  i.  185; 
his  remarks  on  Sir  H.  M.  Well- 
wood,  Rev.  David  Dickson,  Rev. 
Mr.  Black,  i.  187 ;  his  remarks  on 
the  "Edinburgh  Review,"  i.  189; 
his  interview  with  Sir  John  Stir- 
ling and  lady,  i.  190;  his  remarks 
on  life  and  manners  in  Edinburgh, 
i.  192;  the  results  of  his  visit  to 
Europe,  i.  193 ;  his  arrival  in  New 
York,  i.  197 ;  his  reception  in  New 
Haven,  i.  198^  his  introduction  to 
the  cabinet  of  Col.  G.  Gibbs,  i.  214; 
his  account  of  the  origin  of  geology 
in  Yale  College,  i.  216;  his  course 
of  lectures  in  1806-7,  i.  218;  his 
account  of  the  purchase  of  the  Per- 
kins cabinet  of  minerals,  i.  221; 
his  account  of  the  Westpn  meteor, 
i.  222,  seq. ;  his  marriage,  i.  231,  seq.  ; 
his  reminiscences  of  Gov.  Trum- 
bull,  i.  232,  seq. ;  his  first  course  of 
popular  lectures  in  Yale  College,  i. 
241,  seq. ;  his  "  Journal  of  Travels," 


i.  248  seq. ;  accident  to  him  in  the 
laboratorv.  i.  iT)4;  obtains  the  loan 
of  the  Qlbbfl  cabinet  to  Yale  Col- 
le-v.  i.  -j.-jtl;  his  account  of  the 
Medical  School  of  Yale  College,  i. 
260;  his  account  of  events  in  the 
war  of  1812,  i.  '2t',2:  his  account  of 
the  death  of  Rev.  Dr.  Dwi-ht,  i. 
266;  establishes  the  -Journal  of 
Science,"  i.  272;  records  the  death 
of  his  mother  and  of  his  son,  i. 
274;  his  journey  to  Canada,  i.  277; 
his  "Tour  to  Quebec,"  i.  278;  his 
account  of  the  purchase  of  the 
Gibbs  cabinet,  i.  278  ;  his  inter- 
course with  Robert  Bakewell,  i. 
281;  his  intercourse  with  William 
Maclure,  i.  284;  his  acquaintance 
with  Dr.  Cooper,  i.  286;  his  invita- 
tion to  the  Presidency  of  South 
Carolina  College,  i.  295;  his  pro- 
fessional assistants,  i.  298,  seq. ;  his 
temporary  loss  of  health,  i.  304; 
his  journey  to  West  Point,  i.  305; 
his  journey  to  Philadelphia,  £c.,  i. 
306';  his  journey  to  Saratoga,  i. 
307;  his  journey  to  Washington, 
and  visits  to  Mr.  Calhoun  and  Mr. 
Custis,  i.  309,  seq. ;  his  change  of 
diet  and  the  salutary  effect,  i.  311; 
his  publication  of  the  "  Elements 
of  Chemistry,"  i.  319 ;  his  lectures  in 
Hartford,  i'.  340;  his  lectures  in 
Lowell,  i.  342:  his  interview  with 
Daniel  Webster,  i.  342;  his  lectures 
on  geology  in  Boston  (1835),  i.  342, 
seq. ;  his  lectures  on  geology  in 
Salem,  i.  360;  his  lectures  on  geol- 
ogy in  Nantucket,  i.  364,  sea. ;  his 
intercourse  with  John  Quincy 
Adams,  i.  365;  his  lectures  on 
chemistry  in  Boston  (1836),  i.  369; 
his  remarks  on  his  success  as  a 
lecturer,  i.  372;  his  exploration  of 
the  coal  formations  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, i.  373;  his  examination  of 
the  culture  and  manufacture  of 
sugar,  i.  374;  his  exploration  of  the 
gold  mines  of  Virginia,  i.  377;  his 
lectures  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
i.  380;  his  self- possession  on  the 
occasion  of  an  accident,  i.  380;  his 
concern  in  the  Lowell  Institute,  i. 
382;  his  first  course  of  Lowell  lec- 
tures, i.  383;  his  second  course  of 
Lowell  lectures,  i.  391 ;  takes  part  ' 
in  the  formation  of  the  Geological 
Association,  i.  393,;  his  third  course 


406 


INDEX. 


