LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.




-- homo (mea sententia) summa prudentia, multa etiam doctrina, plurimo rerum usu (addo urbanitatem, quwa est virtus, ut Stoici rectissime putant.)- CI. AD DIV. III. 7.
" Peace to the memory of a man of worth,
A man of letters, and of manners too!
Of manners sweet as virtue always wears,
When gay good-nature dresses her in smiles.
He graced a college, in which order yet
Was sacred; and was honour'd, loved, and wept,
By more than one, themselves conspicuous there."
COWPER.




7:








LIFE
OF
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 I.
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
RIVERSIDE, CAMBRIDGE:
STEREOTYPED AND PRINTED BY
H. O. HOUGHTON AND COMPANY.




PREFACE.
-_PROFESSOR SILLIMAN, after he had retired from
active duty in College, spent considerable time, at
the request of members of his family, in writing down
reminiscences of his life. His first design was to
describe the establishment and growth of the departments of instruction in Yale College, which had been
so long under his care; and for this reason he commences with his appointment as Professor of Chemistry. From the beginning, however, he introduces
other facts relating to his personal history, and before
he has proceeded far, he announces such a modification of his plan as gives to the work, during the
period which it covers, the character of an Autobiography. The narrative terminates with the resignation of his Professorship. From this date, —and,
indeed, for several years previous to it, - his Diary
is a full repository of public and private events, until
within a few years of his death, when other occupations left him less time for keeping up this daily
record. In addition to these valuable documents,
there are found among his papers an autobiographical
fragment relating to the period of his childhood; an




vi                 PREFACE.
extended sketch of the character and military services
of his father; a manuscript volume pertaining to the
family of the second Governor Trumbull, whose
daughter he married, and to society in Lebanon,
where they resided; another similar volume containing his Recollections of Colonel Trumbull, and
remarks upon his paintings; and various other writings having a biographic value, besides a voluminous mass of correspondence.
In undertaking, by the invitation of his family, to
prepare a Memoir of my venerated friend, it appeared
to me that the work should be, as far as practicable,
in his own words; that extracts from the Reminiscences, and, when they terminate, from the Diary,
should furnish the basis of it; that letters and other
contemporary papers should be interlaced at the
fitting points, - breaking, however, as little as possible, the continuity of his own narrative; that his
friends and scientific contemporaries should be called
upon to communicate their personal recollections,
and their estimate of his character and influence;
and that these various materials should be cemented
and illustrated by such additional statements as
might be found requisite for this end.
In carrying out this plan, it has been an important
part of my duty to select from the copious autobiographical manuscripts named above, the matter
which might properly be inserted in these volumes.
While performing this delicate and responsible task,




PREFACE.                  vii
I have been anxious not to transgress the limit of propriety in bringing out the details of private life; but I
have equally guarded against the prudish reserve that
would suppress harmless and characteristic incidents
and expressions of personal feeling. That in every
case I have judged with discretion, is more than I
dare claim. At all events, the reader will see Professor Silliman as he was, in the different periods of
his life, and, I venture to predict, will rise from the
perusal of this work, with no diminished appreciation
of his excellence. Although the use here made of
the documents referred to is one, it is believed, which
he would have sanctioned, yet it should be distinctly
stated that they were composed primarily for the
entertainment of his own family. They are written,
therefore, in the frank and artless style of colloquial
narrative, and with no attempt to guard against the
imputation of egotism. Hume begins his Autobiography by remarking that "it is difficult for a
man to speak long of himself without vanity." In
truth, it is inevitable that the semblance of egotism
should belong to whatever a man writes about himself; but it will be found that Professor Silliman
really set a modest estimate upon his talents, acquirements, and services.
Not all the parts of this Memoir will have an equal
attraction for every reader. For example, details
respecting the history and progress of Yale College
will naturally be of more interest to the graduates




viii                 PREFACE.
of this Institution than to others; and yet even the
European friends of Professor Silliman, into whose
hands this work may fall, will, perhaps, be interested
in marking the steps by which the higher Institutions
of learning in this country have risen to their present
degree of prosperity. On other topics, also, details,
which might appear to some gratuitous, I have frequently admitted for the reason that they served to
fill out a picture, or were characteristic of the Author.
Little circumstances that aid us in reproducing the
features of social life in the past, have a constantly
increasing value.
But a small part of the correspondence on the following pages has to do with strictly scientific inquiries. Professor Silliman did a great work for
science; but he was not given to speculation, nor
did he devote himself, as under other circumstances
he might have done, to original investigations. Hence
his strictly scientific correspondence is mainly that
of an Editor, and affords comparatively little matter
of permanent value. But his epistolary intercourse
with men of science was, nevertheless, large, and is
probably of more interest to the general reader than
if it were predominantly made up of scientific discussions. To the persons who have granted me the
use of correspondence, I render my thankful acknowledgments. In the case of a very few foreign letters,
it has been inconvenient to consult their authors;
but these letters contain nothing of a private nature,




PREFACE.                           ix
and are inserted merely to illustrate the relations in
which he stood with eminent men abroad.*
A number of unpublished letters of General Washington, addressed to Governor Trumbull, were in the
possession of Professor Silliman. Two of them were
written in the last year of Washington's life, and
embrace highly interesting observations on political
affairs. They contain a response to the suggestion
that he should save the Federal party from division
and defeat, by allowing himself to be brought forward
once more as a candidate for the Presidency.t   In
connection with the letters to Governor Trumbull,
other letters of historical value, addressed by John
Adams, Lafayette, and other distinguished persons,
to Colonel Trumbull, the Artist, are printed in the
Appendix.
Not a few references by Professor Silliman to
persons who are still living, have been retained. It
would have been  difficult to  erase them, and  since
his notices are always kindly, it seemed unnecessary.
* Notes which I have added either to letters or to citations are distinguished by the initial, F.
t These letters supply a deficiency which is noticed by Mr. Sparks in his
collection of " The Writings of Washington," Vol. XI. p. 444. Referring
to the request in regard to the Presidency, addressed to Washington by
Governor Trumbull, Mr. Sparks observes: - " Similar sentiments were expressed in letters from other persons. No answer, nor any remarks on the
subject by Washington, are found among his papers. See Sparks's Life
of Governeur Morris, Vol. III. p. 123." The letter of Governor Trumbull,
to which the first of the two letters mentioned above is a reply, is given
by Mr. Sparks on the same page with the foregoing note.




X                  PREFACE.
In the notes which relate to his labors in Boston,
where, as he considered, his highest success was
obtained, such personal allusions are frequent. These
notes are important, not only as disclosing the associations into which he was brought, but also as
revealing the intellectual processes and the feelings
involved in the preparation and delivery of his public lectures. There is one circumstance which he at
least would have regretted. It has been impossible
to make mention of more than a fraction of the great
number of persons in different parts of the land,
whose names are coupled, in the manuscripts before
me, with some expression of gratitude or esteem.
Without further explanation, I present these volumes to the numerous relatives of Professor Silliman,
and to the more numerous and widely dispersed
family of his pupils, in the hope that they will prove
to be a not unsuitable memorial of his worth and
services.
G. P. F.
NEW HAVEN, March 1, 1866.




CONTENTS OF VOL. I.
PART I.
FROMI HIS BIRTH TO HIS APPOINTMENT AS PROFESSOR IN YALE
COLLEGE.
1779-1802.
CHAPTER I.
HIS CHILDHOOD AND EARLY HOME.
PAGE
His Birth. - Origin of the Family. - His Father. - His Mother. -
His Father's Capture by the British. -An Early Journey to Stonington. - Anecdote of Dr. Franklin. - Manners and Society in
New England. - Death of his Father.-His Early Religious Training. - The Assembly's Catechism. - His First School. - Slavery
in New England. - His Preparation for College. - Society in Fairfield: Mr. Eliot; Mr. Burr; Dr. Dwight; Judge Sturges. -His
Love of Natural Scenery.....................................   1
CHAPTER II.
A STUDENT IN YALE COLLEGE.
His Admission to College. - President Stiles. - President Dwight. -
His Studies. - College Diary: His Anxiety to be cured of Faults;
Inauguration of Dr. Dwight; Recitations under Dr. Dwight; Situation of College under the New President; His Reading; Dinner at
Dr. Dana's; His Desire of Knowledge; Thoughts about a Profession........................................................ 27
CHAPTER III.
A TEACHER: A STUDENT OF LAW, AND TUTOR IN COLLEGE.
His Labors on the Farm at Home.- Teaches School in Wethersfield.
- Becomes a Law-Student in New Haven, and Tutor in Yale College.- Letters of Rev. Dr. Marsh and Rev. Dr. Porter. —His




xii                         CONTENTS.
PACE
Early Friends. —His Early Productions. -Early Letters. —His
Religious Impressions.................................  45
PART  II.
FROM HIS APPOINTMENT AS PROFESSOR TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF HIS CAREER AS A PUBLIC LECTURER.
1802-1834.
CHAPTER IV.
APPOINTED PROFESSOR: A STUDENT OF CHEMIISTRY IN PHILADELPIIA.
His Long Acquaintance with Yale College. - The Study of Science in
Yale College in the Last Century. - His Consultation with Dr.
Dwight, and the Offer of the Professorship of Chemistry. - His
Reasons for Accepting this Proposal. - His Election to the Office.His First Wintr in Philadelphia (1802-3). —His Fellow-Boarders at
Mrs. Smith's. - Dr. Woodhouse's Lectures. - His Association with
Robert Hare. - The Oxy-Hydrogen Blow-Pipe. -Dr. Benjamin
Rush. - Dr. Barton's Lectures. - Dr. Wistar's Lectures. - Interview with Dr. Priestley. - Summer of 1803 at New Haven. -
Brief Residence in Princeton. - Dr. John Maclean. - President
Smith. - His Second Winter in Philadelphia (1803-4). - His Acquaintance in that City. - Correspondence with G. S. Silliman,
Moses Stuart, J. L. Kingsley, &c......................... 87
CHAPTER V.
THE BEGINNING OF HIS WORK AS PROFESSOR.
His First Lectures in College (1804). -Construction of the Subterranean Laboratory. - Its Alteration.-Lectures to the Class of 1804 —5
(in the Fall of 1804). - His Apparatus. - Suggestions of Dr.
Priestley. - Plan for Visiting Europe. - Interview with President
Dwight. - Preparations for Departure. - Letter from Rev. John
Pierpont. - Letters of Professor Silliman to his Brother.........  121
CHAPTER VI.
VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN LONDON.
Residence in Europe. -Mr. John Taylor. - Dr. William Henry. -
Dr. Dalton's Lecture and Conversation. - Arrival in London. -Mr.




CONTENTS.                          xiii
PAGE
William  Nicholson. - Frederic Accum, the German Chemist. -
Dr. George Pearson and his Lectures. -Illumination by Gas. -
Scientific Societies. - Davy. - Sir Joseph Banks. - Visit to Cornwall. -Dr. Ryland and Mr. Winterbotham. - Military Preparations on the English Coast. -Back to London. -At the House of
Benjamin West: Joel Barlow, Robert Fulton, and Earl Stanhope.
- Interview with Davy. - Professor William Allen's Lecture and
Conversation. - At Cambridge: Professor Farish. - Visit to Lindley Murray................................................... 136
CHAPTER VII.
VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH.
His Residence in Edinburgh. - His Associates, Mr. Codman and Mr.
Gorham. - Introduction to Dr. Thomas Hope. - Dr. Gregory. -
Dr. Hope's Lectures. - Dr. John Murray and his Lectures. - Dr.
Hope and Dr. Murray on Geology. - Controversy of the Huttonians and Wernerians.-The Progress of his own Geological Views.
- Dr. John Barclay's Lectures on Anatomy. - Narrow Escape on
Salisbury Craig............................................... 155
CHAPTER VIII.
VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH.
Residence in Edinburgh (continued). - Other Eminent Men. - Dugald
Stewart; a Party at his House. - Professor Leslie. - Dr. Thomas
Thomson. -Dr. (now Sir) David Brewster. - Lord Webb Seymour. - Dr. Anderson. - Earl of Buchan. - Lord Rawdon. - Mr.
Liston. - Rev. David Dickson. - Rev. Mr. Black. - The " Edinburgh Review "; Information received from the Publishers. - Sir
John Stirling and Lady; Romantic History of Lady Stirling. -
Social Habits in Edinburgh. - Result of his Residence in Europe:
in Relation to Business; in Relation to Personal Culture and Improaement. - Arrival in New York. - Visits to Oliver Wolcott. -
Arrival in New Haven, and Welcome from President Dwight. -
Correspondence with President Dwight, Professors Day and Kingslev, &c....................................................... 176
CHAPTER IX.
GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY IN YALE COLLEGE: THE WESTON
METEOR.
Visit to his Mother.- Reaction from Excitement and the Benefit of
Occupation. - Lectures to the Class of 1806. - Introduction to the
Cabinet of Col. Gibbs at Newport. - Miss Ruth Gibbs. - The Collection of Minerals in Yale College. - Origin of Geology in Yale




xiv                        CONTENTS.
PAGI
College. - Geological Excursions about New Haven. - Dr. Noah
Webster. - Lectures in 1806-7. - Intercourse with Col. George
Gibbs. - Visit to Boston and Cambridge. - Kindness of the Gibbs
Family. - Purchase of the Perkins Cabinet.- Visit of Gov. Trumbull to the Cabinet. - Republication of Henry's Chemistry. - The
Weston Meteor. - Correspondence............................ 213
CHAPTER X.
HIS MARRIAGE: REMINISCENCES OF GOVERNOR TRUMBULL.
His Marriage.- The First Governor Trumbull.- The Second Governor Trumbull: His Person, Manners, and Character; His House
and Family; His Appearance in Public; Experience of his Personal
Kindness. - First Introduction to Miss Trumbull. - Governor Trumbull's Political Firmness. —Popular Chemical Lectures in New
Haven, and Further Acquaintance with Miss Trumbull. - Visits to
Lebanon. - Death of Governor Trumbull. - His Marriage....... 231
CHAPTER XI.
HIS JOURNAL OF TRAVELS: THE GIBBS CABINET: THE MEDICAL
SCHOOL.
Publication of his Journal of Travels. —Reception of the Work.Letter of Chancellor Kent.-Letter from Mr. Wilberforce.- Accident in the Laboratory. - Transfer of Colonel Gibbs's Cabinet to
New Haven. - Impression made by the new Cabinet. - War with
Great Britain. - The Medical Institution of Yale College: its Origin and Organization. -Provisions for the Defence of New Haven
against the British. - Birth of a Son. - News of the Conclusion of
Peace. - Destructive Gale of 1815. - Death of President Dwight.
- Letters of Judge Desaussure, Professor Cleaveland, and Judge
Daggett. - Letter from Dr. John Murray....................... 248
CHAPTER XII.
THE IC JOURNAL OF SCIENCE "': DOMESTIC EVENTS: THE CABINET
OF MINERALS.
The Establishment of the " Journal of Science." - The Death of his
Mother. - The Death of his Son. - Journey to Canada with Mr.
Wadsworth. - Purchase of the Gibbs Cabinet. - Robert Bakewell
and his Contribution of Minerals. - Alexander Brongniart. - William Maclure and his Services. - Dr. Thomas Cooper: his Character. -Letters from John C. Calhoun, Chancellor Kent, Robert Y.
Hayne, &c........................................ 272




CONTENTS.                           xv
CHAPTER XIII.
HIS PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANTS: HIS LOSS OF HEALTH: HIS
t" ELEMENTS OF CHEMISTRY."
PAGE
Organization for Aid in his Department. - His Assistant, Lyman
Foot: Subsequent History of Dr. Foot. - Prof. D. Olmsted. - Mr.
George T. Bowen: their Subsequent History. — Temporary Assistants. - First Permanent Assistant, Mr. S. J. Andrews. - Domestic
Affliction, and Interruption of his Health. - Journey to West Point.
— Death of Professor A. M. Fisher. - Second Journey with Mr.
Wadsworth. - Mr. Andrews as Amanuensis. - Journey to Ballston
and Saratoga.- Journey to Washington: Dinner with Mr. Calhoun: Interview with President Monroe: Visit to Arlington House:
Notice of Mr. and Mrs. Custis. - Means by which his Health was
Regained. - Advantages of Temperance. -Resignation and Subsequent Career of Mr. Andrews. - Mr. Benjamin D. Silliman, Successor of Mr. Andrews. —Dr. Burr Noyes: Professor Charles U.
Shepard: Professor Oliver P. Hubbard: Professor J. D. Dana:
Professor B. Silliman, Jr., and other Assistants. - His " Elements
of Chemistry." — Correspondence: Letters from Professor A. M.
Fisher, Mrs. Sigourney, D. Wadsworth, J. C. Calhoun, Jared Sparks,
Josiah Quincy, Lafayette, Commodore Hull, H. W. Desaussure, J.
Fenimore Cooper.............................................. 298
PART II.
FROM THE COMMENCEMENT OF HIS CAREER AS A PUBLIC LECTURER
TO THE RESIGNATION OF HIS COLLEGE OFFICE.
1834-1853.
CHAPTER XIV
LECTURES IN HARTFORD; IN LOWELL; IN BOSTON; IN SALEM.
His Lectures outside of College. —Course of Geology in Hartford
(1834).-Lectures in Lowell: Daniel Webster and Jeremiah Smith.
- Course on Geology in Boston (1835). - Hospitable Treatment in
Boston. - Party at Dr. Warren's. - Governor Winthrop. - Party
at Mr. Nathan Appleton's. - Judge Davis. — Dinner at General
William Sullivan's. - Judge Story. - Dr. Gannett. - Interview
with Mr. Abbott Lawrence.- Lectures in Salem: Mr. S. C. Phillips: Dr. Prince: Mr. Silsbee: Judge White..................... 339




xvi                         CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XV.
LECTURES IN NANTUCKET AND BOSTON: INVESTIGATION UPON THE
CULTURE OF SUGAR.
PAGE
Lectures in Nantucket. - Intercourse with John Quincy Adams. -
Arduous Labors. - Chemical Course in Boston (1836). - Dr. Channing. - Miss Martineau. - His Success in Boston. - His Investigation of the Culture and Manufacture of Sugar. - Interviews with
General Jackson and Mr. McLean. - Visit to the Gold Mines of
Virginia. - Slavery........................................... 364
CHAPTER XVI.
FOUR COURSES OF LOWELL LECTURES IN BOSTON.
Double Course of Chemistry in New York (1838). - Accident. - The
Lowell Lectures: Plan of the Several Courses.- First Course
(1840). - His Introduction to the Audience by Mr. Everett. - Popularity of the Lectures. - Dinner at Mr. Tuckerman's. - Mr. John
Lowell. - Mr. Jeremiah Mason. - Courtesies Received. - Second
Course in Boston (1841).- Interest Manifested in the Lectures. -
Presides over the Geological Society in Philadelphia. - Third
Course in Boston (1842). -Dr. Walker's Lecture. -His Opening
Lecture. - Social Civilities. - Fourth Course in Boston (1843). -
His Concluding Reflections.-Correspondence with Professor Kingsley, Chancellor Kent, &c..................................... 380




LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
CHAPTER I.
HIS CHILDHOOD AND EARLY HOME.
His Birth. - Origin of the Family. - His Father. - His Mother. - His
Father's Capture by the British. - An Early Journey to Stonington. -
Anecdote of Dr. Franklin. - Manners and Society in New England. -
Death of his Father. - His Early Religious Training. - The Assembly's
Catechism. - His First School. - Slavery in New England. - His
Preparation for College. - Society in Fairfield: Mr. Eliot; Mr. Burr;
Dr. Dwight; Judge Sturges. - His Love of Natural Scenery.
BENJAMIN SILLIMAN, the most eminent of American teachers of Natural Science, was born in North
Stratford (now Trumbull), Connecticut, on the 8th
of August, 1779. His life opened in the midst of
stirring scenes of the Revolutionary conflict.  The
home of the family, from which his father had lately
been forcibly carried away as a prisoner by a party
of British soldiers, and from which his mother, to
escape the perils of war, was now a voluntary exile,
was situated in the town of Fairfield, at the distance
of a few miles from the place of his birth. To this
home his mother was speedily restored; and here his
childhood was spent, on or near the spot where his
ancestors on the paternal side had lived for several
generations. Daniel Silliman, the first of the name
who settled in Fairfield, was understood in the tradiVOL. I.          1




2          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
tions of the family to have been an emigrant from
Holland. Later discoveries, in which Professor Silliman was much interested, indicate that the family
was of Italian origin. At the epoch of the Reformation, persons bearing the name of Sillimandi, and professing the Reformed faith, removed from Lucca, in
Tuscany, and took refuge in Geneva, then the common resort of persecuted Protestants. Their descendants, who had dropped the terminal syllable di from
the name, are now found established in Switzerland.
They have among them the tradition that a member of their family named Daniel Silliman, who had
held a civil office in Berne, left that city for political
reasons, and went to America about the time of the
Puritan emigration from England. There are strong
reasons for believing that the first Daniel Silliman
of Fairfield was either this emigrant from Berne, or
a near relative. In this case Holland may have been
a place of temporary sojourn, and, at any rate, from
Holland he would naturally embarlC for America,which will perhaps account for the tradition connecting the progenitors of the Fairfield Sillimans with
that country.
The Sillimans of Fairfield were settled from the
beginning upon an eminence about two miles from
the village of that name, and called, in consequence
probably of the reputed origin of Daniel Silliman,
Holland Hill. It is a piece of elevated land stretching for a considerable distance, and rising to a sufficient height to command very fine views of Long
Island Sound, with the adjacent country extending
down to its shores. In full view from the Hill, at
the edge of the water, lie the towns of Fairfield and




HIS CHILDHOOD AND EARLY HOME.       3
Bridgeport, of which the latter, however, at the time
when Professor Silliman was born, was only an insignificant hamlet. Answering in some degree to
the local situation of the family, was the consideration which they appear to have enjoyed in the community in which they resided. In earlier times in
New England the communal feeling was stronger,
the distinction of ranks more marked, and social
affairs more under the guidance of recognized leaders or leading families, than at present. Such appears to have been the rank of the Sillimans of Fairfield in the last century.  Ebenezer Silliman, the
grandfather of the subject of this memoir, was a
graduate of Yale College in the class of 1727; he
pursued the profession of law, became a Judge of
the Superior Court of the Colony, and was a member of the Governor's Council. He was the proprietor of a large landed estate, and an influential man
in public affairs. His son, Gold Selleck Silliman,
the father of Professor Silliman, was likewise graduated at Yale College in 1752. After engaging for a
short time in business, he studied law, and became a
successful practitioner at the bar, as is indicated by
his holding the office of Prosecuting Attorney for the
County.  He had interested himself in military
affairs, and at the outbreak of the Revolutionary
struggle was a colonel of cavalry in the local militia.
But during the most of the war he held the rank of
Brigadier- General, and was charged with superintending the defence of the southwestern frontier of Connecticut, which, on account of the long occupation
of the city of New York, and West Chester County,
as well as Long Island, by the British, was a post




4          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
requiring much vigilance and efficiency. He took
the field at the head of a regiment early in 1776, was
in the battle on Long Island; and both in that retreat and in the retreat of the American forces from
the city of New York, his command was placed as the
rear-guard. He bore a perilous and honorable part
in the battle of White Plains, and on this, as on several other occasions, narrowly escaped the balls of
the enemy. While serving in the camp of Washington, General Silliman enjoyed his confidence.
Disparaging remarks, made by Adjutant-General
Reed with reference to the New-England troops, had
stirred up much ill feeling among them; and Washington chose to evince his disapproval of the Adjutant's conduct by showing marked courtesy to General Silliman and one or two other well-known NewEngland officers.  General Sillinan descried the
British fleet when approaching to land the troops
for the destruction of the military stores at Danbury
in 1777, and rapidly collecting the militia, he, in connection with Generals Arnold and Wooster, interposed a resistance to their progress, sustaining the
attack of superior numbers in the conflict at Ridgefield, and harassing the enemy on their way back to
their vessels. The estimate that was put upon the
value of his services is attested by the enterprise
undertaken by the British in conjunction with the
Tories, which resulted in his being detained in captivity for nearly a year.
On his mother's side, Mr. Silliman was directly
descended from Pilgrims of the ]ayfiower.  His
grandmother, whose maiden name was Rebecca
Peabody, was the daughter of Elizabeth Peabody




HIS CHILDHOOD AND EARLY HOME.       5
who lies buried in Little Compton, Rhode Island;
and her mother was the daughter of John Alden and
Priscilla Mullins, the legend of whose love, which
brought disappointment to the hopes of Captain
Miles Standish, has been commemorated in Mr.
Longfellow's verse. Mr. Silliman well remembered
his grandmother, who died in her eightieth year in
his father's house; and she was fourteen years old
when her grandmother died. On her who caressed
him in his childhood had rested the hands of one
who was nurtured by emigrants in the Mayflower.
The grandfather of Mr. Silliman, in the maternal
line, was Rev. Joseph Fish, a graduate of Harvard
College, and for fifty years the pastor of a church in
North Stonington, Connecticut, whose reputation as
a man of exemplary piety is sustained by his letters,
many of which have been preserved. His ministry
was disturbed by the divisions excited in his parish
by the Separatists, whose subversive movements followed the great religious revival of 1740, and against
whom his principal publication, a collection of Sermons, was directed. His eldest daughter, Mary Fish,
the mother of Mr. Silliman, was first married, in
1758, to the Rev. John Noyes, son of the pastor of
the First Church in New Haven. Mr. Noyes died
in 1767. Her marriage with General Silliman took
place in 1775. He had been previously married, and
a son, William Silliman, the fruit of this earlier marriage, was now a youth. Three of her children also
survived, Joseph, John, and James Noyes, the last
two of whom ultimately became faithful ministers
of the Gospel, and died at an advanced age. In
1804 she was married the third time, to Dr. John




6           LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
Dickinson, of Middletown, who died in 1811.  Her
own death occurred in 1818. She combined in her
nature a woman's tenderness with a remarkable
fund of energy and fortitude. The mild blue eye
that looks down from  her portrait, and the compressed lip, indicate the minglin'g of gentleness and
resolution that marked her character. Her devoted
love to her children was reciprocated by a most warm
and reverential affection on their part, and seldom
has filial love so fine a combination of virtues to
fasten upon.
The story of the capture of his father, and the picture of his early home, which follow, are from Professor Silliman's own pen. The extracts are taken
from the biographical Sketch of his Father, and from
the fragment of an Autobiography, - both written
in the very last years of his life.
IMy father's vigilance made him obnoxious to the Tories,
and he was so much an obstacle in the way of British incursions that it became an important object to make him prisoner, especially as the British in New York were, as it now
appears, about to devastate the coast of New England,
plundering and burning their towns and destroying their
resources; and as Connecticut, on account of its strenuous
opposition to British aggression on the rights of the Colonies, was, in their view, peculiarly worthy of chastisement,
it was determined to make this hated colony the first object
of their resentment. A secret boat expedition was sent by
Sir Henry Clinton from New York — manned chiefly by
Tories: this craft was a whale-boat; the crew were nine
in number, and only two of them were foreigners. They
entered Black Rock Harbor at Fairfield, drew up their boat
into the sedge, and leaving one of their number as a guard,
the remaining eight proceeded across the hills, two miles,




HIS CHILDHOOD AND EARLY HOME.              7
to my father's house, which at the midnight hour was all
quiet and the falllily asleep. On May 1st, 1779, between
twelve and one o'clock A. M., the house was violently assaulted by large heavy stones banging against both doors,
with oaths, imprecations, and threats.  My father, being
awaked from a sound sleep, seized two loaded guns standing at his bedside, rushed to the front windows, and by the
light of the moon seeing armed men in the stoop or portico, he thrust the muzzle of a musket through a pane of
glass and pulled the. trigger, but there was only a flash in
the pan, and the gun did not go off.  Percussion caps
were then unknown, and muskets were fired by flint and
steel. Instantly the windows were dashed in, and the ruffians were upon him. The doors were opened, and he
became their prisoner. William his son, although ill with
ague and fever, was aroused from his bed and became also
their captive. These rude men, bearing guns with fixed
bayonets, followed my father into the bedroom, - a terrific
sight to his wife, she being in bed, with her little son, Gold
Selleck, not yet eighteen months old, lying upon her arm.
The invaders were soothed by my father as if they were
gentlemen soldiers, and were desired to withdraw from the
presence of his wife. They sulkily complied; and my
father, by tossing my mother's dress over a basket containing the sacramental silver of the church * of which he was
deacon, thus concealed from them what would have been a
rich prize. He also secured some valuable papers before
he, with his son, was hurried off to the boat, leaving my
mother disconsolate and almost alone.
The capture of my father took place on the Sabbath
morning of May 1st, 1779, and my birthday was August
8th - three months and eight days after the midnight surprise and assault which made my father a prisoner during
a year with the British at New York and on Long Island.t
* It was sacramental day, and the sacramental vessels would have been
used on that Sabbath.
t The fact of Gen. Silliman's capture is reported to Gen. Washington by




8            LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
The capture of the father was soon followed by
the retreat of his wife to a place of greater safety.
My mother had secured an asylum in the house of Mr.
Eliakim Beach at North Stratford, now Trumbull, and had
made.all necessary arrangements for her own removal and
that of a part of her family. A British fleet and army,
which had paid a hostile visit to New Haven between July
4th and 7th, sailed from New Haven on the evening of
the 7th, and on the morning of the 8th disembarked at
Kinsey's Point on the beach at Fairfield. My mother and
family from the top of our house witnessed the disembarkation of these troops, and that was the signal for their own
retreat to North Stratford, a distance of seven or eight
miles, where, with several members of her family, she was
comfortably established and kindly treated.
In their progress on their pilgrim journey the cannon
began to roar, and the little boy Gold Selleck, amused with
the sound that brought sorrow to many hearts, at every
report cried, bang! bang!!
"To our ears," writes my mother, "these were doleful
sounds;" and she adds: —" Oh, the horrors of that dreadful night! At the distance of seven miles we could see
the light of the devouring flames by which the town was
laid in ashes. It was a sleepless night of doubtful expectation."  " I returned," says my mother, " to visit our house,
and found it full of distressed people whose houses had
been burned, and our friend, Captain Bartram, lay there
a wounded man."
My mother's cheerful courage contributed to sustain her;
and I ought to be (I trust I am) grateful to my noble mother
and to my gracious God, that the midnight surprise, the
horror of ruffians armed for aggression, and the loss of her
husband, as perhaps she might fear, by the hands of assasGen. Putnam, in a letter dated May 7, 1779. (Sparks' Correspondence of
the American Revolution, II. 294. F.)




HIS CHILDHOOD AND EARLY HOME.           9
sins, had not prevented my life, or entailed upon it physical,
mental, or moral infirmities. Hope and comfort returned
to my mother with the assurance of my father's safety, and
with the restoration of correspondence, although restricted
to open letters and to the surveillance and jealousy of
war.
At the expiration of a year, General Silliman was
restored to his home.
The family were all presented in the porch or portico
before he crossed the threshold. My brother, then two and
a half years old, was brought to his paternal arms, and
to this day remembers his first sight of the unknown gentleman in his military garb; while the little Benjamin -
nearly nine months old - was retained in the house until
the first interviews were over; and until William, the only
son of a departed mother, and the three Noyes, sons of a
departed father, had paid their devoirs; when the little
stranger was brought in the arms of his cousin, Amelia
Burr, who said, "Here, uncle, is your little boy."  That
" little boy," now the veteran of more than fourscore, can
only thank God for the signal mercies of which he was
then unconscious.
While looking through my mother's letters, and those of
my father at this crisis and in other years, I made some
brief memoranda - outline sketches - which may interest
my children. Some of them I will annex, just as they were
jotted down upon a loose sheet.
1779; May 11th. To her Son, Jose.ph Noyes, at Stonington. - " As we have strong fears on account of the Tories,
we have every night a guard of armed men - as we believe,
faithful and true; and as it would be a very desirable thing
to the enemy - our foes - to recapture my husband, he
does not always lodge at home. I fear very much, if you
were here, the enemy would be for carrying you off too."




10           LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
Of the Little Boys, to their Father on Long Island. Dec. 4,
1779. -" I never enjoyed a better state of health. I never
made so good a nurse to any of my children as I do to the
dear babe now in my lap. He is a fine little fat fellow,
as good as possible at night, and so in the daytime too,
if properly attended to. His little brother is very fond of
him; they both sleep with me, and both awake before sunrise, when I get up and leave them to play together, - a
sweet sight to a fond parent. Selleck and Bennie are my
only constant companions; and sweet little sociable beings
they are. I long that you should see them." A year later,
my mother remarks in a letter:- "Little Selleck, three
years and three months old, is a little chatter-box, and Bennie, sixteen months old, begins to use his tongue."
My father's manners were those of a dignified gentleman
of the old school, softened by a benignant amenity and
affability which made his society attractive in an uncommon
degree; and being a man of great intelligence and large
intercourse with his fellow-men, he was an object of great
respect and confidence. He had high conversational powers, enjoyed society exceedingly, took great satisfaction in
female society, and held woman in high regard. He taught
us, his sons, to be very attentive and respectful to ladies,
and always to give them the preference. I have, at the
distance of seventy-two years, the most distinct recollection
of his person and manners.
He was a decidedly religious man, but had no austerity
or bigotry. The family prayers were punctually attended,
as far as practicable, by all the circle, - negro domestics
as well as hired white people. He was not willing that any
member of the family should miss the opportunity for
religious influence, or that any of his household should be
absent from public worship on the Sabbath, although in a
large family it was not easy to send all to church, especially
as there were little negro children to be taken care of, and
we lived two miles from the town. As, however, we had




HIS CHILDHOOD AND EARLY HOME.           11
usually half a dozen horses and two chaises, we were tolerably provided for; and the horses under the saddle sometimes carried two,-a female riding on a pillion or a blanket,
behind a mllan or a lad. My brother and I were sometimes
instructed to take each of us one of the daughters of our
clergyman, - the Rev. Mr. Eliot, - who had more girls
than horses; and we were at an age when the jeers of our
school-fellows made this a rather embarrassing duty. At
our Sabbath evening prayers there was always a hymn
sung, and as the members of the family were most of them
good singers, this addition to the usual service was very
interesting.....
The Sabbath was considered as beginning on Saturday
evening at sunset, and.ending on the next evening at the
same hour. All farm-work and other labors, as far as possible, were adapted accordingly. Family visits and calls of
particular friends were, however, interchanged on Sabbath
evening, and the children were indulged in moderate play
with the setting sun and the appearance of the first stars.
My Macternal Grandmother, Rebecca Fish. - This venerable lady, after her husband's death, in May, 1781, removed
to Fairfield and became a member of the family of my
father and nlother; and although she died when I was only
between three and four years old, I retain a distinct recollection of her person and manners. She took the charge
of dressing and undressing us; she knit our warm stockings for winter; and I have no doubt taught us our early
prayers and hymns, although this latter fact I do not
remember. We were always accustomed to kiss grandma
for good-night, when we were about retiring to bed; and
on one occasion we were told that grandma was sick; and
I well remember her appearance as she lay in the bed, the
last night that we saw her alive and received her last kiss.
The next day, when we came to bid grandma good-morning, she did not speak to us as usual, and they told me that




12          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
she was dead. I inquired what that meant, (for I believe I
had then no distinct idea of death.) They replied that an
angel had come in the night and taken grandma's soul up
to heaven through the window.  This was my earliest
impression of death, and I believe it has not been without
an influence upon my feelings in subsequent years in relation to that solemn event, diminishing its terrors by the
association with an angel visit.
In connection with the memory of my maternal grandparents, I will mention my visit to Stonington in 1792.
My mother, then fifty-six years of age, my half-brother,
Rev. John Noyes, then thirty, and myself, thirteen years
old, formed the little party. We had a chaise, and a saddlehorse on which I rode, mother and brother being in the
chaise.  At Norwich we lodged in the hospitable house
of my mother's affectionate friend, Dr. Joshua Lathrop,
whose lady was daughter of the Rev. Mr. Eells, my grandfather Fish's particular friend and neighbor, as well as ministerial coadjutor, as he was settled over another parish in
Stonington. These families visited each other often. The
house of Mr. Eells was situated up a narrow lane some
distance from the road. My grandfather had sold a swift
Narragansett black mare, which he and the family had
often rode to the house of his friend; and this horse came
into the possession of Dr. Franklin, who, in one of his
journeys to Boston, came unconsciously opposite to the
lane leading to the house of Mr. Eells; (for gentlemen in
that day travelled chiefly on horseback.) The horse instantly wheeled towards the house, and the rider applied
whip and spur and voice in vain to force the animal along
the public road. At length he gave her the rein, and away
she flew for the house, and was soon at the door. The
family, seeing a strange gentleman ride up, soon lined the
windows; and the reverend gentleman coming out made a
courteous bow to the traveller, as if to bid him welcome.
He raised his hat in turn, and added, " Sir, my name is




HIS CHILDHOOD AND EARLY HOME.           13
Benjamin Franklin, of Philadelphia. I am travelling to
Boston, and my horse appears to have some business with
you, as he has insisted upon coming to your house." "' Oh,
sir," replied Mr. Eells, "that horse has often been here
before. Pray alight and come in and lodge with us tonight." The invitation so cordially given was as frankly
accepted, and it resulted in a permanent friendship; and
Dr. Franklin, whenever he travelled that road, found here
a welcome and a happy home. He used to remark that he
believed he was the only man who was ever introduced by
his horse. This anecdote I had from my mother. The
two ministers were six miles apart.
In our progress through Stonington we were everywhere
greeted warmly by the people, who were rejoiced to see the
only surviving child of their revered and beloved minister,
with two of her sons. The population were principally
substantial farmers..... There were few public roads,
but many private avenues to the farm-houses. Often I dismounted to let down the bars, or to open the great gate;
and sometimes the final access to the house was over a
stile....
People in those days were not so much hurried as now;
there was more leisure in the family, and personal friendship was cherished often through long lives. Thus my
mother through life cultivated the kind regard of some persons belonging to her father's pastoral charge. I remember her correspondence with AIiss Hannah Fellows, of
Stonington,- a single lady, whose friendship she highly valued and retained through life. Those who were born and
educated under the primitive influence of New-England
sentiments and manners, when population was yet sparse
and personal friendships still partook of the simplicity and
sincerity of colonial manners,- the good people of that
early era, - appear to have felt and cherished the social
sentiments as a part of their nature, and the hospitality
which characterized that state of society offered a welcome




14          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
asylum to the travelling friend. My mother was born and
educated under such influences, and a refined standard
of deportment in the parental home added graceful attractions to her manners.,Among the first people in New England there was a
graceful dignity blended with winning kindness, - and, in
the case of acknowledged friends, crowned by a cheerfill greeting when they met, which produced reciprocal
feelings and a cordial response.  These traits were conspicuous not only among persons in elevated position, but
in a good degree also in those gradations in society in
which refinement was not dependent on wealth, and limited
resources demanded even a frugal hospitality. Sulch was
the case with the clergymen, who, being usually men of
education, and often -as well as their families - possessing very interesting manners, caused their homles, with the
aid of manly sons and lovely daughters, to present delightful family circles. My mother was very attentive to our
manners. We were taught to be very respectful, especially
to older persons and to ladies. If we received a book or
anything else from her hand, a look of acknowledgment
was expected, with a slight inclination of the head, which
she returned. In a word, she wished to form our manners
to a standard at once respectful and polite. We must not
interrupt any one who was speaking, and never speak in a
rude, unmannerly way. We were taught always to give place
at a door or gate to another person, especially if older. Of
course all profaneness and levity on religious subjects, and
all coarse and indelicate language, were prohibited. The
family manners in those early times were superior in some
respects to those which are often observed at the present
day. The blunt reply to a parent, without the addition of
sir or ma'am to yes and no, was then unknown, except
among rude and unpolished people.* The change is not
an improvement. The omission of terms of reverence and
* Of course I do not refer to the Quakers or Friends, with whom plainness of speech is a religious habit.




HIS CHILDHOOD AND EARLY HOME.            15
respect tends toward the loss, or at least the weakness of
the sentiment itself. Reverence towards parents and others superior in age, position, or character, enables us the
more readily to manifest and feel reverence for our Creator
and Redeemer. As to my mother, in the course of long experience I do not remember to have seen a finer example
of dignity and self-respect, combining a kind and winning
manner and a graceful courtesy with the charms of a cheerful temper and a cultivated mind, which made her society
acceptable in the most refined and polished circles. Her
delightful piety, adding the charm of sincerity and benevolence both to her action and conversation, attracted the wise
and the good, and won the thoughtless to consideration. It
is a great blessing to have had such a mother. I loved
and honored her in life, and her memory is precious.
Of the circumstances connected with the death
of his father he retained a full recollection.
About sunsetting, at the close of a bright and beautiful
summer's day, when all was brilliant without, our father,
sitting by the side of the bed in the old arm-chair, experienced a strong rally of mind, a last effort, such as often
precedes death; when, being close to the northern window,
he cast his eyes abroad upon the face of nature, as if to
bid the world farewell, and then, in a clear and distinct
voice, calling us around him, said to our mother, "My
dear, I am going the way of all the earth; take good care
of our dear children."  He repeated the hymn -
"Show pity, Lord, 0 Lord, forgive,
Let a repenting rebel live:
Are not thy mercies large and free;
May not a sinner trust in Thee? "
I know not how many verses he repeated, but enough to
show the state of his mind. He also added, "I have that
peace of mind the world can neither give nor take away."
He repeated also several times, " The morning of the resur



16          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
rection "  These effusions of the dying Christian were followed, or perhaps preceded, by a fervent prayer for himself, for us his children, and for our dear mother. He
prayed for forgiveness of his own unworthiness.  How
beautiful, how consoling was this closing scene! His sun
broke out from the clouds, and shone with cheering splendor, and then the night of death closed in..
The morning after his death, our heavenly - minded
mother sat down in the room where our father lay a
corpse, and taking her two young sons, one on either hand,
read to us passages of Scripture containing God's promises
to the widow and fatherless. During her widowhood, in
the absence of male friends of proper age and feelings, she
prayed aloud with us and in the family, using her own
language...... The earnest injunction of our dying
father was most faithfully fulfilled by the best of mothers.
During the twenty-eight years that she survived my father,
she was at liberty during twenty-one of those years to live
most of the time with her children in their families, and
she was ever received as an angel of love. She was indeed
the best of mothers; and she, chiefly from our limited paternal inheritance, courageously gave us brothers a public
education, while the solvency of our father's estate was still
hanging in doubt, although it proved in the end solvent,
and but for the Revolution would have been ample. Her
beautiful, benignant portrait continues to smile upon us
from the wall of the drawing-room of our house; and had I
a Cowper's poetical talent, as I have his filial love, I too
would dedicate " a poem to my mother's picture."
My recollections of my childhood and early youth will
be perhaps unmethodical, and will often present my only
brother of the whole blood, as we were almost constant
companions from our infancy until we had finished our
college education, when I was nearly seventeen, and he
almost nineteen years old.