of  Lowell  lecture?,  i.  304;  his  fourth 
course  of  Lowell  lectures,  i.  396; 
his  lectures  in  Southern  cities,  ii.  1, 
seq.  ;  his  lectures  in  Pittsburgh,  ii. 
2:  his  lectures  in  Baltimore,  ii.  4; 
his  visit  to  Charleston,  ii.  8;  his 
visit  to  Montgomery  (Ala.),  ii-  13; 
his  lectures  in  New  Orleans,  ii.  14, 
sty. ;  his  letters  to  a  lady  on  the 
subject  of  religion,  ii.  17,  seq. ;  his 
lectures  in  other  cities,  ii.  20,  scq. ; 
his  reflections  on  his  public  labors, 
ii.  22;  attends  Commencement  at 
Cambridge  (1840),  ii.  30;  his  cor- 
respondence with  Berzelius,  ii.  35 ; 
his  correspondence  with  W.  Mac- 
lure,  ii.  40;  his  correspondence  with 
K.  Bakewell,  ii.  51;  his  reminis- 
cences of  Col.  Trumbull  and  re- 
marks on  his  paintings,  ii.  6(5, 
seq. ;  his  religious  reflections,  ii. 
85,  93,  100,  234,  253,  208,  300;  his 
visit  to  his  early  home,  ii.  87;  his 
proposal  to  resign  his  professor- 
ship, ii.  90;  his  second  visit  to  Eu- 
rope, ii.  101,  seq. ;  letters  to  him 
from  llumboldt  and  Carl  Hitter, 
ii.  103,  .sec/.  ,•  his  second  marriage,  ii. 
108 ;  his  letters  to  Dr.  John  Griscom, 
ii.  108,  seq. ;  his  notice  of  the  death 
of  Prof.  Stuart,  ii.  115;  his  notice 
of  the  death  of  1'rof.  Kingsley,  ii. 
110:  his  interview  with  Daniel 
Webster,  ii.  118;  his  resignation  of 
his  professorship,  ii.  liM,  .<<q.;  his 
correspondence  with  Dr.  Edward. 
Hitchcock,  ii.  13ii,  st-q.  ,•  his  view 
of  the  Mosaic  Cosmogony,  ii.  132; 
letters  to  him  from  Prof.  Agassi/, 
ii.  150,  seq. ;  from  Sir  Charles  Lyell, 
ii.  161,  set/.;  from  Sir  K.  I.  Mufchi- 
son,  ii.  107;  from  Prof.  K.  Owen, 
ii.  If,:';  from  Prof.  Charles  D.m- 
beuy,  ii.  172;  from  Sir  J.  F.  W. 
lleix'liel,  ii.  178;  from  Prof.  Coiiv- 
beare,  ii.lS);  from  Prof.  .1.  F.  VV. 
.Johnston,  ii.  181;  his  correspond- 
ence with  Dr.  Mantell,  ii.  183,  serf.  ; 

nd  book  of  travels  in  Eu- 
rope, ii.  -2.!:!;  his  last  lecture  in  col- 

-•!4  ;  his  opinionson  slavery, 
ii.  238;  his  action  respecting  Kan- 
sas, ii.  241.  srq.  ;  letters  to  him  from 
•John  P.  Hale.  ii.  215  ;  from  Josiah 
Quincy,  ii.  2-17  ;  his  interviews 
with  Washington  Irving,  ii.  249; 
his  presence,  at  the  dedication  of 
the  Dudley  Observatory,  ii.  250; 


his  interest  in  the  religious  welfare 
of  his  friends,  ii.  253;  his  part  in 
the  New  Haven  correspondence 
with  Mr.  Buchanan,  ii.  257,  *<  7.  ; 
letters  to  him  from  Lyman  Trum- 
bull, ii.  201;  from  Charles  Sunnier, 
ii.  2G1 ;  from  Edward  Hitchcock,  ii. 
202;  his  correspondence  with  John 
Taylor,  ii.  263:  his  situation  in  his 
closing  years,  ii.  271 ,  seq. ;  the  pros- 
perity of  his  departments  of  in- 
struction in  Yale  College,  ii.  274, 
seq. ;  his  agency  in  the  establish- 
ment of  tlie  Sheffield  Scientific 
School,  ii.  276,  seq. ;  tributes  of  re- 
spect paid  to  him  in  his  old  age,  ii. 
279;  his  views  of  the  Southern  re- 
bellion and  the  Avar,  ii.  283;  his 
correspondence  witli  Miss  (Juincy, 
ii.  284,  seq.  ;  his  letters  to  I!ev.  Dr. 
Sprague,  ii.  292.  seq. ;  his  letters  to 
Miss  Lindsley,  ii.  294,  seq. ;  his  part 
in  the  commemoration  at  North 
Stonington,  ii.  304;  his  last  illness, 
ii.  311,  seq. ;  his  death,  ii.  317;  his 
funeral,  ii.  318;  his  personal  traits, 
ii.  318,  seq. ;  his  intellectual  quali- 
ties, ii.  318;  his  merits  as  a  lecturer, 
ii.  321),  seq. ;  liis  services  to  science, 
ii.  320,  seq.  ;  his  services  to  Yale 
College,  ii.  335;  his  character  as  a 
college  oflieer,  ii.  330,  st  7.  ,•  his  love 
of  esteem,  ii.  3U9;  his  kindness,  ii. 
353;  his  domestic  traits,  ii. 
testimonies  to  his  excellence,  ii. 
30!),  sr7. 