HIS CHILDHOOD AND EARLY HOME.             17
For our early religious training we were indebted chiefly
to our mother. She taught us prayers and hymns, and
every morning heard us read in the Bible and other religious books adapted to our age. In mild weather we usually
resorted to the parlor-chamber, the best chamber in the
house, which was also reserved for our guests. Here, while
our mother combed the hair and adjusted the dress of one,
the other read or recited passages of Scripture or hymns
and sacred poetry. Our mother also gave us the best advice and instructions from her own lips. These opportunities were precious, and were repeated in other places of
retirement, as was convenient. I still possess the large folio
Bible which was my father's, - London edition of 1759, -
one hundred and three years old. It was printed on beautifill paper, with a clear good type, and was filly illustrated
by engravings of Bible scenes, and by maps and plans. In
the settlement of my father's estate, this Bible went out of
the family and was carelessly used. A few years ago I
bought it back and had it put in order: the text is all perfect; the prints and maps are all preserved; and those
works of art which were the admiration of us children,
now in my old age bring back very interesting reminiscences, and always of our blessed mother.  Our father, as I
have said, was a decidedly religious man, without austerity,
and was a strict observer of the Sabbath, and of all the laws
of morals and religion. Although he was much engrossed
by public and private duties, and therefore left our religious
training chiefly to our mother, his daily life shed a holy
influence over the family. Thus we breathed in a religious
atmosphere, and our sentiments and manners were influenced and formed by a Christian standard of thought and
action.
The Assembly's Catechism was in those days taught, not
only in the schools, but was recited by question and answer
in the families of religious people, especially of the Congregational and Presbyterian denominations. It is indeed
VOL. r.      2




18           LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
a very able summary, and may be read with advantage by
mature minds; but it is not easy for children to comprehend the doctrines or to master the language. Still it
should not be discarded; it has been an important educator, although all its views are not adopted in this age. It
is also an interesting historical document, illustrating the
religious character of the century that succeeded next after
that of the Reformation. On Sabbath afternoon, the public service being concluded, we, my brother and myself,
with the younger servants who were negroes, -the children of the older servants, - stood up in a line, and recited
as much as we could of the catechism; (the Assembly's was
the one that we generally rehearsed.) With the plainer
parts we did tolerably well, and could repeat the commandments; but we found it difficult to remember, and
perhaps still more difficult to understand, the complex illustrations of the commandments. I well recollect the restlessness of the colored children, and all were glad when
this exercise was finished. Still, an impression of solemnity
was left on the mind, and I find that catechism still deeply
lodged in my memory and engraven in my religious temperament.
The writings of that excellent Christian instructor and
charming poet, Dr. Watts, were ever delightful to my
brother and myself. His catechism, both the longer and the
shorter, were quite intelligible to our young minds, and to
recite them was a pleasant employment. There was also
in them a kindness and gentleness that attracted us; they
seemed like the voice of an affectionate Christian parent,
or of the Saviour himself. The hymns for children were
lovely; some of them remain among the permanent stores
of my memory, and ever bring up to my mind refreshing
visions of the days of childhood.
"How doth the little busy bee
Improve each shining hour,
And gather honey all the day
From every opening flower.




HIS CHILDHOOD AND EARLY HOME.            19
How skilfully she builds her cell;
Htow neat she spreads her wax;
And labors hard to store it well
With the rich food she makes."
These verses, written from recollection, are among the
charming reminiscences that flit through my memory like
angel visits in a dream, and like other dreams they vanish
on waking to the realities of life...... The anxious and
wise care of our excellent mother extended to the period
when we arrived at full manhood, and her life was continued, as an inappreciable blessing, until we had almost
reached our meridian.  I was almost forty, my brother
almost forty-two, when our mother died, July 2, 1818.
It is my recollection that the elements of English reading were taught us by our mother at home along with our
religious instruction.
I am not quite certain as to priority of time, but it is my
impression that our first school for reading and spelling
was in a small schoolhouse on the hill in the road to Fairfield town. It was not over a quarter of a mile from our
house, and was situated upon a basis of granite rock, with
loose masses and cliffs of the same rock on the descending hill; and upon and around these masses we children
played in the recess from school, unconscious that these
locse rocks, as well as the firm ledges of granite (a name
then unknown to me), were historical records'of the
planet.
The discipline of our almost infant school was parental
and not severe discipline. The rod was rarely or never
used; but milder methods were employed. On one occasion our ma'am- for that was her familiar title- detected
a little girl and a little boy in whispering and playing. The
punishment was, that a double yoke of limber branches of
willow was adjusted to the necks of the offenders, and they
were required to walk home as yoke-fellows. The little girl,
not at all abashed, addressed her shrinking companion by
epithets of endearment: he was compelled to bear the sly




20           LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
titter of his school-fellows, -a punishment not soon forgotten.
There was a fine fishing-ground at some distance from
the shore, and the long clams standing erect in the sand
afforded the requisite bait. Fishes also for the seine flowed
with the refluent waves into the narrow inlets in great numnbers, especially at the head of Black Rock Harbor, among
which the striped bass were the most esteemed; and seafowl flitted across the spit or bar which ran out almost
a mile from Fairfield Beach, and at low water appeared
a naked rocky reef, resembling an artificial breakwater.
We boys loved to wander, when the tide was out, on the
hard flats, which were so firm that the human foot made
hardly any impression, and they were hardly marked by
the iron shoes of a horse, resounding to his tread.
One afternoon, as Mr. Fowler -who was our first male
teacher - did not arrive with his usual punctuality, a rumor
was circulated among us that he was not coming, and that
we were then to have a holiday. " Quod volumus facile
credimus," and away we went under the leadership of some
master-spirit down the narrow lane * to Fairfield Beach.
Smooth shells and polished pebbles decorated the beach,
and there were numerous islets of hard sand peering above
the waves, but soon to be submerged again with the returning tide. To one and another of these islets we wandered,
wading through the shallow channels by which they were
surrounded. Like thoughtless children, as we were, we did
not heed the rising tide until the channel became filled and
the water too deep for most of us to pass with safety; and
few of us could swim.  By the exertions of the taller
and stronger boys, however, the shorter and feebler were
helped over the strait, and glad were we to be once more
on terra firma. It was a moment of danger.  The claim
* By this lane the British army marched from their ships when they
burned Fairfield.




HIS CHILDHOOD AND EARLY HOME.           21
Gil a holiday proved to be a blunder, or a story fabricated
for the occasion; and the next day the matter was inquired
into, and some punishments were inflicted; but I believe
the boys of Holland Hill escaped what we all deserved.
Indeed, I do not remember that the ferule was ever applied to my hand, or the rod to my back.
Of the situation of his mother after his father's
death, he speaks as follows: 
That bereavement brought upon our mother a world of
trouble; and it was in that crisis that she was obliged to
decide the question whether my brother and myself should
receive a public education, - ny age being eleven years
wanting eighteen days, and my brother's thirteen years
wanting three months and five days.
There was a very considerable property in land, with
farming implements, carts, carriages, horses and cattle,
including cows, oxen, sheep, and swine; but the establishment was unproductive without labor. I regret to record
that there were slaves, - some slaves by purchase, others
by descent, or slaves born under our roof.  Our northern
country was not then as fully enlightened as now regarding
human freedom; there were l, ouse-slaves in the most
respectable families, even in those of clergymen in the now
free States; and those who fo:lght for their country, of
whom our father was one, did not appear to have felt their
own inconsistency. Under our roof, or roofs, (for there was
a distinct building for the black servants,) there were, at
the time of my father's death, about a dozen negroes, young
and old, including those who were occasionally there from
their connection with ours. Among them were two married pairs, and their children swelled the list of colsumers,
but not of producers. The mothers served in the kitchen
and the laundry, and the older girls and boys were waiters.
Some of the older boys worked on the land. The principal man, Tego, (a corruption from Antigua, from which




22          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
island he came,) was an able man, but now having no master, he was bold and sometimes impudent to my mother.
His wife, Sue, was kind and faithful.
A sense of integrity alone induces me to record these
painful facts regarding the participation of our family
in the sin and shame of slavery. I trust that we have
been for many years cleared of these injuries to our fellow-men, and our nation is now settling an awful account
with heaven for the accumulated guilt of more than two
centuries, for which we are paying the heavy penalty of our
blood.
Domestic slavery was extensively diffused through these
colonies, in a mild form indeed, - the men working on the
farms, and the women generally in the house, more rarely
on the land, especially during harvest-time and haying.
The dairy was managed chiefly by the women, with occasional help from the men in milking. In general, the
treatment was not severe; the lash was rarely used on
human beings, and never on women. In general, the
slaves, especially on the farms, fared as to food as their
masters did. The in-door servants were often favorites
with the family, and especially with the children. In the
North, slaves rarely became filgitives, and were never
hunted by the gun and the blood-hound, and were never
loaded with the ball and chain, or with the iron collar;
nor, in general, were they overtasked with labor. England, from the planting of Virginia, forced slavery and the
slave-trade upon the colonies. On this subject, even the
Puritans, to a certain extent, followed the bad example
of the cavaliers of the South.  The Quakers, however,
stood out as a noble exception, and are in general consistent opposers of slavery to this day. As regards my
paternal family, I am sure it was a wasteful institution, not
to mention its injustice.  MIy father would have been
much better off with his legal business alone, than with
the horde of negro servants who consumed the products




HIS CHILDHOOD AND EARLY HOME.          23
of the farms, and were in general triflers, and some of them
dishonest.
Mr. Silliman prepared for college under the tuition
of his pastor, Rev. Andrew Eliot. During the occupation of Boston by the British, a number of famnilies had left that place and taken refuge in Fairfield.
Among them was the family of Rev. Andrew Eliot
(Sen.), D. D., a patriotic and faithful minister, who
himself remained in Boston in the discharge of his
appropriate duties. Some of the persons who thus
resorted to Fairfield found a permanent home there;
and among them the younger Mr. Eliot, who became
pastor of the church.
MIr. Eliot was a thorough scholar, and was so fully imbued
with classical zeal that he was not always patient of our slow
progress. He, however, devoted himself with great zeal
and fidelity to our instruction in all good learning that was
adapted to our age and destination, and carried us safely
through. He was most faithful during the more than two
years that we were his private pupils, - and his only pupils,
except his own children...... Mr. Eliot took great
delight in reading aloud to us from the iEneid. Being
excited and animated both by the poetry and the story, he
evidently enjoyed the subject, and would fain have imparted
to us a portion of his own enthusiasm. Virgil's works were
pleasant to me, even from this early period; and after I
became sufficiently familiar with the language and the
structure both of the grammar and the verse, they were to
me an agreeable study.
We did not find the Orations of Cicero equally captivating as the epic verse of Virgil. Those beautiful allusions
to natural scenery and physical facts and events, which
abound in the writings of Virgil, had little place in forensic
pleadings and popular appeals. It was also more difficult




24          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
for boys at our age to resolve at a glance the sometimes
long and elaborate and involved sentences and sections of
the Orations of Cicero. Still, we diligently worked our
way through them.'From a more extended sketch of society in Fairfield a few extracts follow.
There was also in Fairfield pleasant society. Thaddeus
Burr, Esq., was a principal inhabitant, and a man of wealth,
especially before his large mansion was burned and his
property devastated by the British, in July, 1779. He then
converted a store or warehouse into a dwelling, and it was
a neat and commodious mansion. MIr. Burr was hospitable, and his wife was an accomplished lady. The place is
memorable, having been a favorite resort of Dr. Dwight,
afterward President of Yale College. He was then minister of Greenfield, and gave celebrity to that hill, both by
the splendor of his talents and pulpit eloquence, and by
the Academy for the instruction of the youth of both
sexes, which he established and conducted for a series of
years with great success. Dr. Dwight generally rode down
two or three miles on horseback on Saturday afternoon, to
pass those hours of relaxation, and take tea with his fiiends,
Mr. and Mrs. Burr. He possessed rare colloquial talents.
His mind was rich in intellectual stores, which he freely
imparted in conversation, with a genial warmth of social
feeling, and with the advantage of a noble person, a fine
and powerful voice, and impressive features. His conversation was equally entertaining and instructive, a feast for
both mind and heart.
Judge Jonathan Sturges, a noble gentleman, was an ornament to the town. He was a graduate of Yale, (in the
class of 1759,) and although seven years later than my
father's class of 1752, they were friends and contemporaries
at the bar, at which both were eminent practitioners. Mr.
Sturges was a member of the House of Representatives of




HIS CHILDHOOD AND EARLY HOME.            25
the United States when convened in New York, in 1789,
in the first year of the Presidency of General Washington,
and the evening years of his life were devoted to the bench
of the Superior Court of Connecticut.
With a fine person, he had the superior manners of that
day, - dignity softened by a kind and winning courtesy,
with the stamp of benevolence.  He is pictured on my
memory, and the reminiscence is very agreeable, -a recollection of my early youth. Judge Sturges had a large family, sons and daughters; the sons were gentlemen in sentiments and rnanners, and the daughters refined ladies,
partaking of the blended traits of both parents.  They
were all amiable and intelligent and pleasant; some of
them were beautiful. It was a delightful female circle...
In my early days, much company resorted to Holland
Hill,- not a few lodging guests; and it was a favorite excursion fiom Fairfield, especially with young people of both
sexes, - and in Mr. Eliot's family there were sensible and
agreeable daughters. The reverend gentleman was not forgotten by his Boston friends, even by the great. I remlember that on one occasion the celebrated Gov. Hancock, President of Congress, drove up to Mr. Eliot's in his coach and
four horses, and while he made his call, the coachman
drove farther up the road to find a place wide enough to
turn the horses and carriage.
Living in a situation perfectly rural, on elevated ground
overlooking the country for many leagues; having before us
Long Island Sound, a beautiful strait perhaps twenty miles
in average breadth, - a strait often adorned by the white
canvas of sailing vessels, occasionally fretted by winds and
storms into waves which adorned the blue bosom of the
deep with snowy crests and ridges, — in such a situation,
we had only to open our eyes in a clear atmosphere to be
charmed with the scenery of this beautiful world, as here
presented to our view. A love of natural scenery thus




26          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
took early possession of our young minds, and with it were
associated all the attractions of the farm, of the forest, and
the waters, - the beauty and melody of birds, and the activity and instinct of animals. In a word, we were by birth,
by education, and choice, country boys; and we honored
our rural origin by adopting the amusements and varieties
of exercise which belong peculiarly to the country.




CHAPTER II.
A STUDENT IN YALE COLLEGE.
His Admission to College. - President Stiles. - President Dwight. -His
Studies.- College Diary: His Anxiety to be cured of Faults; Inauguration of Dr. Dwight; Recitations under Dr. Dwight; Situation of
College under the New President; His Reading; Dinner at Dr. Dana's;
His Desire of Knowledge; Thoughts about a Profession.
MR. SILLIMAN entered Yale College in 1792, the
youngest of his class save one.  During the first
three years of his college life the institution was under the presidency of Dr. Ezra Stiles. He was probably the most learned man of his time in America.
In theology he was a diligent student of the Fathers
and the Rabbies in the original tongues; but such
was his avidity for all sorts of knowledge, that he
made himself equally conversant with history, rmathematics, and the physical sciences. Dr. Stiles was
a liberal-minded  man, was possessed of superior
natural powers, and formed his opinions with independence.  Yet his other qualities were in part hidden under the copious stream of erudition which
seemed to pour out spontaneously whenever he
opened his lips in public.  Mr. Silliman being of the
younger classes, seldom came into near contact with
the President, and the chief impression which Dr.
Stiles produced on him was that of awe for his
station and for his uncommon acquirements. He




28         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
retained a vivid recollection of occasionally walking
through the long yard that fronted the President's
house,* hat in hand, according to the old etiquette,
(which Dr. Stiles strictly enforced,) to present an excuse, or obtain leave to be temporarily absent. Once,
in his Freshman year, oblivious of the rule, he gave a,
kick to a stray football in the college yard, for which
misdemeanor he was instantly fined a sixpence by
the President, who happened to be an eye-witness,a circumstance that drew upon him some banter
from AMr. Eliot and his friends at home, who were
much amused that" Sober Ben," as they were wont
to style him, should be so unlucky as to fall into the
hands of the law. This, it is believed, was the only
instance in which >e exposed himself to penalty or
censure during his college course. Though only thirteen years old when he camne to college, he was
somewhat grave for his years, and his thoughtful
temper disinclined him to coarse or mischievous
sports. The purity of his character was sullied by
no gross or unworthy act. The accession of Dr.
Dwight to the presidency at the beginning of his
Senior year made an epoch in Mr. Silliman's college career. This eminent man seems to have cast
a spell over him from the first. The vigorous and
animated discussions of Dr. Dwight, in the lectareroom and the pulpit, opened to his admiring pupil a
new world of thought. Although Mr. Silliman, on
account of a severe wound in the foot from an axe,
which was unskilfully treated, was obliged to be
absent during portions of his last year, he yet received
a deep and lasting influence from the inspiring les* Which was on the lot where the College-Street Church now stands. -F.




A STUDENT IN YALE COLLEGE.          29
sons of his preceptor. Through life, Dr. Dwight
stood before his mind as a model of human greatness. Mr. Silliman exhibited in his college essays
and debates, as well as in the letters written by him
in that period, both a maturity of thought and a correctness of style hardly to be expected in one so
young. He was fond of writing verses, and acquired
no mean facility in versification. His closing piece
at graduation was a poem, as was also the piece
which he delivered afterwards on taking the master's
degree. He does not appear to have shown an exclusive predilection for any one department of knowledge, but attained to a highly respectable proficiency
in all. He speaks of himself as having been unusually
fond of rhetorical and poetical studies, but as also
taking delight in geometry, and being strongly interested in natural phenomena. His reading, as far
as it went beyond the requirements of the curriculum,
was chiefly in history and English literature, -especially in history.
Some extracts from a private journal, which he
kept in the latter part of his college course, will show
the tenor of his daily thoughts and occupations, at
the same time that it affords glimpses of student life
in Yale seventy years ago.  These should be read
with the recollection that they emanate from a youth
of sixteen, on whom, as will be seen, they reflect no
discredit.  This diary shows that students then bore
a close resemblance to students now.
1795; Aug. 13.-Rain in the forenoon, partly clear in the
afternoon; but it is still cloudy, and the weather appears to
be unsettled. Studied in the forenoon, and wrote all the
afternoon; in the evening went to Brothers in Unity So



30          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
ciety; returned to my room with Bishop, Robbins, and
Tucker. We dressed Robbins in the beau mode, but making a little too much noise, Mr. Linsly came up to still
us. Nevertheless, we finished the transformation of Robbins, and he strutted around college with considerable dignity. We raised the electrical kite this day, but the air
was too near an equilibrium to afford any of the fluid. Mr.
Day* called upon us in the forenoon on his return from
Greenfield, and informed us that Dr. Dwight was dismissed,
and that he (Mr. Day) was to take his school.
Aug. 15. — Fine, clear, wholesome air,- very cool. I
studied in the forenoon, and came home in the afternoon
determined to write, but as I felt in a poor mood for study,
I went and danced in the hall; however, I might as well
have kept to my books. I have been this evening at Bishop's room, when the conversation turned upon swearing,
and a profane person who was present said that he was
determined to break himself of swearing; but I fear that
his promises are more easily made than kept. I have just
now come to a resolution to write down every material
error of my life in this journal, that by a retrospective
view I may keep myself free from error. I hope I shall
be enabled to do myself justice and not to be partial; but
perhaps I shall sometimes express myself in ambiguous
terms known only to myself, and I shall likewise write
proper names, which I do not wish to have known, in a particular manner. I think of no material error of which I
have this day b6en guilty, but in general I would observe
that I am in some degree addicted to detraction, but I
hope I shall be able to cure myself.
Aug. 17. —I have been this evening to the DBK. Selleck has been out in town and is not yet returned. I do
not recollect that I have this day been guilty of any material error. I wish, however, to gain the ascendency over
my irascibility, and to cultivate the heavenly virtue of affa* Afterwards President Day. - F.




A STUDENT IN YALE COLLEGE.           31
bility and complacency to all, that so my life, whether short
or long, may be both more agreeable to myself and to
others.....
Aug. 22. - Somewhat cloudy, and very cool for the season of the year, but very good weather for study. I copied
compositions all the forenoon, and went to recitation at
eleven. The class recited about half round, and because
two of themn missed and had not studied their recitations,
Mr. S     jumped up in a pet and told the class to get
their recitations better, and to come prepared to recite the
same recitation on Monday, and went out of the chapel
with amazing velocity. In consequence of his intemperate
conduct, the class were very much offended, and declared
that they would not give him a present. I think that he
ought to have commanded his temper, although it must be
acknowledged that a man ought to have the patience of
Job to officiate as a tutor in the college.....
Sept. 8.- I stayed at Mrs. Iill's all the forenoon, copied
tunes, fluted, &c. Dr. Dwight was to have been inducted
into the office of President at ten A. M., but through some
misfortune was not, and it was postponed until six P. r.,
when I attended in the chapel, which was filled with clergymen, students, &c. The ceremony was begun by an anthem;
then a Latin oration and address to the President elect,
by Mr. Williams. The President then made a Latin oration and addresses to the corporation, and the whole was
concluded by an anthem called " The Heavenly Vision."
The first act of power exercised by the new President was -
" cantatur anthema."  I then went to supper and then to
college, to see the illumination and fireworks: the illumination was partial, as well as the fireworks, but the music
was very good. I walked the yard with Page, and feel
considerably fatigued, but hope to receive no material injury from my extraordinary exercise. There were very few
people in the yard, compared with some Commencements,




32          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
(I suppose) on account of the sickness and the rains which
have hindered them from coming into town.....
Oct. 29. - Thus after a long intermission of about seven
weeks, I again begin to note down the occurrences of my
life. I think that upon the whole I have never spent a
vacation more agreeably than the last. I have been blessed
with good health and good spirits, and no inconsiderable
portion of my time was spent in the company of the ladies,
which I think not all unprofitable employment, - which is a
very happy circumstance, seeing it is so agreeable. I have
attended four balls, or, more properly, one ball and three
dances. I stayed for more than two weeks at Mr. Eliot's,
while my mother was gone on a journey with my brother Selleck, and this I reckon among the most pleasant part of the
vacation, as he has two very sprightly agreeable daughters.
I have done nothing of any consequence this day, as I have
been in town only two days, and am hardly settled in my
studies. I board at present at Mirs. Hill's, but expect soon
to live in commons. I have been this evening to the meeting of the Brother's Society, where I read a composition
and returned, and am now sitting in my great chair, but
hope soon to be in bed, -so good-night to you all.......
Oct. 31. — I studied as usual, and attended recitation.
Our recitations are now becoming very interesting by the
useful and entertaining instruction which is communicated
in them by the President. He is truly a great man, and it
is very rare that so many excellent natural and acquired
endowments are to be found in one person. When I hear
him speak, it makes lme feel like a very insignificant being,
and almost prompts me to despair; but I am reencouraged
when I reflect that he was once as ignorant as myself, and
that learning is only to be acquired by long and assiduous
application.
Nov. 1. — Clear and cold, but a very healthy air. I
attended meeting all day in the chapel, and was well entertained with two excellent sermons from the President. One




A STUDENT IN YALE COLLEGE.            33
of them (the first) was upon the subject of indifference in
the affairs of religion, which he thought to be a greater
crime than direct opposition. The other was upon the
authenticity of the account which the Evangelists have
given of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and
the impossibility of the apostles being either deceived or
deceivers. I remember to have heard the same sermon at
Fairfield last summer, when I was at home. At a meetingin the afternoon I was attacked with a dizziness in my head,
which rose to such a height that I was hardly able to sit
erect, but it soon subsided to a degree, although it came on
again in the evening, but was not so bad. In the evening
Selleck went with Charles Denison to Dr. Gould's, and I
spent a part of it at Prince's room, as I did not wish to be
alone when I had that disagreeable feeling in my head. I
returned and went to bed at a little past eight......
Nov. 3. - My collegiate life now begins to draw toward
a close, and I am perplexed to know in what manner I
shall employ my time to the greatest advantage, but rather
think that I ought to apply myself to history in the greatest
part of the time which is not occupied by my classical pursuits and other necessary employments.
NVoz. 4. — Clear and pleasant weather as usual. I have
studied all day as usual, and nothing has occurred out of
the common order of things which I now recollect. Mr.
Meigs heard the class recite at noon, as Dr. Dwight is out
of town.
Although Mr. Meigs is a very sensible man, and very
well calculated for the office which (as Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy) he now fills, still it is very
easy to make a contrast between him and the President;
but I am doubtful whether the comparison is not a false
one. because the President is one of those characters which
we very seldom meet with in the world, and who form its
greatest ornaments.  In the beginning of the evening I
went with a member of my class to look at the planet JupiVOL. 1.       3




34          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
ter through the large telescope from the Museum, which
with his four moons we very easily discovered. I returned
from the Museum, and had a call to go into Bacon's room,
to help despatch some wine; which I very readily obeyed,
and I presume acted my part faithfully. I then returned
to my own room, where I found Lynde; and soon after
Bishop came in, - who had been with me at Bacon's
room, — and soon after him Strong. We drank a few
glasses of wine, and had some sprightly conversation, &c.,
&c. They all returned about nine; and here amn I at halfpast nine, sitting in my great chair, - Selleck reading the
History of Greece, and I writing what you now read. My
time passes very agreeably, and were it not for the cancerous humor which I mentioned the other day, I should be
in perfect health; but even this (at present) does not give
me much uneasiness, - it is only the future consequences
which I fear. I am now engaged in reading ancient history; and notwithstanding that Dr. Dwight talks very
pointedly against our reading much history while in college, still I must think that it is highly advantageous, if
read with judgment and attention.
Nov. 6.-.... I think that I have never seen college in
so regular a situation as at present. There are no disturbances, and the students attend the exercises with punctuality. Vigorous preparations are making for commons, and
we shall enter the hall next week on Tuesday. I have just
now finished reading the first volume of ancient history,
and find a very pleasing, and I am apt to think a profitable,
study.  The contest between those two powerful and
haughty republics, Carthage and Rome, affords a very interesting piece of history. How different was the state of
society - and particularly in the art of war - in those ages
from the present!  And I cannot help concluding in favor
of the age in which I live, which has stripped war of half
its horrors.
Nov. 9...... I rose as early as usual, attended prayers,




A STUDENT IN YALE COLLEGE.            35
and wrote in a part of the forenoon upon the question,
"Whether a minority can ever be justified in rebelling
against a majority." In the afternoon I read and wrote
upon the following question: " Whether the mental abilities
of the females are equal to those of the males," - of the
affirmative of which I am a strenuous advocate. I believe
that the difference in the appearance of the sexes (as to
their minds) is owing entirely to neglect of the education
of females, which is a shame to man, and ought to be remedied. In the evening I went to the meeting of 1~BK;
returned and wrote upon the above question until halfpast ten. The wind is now N. W.; I think the possibility
is that it will be cold. It is so late that I must retire to
bed, and leave my observations.
Nov. 10. - Clear and pleasant, rather cooler than yesterday. I wrote all the forenoon in favor of the equality of
female abilities to those of the males. It was warmly contested at the eleven o'clock recitation, and decided in favor
of the females, after a debate of more than two hours. I did
very little in the afternoon, as the boys were bringing up
wood into our chamber, and kept up a continual noise.....
Nfov. 11.-.... I rose as early as usual, and attended
prayers; then returned. I wrote poetry in the greater part
of the forenoon with tolerable success, and the same in the
afternoon, and likewise in the evening, until Marsh, a graduate, came in, and after him Tucker, Cantey, Bassett, &c.,
&c. We drank a few glasses of wine, and the conversation
ran upon politics in general, and particularly upon the corruption of some of our great men, the state of France, of
England, &c. Matters ran pretty high, as is generally the
case in politics. Many men who in private life are of the
most amiable and gentle dispositions, when they come to
converse upon politics are ravenous wolves. The company
did. not break up until past ten. We invited Marsh to
stop at our room, which he did, and I slept with Prince at
his room.




36           LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
Nov. 12.-.... In the afternoon I went to speaking, after
which the Senior called up the Freshman class into the long
gallery, and gave them some advice; after which I was
appealed to as umpire between a Freshman and a Junior
who had commanded the Freshman to go of an errand, and
he refilsed. I decided conditionally in favor of the Freshman, and my judgment was afterwards confirmed by the
opinions of my classmates....
Nov. 15. -.... I wrote poetry (or, perhaps more properly, rhyme) all the evening, in addition to a piece which I
began some time since, and which I expect to exhibit before
the Brothers' Society, in the form of an oration. It will be
my first attempt in public; how I shall succeed I know
not, but am prepared for the worst; so whether it should
be acceptable or not, it cannot injure me.
Nov. 16.-.... At supper this evening Tutor S-.
undertook to reprove the scholars for being too noisy, by
telling a little story of President Clap. The effect was a
universal laugh; thus his very reproof caused a repetition
of the noise for which he was reproving them. But I must
confess that I cannot tell whether they laughed most at the
wit or folly of the story.
Nov. 17.- Cloudy. I rose early this morning, after a
night of tolerable though not undisturbed repose. I wrote
all the forenoon upon the question, " Whether the want of
religious principles ought to exclude a man from a public
office." Copied poetry in the afternoon. In the evening
viewed the moon through a telescope, read the newspaper,
&c., &c.
Nov. 23. -.... We (the Senior class) this day sent a
petition to the steward, to change our sugar, &c. Nothing
remarkable has occurred this day, but I could wish to
find myself amended in several particulars. I find that I
am very apt to be guilty of scandal, although I acquit myself of doing it through any malicious design. I desire to
make it a rule from this time never to say anything con



A STUDENT IN YALE COLLEGE.            37
cerning any person, (if I cannot speak in his favor,) unless
it is absolutely necessary......
I ouglht likewise to be more careful of speaking concerning myself. No person ought to speak of himself unless
when it is absolutely necessary, and even then with the utmost modesty. For if you speak well of yourself, it argues
vanity; if ill, you will be called a hypocrite. I hope I shall
observe these particulars, and any others which may tend to
make one a Christian scholar and gentleman.
Nov. 27.-... I am every day more and nlore convinced
of the importance of modesty in a young person; it is his
letter of recommendation. A bold and loquacious air may
dazzle the thoughtless and ignorant, but modesty alone will
procure the good-will of persons of real worth.  If you
wish to be noticed, say but very little of yourself, and that
with the utmost modesty.  Speak well of others; make
them pleased with themselves; and there is no danger of
their being displeased with you. Never strive to hurt the
feelings of any person. Do not affect to despise others.
Finally, put on modesty, and it will procure you a reception in all good company.
Nov. 28. -Clear and pleasant. I rose to prayers this
morning by candle-light. I read ancient history, and Vincent's exposition of the catechism, in the forenoon, which
we recited at eleven. Dr. Dwight disagreed with Mr. Vincent in some points. He does not believe that any of the
attributes of Deity can be proved from the light of nature.
He supposes that heathen nations have derived all their
ideas of Deity from tradition, and that this tradition was
originally founded upon the revelation given to Adam, &c.
As he is a great man, I revere his opinions, but do not
think myself bound implicitly to believe the word of any
man, although I am rather inclined in favor of this doctrine.
Nov. 29. - Cloudy, and some small probability of snow.
I rose this morning at half-past eight, and consequently did
not attend prayers. The President preached in the fore



38          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
noon upon the impossibility of forming an idea of the divine character from the works of nature. He thought that
the bounty, power, and patience of the Deity might possibly
be proved from his works, but none of his other attributes.
The afternoon sermon was a continuation of the same subject, wherein he demonstrated the assertions which he
made in the forenoon, from the total disagreement of the
opinions of almost all the heathen philosophers, both
ancient and modern. There were in Greece alone two
hundred and eighty-eight opinions concerning the Chief
Good, and three hundred concerning the Chief God. No
two philosophers of any distinction agreed in their sentiments concerning the Deity, and each philosopher had his
own peculiar standard of moral rectitude, and all indulged
themselves in views of the most flagitious nature. —It began
to rain this afternoon about three o'clock, with a strong
wind from the east. I read Millot's Ancient History until
eight in the evening, entertained company until half-past
nine, and did not go to bed until after eleven. Some necessary business kept me up to the late hour which I mentioned. I do not mean to make it a practice to sit up late,
because it always unhinges me for the next day.
Nov. 30. -.... I read Millot all the forenoon. In the
afternoon I did the same. Athens and Sparta, although
so much celebrated in later times, were nothing when
compared with modern States, although it must be confessed that they were far advanced in civilization for the
age in which they flourished. The pervading character of
the Athenians appears to be fickleness,-always repenting
of their errors, but never improving by their experience.
They were likewise extremely jealous....
Dec. 4. -.... I have pursued my usual routine of
employment, although not with very great vigor, as I have
not been very well. I have read the news this evening.
Paris appears to be in a state of open rebellion, and the
Convention in danger. Unhappy country i —The President




A STUDENT IN YALE COLLEGE.            39
has come in town with his family. There has been a fire
at New York which has consumed several houses, but was
fortunately extinguished. The weather is clear and very
moderate for the season. As I do not feel very well, I
believe that I must retire to bed. Good night! (half-past
eight.)
Dec. 8. -I have almost finished a piece which I expect
soon to exhibit before the Society. It is my first attempt
of the kind, and I am very diffident of success. After supper, as Selleck was absent with the keys of the room, I
went into Belden's room, where we had some conversation
upon the ladies, &c., a number of whom we toasted. I do
not conceive that they are very highly honored by it, but it
affords us amusement, and it is not probable that the affair
will ever come to their ears.
Dec. 24. - President Dwight gave us a very good discourse from this text:' Praise ye the Lord." Soon after
meeting, according to a previous invitation, I went with
my brother to dine at Dr. Dana's, where we were very
agreeably entertained with good company and good food.
After dinner, we employed our time in conversation upon
politics until prayer-time.  Speaking of the division of
the German empire by the King of Prussia, Dr. Dana
observed that if such an event should take place, that
Prussia, Sweden, and Denmark would form a very good
barrier against that " Old She-bear of the North."  He
appears, notwithstanding his misfortunes, to be almost as
cheerful as ever, and makes himself agreeable to his friends.
How much better is his conduct than that of many, who
sink under the weight of misfortune, and seem to think
that there is no other source of joy except that which they
have lost.
Dec. 28. - Clear and pleasant.  I rose to prayers this
morning. My forenoon was principally employed in reading Paley. At the eleven-o'clock recitation, Dr. Dwight
gave us his ideas upon a number of bad habits to which




40           LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
we are subject. Among them I remarked a few which
I thought would very justly apply to myself. They were,
whispering in the chapel, and sitting in uneasy postures,
not only in my room, but in public. To these habits I
am subject, particularly to the last; and before they are
too deeply rooted, I will endeavor to eradicate them. In
addition to these observations I would remark that I am
apt to speak inconsiderately when in free conversation, and
thus not unfrequently utter things for which I am afterwards very sorry. I am not sufficiently tender of the feelings of others, and thus (if I have not already done it) I
may give offence. I studied spheric geometry in the afternoon; in the evening went to the Society meeting, returned
about seven, and went to bed at half-past eight.
Dec. 30. -.... I rose to prayers and recitation, when I
read the dispute which I wrote yesterday. I observe that
young disputants (and myself among the rest) are generally
very uncandid. If they find anything in favor of their own
side, they impute everything to that simple cause, and
allow no weight to anything which is advanced upon the
opposite side. I will endeavor in future to canvass both
sides, and allow everything its proper weight, and nothing
more. We oulght not to dispute for victory, but for the discovery of truth. I studied as usual until eleven, when the
President gave us a most excellent discourse upon profaneness, ridicule, levity in matters of religion, &c. Just
before dinner I took a walk' to the shoemaker's. After
dinner I went to Page's room, and he told me of an observation made by Miss —, to this effect, that she liked the
Messieurs Silliman very well, but Selleck the best. I suppose that I know the cause of her opinion; but if I do not,
it gives me no trouble: I shall treat her in the same manner as usual. I mean to treat every person well; if I have
failed to please in this instance, it is unfortunate, but cannot be helped. Whether her opinion arises from prejudice,
from partiality, or from a little incident which happened




A STUDENT IN YALE COLLEGE.             41
the other evening, while I was in her company, I cannot
tell. It is the lot of all mankind to be liked by some, and
disliked by others; and she, among the rest, has a right to
her opinion. These little incidents ought to prompt me to
acquire something more durable for my harbinger into the
world than the smiles of a woman; although I would wish,
if possible, to live upon good terms with the whole sex;
but, if the contrary is my lot, I will in silence kiss the rod.
In the afternoon I did little to effect, for while I was
engaged in a number of things, nothing was finally done.
Here, then, I may see the importance of seizing upon some
one object, and there bending all my whole force. For, while
the mind is engaged in a number of pursuits, none will be
followed with assiduity, and thus, by aiming at too much,
we often lose the whole. I just now begin, toward the last
part of my college life, to discover that I am a mere infant
in learning. It seems as if I had only obtained a sufficient
degree of knowledge to discover my own ignorance. Then
let me faithfully improve my time while it is still present.
1796; Jan. 1.-.... It was my intention to have
attended a family ball this evening, but indisposition prevented, and I spent a great part of the evening at Prince's
room. Returning to my room this afternoon, I observed a
poor old beggar in the entry adjoining my room, and locked
my door against him; but I was soon forced by the admonitions of that faithful monitor, conscience, to open it. Supposing this should ever be my lot, should I wish to have
the door of the rich shut against me?  Certainly I should
esteem it a very great hardship!  But nothing is more
possible than that this may one day be my situation.
Then let me no more lock my doors against the miserable
whose wants very possibly I may relieve, or at least alleviate. How can I ask blessings from the Divine hand, which
I refulse to confer upon a miserable fellow-mortal? I reprobate this action of mine, and would willingly efface it
from my memory! As this poor old beggar was going




42           LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
down-stairs, one of my classmates threw a bowl of water in
his face. My indignation rose to see gray hairs thus insulted by the levity of youth; but I very much doubt
whether his deed was worse than my own......
Jan. 3. -.... I rose this morning as early as usual.
Read different books until the hour of public worship, when
I attended meeting, but either was duller than usual, or the
President did not preach with his usual pungency. I rather
believe that there existed a little of both, for I could not
tell what was his subject when I came home............At prayers a very good sermon was read upon
the text, "' This year thou shalt die," - very applicable to
the present Sabbath, as being the first after new-year.
After supper I went with my brother to Dr. Gould's, where
we spent the evening. There were a number of gentlemen
present. Our conversation was not, I apprehend, of the
most useful kind, for, as the company was large, none but
the most frivolous subjects could be admitted. I shall not
pretend to account for the phenomenon, but it is certainly
a fact, that the conversation of the young ladies (at least
as far as I have observed) is too prone to be confined to
small and insignificant subjects. (Query: Is not this in
some measure the fault of our sex, who very rarely introduce any other subjects?)
Jan. 4. -I read in the forenoon as usual, and went to
recitation at 11 A. M., where the President, in conjunction
with our recitation, gave the democratic societies a severe
and deserved trimming.
Jan. 6.....  It was so dark by 4 P. M. that I
could not study, and went to Prince and Bishop's room,
where I enjoyed conversation until prayer-time, upon politics and smoking. I asserted that smoking was attended
with nothing of a beneficial nature, and that it was a very
bad habit. Bishop, on the contrary, (who, by the way, is an
old smoker,) defended it with all the pathos of a person




A STUDENT IN YALE COLLEGE.           43
contending for his dearest rights; and the result of the
whole was, that he should enjoy his opinions and I mine.
He thought that I was wrong, but I knew that he was.
Different persons will have different opinions, and, as long
as this is the case, should learn to respect, although we
cannot believe, the opinions of others. This is called, in
one word, candor.
Jan. 7.-...... After prayers I went to meeting;
stayed until about seven, and went to Dutton's room, and
then, according to a previous appointment, we, together
with Page, went to Mrs. W-'s. Dutton introduced me
with the usual ceremonies, and we took our seats. There
were present Miss -, two Misses -, Miss -, &c.
We conversed upon - what? -ah! - what, sure enough,
for I'm sure I can't tell. Not a single useful bbservation have I heard this evening, but I have (I hope) made
some. And the torture of etiquette! Stuck up like a wax
figure, I must sit; first cross one leg, then the other;
then' thrust my hand into my jacket; then drag forth a
studied observation, or hear one equally sensible; — such
as, " Mr.    is a fine dancer."  " Did you attend the last
assembly?"  " Did you ever dance a cotillon?  Mr. Silliman, do sing!" "Pray, excuse me, ma'am!"  "   no, sir.
Good singers always need urging." - Such is the conversation of great companies. I can see no pleasure in such
conversation. The chimney-corner is the place for me.
Jan. 13.....  I arrived at home about noon.
Found all friends well. I found my honored mother sitting
alone in the parlor. Feeling very much fatigued, I lay
down soon after I came home, and slept for a considerable
time. I was much refreshed by my nap, and upon coming
down found Mr. Day, whom I was very glad to see. He
stayed until some time in the evening, and our conversation was principally upon the regulation of the interest of
money by law.
Jan. 15.-..... My time has this day been employed




W44          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
upon a number of trifles, which have however whirled off
the time. About the middle of the forenoon, (who will believe it?) Quixote-like, I assumed the character of a knighterrant, viz., I literally went to the succor of a distressed
damsel, as all true knight-errants should do. The damsel
had lost her horse, and I forthwith mounted Rosinante,
and with all speed went upon the pursuit,- ay! and with
success too, for I soon brought him back.-My brothers
William and Joseph took tea at our house this evening,
and we conversed upon the lawfulness of divorce; and this
subject was succeeded by one which more immediately concerned myself: it was that of choosing a profession. Brother William and my mother would have us preach; but..... I feel very little confidence in the idea that I shall
obtain a living by either of the learned professions. I
won't be a doctor. I am not good enough for a priest;
and lawyers are so plenty that they can hardly get a case
apiece. What, then, shall I be?  Time only can answer
this question, to me so interesting. In the evening I did
very little, my eyes being so weak that I could not read.
I fluted some, talked some, laughed some, and finally did
nothing at all. So time goes. If I were at college, and
spent my time as I now do, I think I should make these
pages look pretty black with self-reproach. But it is vacation! and vacations were never made to study in.
Jan. 17...... While I am reading the letters of
my deceased father, I cannot realize that he lives no more.
It seems as if he must still be alive. A thousand little
circumstances, incidents, and modes of expression peculiar
to himself, set him afresh before my eyes, and make me
deeply sensible of the irreparable loss which I have sustained. Why could he not have been spared a little longer?
But let me not complain: the hand of God has done it.