Silliman,  Benjamin,  Jr.,  his  useful- 
ness as  the  assistant  of  his  father, 
L  818,  864,  :i!):!:  ii.  12S;  his  agency 
in  founding  (lie  Vale  Scientific 
School,  ii.  274,  275:  letter  of  Prof. 
Silliman  to,  ii  Ml 4. 

Silliman,  Benjamin  (3d),  ii.  308. 

Silliman,  Benjamin  I).,  becomes  an 
assistant  of' Prof.  Silliman,  i.  315; 
his  subsequent  history,  i.  ."10. 

Silliman,  Daniel,  i.  1. 

Silliman,  Kbenc/er.  i.  3. 

Silliman,  (Jen.  (iold  Selleck.  his  ser- 
vices in  (he  Revolutionary  war,  i. 
3;  his  capture  by  the  British,  i.  0; 
his  return  to  his  home,  i.  9;  his 
death,  i.  15. 

Silliman,  Mrs.  Cold  Selleck,  her 
character,  i.  0;  her  account  of  her 
retreat  from  Fairfield.  i.  8;  her 
death  and  character,  i.  274;  ii.  84. 

Silliman,(Jold  Selleck  (Jr.),  i.  8, 9, 10, 


INDEX. 


407 


55, 75, 76,77, 78, 79, 82, 132,133,135, 
199,201,227,228,229;  ii.  88,301. 


T. 


Silliman,  Mrs.  Harriet  T.,  i.  2:?9,  240,  Tavlor,  N.  W.,  D.  D.,  i.  218;  his  let- 

her  marriage  to  Prof.  Silliman,  i.  t'er  to  ^r  Buchanan,  ii.  259. 

244;  her  death,  ii.  93;  her  charac-  Taylor,  John,  i.  138;  ii.  101;  his  cor- 

,    ter,  ii.  93,  seq.  respondence  with  Prof.  Silliman, 

Sillimnn.  Mrs.  Sarah  J.,  ii.  108,  123.  H  gj  „„ 

Silliman,  Trumbull,  his  illness  and  Tavlor,  Rev.  Mr.,  i.  357. 

death,  i.  275.  Taylor,  President  Z.,  Prof.  Sillimau's 
Silliman.  William,  i.  5.  interview  with,  ii.  96. 
Silsbee,  Nathaniel,  i.  361.  Thacher,  Prof.  T.  A.,  ii.  299;  his  re- 
Skinner,  Aaron  N.,  ii.  127.  marks  on  the  character  of  Prof. 
Slavery,    in    NYw    England,  i.    21;  Silliman,  ii.  338. 

character  of  Southern,  i.  3(8;  n.  Thornton.  Mr.,  M.  P.,  i.  138,  155. 

™    45,  46,  48,  49,  189,  295,  297;  Ticknor  Prof.  George,  i.  347;  his  re- 


ii. 238, 


the 

264,  265,  seq. 
Smith,  Dr.  Nathan  R.,  ii.  4. 
Smith,  Jeremiah,  i.  342. 


marks  on  Prof.  Silliman  as  a  lec- 
turer, ii.  321. 

Trollope,  Mrs.,  her  work  on  the  Uni- 
ted States,  ii.  190. 


Smith,  President  g.  S.,  of  Prince-    Trumbuil,  Col.  John,  i.  367:  Prof. 


ton,  i.  110. 

Sparks,  Jared,  his  letter  to  Prof.  Silli- 
man respecting  the  "  Journal  of 
Science,"  i.  326,  354;  his  opinion 
of  Prof.  Silliman's  "Visit  to  Eu- 
rope," ii.  233. 

Sparks,  Mrs.  Jared,  i.  361. 

Sprague,  Rev.  W.  B.,  D.D.,  Prof. 
Silliman's  visit  to,  ii.  250,  376;  let- 
ters from  Prof.  Silliman  to,  ii.  292, 
293 ;  his  remarks  on  the  character 
of  Prof.  Silliman,  ii.  374,  seq. 

Spring,  Rev.  G.,  D.D.,  i.  125;  his 
views  of  geology,  ii.  147. 

Staples,  Seth  P.,  i.  53;  his  letter  to 
Prof.  Silliman,  i.  67. 