CHAPTER III.
A TEACHER: A STUDENT OF LAW, AND TUTOR IN COLLEGE.
His Labors on the Farm at Home. -Teaches School in W'ethersfield. -
Becomes a Law-Student inll New Haven, and Tutor in Yale College. -
Letters of Rev. Dr. Marsh and Rev. Dr. Porter. -His Early Friends.His Earlv Productions. - Early Letters. - Iis Religious Impressions.
THE year following his graduation Mr. Silliman
spent at the home of his mother, in Fairfield. His
father's business as a lawyer had been broken up by
the Revolutionary War; he had been obliged to neglect his farm; and as he was not in the continental
line, nor in active service at the time of his capture,
he was never reimbursed for the serious losses and
expenses incident to his protracted imprisonment.
His life terminated before he had extricated his affairs from embarrassment, and although his property
proved to be more than sufficient to meet the demands upon his estate, careful management was required. Mr. Silliman, on graduating, was still a sufferer from  the effects of the hurt above mentioned,
and disabled for the most part from intellectual labor. For this reason, and moved by the stronger impulse of filial duty, he devoted himself to reclaiming
the farm-lands, which had run to waste.  He went
into the field with the laborers, and had the satisfaction of conferring a substantial benefit upon his surviving parent. But during this period he was cut




46         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
off from the society of cultivated young men of his
own age. With the exception of an occasional interchange of visits with former associates in New
Haven, he was almost bereft of companionship. In
this situation, uncertain as he was respecting his
career in the future, and oppressed with a nervous
infirmity, it is not strange that he became for a while
a prey to gloomy thoughts and apprehensions. His
letters manifest a dejection of spirits, occasionally a
despondency, which were naturally foreign to his
temperament.  Yet perhaps in no part of his life
was the excellence of his character more manifest
than in the patient exertions which he made at this
time for the sake of his mother.
Another year brought with it an improved tone of
health; and this, together with the not less potent
influence of a change of scene, and a new, congenial
employment, soon restored his cheerfulness.
He accepted an invitation to take charge of a
select school in Wethersfield, where he resided during most of the year 1798. Here he was introduced
to a pleasant, genial circle. His fidelity and winning
manners gained the favor of his pupils, some of
whom were not far from his own age. His hopes
were revived, and he felt desirous of entering, as
soon as practicable, upon the study of law. He had
fixed his mind upon this profession, not from any
strong, controlling bias in favor of it, but from the
persuasion that he was better adapted to it than to
either of the other learned professions. And whatever his feeling in respect to the practice of law might
prove to be, his taste for the study of jurisprudence
needed no stimulant. In October, 1798, we find him




A TEACHER: A STUDENT OF LAW, AND TUTOR. 47
back in New Haven, in the law office of Hon. Simeon Baldwin. It was necessary for him to husband
his pecuniary resources, and his correspondence
shows that he was considering plans for abridging
and providing for his expenses. His appointment
the next year- in September, 1799, when he had
just reached the age of twenty —to the office of
tutor in college relieved him of apprehension as to
the means of support.
He was now joined in his law studies by his
brother, who had returned from  South Carolina,
where he had been engaged in teaching in a private family. Moot courts were held every week in
the office of Hon. David Daggett. A considerable
number of young men were preparing for the bar in
different offices in town, and Mr. Silliman prosecuted
his studies with zeal and pleasure. At the end of a
year, with the full approbation of Judge Baldwin, -
whom he held in the highest esteem for his disinterested character, — Mr. Silliman passed into the office
of Hon. Charles Chauncey, late Judge of the Superior Court, where were assembled a larger number
of students.  At the expiration of his three-years'
course he received ample testimonials from both
these gentlemen, and, after the usual examination,
was duly admitted to the Bar in 1802.
The two letters which follow are from venerable
graduates of the College, who knew Mr. Silliman
nearly seventy years ago. The first speaks of him
more particularly as a teacher at Wethersfield; the
second, as he appeared in the exercise of his tutorship.




48           LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
REV. DR. MARSH TO G. P. FISHER.
BROOKLYN, N. Y., March 2, 1865.
SIR, - You are pleased to ask fiom me some reminiscences of our departed friend, Professor Silliman.  MIy
first acquaintance with him was in 1797, when I was nine
years of age. That year he came to Wethersfield, Conn.,
the place of my birth, to teach our private, or, as it was
called, Grammar school. My father, the pastor of the Congregational Church, anxious for the mental improvement of
the youth of his charge, had succeeded in establishing such
a school, placing in it as its first teacher the afterwards
famous Dr. Azel Backus. At his graduation, Mr. Silliman
was recommended for the place, though his youthfulness
was considered a serious objection. The school numbered
about forty, and some of the young ladies in it were already
highly cultivated and older than himself. I was one of the
youngest in the school; but being devoted, as most ministers' sons were, to a college life, I began with him my Latin
grammar and went nearly through it for the first time. But
the next year I was transferred to the school of Dr. Backus,
at Bethlehem, where I remained two years; when, under the
inspirations of two such teachers, I was able in September
1800, at the age of twelve (unfortunately), to tread the halls
of Yale. During his residence and instructions at Wethersfield, Mr. Silliman was as marked for the elegance and
courteousness of his manners and his efficiency in all the
business that was committed to his trust, as at any period
of his life; and it has ever been conceded that he did much
in perpetuating and even increasing among the young that
refinement of manners for which the place had ever been
signal. Mr. Silliman was succeeded in the school by Professor Kingsley, a gentleman in most respects the opposite,
- so timid and bashful, that he could scarce appear in family circles or look a scholar in the face, and yet found to
be such a scholar himself as to inspire with fear all who




A TEACHER: A STUDENT OF LAW, AND TUTOR. 49
came to recite a lesson. He too was invaluable in his
place.
On coming to New Haven, I found Mr. Silliman associated with Mr. (afterwards President) Day, Mr. Davis, Mr.
Kingsley, and my brother, Ebenezer Grant Marsh, in the Tutor's office; (there were then no Professors but Mr. Meigs;)
and rooming as I did with my brother, I often saw those
lovely men there freely unbending amid the cares and labors
of office; and never were there more congenial spirits, or men
more worthy of their stations. No wonder that Dr. Dwight
loved them, and conceived the thought of establishing them
as Professors for life. When Mr. Silliman returned from
his first winter in Philadelphia, and commenced lecturing on
chemistry, our class rushed to the lecture-room with great
eagerness to see and hear, and we considered ourselves as
peculiarly fortunate in being born at so late a period, and
as already wiser than all who had gone before us. What
much impressed us, and made us feel that this was a new
science, was to see Dr. Dwight, with whom we supposed
was all wisdom and all knowledge, come regularly to the
lectures, take a seat on the same floor with the scholars,
(that he might see the experiments,) and drink in with
great gusto all the truths which were developed.
Perhaps I have gone as far as you may wish, in these
early remembrances of one whom firom my boyhood I have
known and loved, and who from his attachment to my
father's family at Wethersfield, and to my brother who died
in the Tutorship, and I may perhaps add to the cause of
temperance, has ever admitted me to intimate friendship.
One thing which I may not fail to mention, and which
endeared him to a large portion of the students, was his
sympathy with the great revival of 1802. Had he turned
from it in disgust, and become an infidel philosopher, what
a blast he would have proved among scientific men. But
he meekly bowed to the yoke of Christ. In August, 1802,
I with sixteen others, — some of them proved eminent
VOL..L         4




50           LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
men,- united with the College Church. At the next communion in September, to our great joy, Tutor Silliman and
others followed.                Yours truly,
JOHN MARSH.
FROM REV. DR. NOAH PORTER (SENIOR).
FARMINGTON, Dec. 12, 1864.
MIT DEAR SIR, - I had my first impressions of Mr. Silliman in the old chapel at the beginning of my Freshman
year, in the fall of 1799, -a fair and portly young man,
having his thick and long hair clubbed behind (a la mnode
George Washington), closely following President Dwight
as they passed up the middle aisle for evening prayers,
and taking his seat in the large square pew at the right of
the pulpit. After prayers, the call from the President —
sedete onznes- brought us all upon our seats, when Mr.
Silliman, at a signal from the President, rose and read a
written formula declaring his assent to the Westminster
Catechism and the Saybrook Platform. So he was inducted
into the Tutorship.  The other tutors that year were
MIessrs. Day, Davis, Denison, and Marsh. 3Messrs. Silliman and Marsh were the tutors of the Freshmen, and the
division to which I belonged was assigned to the former,
and the entire course of instruction for the first three years
was given us by him alone; for, although we were called
together with the rest of college, in a few instances, —Wednesday afternoon in the chapel, to hear a lecture by Professor Josiah Meigs in his department,-the latter was removed,
soon after I joined college, to the University in Georgia;
and all our lessons, till we came under the instruction of
President Dwight, were recited to Mr. Silliman. I am,
perhaps, in consequence more indebted to him than to any
other man for such early education as I received; and certainly there are few men for whom I have ever since entertained higher esteem  or veneration.  The class did not
consider him a profound scholar, but we admired him as an




A TEACHER: A STUDENT OF LAW, AND TUTOR. 51
accomplished gentleman; we respected him as a man of
great sense and quick apprehension, and we exceedingly
loved him as a teacher devotedly kind and faithful. Having scarcely passed his boyhood when he entered college,
he could not be supposed to have thoroughly mastered the
whole course; and having never reviewed, as I suppose, in
his mature years, he probably - as indeed some of us supposed at the time was the case- was obliged to devote
almost as much time and labor to his preparation for the
recitation room as his pupils themselves; but I do not
remember that we ever found him wanting, or caught him
stumbling, though my old friend Aaron Dutton sometimes
said, " Benny blushed as he was trying to help -    floundering in the mire of a problem which he was unprepared
to solve."
But the course of college learning at that time, - do you
know how meagre it was? As though we had come fresh
from the common school, we were put back into our grammar, geography, and the common learning, and kept in them
a great part of the first two years, so that at their close we
had scarcely advanced farther than is now requisite for admission. And then what poor barren things our grammars,
lexicons, and text-books then were, compared with such as
are now furnished! And our teachers were as scantily furnished as our books, with stores of knowledge that are now
prepared for the acquisition of the earnestly studious mind.
I wonder that any of us came out men, or ever became
such. And yet we were fiully employed, and on such things
as were put into our hands we were kept hard at work.
Though we were perhaps half a year on Morse's two huge
volumes of geography, we were required to recite the
whole of them, and our memories, if no other faculties, were
severely tasked. We were required to review our studies
again and again, and to be very exact in our recitations.
Every mistake was marked, and the account, we were told,
was preserved. And it may be less important, in the pro



52          LIFE OF BENJAMIIN SILLIMAN.
cess of education, what is the subject of thought and study,
than the thought itself, the habit of study, the power of concentrating the mind on whatever may come before it.
After leaving college, I was much delighted by Mr. Silliman's kind attentions. Particularly the winter following,
on my way to the eastern shore of Maryland, I found him
in Philadelphia, in attendance on a course of lectures on
chemistry; and by his importunity was persuaded to remain
over a day; —was conducted by him to points of interest,
and brought to dine with him and a few other gentlemen
of his circle. I was also favored with an epistolary correspondence with him for a year or two. Mr. Silliman was
personally interested in the glorious revival at college in
1802. He was supposed to be a convert to Christianity at
that time. He had been exemplary before, and his prayers
in the chapel indicated thought and feeling on the great
things of the Christian faith, though before the revival they
were probably precomposed. Precious man, may we be
prepared to follow him!
Some notice should be here given of the early
friends of Professor Sillirnan. Among these, none
stood nearer than his classmate Charles Denison.
They were tutors together, and were admitted to the
Bar at the same time. With the exception of his
own brother, there was no one for whom Mr. Silliman cherished a warmer regard than for Denison.
This gentleman became a lawyer of high respectability in New Haven, and died in 1825. Among his
fellow-tutors were two with whom he was destined
to be intimately associated for nearly the whole of a
long life. These were Jeremiah Day and James L.
Kingsley. Mr. Day was a year before him in college, and Mr. Kingsley three years after him. The
three men were widely different from each other —




A TEACHER: A STUDENT OF LAW, AND TUTOR. 53
in some respects the complement of each otherin their native characteristics; and during upwards
of half a century of daily association their mutual
confidence experienced no abatement. Of his other
contemporaries in the tutorship, Ebenezer Grant
Marsh died early; Henry Davis, who attracted the
strong esteem of his early colleagues, attained to the
Presidency, first of Middlebury, and then of Hamilton, College; Warren Dutton settled as a lawyer in
Boston; Bancroft Fowler became Professor of Sacred
Literature at Bangor; and Moses Stuart, after distinguishing himself as a preacher in the First Church
of New Haven, made himself still more eminent as
an author and theological professor at Andover. His
early letters of friendship are full of the exuberant
vivacity that characterized him through life. There
were other young men with whom Mr. Silliman
early established relations of friendship.  Shubael
Bartlett, of the Class of 1800, who, in the decline of
practical religion in Yale College, which preceded
the Revival of 1802, was on one occasion the sole
communicant from the ranks of the students at the
Lord's Supper, and who remained after graduation
as a theological pupil of Dr. Dwight, was numbered
among his respected friends and correspondents.*
Mr. Stephen Twining, a contemporary in college,
and for many years the college steward, stood in the
same category. The most distinguished of his associates in the study of law was Seth P. Staples,
who rose to the first rank in his profession. But to
* This excellent minister, of simple and sincere piety, after he became an
old man, informed Rev. Dr. Bacon that he and his wife had together sung
through the Connecticut Collection of Hymns, which had not long before
been published.




54         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
none of those who have been named - not even to
Denison -was Mr. Silliman more warmly attached
than to the sons of his instructor, Charles and Elihu
Chauncey. They were his bosom-friends. Charles
Chauncey was admitted by examination to Yale
College when he was only ten years and one month
old, but was kept back by his father from entering
the institution until a year later. He received the
honors of the college in 1792, at the age of fifteen.
His younger brother, Elihu Chauncey, was a classmate of Mr. Silliman. Both the brothers were educated for the law, and established themselves in Philadelphia. The former, by his talents, probity, courtesy, and devotedness to professional duty, became
one of the foremost of American lawyers. The latter, if less distinguished, was nowise inferior to his
brother in intellectual ability. Early withdrawing
from his profession, he devoted his life principally to
financial studies and pursuits. When a young man,
he was one of the editors of the " United States
Gazette," an influential organ of the Federal party;
and in the political strife of that day he had occasion
to manifest in more than one way his characteristic energy and courage. Mr. Nathaniel Chauncey, a
still younger brother in the same family, was, it may
be remarked, at a later period, an esteemed friend
of Mr. Silliman. The latter sympathized with the
Chaunceys and the rest of his friends in political
sentiment. They were all stanch Federalists, holding the political theories of Jefferson in cordial detestation, and supporting with all their might the
party of Washington and Hamilton, of Jay and
Ellsworth. The warfare of politics was waged with




A TEACHER: A STUDENT OF LAW, AND TUTOR. 55
more zeal and more acrimony than have ever prevailed since in this country, - even during the late
Rebellion in the districts not the scene of actual
hostilities.
In his brother, his companion from childhood, Mr.
Silliman had a friend to whom he could pour out his
heart without reserve. That gentleman, after completing his law studies, took up his abode in Newport, Rhode Island, and was married to Miss Hepsa
Ely, daughter of the Rev. Dr. Ely, the minister of
Huntington, Connecticut.  Had this lady been a
sister by the tie of consanguinity instead of by marriage, Mr. Silliman's fraternal love could not have
been stronger. In all the fortunes of his brother's
household he ever continued to feel the most affectionate interest.
Among the early productions of Mr. Silliman,
which have been preserved, are several of his college
compositions.  One of them, which was written in
his junior year, when he was only sixteen years old,
is a dissertation, of about twenty pages in length, on
Natural History. It was read or delivered before the
Society of Brothers in Unity.  It is a clearly and
concisely written survey of the three kingdoms of
nature in their fundamental peculiarities. It must
have been the fruit of careful study, and, when the
age of the writer is considered, discovers no ordinary
skill in composition. Mr. Silliman was early in life
an occasional contributor to the newspapers. A few
years after graduation he wrote for the New York
" Commercial Advertiser "- which had been established by Noah Webster - a series of essays, some of
them touching satirically on the follies of fashionable




56        LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
society. The idea appears to have been suggested
by Goldsmith's " Letters of a Chinese Philosopher."
In one of these papers he descants upon the recent
American poets, Dwight, Barlow, Trumbull, and
Humphreys; and is bold enough to qualify his praise
of the "Conquest of Canaan " -the youthful pro.
duction of Dwight -by confessing that " his rhyme,
from the length of the poem, produces an uniformity
which is sometimes unpleasant." In 1802 Mr. Silliman was honored with an invitation to deliver an
address before the Society of Cincinnati, at Hartford. The theme of his oration was, " The Theories
of Modern Philosophy in Religion, Government, and
Morals, contrasted with the Practical System of
New England." He attacks the Gallic theories of
human rights, the notion that particular affections
are to be supplanted by a general benevolence, and
other pestilent heresies of that day. No small part
of the discourse is levelled at Godwin's "Political
Justice," which had made some stir in this country;
and notice is taken of the work of Godwin's mistress and subsequent wife, - Miss Wolstonecraft's
" Vindication of the Rights of Woman." The political bearing of the discourse was too obvious for it
to be neglected by the democratic newspapers, which
bestowed upon it their censure. But it was acceptable to the Federalists, and given to the press.
Allusion has already been made to Mr. Silliman's
juvenile essays in poetry. His piece at graduation
was a poetical sketch of the condition of the European nations, in contrast with the comparatively
happy lot of his own country. The closing passage
is creditable to his feelings, and is at the same time
a fair specimen of his verse:



A TEACHER: A STUDENT OF LAW, AND TUTOR.  57
"But who is this, sullen and sad amid
The joyful crowd, with downcast eyes, slow step,
And face of grief? While all around is life,
And ev'ry foot trips gayly on the ground,
He only drags a cumbrous weight of woe.
Ah!'t is the hapless African. No more
His sorrows wake surprise. Not for himself
lie toils; nor for himself he lives. His life,
His labors, are another's wealth. For him
Life has no joys. The rising sun but brings
Another day of pain; and all the gay
Enchanting scenes of nature only serve
To mind him of his woe. Columbians brave!
While to your list'ning sons ye tell the deeds
Your sires achieved in freedom's cause, and teach
Their tongues to lisp the name of Washington, -
While in their tender minds ye plant the seeds
Of true, unblemished liberty, and teach
The feeling heart to mourn for all the ills
Which tyranny has brought on man, -then turn
Your eves, behold the hapless negro toil,
And, moved by shame and pity, set him free! "
That he took a genuine interest in the theme of
this passage is shown by another poem which he
wrote not long after, and which appeared, after an
interval of several years, in the " Commercial Advertiser." It is entitled " The Negro," and embodies an
imaginary lament of a slave on the banks of the Potomac. The author explains in a prefatory note that
no imputation upon Washington is implied, since he
had given proof of his hostility to slavery; and he
appends to his verses the following remarks: —
" If the purchasers and holders of African slaves would
suffer their minds seriously to contemplate the miseries
produced by this accursed traffic, their hearts would certainly rise up in rebellion against a practice which outrages
every principle of natural right and of common humanity.
The wars, the carnage and desolation which this trade produces among the negro tribes of Africa; the tearing asun



68           LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
der of those whose hearts are united by the tenderest relations,- husbands and wives, parents and children, brothers
and sisters; the confinement in irons, on board of crowded
ships, in the midst of darkness, pestilence, and death; the
second rending asunder of those whom mutual sufferings
have endeared to each other, when the promiscuous vendue
is made; and the stripes, the labor, and the anguish of
mind which these unhappy beings endure through a life of
servitude, - certainly form a picture of horror from which
a Christian ought to turn with mingled emotions of sorrow,
pity, and indignation. A captain of an African ship, who
certainly could have no motive to exaggerate, as the facts
which he related made directly against himself, once told
me the following story: -' We were sailing,' said he,'on
the ocean, with a cargo of slaves, when, about midnight, the
moon shining clear, some of the stoutest and bravest rose
upon us and gained the deck. They had no fire-arms and
no weapons, except the loose articles which they could pick
up on deck. We therefore succeeded in driving them toward the stern of the ship. As I understood something of
their language, I stepped forward, and told them that they
might take their choice, - either to return peaceably into
the hold, or I would shoot the first man that refused through
the heart. A stout fellow, who appeared to be their leader,
instantly stepped out, offered his breast to my pistol, and
bade me shoot him for the first. I fired, and he fell
dead at my feet. A second and a third followed his example, and met the same fate. A fourth succeeded in their
place, -but the sight of the three men bleeding at my feet
was too much: I could proceed no further; and I began to
feel also that I was diminishing the profits of my voyage.
By this time the survivors were so disheartened that they
surrendered at discretion, and we confined them in such a
manner as to prevent a repetition of the tragedy.'
" That the above relation was given to the writer, can be
satisfactorily proved, if necessary. This is only one shade




A, TEACHER: A STUDENT OF LAW, AND TUTOR. 59
in the dreadful picture of the African slave-trade. How
great must have been the anguish of mind, and how complete the despair of those unfortunate beings, to produce
such a degree of desperate resolution and astonishing heroism! If this feeble attempt, in a country where so much is
said about freedom and the rights of man, to turn the public attention to the real sufferings and inexpiable guilt
arising from the slave-trade, should stimulate some American Wilberforce to advocate the cause of this degraded
race with equal zeal, ability, perseverance, and success as
have been exhibited by that great and good man, the writer
would feel that pleasure from the consciousness of having
contributed to the advancement of a good cause, which
must ever form one of the highest pleasures of a real philanthropist."
The subject of Mr. Silliman's poem  on taking his
second degree, in 1799, was Columbia, -the sounding name by which the patriotic poets of that time
generally apostrophized their country. The Indian
aborigines,- the appearance of the country when the
Europeans arrived,-the Revolution and its principal
actors, - the subsequent prosperity of the country, are
reviewed, — and then the author passes, like a true
Federalist, to a dark picture of French intrigue, and
its threatening consequences. This production still
remains, with interlinear corrections of President
Dwight, in his own handwriting; and the following
extract, in which these are inserted, may not be unacceptable to the curious reader:the same    successive
" From eastern climnes, see gathering numbers come,
howling
To seek,'mid -tettzee wilds, a peaceful home.
The arms,,4ti-  the arts they bring of polished life,
To till the ground, or kindle mental strife.
Now, first, the axe resounded through the wood,




60              LIFE  OF BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN.
Where, thick and tall, the forest's monarchs stood, -
head
The ancient oak, whose -ep for ages past
Had braved the lightning's blaze and winter's blast;
Bows to the potent steel, and side by side
Ta......ntin. pine, who.;.ertex.. a, ta y1
The elm's broad shade, the pine's imperial pride.
-WAith Ehunld'ring  nois~ came c;aaing,?c6m on high.spread its unpierced
Where once the forest stood with pierecless gloom,
See cornfields rise, and smiling orchards bloom;
s embank
See verdant meadows skirt the river-side.
And rip'ning harvests wave their golden pride;
See verdure crown the rugged mountain-brow,
And
Whbilecrystal streams through spreading pastures flow.
cheerful         gem the enamell'd
See hamlets ric wi th natnss I'e t.he plain,
And future cities skirt the spreading main.
havens,
Lo! mighty rivers, har-erb-s straits, and seas,
Which long had useless rolled'mid rocks and trees,
Beneath the weight of ships, indignant roar,
And crystal waters feel the dashing oar.
Wide o'er the land the spreading people roam,
And seek in unknown wilds their future home, —
Full    a
4many,leagues- along the ocean's strand,
Full    a
4-e-many.leagues-amid the forest land,
rove,
Where'er they go- the strong, prolific soil
harvest smiles beneath
With ample.erofps;ewaEds their -hardy toil."
This poem was published, with a complimentary
notice from the editor, in the " New England Palladium " of Boston.   It is unnecessary to say more of
Mr. Silliman's efforts in poetry. He had too just an
idea of his own powers to aspire to fame in this
species  of composition.   Now   and  then,  at  later
periods in life, he wrote verses for the gratification
of friends, or as a natural expression of his own emotions on some occasion of particular interest. Many
years after these early productions were written, and
when he had become absorbed in scientific pursuits,
his friend Mrs. Sigourney, then Miss Huntley, in an




A TEACHER: A STUDENT OF LAW, AND TUTOR. 61
ode addressed to him, alluded to his former poetical
studies  and  compositions.    He  responded   (under
date of Sept. 18, 1816) in a sort of farewell to the
Muses, from which the following is an extract: —
1.
Many thanks to your Muse, and thanks to your lyre,
For all the sweet numbers you sing;
Again they awaken the long dormant fire,
Anew fan the embers about to expire,
Andcrown my cold winter with spring.
2.
For many a month and many a year,
Old Time has rolled swiftly away,
Since I gave to the Muses a sigh or a tear,
Or felt for renown a hope or a fear,
Or fashioned a rhyme or a lay.
3.
The Muses, if ever they deigned me a smile,
Long since have they bid me adieu,
Nor did they consent to " tarry a while,"
Or list to the jargon of chemical style,'Mid odors and noises so new.
4.
No Muse waves her wings where furnaces blaze,
And gases mephitic exhale;
Minerva, indignant, stops not to gaze,
Nor Apollo illumes with all-cheering rays
The cell of the Alchemist pale.
To this, Mrs. Sigourney rejoined with an address
"' to a Poet who had written a farewell to the Muses
in some very sweet stanzas." A part of this humorous expostulation is here given: —
1.
Oh, bid not the train of Parnassus farewell!
Or use not so gentle a strain;
For the sweet tones would summon each Muse from her cell,
From the murmuring fountain or slumbering dell,
And bring them in legions again.




62            LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
2.
So soft a dismission the musical throng.
Would mistake for a welcome as kind:
They would crowd to your mansion and beg for a song,
With ceaseless intrusion and visits so long,
That no refuge or rest could you find.
3.
And should you complain, like the diligent clerk,
That you have for such visits no time,
They'11 join in your toils, at your furnace they'll work,
In the bills of the students mischievously lurk,
And compel you to write them in rhyme.
From the early correspondence of Mr. Silliman
we select a few letters, most of which are addressed
to his brother.  Two or three from  his friends to him
are included.  These  letters serve to illustrate the
biographical statements which precede them in the
present chapter.
TO MR. G. S.. SILLIMAN.
FAIRFIELD,.March 11, 1797.
MY  DEAR  BROTHER, -  Saturday evening brings me
home again to converse with one than whom none is dearer
to me; for, believe me, in the last week I have hardly had
time to eat. Tired with murmuring at my situation, which
obliges me to stop short in a pursuit which is my delight,
and patiently to see my contemporaries outstrip me, I have
at length become quiet, and determined to submit where
resistance would be ineffectual.  My last was from Wallingford.  On my return home I stayed several days at
New Haven, which I spent in visiting my friends......
I had the pleasure of seeing Miss Hepsa Ely at New
Haven, a lady whom I believe you have seen, although perhaps, at such a distance of time and place as that at which
you now are, you may not recollect her. Ever since my
return I have been assiduously employed in domestic
concerns, and have the satisfaction to find that my health




A TEACHER: A STUDENT OF LAW, AND TUTOR. 63
is slowly mending, and my mind recovering its accustomed
tone. Since my last, my mind has been greatly relieved by
your welcome letters of the 19th, 20th, and 21st of January,
in which I have the satisfaction to find that your situation
is perfectly agreeable, and I am now easy concerning you
as to everything but the climate. But trusting in God and
in your personal temperance and caution, I hope that you
will escape......
TO MR. G. S. SILLIMAN.
FAIRFIELD, May 9, 1797...... I STILL continue at home, in the same employments which engaged my attention when last I wrote. I
endeavor, as much as possible, to lighten the cares and
to cheer the spirits of that mother to whose anxious care
and unwearied exertions we owe those superior advantages
which it has been our lot to enjoy. I have taken the whole
care of the farm and its appendages, so that she has no
further concern in the business than merely to give her
advice. It has been since the breaking up of winter, and
still is, an object of constant attention to put every part of
the farm into the best state of improvement of which it is
capable. The fences are all repaired; the lot which occasioned so much ill blood last year, and the lot before brother
Noyes's door, are sowed with foxtail and clover seed, and
next season I do not doubt that we shall have from them a
plenty of the best of hay. The orchard is to be ploughed
and planted with corn in order to extirpate the elders which
have overrun it, and the other lots are improving in some
way or other. We calculate that the productions of the
farm will, this year at least, support the family, which you
know was far from being the case last year. My present
employment is far from being one to which, at the present
period of my life, I should wish to give my time. But I
have found by experience that it conduces to my health and




64          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
to my interest, and therefore I think it is clearly my duty
to pursue it until a return of health shall enable me to prosecute that employment to which I have been educated, and
which is my delight. Think not, my brother, that I pay
no attention to books. As often as leisure and health permit, I improve the opportunity in reading or writing, and
not unfrequently in wooing the Muses......
TO MR. STEPHEN TWINING.
FAIRFIELD, May 13, 1797...... SINCE Commencement I have continued at home,
and as the infirm state of my health would not permit me
to pursue any business which requires much application, I
have employed my time in attending to my mother's affairs.
This employment I at first assumed merely to keep myself
busy, not supposing that one half of my time would be
occupied in it; but so astonishingly have cares of one kind
and another increased upon me, that I find myself at the
age of eighteen involved in all the business of active life,
and in fact acting the part of a head of a family. But this
constant occupation has answered a valuable purpose with
respect to my health: it has kept me from thinking upon
those gloomy subjects upon which I had been a long time
accustomed to ponder, and has furnished me with abundance of bodily exercise. Upon the whole, I find myself
much better in health and spirits than at Commencement,
and hope, by perseverance in my present mode of life,
before a long time, to be able to begin to make preparations for a permanent establishment in life. What this
establishment will be, I do not yet know. If I find myself
sufficiently firm in my health to pursue a literary employment, I think I shall pursue one of the learned professions. If not, I shall choose some other business which
affords prospect of a decent support, -probably agriculture or trade.....




A TEACHER: A STUDENT OF LAW, AND TUTOR.  65
TO MR. G. S. SILLIMAN.
FAIRFIELD, ashay 19, 1797...... 7WE are now separated, for life perhaps, perhaps
only for a short period. God grant that the last may
eventually prove to be true. Oh, my brother, I wish I
could at once lay open my heart to you without the trouble
of writing. My mind is racked and torn by a thousand
anxious cares, half of them perhaps imaginary; but whether
real or imaginary, they have the effect of sinking my spirits. You will be curious to inquire the cause, and perhaps
will first of all ask, whether it be what sometimes makes the
heart of a young man sad. To this question I can confidently answer, No! My youth, my ill health, and consequent want of business, are sufficient motives to make me
keep clear of all direct or implicit engagements of that
kind, and I can assure you that my feelings upon that subject are at present quite calm. One great and constant
source of uneasiness to my mind you are well acquainted
with. It is the embarrassed situation of our affairs. I do
everything inl my power to render the remaining part of
the estate as profitable as possible, but brothers are so
much occupied with their own affairs, that they find very
little time to attend to those of the estate. I hope, however, in the course of the summer, that this lengthy and
perplexed business, which has already consumed almost
seven years, will be brought to a close. But I have a still
greater source of uneasiness than this.  My health, although better than when you left us, is still so unconfirmed,
that it would be folly for me to commence the pursuit of
any business for life. In fine, I am in a state of perfect suspense with respect to my future prospects, and this alone
is a cause sufficient to destroy the greater part of my peace.
I know that you will tell me that I am still young, that I
shall by-and-by regain my health, and that I ought to wait
for providence. Of the truth of all this I am convinced, but
VOL. I.         5




66          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
this will not smother a ruling passion.....  But I will
cease to complain. I deserve more than I suffer.
TO 3R. G. S. SILLIMAN.
FAIRFIELDI), May 27, 1797......  BE not surprised at anything, nor be induced
to believe that my feelings always run in so low a channel. I experience for the greater part of the time a philosophic serenity, and it is only when I cast my thoulglts
upon the interesting subjects which I last spoke of that I
experience a depression. But I see much ground to hope
that my situation will by-and-by be better. Patience and
fortitude are the best defence against adversity, and never
does human nature appear more truly respectable than
when calmly resisting misfortune. The public mind in this
part of the Union has, in a short period past, undergone a
great change with respect to France. Those who, before
their depredations upon our commerce, were opposed to
them, now cry out vehemently; those who were calm begin
to bestir themselves, and their friends hold their tongues.
A war with France is dreaded by all, but expected by
many.....
TO %IR. STEPHEN TWVINING.
WETHERSFIELD), Mifarch 19, 1798...... You no doubt have heard, from  some one of
those to whom I have written in New Haven, of the agreeableness of my present situation. I am very happily disappointed in two respects. I was fearful that attention to
business, after so long a season of relaxation, would cause
a return of those disagreeable and dangerous companions,
whose presence had obliged me to throw by my books. I
presumed, too, that the employment of instruction would
be tiresome and tedious. But I am happily disappointed
in both these respects.  I have not, in two years past,




A TEACHER: A STUDENT OF LAW, AND TUTOR. 67
enjoyed five weeks of so great mental and bodily health as
that which I have experienced during the five weeks in
which I have resided here......
FROM MR. SETH P. STAPLES.
NEW IIAvEN, July 7, 1798.......WE celebrated Independence here with great
pomp and splendor. The morn was ushered in by the firing of cannon and the ringing of bells, -a cant expression, and it will be in every Boston paper for this month.
At nine o'clock A. M. a procession was formed down in the
new township, consisting of —st, the Governor's guard; 2d,
the militia company; 3d, the new-formed company of artillerv, John P. Austin, captain; 4th, mayor and aldermen
of the city, the civil authority, the two orators Dr. Dwight
and Noah Webster, Jr., Esq., sheriffs, deputies, clergymen,
candidates, citizens, and students, and a military company
of boys. Perhaps I have not got them exactly in their
order. From  the new township they moved up Chapel
Street in procession till they came to the brick [church];
then the military opened on the right and left, and the
procession walked through. After they were seated, the
President delivered an excellent sermon, and Mr. Webster
an oration equally good. After the exercise, formed again,
and walked again in procession to the State House, where
was prepared a public dinner with excellent liquors. After
dinner, drank a number of very patriotic toasts, which you
will probably see in your papers; and a most ardent spirit
of patriotism appeared to diffuse itself through every rank
and grade of society. Many, before they left the tables,
got very high. The ladies in town, to a very great number, took tea at Mix's, over in the new township. To give
you an account of their manceuvres would exceed this letter. They drank toasts, sang songs, and appeared equally
gay with the gentlemen.




68           LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
FROMI MR. ELIHU CHAUNCEY.
PHIILADELPHIA, Jan. 30, 1801...... POLITICS here claim the attention of all, from the
highest to the lowest, and my fondness for things of this
kind will not suffer me to remain a calm spectator. A few
weeks since, Bronson and myself attended a Democratic
meeting, and amused ourselves among the mob for an hour
or two. A scene of more complete riot and confusion I
never witnessed; but, being unknown, we remained safe,
though we were somewhat apprehensive that violence
would be offered, in which case we should have come off
poorly, notwithstanding we were well armed for our defence. But here they openly talked of settling the differences of party by the point of the bayonet, and their conduct and conversation evidently showed that they stood
ready to cut our throats at the first signal. I thank you
for your kind wishes for my prosperity; but, sir, such is the
state of things in Pennsylvania, that I think no young man,
whose principles are not fully Jacobin, can calculate upon
an immediate rise in business. Such is the violence of the
Democrats, that they deem no Federalist too insignificant
for their exertions to obstruct his progress. They will use
any means to accomplish their ends, and they are all-powerful in Pennsylvania. My brother [Charles] is doing tolerably well; but I have no doubt that, if he would turn
Democrat, he would soon acquire a decent property, and
gain political promotion. But I think he will yet prefer to
subsist upon a few dollars, which he sometimes gets, than
sacrifice his principles, though it should be attended with
the first honors of the state......
TO MIR. G. S. SILLI3IAN.
NEw IIAVEN, Feb. 13, 1800....... I "HAVE resumed my change with alacrity," and
shall make every exertion "to discharge my trust with fidel



A TEACHER: A STUDENT OF LAW, AND TUTOR. 69
ity," thankful at the same time " for all my mercies," although I do not yet know whether the tide of popularity
runs against me or for me. Whichever is or may hereafter
be the fact, no change will be effected in my governing
principles.
I am resolved to do my duty with faithfulness, at the
same time softening the tone of authority by affability and
easiness of access. I should be in no hurry to leave my
present situation, unless disagreeable circumstances should
render it necessary.
TO HIS IMOTHER.
NEW HAVEN, June 2, 1800...... COLLEGE is in regular motion once more, and
the wheels run very smoothly. I am as happy as I ever
expect to be in this imperfect state. Indeed I cannot be
too thankful for it. But I feel a constant aspiration after
another and a better state. I hope, my dear mother, that
while you are spared to bless your children, you will not
spare those excellent counsels to which I owe almost everything which is good in me; and when you are gone to
heaven, I sincerely pray that the bright image of your example may always be present to keep me from sin. I have
found the excellent letter which you wrote last winter. I
have read it with strong emotions of filial affection and
reverence.....
TO MIR. G. S. SILLIMAN.
NEW HAVEN, June 28, 1800........I AM resolved to free myself from all pecuniary
embarrassment, which the regular returns of my salary will
in a few months enable me to effect. After that, I shall
certainly aim to lay by something every quarter, to assist
me in the first months of professional life. My principal
pecuniary weakness has been a taste for elegance, which in
circumstances more eligible would have been perfectly




70          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
proper, but in mine was certainly reprehensible.  You
justly remark, however, that our rank in society will not
permit us to stoop to mean economy. It will not; but I am
conscious that I have spent much money which I might
have saved. Perhaps $200 would comprehend everything
of this kind; but this sumrn, although small, is something in
the support of a year...... President Adams arrived
in town this afternoon, and we expect him at meeting tomlorrow at the Chapel. I am very well; feel no bad effects
frorm the summer's heat...... It is my turn to officiate
this evening, and as the bell is now ringing, I must bid
you adieu.....
The following letter describes a journey made on
horseback firom Newport, R. I., to Boston, and thence
to New Haven, by the way of Worcester and Springfield.
TO MIR. G. S. SILLIMAN.
NE w HAVEN, June 5, 1801.
DEAR SELLECKT,- -..... -Noon, Monday, May 19. -
After we parted with you and your charming companion, we rode on to the ferry, noticing in our progress the
traces of war upon the surrounding hills. We passed the
ferry safely; but from the extreme ill-nature and boorishness of the ferrymen, we were confident that they belonged
to the lowest type of democracy. As we sailed, the seat
of King Philip excited in my mind an interesting train of
reflections upon the surprising declension of the Indian,
and the rise of the Anglo-American, power in this country.
The singular neatness and thrift of Bristol and Warren
would have given me much more pleasure had they been
produced by any other means than the misery of the Africans. Between two and three P. M. we dined at Cole's,
and arrived in Providence a little before sunsetting. We
put up at Aldrich's, took tea, dressed, &c.; but an unlucky