Stevens,  Dr.  A.  H.,  i.  218;  ii.  281. 

Stewart,  Prof.  Dugald,  soiree  at  his 
house,  i.  176 ;  his  conversation,  i.  177. 

Stiles,  Rev.  Ezra,  D.  D.,  his  character, 
i.  27,  107. 

Stirling,  Sir  John  and  lady,  i.  190. 

Stoddard,  Rev.  David  B.,  i.  397. 

Stone,  Rev.  Dr.,  i.  388. 

Storv,  Joseph,  i.  352. 

Strong,  Rev.  Nathan.  D.  D.,  i.  260. 

Strong,  Dr.  Woodbridge,  i.  344. 

Stuart,  Prof.  Moses,  i.  53;  his  letters 
to  Prof.  Silliman,  i.  114,  116;  his 
death  and  character,  ii.  115;  on  ge- 
ology and  Genesis,  ii.  133,  139. 

Btnrges,  Judge  Jonathan,  i.  24. 

Sullivan,  Gen.  William,  i.  349;  din- 
ner at  his  house,  i.  353. 

Sumner,  Charles,  his  letter  to  Prof. 


Silliman's  acquaintance  with, 
67,  seq. ;  his  paintings  and  the 
Trumbull  Gallery,  ii.  68,  seq.;  let- 
ter from  Lafayette  to,  ii.  387;  let- 
ters from  John  Adams  to,  ii.  388, 
389 ;  letter  from  Thomas  Jefferson 
to,  ii.  390;  letters  from  Benjamin 
West  to,  ii.  391,  393;  letter  from 
Lord  Grenville  to,  ii.  397. 

Trumbull,  Gov.  Jonathan  (Sen.),  i. 
231. 

Trumbull,  Gov.  Jonathan  (Jr.),  Prof. 
Silliman's  reminiscences  of,  i.  232; 
his  person  and  manners,  i.  232, 233 ; 
his  home  at  Lebanon,  i.  234;  his 
aspect  in  public,  5.  235;  Prof.  Sil- 
liman's introduction  to  his  family, 
i.  239;  his  death,  i.  244;  letters 
from  Washington  to,  ii.  379,  seq. ; 
letter  from  Martha  Washington 
to,  ii.  386. 

Trumbull,  Lyman,  his  letter  to  Pro- 
fessor Silliman,  ii.  261. 

Tuckerman,  Edward,  i.  388. 
Twining,  Stephen,  i.  53. 

V. 

Vass,  James,  i.  377. 
Vigus,  Prof.,  i.  303. 
"T" -ginia,  golj  -'— 
ery  in,  i.  3V  8. 

W. 


Sumne™,aGeorge,  'his  letter  to  Prof.    Wadsworth,  Daniel,  i.  238,  248,  306 
Silliman,  ii.  33.  308,  309,  312,  323. 


408 


INDEX. 


Walker,  Rev.  James,  D.  D.,  i.  392, 
395,  402. 

AVarren.  Dr.  John  C.,  soiree  at  his 
house,  i.  348;  relics  at  his  house, 
ii.  72;  his  letter  respecting  Dr. 
Mantell,  ii.  231. 

Washington,  George,  relics  of,  at  Ar- 
lington House,  i.  310;  Trumbull's 
portrait  of,  ii.  70 ;  his  letters  to  the 
second  Gov.  Trumbull,  ii.  379,  seq. ; 
his  remarks  on  the  organization  of 
the  new  government,  ii.  379;  on 
his  retirement  from  the  Presidency, 
ii.  380;  on  the  condition  of  parties 
and  the  character  of  the  Demo- 
crats, ii.  383-386;  declines  to  be  a 
candidate  for  the  Presidency  for  a 
third  term,  ii.  383,  385. 

Washington,  Martha,  her  letter  to 
Gov.  Trumbull,  ii.  386. 

Watson,  William,  i.  313. 

Webster,  Daniel,  his  conversation 
with  Prof.  Silliman  in  Lowell,  i. 
342;  his  speech  in  Boston,  i.  387; 
at  the  Harvard  dinner  (1846),  ii. 
31 ;  Prof.  Sillhnan's  interview  with, 
ii.  118. 

Webster,  Noah,  i.  67. 

AVeld,  Mason  C.,  i.  319. 

WeUiiiginu,  Duke  of,  ii.  188. 

AVellwood,  Sir  Jlenry  Moncneff,  i. 
187. 

West,  Benjamin,  his  letters  to  Col. 
Tnuninill,  ii.  391,393;  his  election 
to  the  chair  of  the  Royal  Academy 
(1804),  ii.  3!)3,  .sry. 