A TEACHER: A STUDENT OF LAW, AND TUTOR.  71
rent which I gave one of my boots in drawing it on, lost
for us half the evening before it could be repaired. I soon
discovered that our hostess was a lady of quality; and,
from our inquiring for Mrs. Bowman's, Pres. AMaxcy's, &c.,
or from some strange defect in her optics, she took us for
gentlemen of style, and in a very short time she actually pronounced us Carolina gentlemen. No attention was now
enough for us; the good things of the house were brought
forth, and the servants were all on tiptoe to await our
commands. We were not anxious, you will readily believe,
to undeceive our hostess; for, had we once informed her
that we were from Connecticut, we should have dwindled
to common travellers. What I anticipated respecting our
bills we realized, for we were charged in proportion to our
style. The time which we had allotted to spend at the
President's and at Mr. MSumford's was now elapsed, and we
found ourselves able to call only at Mirs. Bowman's. Unfortunately the whole family, except Mliss Lynch and John,
were abroad; wkth them, however, we spent an hour, left
our respects for MArs. B. and the family, and retired.
Tuesday, 20th, 6 A. I. - Notwithstanding the urgent solicitations of our hostess the evening before, and our partial
promise that we would spend a few days in Providence, we
left the town, not a little diverted that we had brought off
our quality without discovering our Yankee extraction.
The style of building in Providence is, I think, superior to
that of any other town which I have seen. Pawtucket
Falls attracted our attention as we passed the bridge. We
passed on into the eastern part of Attleborough, where
we found a most excellent breakfast at Holmes's, thirteen
miles from Providence. The stage drove up full of sailors
just discharged from the George Washington. They complained much of Captain Bainbridge, declaring that the
Turks treated them with more humanity than he. We
passed on through Wrentham and Walpole to Dedham,
where we dined with the Judges of the County Court at




72          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
Gay's. They were plain, sensible men, but apparently of
moderate information. All mouths at Dedham were full
of the shocking murder committed the day before; and the
perpetrator lay, groaning with his wounds, at a neighboring,
house. The appearance of the country had been very fine
ever since we entered Massachusetts, but Dedham is a delightful spot, and Air. Ames has the most charming seat in
it. At three o'clock P.mr. we started for Boston, and as
we proceeded, the country grew more and more delightfutl.
About four miles from Boston, my horse, which, in consequence of his being shod very badly at Providence, had
frequently stumbled in the course of the day, when going
upon a fiull trot, fell headlong with great violence, and
pitched me over his head three or four yards. Owing to
the great goodness of my Preserver, 1 was not in the least
degree injured, but after leading my horse on for two miles
I left himn to be shod again in Roxbury, and I walked into
Boston. We put up at Vose's, in School Street, - an excellent house. Dutton's and Denison's lcdgings were only
two doors off, but they being out, we spent the evening at
the Columbian Museum. There we saw a great multitude
of curious things,- wax figures, and particularly wax
beauties in abundance; but I declare to you I am so little
of a connoisseur, that these same wax figures freeze me;
they have the coldness of death; — in truth, I had rather
spend half an hour with Miss  - than a whole year with
these wax beauties.
Wednesday, 21st. - After breakfast we went with Dutton and Denison into the Mall and Common, and ascended
to the pinnacle of the new State House, where we were
presented with a prospect which for extent and beauty exceeded anything I had ever seen. The limits of my paper
will not allow me to give a description of Boston and its
vicinity. But I will just remark that the country around
Boston is really a terrestrial paradise. After descending
from the State House, Ely and I mounted our horses and




A TEACHER. A STUDENT OF LAW, AND TUTOR.  73
rode over Charlestown Bridge to Breed's, usually called
Bunker's Hill. Here I spent half an hour with great emotion. Leaning against the monument of Warren, I surveyed
the scene of carnage, now a verdant, charming meadow.
Our lines of defence, however, are still visible. We descended the hill, and spent two hours with Doctor Mlorse.
He treated us with great politeness, and requested our
company to breakfast the next day. We returned to Boston, rode around the various parts of the town, and dined
at our lodgings. In the' afternoon, Dutton, Denison, Ely,
and myself, with Mr. Wells, lately a tutor in Harvard, went
in a hack to Cambridge. Mr. Wells introduced us to the
gentlemen of college;.... we were conducted into the
Library, Museum, &c., and took tea at Pres. Willard's. In
the mean time Mr. Ely and I called upon Mr. R~-;.... he received us very cordially, nor will I detract from
the goodness of his heart by hinting that the interesting
despatches of which I was the bearer might have added
some value in his view to the hand which presented them.
We drove back to Boston, and I spent the evening with
my companion at Captain Goodwin's....
Thursday, 22d. -We breakfasted with Dr. MIorse, and he
waited upon us back to Boston. I then called upon Dr.
Eliot, brother of our Mr. Eliot.  Ile showed me much
attention; conducted me to the Historical Library and
Museum, introduced me to a number of respectable gentlemen, and showed me the house where Dr. Franklin was
born. The Doctor's mother, it seems, went to church in the
forenoon, became his mother in the intermission, and the
infant was baptized in the afternoon, -so that the Doctor
used humorously to say that he attended meeting the whole
of that day.  I then called upon Eunice Eliot, and our
classmate Gurley. We dined with Dutton and a circle of
literati,.... where we enjoyed " the feast of reason, and
the flow of soul," until four r. ir., when Mir. E. and I excused ourselves and retired.  5Mr. Eliot, of Fairfield, I




74          ILIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
found at our lodgings; he had just arrived on a visit to
his friends. At five P. M. we left Boston, and proceeded to
Cambridge, where we were detained an hour by rain. We
then proceeded through Watertown to Waltham, ten miles
from Boston, where we put up'for the night at I-Iarrington's.
Friday, 23d. -We proceeded through East Sudbury and
West Sudbury, where we breakfasted at Howe's; then on
through Marlborough, Northborough, and Shrewsbury, to
Worcester, where we arrived at one r. M., forty-seven miles
from Boston. We dined at Barker's, and partook of a very
animated dessert, administered by a democratic lawyer of
the town who dined at our table. The subject of dispute
was the right of the people to choose the electors of President. Unfortunately, the gentleman made me such concessions as ran him on shore at once, while our jolly landlord was laughing in his sleeve at the confusion of one who,
I suppose, had hitherto ruled the roost in his house. Worcester is a beautiful inland town, and the country between
it and Boston is generally very fine. At three, we proceeded through Leicester and Spencer, a hilly country, to
East Brookfield, a delightful village in a fruitful vale,
where one of my pupils - Reed - found us out, and conducted us to his father's, where we took tea. [Major Reed
lives in elegant country style.  We proceeded to West
Brookfield, where we put up at Draper's, fifty-seven miles
from the place where we set out in the morning. This
moment comes in your letter by MIr. Wales. I feel grateful to the persons who have expressed a wish to become
acquainted with your brother, nor shall I ever forget the
unmerited attentions which I received while in Newport,
particularly from Major Lyman's family.
Saturday, 24th. -We mounted our horses at five P. M.,
designing to reach Hartford, if possible, fifty-six miles.
We rode through a hilly country, but a pleasant one; the
road was turnpiked; breakfasted at Bates's in Palmer,- a
very contentious and ill-governed family. We proceeded




A TEACHER: A STUDENT OF LAW, AND TUTOP..  75
for Springfield. In Wilbraham they showed us the pond
where the six young people were drowned last summer.
We arrived at Springfield about one P. -i. The keeper of
the Armory was absent, and we could not see the arms. We
made no stop East, but crossed the river and dined in'West
Springfield. My horse was so much fatigued and stumbled
in so alarming a manner, that we put up for the night at
Suffield, although it was only four p. 3r., and of course there
was sufficient time to have reached Hartford. Our landlord, Mr. Austin, was a warm, though weak, Democrat, and
by drinking Jefferson's health with him we were soon in
high credit.
Sabbath, 25th. - Before sunrise we proceeded for Hartford, but at Windsor my horse travelled so ill that I turned
him adrift to follow Ely, and hired a chaise and boy to
convey me to Hartford, where we arrived in good breakfasttime. Attended Mr. Strong's meeting; took tea with Dr.
Fish; spent the evening all over town, as we fell in with a
company of young ladies who were disposed to enjoy the
fine evening in a walk, - and ladies, you know, when once
in motion, are very erratic creatures.
Monday, 26th. — We breakfasted with Dr. Fish, and
dined with Mills, Sherwood, and several other gentlemen
of our acquaintance, at their lodgings. In the afternoon
we proceeded to Wethersfield, where we remained until the
next day, Tuesday, 27th, when Ely proceeded for New
HIaven (via Durham). I remained in Wethersfield a little
longer; dined at Mr. Marsh's; took tea at Col. Chester's.
After tea, I attended Misses Hannah and Mary Chester,
with Hannah and Julia Mitchell, on a walk in the meadows
by moonlight. We rambled about till nine.
TO MR. G. S. SILLIMAN.
NEw HAvEN, Aug. 29, 1801...... You will learn with much pain that my good
friend, Mr. Day, the tutor,* is, to all human appearance, fast
* Afterwards President.- F.




76           LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIIAN.
sliding into consumption.  He relinquished all business
several weeks since; has bled at the lungs frequently; is
attended with an occasional fever, and grows poor and weak
very fast. His misfortune was induced by preaching. Some
chance remains for his recovery, but, although we do not
entirely despair, we have no reason to hope. He is still in
town. I passed the last night with hitn, and left him quite
comfortable this morning.  Chauncey Whittelsey of Middletown, a most respectable man, and an able and faithful
officer, has been turned out, since my last, from the Collectorship of Middletown, and A - W,  a known
atheist, profligate, and bankrupt, appointed in his place.
This is Jefferson's policy to heal national wounds; this is
democratical sincerity. I am, my dear brother, not with
enmpty presidential professions, your sincere friend and affectionate brother.
The annexed letter alludes to the separation of his
brother's wife from her family consequent upon her
marriage.
TO MR. G. S. SILLI3IAN.
NEWV HAVEN, Apr'il 3, 1802........I PITY her with all my heart when I think what
a parting she must have had with the best of parents, and
the most affectionate of brothers and sisters. Indeed, my
dear brother, when I consider what sacrifices this dear
friend is making to promote your happiness, I need not
add anything to stimulate your exertions to supply, as far
as possible, sources of happiness which shall in some
measure compensate her for the loss she has sustained. I
earnestly pray Heaven to bless you both, and to render the
land in which you are settled as pleasant as that which you
have left. I expect to receive letters from you by the
middle of next week, but I shall endeavor to feel perfectly
easy about you, since you are in the hands of a kind Provi



A TEACHER: A STUDENT OF LAW, AND TUTOR.  77
dence, and every circumstance, so far as we can judge, is
in your favor. I have not heard a word from any of our
friends of either famnily since you left Connecticut. I nmust
now say a word to Hepsa.....
DEAR HEPSA, - This is the first time that I ever sat
down to write to you with my face eastward; but I think I
shall now look upon the sun at his rising with additional
pleasure, since he will shine upon two of my dearest
friends before he illuminates New Haven. I have thought
of you, my dear sister, often during this week, and I have
felt for you sincerely when I considered that the ligaments
which bound you to your family were so interwoven with
the cords of your heart that they must bleed when torn
asunder. But I will not enhance your grief by dwelling
upon the subject. Think how happy you will be to return
to the bosom of your famiily, and to welcome your friends
to Newport. I trust that David and I shall be amlong the
first from Connecticut who will enter your doors......
The effect of his oration at Hartford is thus stated
in a letter to his brother:
TO MR. G. S. SILLIMAN.
NEw HXAvESN, July 21, 1802...... TImE oration was a systematical delineation of
the doctrines of modern philosophy, as they affect religion,
government, and the morals and habits of private life, and
a comparison of them with the practical system of New
England, with respect to these three great interests of
society. It is hardly consistent with propriety, to detail
in a letter what was said by the friends of the cause which
I advocated.  Suffice it to say, that their praises far exceeded the demands of justice. Babcock's paper, after a
long piece upon the abuses of the society in permitting
orators to write their own sentiments, pronounces Dwight's
oration of last year one of the most execrable, malicious,




78          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
and libellous performances; and declares this to be only a
continuation of that, with this difference only, -that the
abuse of the President and officers of government is
more insidious and artful in the latter, although it is evident that they both flowed from one pen, namely, Dr.
Dwight's. The demos were the more angry at me because
they supposed i meant them, although I did not say a word
about them......
The foregoing pages have enabled the reader to
judge of the intellectual qualities of Mr. Silliman in
his youth, and of the culture which he attained. A
more particular notice of his religious views and impressions may properly conclude this chapter. Educated, as he was, at home, and being naturally sober
and reflective, he was never without reverence for
God, and a quick sense of moral obligations. His
frequent religious expressions -though an occasional
reference to religion was deemed to be a part of decorum in those days more than at present - are evidently spontaneous. He had been in the habit of
daily reading the Scriptures and offering up prayer.
Yet prior to the closing year of his tutorship, the
truths of the Gospel had not so vividly impressed
his feelings as to exert a full control over the purpose
and spirit of his life. A few months after graduation, in a letter to his brother, he indicates an intention to make Christianity a study.
TO MR. G. S. SILLI3IAN.
FAIRFIELD, April 24, 1797...... I AM well convinced of the importance of an
early and thorough examination of the evidence of the
Christian religion, and intend that it shall be one of the




A TEACHER: A STUDENT OF LAW, AND TUTOR. 79
first objects of my attention. I am the more induced to
make this examination, as some of the doctrines contained
in the New Testament are apparently so contradictory to
each other, and so subversive of the conclusions drawn by
human reason, concerning the justice of the Deity in his
government of the world, and in the dispensation of future
rewards and punishments, that I expect to found my belief
of these doctrines solely upon the external evidence that
they came from God. If I find sufficient evidence that
Jesus Christ so appeared, so lived, so taught, so died, and
so ascended into heaven, as in the Bible he is represented
to have done, to command my belief, then I must of consequence believe the doctrines which he taught. I am
at present reading Bossuet's "Universal History," which
throws much light upon this subject by showing the connection of sacred and profane history......
Three years after he writes in a similar strain.
TO  IR. G. S. SILLIMAN.
NEW HAVEN, AUg. 22, 1800...-..  I AM3 gratified with the seriousness which often
marks your letters, and which was particularly conspicuous
in your last. It is indeed true that we must soon leave
" this vale of tears," and pass through the " dark valley of
the shadow of death " into that unknown world from which
there is no return. The thought strikes me, I must confess, with terror, but still I am conscious that no object in
this world is capable of satisfying the desires of an immnnortal mind. I am engaged in a serious examination of the
evidences of the Christian religion.  What I have already
perused would have staggered my mind had I been an
infidel. I devote my Sabbaths to the pursuit, and mean to
continue it until I am able " to give a reason of the hope
that is in me."  The solicitude of our excellent mother is
so great respecting us both upon this subject, that I should




80           LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
have engaged in the pursuit from duty alone, had other
motives been wanting. I have received a letter from her,
written upon the 8th instant, when you may remember I
completed my minority. It was full of every motherly and
excellent sentiment appropriate to the occasion.
In an earlier letter to his mother, after confessing
that his religious feelings had declined in strength,
though his determination to avoid all vice is unchanged, he opens his heart without reserve.
TO IIIS MOTHER.
NEW HIAVEN, Dec. 15, 1798...... I WILL tell you, my dear parent, what I esteem
to be the strongest springs of action, by which my mind is at
present impelled. By considering these, you will be better
able to determine the truth of my preceding remarks. I
find no propensity in my system stronger than a wish to be
highly respectable and respected in society. I must act in a
particular sphere, and that sphere which is assigned me is
the Law. This affords a boundless field for the display of
every great and good quality. In a country like ours this
profession is a staircase by which talents and industry
will conduct their possessor to the very pinnacle of usefulness and fame. This pinnacle is constantly in my eye. I
am not content (as I once thought it best) to walk obscurely along through some sequestered vale of life......
No, I must embark in the great business of life; and that
reputation and usefulness may attend me, my present time
must be devoted to laborious study. A lawyer ought to be
an able cozunsellor and an eloquent man. Intense study is
the only means by which he can attain the first character;
and practice, with unremitting attention to the great models
before his eyes, and a constant habit of elegance and accuracy of language, are the principal means for attaining the
second.  This same thirst for respectability influences




A TEACHER: A STUDENT OF LAW, AND TUTOR.  81
likewise all my conduct. I wish to make myself the easy,
agreeable, and endearing man in society. With the grave,
I wish to be sententious; with the girls, easy, affable, and
polite, nay, sometimes moderately trifling; but with the
friends of my heart, open and sincere. In short, I wish to
make myself " all things to all men," as far as decency,
morality, and religion will suffer me to go. Another strong
propensity is that which impels me to associate with females
of equal age and respectability, and from thein to cull out
some guardian angel, some tutelary deity, who may be my
protectress and the object of my care...... Should I
meet a congenial soul I should be a happy man, but my
ardor may drive me to an improper connection, and then I
shall be truly miserable. These, my dear parent, I believe
to be the great traits of my present character. 1 could
enlarge upon them and trace them through all their various
ramifications, but I should tire you with egotism. Now, my
dear parent, is there anything in all this which is unworthy? I hear you answer, " No, my dear son; but remember that all you have said respects the little, very little, space
of time comprehended within the limits of human life; —
eternity succeeds, -prepare for that!" I feel the full
force of the great truth, and sincerely pray God to assist
me, and to make me the good Christian as well as the
worthy man......
Under a later date, he writes to his mother, deploring his lack of vivid feeling in respect to the
objects of faith.
TO HIS MOTHER.
NEW HAVEN, March 15, 1800.
MY DEAR PARENT, -  This evening brings us repose
from the fatigues of a four days' examination, and I sit
down with satisfaction to converse a little while with my
dear parent.
VOL. I.          6




82           LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMIAN.
Your affectionate parental and instructive letter I have
perused again and again. I wish, indeed, that I could give
you an account of my religious concerns sufficiently pleasing
to repay your exertions and to satisfy my own anxious feelings. I can say with truth that this great subject dwells
in my mind when I am at liberty to think, " but shadows,
clouds, and darkness rest upon it." Not that I doubt, but
that I do not feel, although I readily assent to the proposition that these things are so. When I read that one of
our frigates has fought a severe battle with a ship of superior force, I feel it at once. I trace every circumstance
in my mind, and fancy that I hear the roaring cannon, the
shouts of victory, and the groans of the dying.  Butwhether it is owing to some fatal cause, or merely to the
triteness of the subject, I know not- when the awful
truths of Christianity are announced from the desk, I do
not always feel that interest which the subject ought to
command. But I will reserve this subject until I see
you......
His letters to his brother at this time betray a like
solicitude.
TO IMR. G. S. SILLI3IAN.
NEW HIAVEN, Mjay 14, 1800.......WYv is it, since no fact not already accomplished
is.so clearly demonstrated as human mortality, and nothing
is so uncertain as the time and manner of that event, that
mankind treat the subject as an idle tale. the dream of
superstition, and the bugbear of timorous minds? My dear
brother, as we regard our eternal salvation, let us daily
strive to run the Christian race, that in the end we may
obtain a crown of glory which fadeth not away.
In 1802, during the last year of Mr. Silliman's
tutorship, a remarkable attentiveness to religion




A TEACHER: A STUDENT OF LAW, AND TUTOR.  83
sprung up in Yale College.  In this Revival a large
number of persons became deeply interested, of
whom Mr. Silliman was one. During the progress
of the Revival he writes to his mother as follows: -
YALE, June 11, 1802...... IT would delight your heart, my dear mother, to
see how the trophies of the Cross are multiplied in this Institution. Yale College is a little temple: prayer and praise
seem to be the delight of the greater part of the students,
while those who are still unfeeling are awed into respectful silence. Pray for me, my dear mother, that while I am
attempting to forward others in the journey to heaven, I
may not be myself a castaway. I send you one volume of
Pope's Letters, also a most excellent new publication....
On the 5th of September, 1802, he united with
the College Church. The following memorandum,
written on that day, is found among his papers, to
which is appended a record of a similar nature, made
a year later.
NEW HAVEN, Sept. 5, 1802.
Morning, 9 o'clock.
Sabbath and Communion Day. - This day I intend, with
the permission and assistance of the good Spirit of God, to
give myself up publicly in a perpetual covenant with God
as my Father, with Jesus Christ as my Saviour, and with
the Holy Ghost as my Sanctifier. O Thou Triune God,
my Creator, my Redeemer, and my Sanctifier, accept me
in the Covenant of Grace; dispose of me according to thy
own good pleasure; employ me in thy service; save me in
thy own way; and enable me to perform with sincerity the
solemn act of publicly committing my soul into thy hands.
Not because I am assured of my soul's health do I thus
resolve to profess and promise. I am not without hope