White;,  Jud-e,  i.  361. 

Whitney,  Hi,  ii.  IV,). 

Whittlesey,  Betsey,  Prof.  Silliman's 
letter  to,  ii.  316. 

Wilberl'oive,  William,  interview  of 
Prof.  Silliman  with,!.  138;  his  let- 
ter to  Prof.  Silliman,  i.  2.VJ. 

Williams,  Thomas  S.,  ii.  298. 


Williston,  Payson,  ii.  236. 

AVinterbotham,  Mr.,  i.  147. 

AVinthrop,  Lieut.-Gov.,  i.  354. 

Wmthrop,  Kobert  C.,  ii.  31. 

Wiseman,  Cardinal,  his  work  on 
science  and  revelation,  ii.  144. 

Wistar,  Dr.  Caspar,  his  lectures,  i. 
106. 

Wolcott,  Oliver,  i.  134,  197. 

Woodhouse,  Dr.  James,  his  lectures, 
i.  100,  224. 

Woolsey,  Kev.  Theodore  D.,  D.D., 
his  letter  to  Prof.  Silliman  from 
Athens,  i.  2!);  appointed  President 
of  Yale  College,  ii.  80;  his  letters 
to  Prof.  Silliman  concerning  his 
resignation,  ii.  !)2,  it!);  his  be, 
tion  for  the  tfi/li>iinn  Professorakyi) 
ii.  130;  his  discourse  at  the  funer- 
al of  Prof.  Silliman,  ii.  318;  his 
remarks  on  Prof.  Silliman,  aa  a 
lecturer,  ii.  320;  his  remarks  on 
Prof.  Silliman's  usefulness  to  Yale 
College,  ii.  335;  his  remarks  on 
the  courtesv  of  Prof.  Sillimau,  ii. 
356. 

Woolsey,  William  A\r..  i.  134,  197. 

Worcester,  Joseph  E.',  i.  3!io. 

Wy  111:111,  Prof,  -ietlries,  i.  389;  his 
remarks  on  Prof.  Silliman  as  a  lec- 
turer, ii.  tlft^  his  remarks  on  the 
character  /f  Prof.  Silliman,  ii.  369. 


Yale  College,  religious  revival  in,  in 
1802,  i.  82;  its  character  in  the  last 
century,  i.  !S8  ;  origin  of  geology 
in,  i.  216;  its  relations  to  Harvard 
College,  i.  400;  growth  of  the 
physical  sciences  in,  ii.  274,  seq. 
(/See  Sillinmn,  Uenjamiii.) 


LORD  DERBY'S  "HOMER." 

of 

RENDERED  INTO  ENGLISH  BLANK  VERSE  BY  EDWARD,  EARL  OF  DERBY. 

From  the  fifth  London  Edition. 
Two  volumes,  crown  8vo,  on  tinted  paper.     Price  $5.00. 

Extracts  from  Notices  and  Reviews  from  the  English  Quarterlies,  &c. 

"The  merits  of  Lord  Derby's  translation  may  bo  summed  up  in  ono  word:  "It  is 
eminently  attractive  ;  it  is  nstinct  with  life  ;  it  may  bo  read  with  fervent  interest;  it  is  im- 
measurably nearer  than  Pope  to  the  test  of  the  original.  *  *  *  "We  think  that  Lord  Derby's 
translation  will  not  only  be  read,  but  read  over  and  over  again.  *  *  *  Lord  Derby  has  given 
to  England  a  version  far  more  closely  allied  to  the  original,  and  superior  to  any  that  has 
yet  been  attempted  in  the  blank  verso  of  our  language."  —  Edinburgh  Review,  January 
1SG5. 

"  As  often  as  we  return  from  even  the  best  of  them  (other  translations)  to  the  translation 
before  us,  we  find  ourselves  in  a  purer  atmosphere  of  taste.  "We  find  more  spirit,  more 
tact  in  avoiding  either  trivial  or  conceited  phrases,  nnd  altogether  a  presence  of  merits,  and 
an  absence  of  defects  which  continues,  as  we  read,  to  lengthen  more  and  more  the  distance 
between  Lord  Derby  and  the  foremost  of  his  competitors."—  London  Quarterly  Review, 
January,  1865. 

"  "While  the  versification  of  Lord  Derby  is  such  as  Pope  himself  would  have  admired, 
his  Iliad  is  in  all  other  essentials  superior  to  that  of  his  great  rival.  For  the  rest,  if  Pope  is 
dethroned  what  remains?  *  *  *  It  is  the  Iliad  we  would  place  in  the  hands  of  English 
readers  as  the  truest  counterpart  of  the  original,  the  nearest  existing  approach  to  a  repro- 
duction of  that  original's  matchless  feature."  —  Saturday  Review. 

"Among  those  curiosities  of  literature  which  are  also  its  treasures,  Lord  Derby's  trans- 
.ation  of  Homer  must  occupy  a  very  conspicuous  place.  *  *  *  Lord  Derby's  work  is,  on  tho 
whole,  more  remarkable  for  the  constancy  of  its  excellence  and  the  high  level  which  it 
maintains  throughout,  than  for  its  special  bursts  of  eloquence.  It  is  uniformly  worthy  of 
itself  and  its  author."—  The  Reader. 

""Whatever  may  bo  the  ultimate  fate  of  this  poem  —  whether  it  take  sufficient  hold  of 
tho  public  mind  to  satisfy  that  demand  for  a  translation  of  Homer  which  wo  have  alluded 
to,  and  thus  become  a  permanent  classic  of  the  language,  or  whether  it  give  place  to  the  still 
more  perfect  production  of  some  yet  unknown  poet—  it  must  equally  bo  considered  a 
splendid  performance;  and  for  tho  present  we  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  it  is  by 
far  the  best  representation  of  Homer's  Iliad  in  the  English  language."' 

NOTICES. 


Tho  Publishers'1  Circular  says  :—  At  the  advanced  ago  of  sixty-five,  tho  Earl  of  Derby, 
lead,  r  of  tho  Tory  party  in  England,  has  published  a  translation  of  Homer,  in  blank 
verse.  Nearly  all  the  London  critics  unite  in  declaring,  with  The  rime*,  "that  it  is  by 
fai  the  best  representation  of  Homer's  'Iliad'  in  tho  English  language."  His  purpose 
was  to  produce  a  translation,  and  not  a  paraphrase—  fairly  and  honestly  giving  tho  sense 
of  every  passage  and  of  every  line.  Without  doubt  tho  greatest  of  all  living  British  orators, 
he  has  now  shown  high  poetic  power  as  well  as  great  scholarship. 

From  the  New  York  World  :  —  "  The  reader  of  English,  who  seeks  to  know  what 
Homer  really  was,  and  in  what  fashion  ho  thought  and  felt  and  wrote,  will  owe  to 
Lord  Derby  his  first  honest  opportunity  of  doing  so.  The  Earl's  translation  is  devoid  alike  of 
pretension  and  of  prettiness.  It  is  animated  in  movement,  simple  and  representative 
in  phraseology,  breezy  in  atmosphere,  if  wo  may  so  speak,  and  pervaded  by  a  refinement 
of  taste  which  is  as  far  removed  from  daintiness  or  effeminacy  as  can  well  be  imagined." 

Co-pies  sent  by  mail,  post  paid,  on  receipt  of  price. 


MAX  MULLER'S  NEW  WORK. 

SECOND  SERIES. 

0n     Stum  of 


In  one  volume,  with  a  Series  of  31  Wood  Engravings,  illustrating  the  positions 
of  the  Organs  of  Speech  in  uttering  the  various  Articulate  Sounds  of  which 
all  Language  is  composed.  Crown  8vo,  622  pages.  Price,  $3.50.  (Uni- 
form with  First  Series.) 

The  London  Athenaeum  says  :  —  "  We  must  not  conclude  without  expressing 
our  admiration  of  the  book  as  a  whole,  the  herculean  massiveness  of  its  learn- 
ing —  comprehending  not  merely  a  profound  knowledge  of  many  languages,  and 
a  wonderful  command  of  our  own,  but  a  familiarity  with  various  branches  of 
science  —  the  bold  originality  and  general  soundness  of  its  philosophy,  and  the 
transparency,  animation,  and  occasional  eloquence  of  its  style,  by  which  a  sub- 
ject so  abstruse  has  been  rendered  not  merely  intelligible,  but  attractive  to  a 
popular  audience  and  the  general  reader." 

The  New  York  Times  says  :  —  "  The  richness  of  Professor  Mailer's  resources, 
and  the  immense  range  of  collateral  information  that  he  produces  to  give  inter- 
est to  an  abstract  subject,  from  a  stock  of  learning  that  seems  absolutely  without 
boundary  or  limitation,  must  be  sought  in  the  book  itself.  The  entire  work  is 
one  that  no  living  scholar  but  the  writer  of  it  could  produce,  and  its  wide  cir- 
culation is  certain  in  this  country." 

The  British  Quarterly  says  :  —  "  No  intelligent  man  can  read  this  volume 
without  amazement.  The  learning  and  sagacity  which  the  lecturer  has  brought 
to  his  theme  are  wonderful  ;  words  in  his  hands  come  to  be  full  of  history.'' 

The  London  Guardian  says  :  —  "  This  volume  goes  far  beyond  its  predeces- 
sor, while  it  is  not  inferior  to  it  in  that  elegance  of  style  and  skilful  treatment 
of  his  subjects,  which  has  made  the  author  in  this  department  the  most  popular 
and  successful  of  our  writers." 

Also,  just  ready,  a  New  Edition  of  the  FIRST  SERIES.     $2.50. 


M.  G-UIZOT'S  NEW  WORK. 

0K  %  feena  jrf  Clrristwrntir, 

AND    ON    THE    RELIGIOUS    QUESTIONS    OF    TEE    DAY. 

1  vol.,  12mo.     360  pages.     Price,  $1.75. 

The  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal  says : — "  The  publishers,  in  bringing 
out  this  grand  volume,  have  done  a  good  service  to  the  whole  Christian  Church. 
The  book  meets  a  pressing  want  of  our  times,  and  combats,  by  the  most  suc- 
i:iethods,  the  cold  and  half- enlightened  skepticism  of  tin 

The  Springfield  Republican  says : — "  The  treatise  is  admirably  written  and 
translated,  and  is  marked  by  breadth  of  view,  freshness  of  statement,  and  a 
temper  alike  removed  from  levity  and  bitterness,  skepticism  and  superstition." 

The  Christian  Times  says : — "  The  volume  before  us  is  matchless  in  style, 
and  replete  with  the  beauties  of  virtue  and  truth.  The  first  part  is  complete  in 
itsrlf,  and  will  undoubtedly  have  a  wide  circulation  and  a  corresponding  in- 
fluence." 

The  New  York  Evangelist  says:— "It  is  the  testimony  of  a  profound 
thinker,  and  one  of  the  most  able  of  philosophical  historians  ;  it  is  entitled  to 
high  authority  and  respect,  while  as  a  tribute  to  the  truth  and  power  of  Chris- 
tianity, it  is  especially  valuable." 

Copies  sent  by  mail,  post  paid,  on  receipt  of  price. 


FOBSYTH'S  "CICERO." 


BY  WILLIAM  FORSYTH,  M.  A.,  Q.O. 

With  Twenty  Illustrations.    2  vols.,  crown  8vo.    Printed  on  tinted  ani  laij 
paper.     Price  $5. 


The  object  of  this  work  is  to  exhibit  Cicero  not  merely  as  a  Statesman  anfl 
an  Orator,  hut  as  he  was  at  home  in  the  relations  of  private  life,  as  a  Husband 
a  Father,  a  Brother,  and  a  Friend.  His  letters  are  full  of  interesting  details, 
which  enable  us  to  form  a  vivid  idea  of  how  the  old  Romans  lived  2,000  years 
ago ;  and  the  Biography  embraces  not  only  a  History  of  Events,  as  momentous 
as  any  in  the  annals  of  the  world,  but  a  large  amount  of  Anecdote  and  Gossip, 
which  amused  the  generation  that  witnessed  the  downfall  of  the  Republic. 

The  London  Athenceum  says :  "  Mr.  Forsyth  has  rightly  aimed  to  set  before 
us  a  portrait  of  Cicero  in  the  modern  style  of  biography,  carefully  gleaning 
from  his  extensive  correspondence  all  those  little  traits  of  character  and  habit 
which  marked  his  private  and  domestic  life.  These  volumes  form  a  very 
acceptable  addition  to  the  classic  library.  The  style  is  that  of  a  scholar  and  a 
man  of  taste." 

From  the  Saturday  Review :— "  Mr.  Forsyth  has  discreetly  told  his  story, 
evenly  and  pleasantly  supplied  it  with  apt  illustrations  from  modern  law, 
eloquence,  and  history,  and  brought  Cicero  as  near  to  the  present  time  as  the 
differences  of  age  and  manners  warrant.  *  *  *  These  volumes  we  heartily 
recommend  as  both  a  useful  and  agreeable  guide  to  the  writings  and  character 
of  one  who  was  next  in  intellectual  and  political  rank  to  the  foremost  man  of  all 
the  world,  at  a  period  when  there  were  many  to  dispute  with  him  the  triple 
crown  of  forensic,  philosophic,  and  political  composition." 

"  A  scholar  without  pedantry,  and  a  Christian  without  cant,  Mr.  Forsyth 
seems  to  have  seized  with  praiseworthy  tact  the  precise  attitude  which  it  behoves 
a  biographer  to  take  when  narrating  the  life,  the  personal  life,  of  Cicero.  Mr. 
Forsyth  produces  what  we  venture  to  say  will  become  one  of  the  classics  of 
English  biographical  literature,  and  will  be  welcomed  by  readers  of  all  ages  and 
both  sexes,  of  all  professions  and  of  no  profession  at  all." — London  Quarterly. 

"  This  hook  is  a  valuable  contribution  to  our  Standard  Literature.  It  is  a 
work  which  will  aid  our  progress  towards  the  truth ;  it  lifts  a  corner  of  the  veil 
which  has  hung  over  the  scenes  and  actors  of  times  so  full  of  ferment,  and 
allows  us  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  stage  upon  which  the  great  drama  wa» 
played." — North  American  Review. 

Copies  sent  ly  mail,  postpaid,  on  receipt  ofwice. 


FROUDE'S  "ENGLAND." 

Jistaj  jof  $n:gta&,  torn  flje  |all  0f  arisen  10  %  £)cat!j 
jtf 


By  JAMES  ANTHONY  FRODDE,  M.  A.,  late  Fellow  of  Exeter  College,  Oxford. 
From  the  fourth  London  edition.  In  crown  8vo  vols.  Price,  §3.00  each. 
(/Six  volumes  now  read;/,  —  tlic  other  two  shortly.) 

Vols.  I.  to  IV.  Reign  of  Henry  VIII.  Vols.  V.  and  VI.  Reigns  of  Edward 
VI.  and  Mary.  Vols.  VII.  and  VIII.  Reign  of  Elizabeth. 

Mr.  Froude  has  shown  in  his  admirable  history  what  new  results  may  be  de- 
rived, even  in  the  most  beaten  track,  from  a  thorough  investigation  of  the 
original  authorities.  His  researches  have  thrown  a  flood  of  light  over  the  per- 
sonal character  of  Henry  the  Eighth  and  his  relation  to  the  great  event  of 
modern  history,  the  Reformation  of  Religion  in  Europe  and  the  British  Isles, 
that  it  would  be  in  vain  to  seek  elsewhere.  His  views  often  run  counter  to 
received  opinions,  but  they  are  always  supported  by  a  weight  of  evidence  and 
a  classic  polish  of  style  that  place  him  high  in  the  rank  of  modern  historians. 

The  work  has  received  the  most  favorable  notices  from  the  leading  English 
journals,  and  has  already  passed  through  four  editions  in  England.  The  vast 
amount  of  fresh  and  authentic  materials  which  the  author  has  brought  to  bear 
on  the  periods  of  which  he  writes,  give  his  work  an  interest  and  value  beyond 
any  previous  history  of  the  same  events. 

"  We  read  these  volumes  with  the  pleasure  derived  from  interesting  materials 
worked  up  in  an  attractive  form."  —  Edinburyli  Review. 

"  The  style  is  excellent  ;  sound,  honest,  forcible,  singularly  perspicuous  Eng- 
lish ;  at  times  with  a  sort  of  picturesque  simplicity,  pictur  !i  with 

only  a  few  touches,  but  perfectly  alive.  .  .  .  Y\'e  have  never  to  read  a  pus- 
sage  twice.  .  .  .  We  see  the  course  of  events  day  by  day,  not  only  the 
more  serious  and  important  communications,  but  the  gossip  of  the  hour.  .  . 

".  .  .  If  truth  and  vivid  reality  be  the  perfection  of  history,  much  is  to  be 
said  in  favor  of  this  mode  of  composition."  —  London  Quarterly. 


guide,  as  f  Mtojito,  |Wrirf  anfc 


With  an  analysis  of  the  Divina  Commedia,  its  Plot  and  Episodes.     By  Pro- 
fessor BOTTA.     1  vol.,  crown  8vo.     $2.50. 

The  New  York  Krcning  Post  says  :  —  "We  have  scon  a  portion  of  this  work, 

Mini  ren;;ml  ii  of  the  poet  that  i  d  in  the 

It  is  careful,  learned,  discriminating  ai'd  eloquent,  written 

inter-  :;rkahlc    in   the  pen  of  an  author  not 

native  to  our  soil.      The  analysis  of  the  poem  is  full  ;;nd  philosophical,  alive  with 
Italian  enthusi;ism,  yet   calm  and  truly  catholic  in   its  humanity  aiui   tr>. 
Avill  do  more  than  anything  within  reach  to  answer  th.  -hat  so  many 

.v  asking:  "Who  is  this  I)ante,  whose  name  is  now  .so  much  on  the  lips 
of  scholars,  but  who  is  as  much  in  the  dark  to  most  of  us  as  the  dark  ages  iu 
which  ho  lived?" 

Copies  sent  by  mail,  post  paid,  on  receipt  of  price. 

Pi 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  TORONTO  LIBRARY 


Q  Fisher,  George  Park 

U3  Life  of  Benjamin  Silliman 

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v.2 

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