84          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
(although it is but faint and glimmering) that God has
accepted of my soul, which was early given up to Him in
baptism by my pious parents, one of whom I trust is now
singing the song of Moses and the Lamb, and the other, I
trust, is fast ripening for heaven; nor can I entirely despair that the secret act of self-dedication which I have performed in my closet has been regarded by Him who searcheth the heart and trieth the reins. 0 my Redeemer, when
this day for the first time I taste the bread, the sacred symbol of thy flesh, which was torn for my sins, and drink the
wine, that sacred symbol of thy blood, which was shed for
my sins, may I be melted with grief for my sins, warmed
with gratitude for thy disinterested love, and elevated with
hope by the remembrance that my Redeemer liveth, and
that I shall stand before Him at the last day!
YALE COLLEGE, Sept. 11, 1803.
Sabbath and Communion Day, 41 o'clock, P. M. - This day
completes a year, reckoning by Sabbaths, since I did publicly and solemnly give up my soul to God the Father, Son,
and' Holy Ghost. On that day, for the first time, I sat
down at his table, and commemorated his dying love. On
that day I vowed not only to deny all sinful inclinations, but
to resign friends and even life, should God call me so to do.
I promised as far as possible to work out my own salvation,
but with fear and trembling, humbly hoping for the blessing of God, without which I can do nothing. My life has
been prolonged, my probation extended, and salvation may
still be in store for me.
This year has been attended by mercies, - yes, innumerable and of incalculable value.  I have enjoyed a state of
health unexampled for many years, with great vigor of
body and activity of mind. I have not been confined by
sickness, nor detained more than two half-days from the
house of God. My dear friends, in comfortable health and
circumstances, have all been spared to me. I have received




A TEACHER: A STUDENT OF LAW, AND TUTOR. 85
an appointment which will afford me a comfortable and
honorable support through life, with the prospect of extensive usefulness to youth and to my country. MIy wants
have all been supplied, and I am in health and comfort.
This moment the funeral bell tolls for I know not whom,
and I am alive; and is not this a great mercy!
But what have I done to show my gratitude to God? And
have I received these blessings with humility, and with a
sense of my entire dependence upon the Giver of all good?
Have I striven to keep up a lively intercourse with Heaven
by prayer, by reading, and meditation? Has my deportment before the world been so guarded that no reproach
may be brought upon the Christian nalne; in short, have I
striven to lead the life of a Christian? I must plead guilty,
inasmuch as my obedience has been very imperfect, and
sin has not always been excluded. Still I hope that God
may have seen something good in me by his grace, and that
I have not wholly neglected my religious duties while I
have received innumerable blessings.
MIy devotions, although generally performed at stated intervals, have been sometimes omitted, or performed with
coldness and constraint, and worldly thoughts have too often
intruded in the hours of public worship, and opportunities
of doing and obtaining good have not always been made
use of as they should have been. My deportment has been
too unguarded before the world, and I have been wanting
in zeal, in love, and engagedness in the Christian life.
For all these things I desire to humble myself before
God; and I ask his gracious aid to walk hereafter more
worthily of my Christian profession.
This day I have again approached the table of the Lord,
and I hope I may not have partaken unworthily of the
sacred elements that represent the great sacrifice of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
God only knows whether another anniversary of this day
will be granted to me, or whether I shall sooner be called




86          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
to give up my account. O Heavenly Father, I implore
thine aid through the Spirit of truth, should my life be
spared another year, to enable me to live more agreeably
to the character of a Christian; more agreeably to thy revealed will, and to my own solemn professions; and wilt
Thou assist me this day to renew my covenant with Thee,
and, having renewed it, to keep it inviolate.
Other proofs remain of the sincerity with which
he entered upon the Christian life. Thenceforward,
in all his plans, he had a conscious reference to the
Divine will and to the realities of the invisible world.
No one who peruses this memoir will find reason to
doubt that he served God.




CHAPTER IV.
APPOINTED PROFESSOR: A STUDENT OF CHEMISTRY IN
PHILADELPHIA.
His Long Acquaintance with Yale College. —The Study of Science in
Yale College in the Last Century. -His Consultation with Dr. Dwight,
and the Offer of the Professorship of Chemistry. - His Reasons for Accepting this Proposal. - His Election to the Office. - His First Winter
in Philadelphia (1802-3). - His Fellow-Boarders at Mrs. Smith's. - Dr.
Woodhouse's Lectures. - His Association with Robert Hare. - The
Oxy-Hydrogen Blow-Pipe. -Dr. Benjamin Rush. -Dr. Barton's Lectures. - Dr. Wistar's Lectures. - Interview with Dr. Priestlev. - Summer of 1803 at New Haven. - Brief Residence in Princeton. - Dr.
John MAaclean. -- President Smith.- His Second ]Winter in Philadelphia (1803-4). - His Acquaintance in that City. - Correspondence
with G. S. Silliman, Moses Stuart, J. L. Kingsley, &c.
FROM this point we are able to avail ourselves of
Mr. Silliman's own Reminiscences.  When  he commenced this Record, he had chiefly in view that
department of instruction in Yale College with the
origin and growth of which he was so closely connected. He accordingly begins with a notice of his
relations to the College.
MY own membership in Yale College as an under-graduate extended from September, 1792, to September, 1796;
JEt. 13 to 17.  Its concerns continued to be known to me
during the two succeeding years, when I did not reside in
New  Haven.  In October, 1798, I resumed my residence
here, and was engaged in the study of the law. In September, 1799, I was appointed a tutor in Yale College,
(Et. 20.)  In October following I entered upon the duties




88          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
of that office, and remained in the instruction and government of the Institution until 1853, when I fully resigned,
having made an overture for a resignation in 1850, which
was not accepted. During this period, on two different
occasions, I passed nearly two years abroad. ]By invitation
of the Corporation and Faculty of the College, I continued
to give the chemical lectures to the termination of the
course of 1853, and the lectures on mineralogy and geology until the termination of the academic year of 1855.
Miy personal knowledge of Yale College has covered more
than sixty years, and therefore, as to historical facts, I may
be regarded as a competent witness during more than one
third of the period of its existence.
A primary object in the institution of the College was
the education of ministers of the Gospel. Classical learning was, therefore, the principal object of attention, and so
it continued to be until my time. To train young men to
write and to speak was the great effort of the instructors.
Theological, ethical, and metaphysical subjects were much
cultivated, and logic was also a prominent topic. The
mathematics were not forgotten, and their value was appreciated. The discoveries of Newton in the preceding century had given great dignity and attractiveness to astronomy and to physical dynamics, and there were always in
the College devotees to these sciences and to mathematics.
The Rev. President Clap- 1739 to 1766 - was an eminent mathematician and astronomer; and the Rev. President Stiles - 1777 to 1795 - in addition to a wide range
of knowledge on almost all subjects, was an ardent devotee to astronomy. It was said that he cherished the hope
that in the future life he would be permitted to visit the
planets, and to examine the rings of Saturn and the belts
and satellites of Jupiter. He continued to my time, having died in 1795, in the May vacation of my Junior year.
In the first century of Yale College, a single room was
appropriated to apparatus in physics. It was in the old




APPOINTED PROFESSOR: STUDIES IN PHILADELPHIA. 89
college, second loft, northeast corner, now No. 56. It was
papered on the walls; the floor was sanded, and the window-shutters were always kept closed except when visitors
or students were introduced. There was an air of mystery about the room, and we entered it with awe, increasing to admiration after we had seen sonlething  of the
apparatus and the experiments. There was an air-pump,
an electrical machine of the cylinder form, a whirling
table, a telescope of medium size, and some of smaller dimensions; a quadrant, a set of models for illustrating the
mechanical powers, a condensing fountain with jets d'eau,
a theodolite, and a magic lantern-the wonder of Freshmen.
These were the principal instruments; they were of considerable value: they served to impart valuable information, and to enlarge the students' knowledge of the material world. We should not now undervalue the mental
culture, and certainly the discipline, of the first century in
Yale College.  In relation to the early condition of the
country, the means of education were comrnensurate with
the demands of the community, and great and wise and
good ad and useful men were trained in Yale College in those
times, many of whom have left their mark on the passing
age in which they lived.
During my novitiate, chemistry was scarcely ever named.
I well remember when I received my earliest impressions
in relation to chemistry. Professor Josiah Meigs - 1794
to 1801 - delivered lectures on natural philosophy from
the pulpit of the College Chapel. He was a gentleman of
great intelligence, and had read Chaptal, Lavoisier, and
other chemical writers of the French school. From these,
and perhaps other sources, he occasionally introduced
chemical facts and principles in common with those of
natural philosophy. I heard from him (lEt. 15 and 16) that
water contains a great amount of heat which does not
make the water any hotter to the touch or to the thermoineter; that this heat comes out of the water when it




90          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
freezes, and still the freezing water is not warmed by the
escaping heat, except when the water has been cooled below the freezing-point before freezing; then, when it actually freezes, the temperature rises to 32~; and that all this
heat must be reabsorbed by the ice when it melts, and then
becomes latent, as if it were extinguished, but is again to
escape when the ice melts anew. This appeared to me
very surprising; and still more astonishing did it appear
that boiling water cannot be made any hotter by urging
the fire.  My curiosity being awakened, I opened an
encyclopedia, and there read that balloons were inflated
by an inflammable gas obtained fiom water; and I looked
with intense interest at the figures representing the apparatus, by means of which steam, made to pass through
an ignited gun-barrel, came out inflammable gas at the
other end of the tube. These and similar things created
in my youthful mind a vivid curiosity to know more of
the science to which they appertained. Little did I then
imagine that Providence held this duty and pleasure in
reserve for me.
President Dwight and his enlarged Views.- (1795 to
1817.) - This great man was the successor of the Rev.
Dr. Stiles, who was both a living polyglot and a living
encyclopedia. President Dwight, if his vigorous mind at
the meridian age of forty-three was not overrunning, like
that of Dr. Stiles, with every variety of curious lore, it included in his wide range of vision all the great branches
of human knowledge. A divine, a poet, a rhetorician, a
scholar, and a high-bred gentleman, he, when physical
science did not sway the universal mind as now, still saw
with a telescopic view both its intrinsic importance and its
practical relations to the wants of man and to the progress
of human society. Chemistry early attracted his attention,
and although he had never been personally conversant
with the science, it was apparent from his remarks that he




APPOINTED PROFESSOR: STUDIES IN PHILADELPHIA. 91
understood its nature and its position among the physical
sciences. I was, on an early occasion, much impressed with
the correctness of his views, when I accidentally overheard
him on the door-steps of the Laboratory replying to a lady,
a stranger, who asked him, " Pray sir, what is chemistry?"
To her he correctly and forcibly enunciated its nature and
object.
I have already mentioned that I returned to New Haven
in 1798, (it was in October,) and that I then commenced
the study of the law. This course of study, after my appointment as tutor in Yale College, I continued collaterally
with my duties of instruction; and having advanced nearly
through the third year of my studies, I was favorably impressed by an overture for an establishment in a distant
State. A proposal was made to me, through some of my
college friends in Georgia, to take charge of the important
and flourishing academy at Sunbury in Liberty County, not
far from Savannah. As this county was settled by a Puritan
population, - emigrants from the colony of Old Plymouth
and Dorchester, - its people retained the institutions and
habits of their Northern friends; and those persons from
Liberty County whom I had known contributed to confirm
my favorable impressions. Mly Southern friends represented
to me that a liberal income, enjoyed for a few years, would
aid me in passing into the practice of law in Georgia, and
thus I might obtain an establishment in a country where the
profession commanded more ample rewards than at the
North.
While I was deliberating upon this important subject, I
met President Dwight, one very warm morning in July,
1801, under the shade of the grand trees in the street in
fiont of the college buildings, when, after the usual salutations, we lingered, and conversation ensued. Ile had been
a warm personal friend of my deceased father; and their
residences being but three miles apart, - Holland Hill and
Greenfield Hill, both in Fairfield, - an active interest was




92           LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
maintained between them and their families. The Pres.
ident having ever, and particularly since his accession to
the presidency in 1795, taken a parental interest in the
welfare of my brother and myself, - my brother Gold. S.
Silliman and myself were classmates, - I felt it to be both
a privilege and a duty to ask his advice on this occasion.
After I had stated the case to him, he promptly replied,
and with his usual decision said: " I advise you not to go
to Georgia. I would not voluntarily, unless under the influence of some commanding moral duty, go to live in a
country where slavery is established; you must encounter,
moreover, the dangers of the climate, and may die of a fever
within two years. I have still other reasons which I will
now proceed to state to you." lie then proceeded to say
that the corporation of the College had, several years before,
at his recommendation, passed a vote or resolution to establish a Professorship of Chemistry and Natural History as
soon as the funds would admit of it. The time, he said,
had now arrived when the College could safely carry the
resolution into effect. Ile said, however, that it was at
present impossible to find among us a man properly qualified to discharge the duties of the office. IIe remarked,
moreover, that a foreigner, with his peculiar habits and prejudices, would not feel and act in unison with us, and that
however able he might be in point of science, he would not
understand our college system, and might therefore not act
in harmony with his colleagues.
He saw no way but to select a young man worthy of
confidence, and allow him time, opportunity, and pecuniary
aid to enable him to acquire the requisite science and skill,
and wait for him until he should be prepared to begin. He
decidedly preferred one of our own young men born and
trained among us, and possessed of our habits and sylnpathies.
The President then did me the honor to propose that
I should consent to have my name presented to the Cor



APPOINTED PROFESSOR: STUDIES IN PHILADELPHIA. 93
poration, giving me at the same time the assurance of his
cordial support, and of his belief that the appointment
would be made. I was then approaching twenty-two years
of age, - still a youth, or only entering on early manhood.
I was startled and almost oppressed by the proposal. A
profession, - that of the law, - in the study of which I was
already far advanced, was to be abandoned, and a new profession was to be acquired, preceded by a course of study
and of preparation too, in a direction in which in Connecticut there was no precedent.
The good President perceived both my surprise and my
embarrassment, and with his usual kindness and resource
proceeded to remark to this effect: —' I could not propose
to you a course of life and of effort which would promise
more usefulness or more reputation. The profession of
law does not need you; it is already full, and many eminent
men adorn our courts of justice; you may also be obliged
to cherish a hope long deferred, before success would crown
your efforts in that profession, although, if successfill, you
may become richer by the law than you can by science.
In the profession which I proffer to you there will be no
rival here. The field will be all your own. The study
will be full of interest and gratification, and the presentation which you will be able to make of it to the college
classes and the public will afford much instruction and
delight. Our country, as regards the physical sciences, is
rich in unexplored treasures, and by aiding in their development you will perform an important public service, and
connect your name with the rising reputation of our native
land. Time will be allowed to make every necessary preparation; and when you enter upon your duties, you will
speak to those to whom the subject will be new. You will
advance in the knowledge of your profession more rapidly
than your pupils can follow you, and will be always ahead
of your audience."
Thus encouraged by remarks so forcibly put and so




94           LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
kindly suggested, I expressed my earnest and most respectful thanks for the honor and advantages so unexpectedly
offered to me, and asked for a few weeks for consideration
and for consultation with my nearest friends. We then
emerged from under the shade of those noble elms, and I
retired, thoughtful and pensive, to my chamber. The confidence reposed in me by President Dwight, and thus tendered in advance, increased nly sense of responsibility in
view of a highly important and arduous undertaking. I
felt it, however, to be a relief to escape fiom the practice
of the law, which never appeared to me desirable. There
are indeed bright spots in a career at the Bar: right may
sometimes be vindicated against wrong, and injured innocence protected; but the temptation would often be strong
- especially when backed by wealth - to contend against
justice, and by force of talent and address to make the
worse appear the better cause, and to screen the guilty from
punishment, the fraudulent from the payment that is justly
due. If one could always be engaged in a good cause, and
could be at liberty to follow the promptings of his conscience, without suppression or perversion of truth, or concealment or palliation of wrong, then indeed the practice
of law would appear most desirable and honorable; and
with requisite talent and learning, and the impulses of a
generous temperament, a career at the Bar might be truly
noble; but having been a diligent and attentive listener in
the courts of law during my course of study of the profession, I had seen that the beau-ideal sketch was too often
merely a picture of the imagination.  The associations
which the practice of the law creates are often highly
undesirable. Often the most unworthy part of mankind
throng the courts of justice, or are compelled to appear
there by the mandate of law, and the practising lawyer is
obliged to consort with the weak and the wicked, as well
as with the wise and good. Such were some of the thoughts
which occurred to me on the first view of the question of




APPOINTED PROFESSOR: STUDIES IN PHILADELPIIA. 95
changing professions. On the other hand, the study of
Nature appeared very attractive. In her works there is no
falsehood, although there are mysteries to unveil, which is
a very interesting achievement. Everything in Nature is
straightforward and consistent.  There are no polluting
influences; all the associations with these pursuits are elevated and virtuous, and point towards the infinite Creator.
My taste also led me in this direction, and I anticipated no
sacrifice of feeling in relinquishing the prospect of practice
at the Bar, although I had no occasion to regret that I had
spent much time in the study of the noble science of the
law, founded as it is in sound reason and ethics, and sacred
to the best interests of mankind.
Consultation with Friends. - Prominent among them was
a wise and good mother, standing in the place of an excellent father, whom death had removed when I had attained
but half of my then present age. To her and to a higher
Tribunal I had chief reference, and I found the impression
gaining strength in my mind in favor of the pursuits of
science. I therefore decided to accept the proffered nomination of the President, and to take my chance of appointment by the corporation. As I was, however, drawing near
to the close of my term of legal study, I resolved to continue my efforts in that direction, and secure an admission
to the Bar as a retreat in case of disaster to the College
from the violence of party spirit. President Dwight was
an ardent Federalist of the Washington School, and his
eloquent appeals excited the hostility of the rising Democracy. I stood my examination successfully, as conducted
by the  I-on. David Daggett on the 19th and 20th of
March, 1802. I was admitted, with the usual oath, to the
Bar of Connecticut, in company with my friends and fellowstudents, Charles Denison and Myron Holley. President
Dwight kindly consented to remain, for the present, silent,
and I continued to act and teach as a tutor, until the devel



9G           LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
opment took place which is announced in the following
paragraphs.
President Dwight had been in office but three years before he procured the passage of the following resolution,
which is taken from the record of the doings of the President and Fellows of Yale College at their regular meeting,
Sept. 12, 1798: -
~" Voted, That a Professorship of Chemistry and Natural
History be instituted in this College as soon as the funds
shall be sufficiently productive to support it."
From the doings of the same, Sept. 7, 1802, four years
later:
Whereas, in Sept. 1798, it was voted by this Board that
a Professorship of Chemistry and Natural History be instituted in this College as soon as the funds shall be sufficiently productive to support it; and it now appearing that
the funds are adequate to the object, -
" Voted, That a Professorship of Chemistry and Natural
History be, and it is hereby, instituted in this College.
"Voted, That it is expedient to elect, for a Professor of
Chemistry and Natural History, some person of competent
talents, giving him such time to give his answer whether he
will accept such appointment or not, as he may desire, and
as may be agreed on between him and the Corporation.
" The Corporation being led to the choice of a Professor
of Chemistry and Natural History in this College, on the
provisions of the foregoing vote,
BENJAMIN SILLIIAN, ESQ.,
was declared chosen."
The secret had been faithfully kept by President Dwight
and the small number of friends to whom it had been confided. The appointment was, of course, a cause of wonder
to all, and of cavil to political enemies of the College. Although I persevered in. my legal studies, as already men



APPOINTED PROFESSOR: STUDIES IN PHILADELPHIA. 97
tioned, I, soon after the confidential communication of
President Dwight, obtained a few books on chemistry, and
kept them secluded, in my secretary, occasionally reading
in them privately. This reading did not profit me much.
Some general principles were intelligible, but it became
at once obvious to me that to see and perform experimlents, and become familiar with many substances, was
indispensable to any progress in chemistry, and of course
I must resort to Philadelphia, which presented more advantages in science than any other place in our country. As
to my appointment, when ignorant of the science I was
appointed to teach, it was easily explained and vindicated
to all reasonable people by such suggestions made by President Dwight himself as are recorded above. I was not
elated by the appointment; but having youth, health, zeal,
energy, and perseverance on my side, I did not, with God's
blessing, despair of success.
FIRST RESIDENCE IN PHILADELPHIA.,
(Nov. 1802 to March 1803.) - Absent from New Haven
from Oct. 26th to March 17th, - four months and twentyone days. I was all the time, except six days, in Philadelphia. I arrived in Philadelphia at the close of a season of
yellow fever, having never been there before. The city was
comparatively deserted; the streets were quiet, and an air
of anxiety was visible in the aspect of the remaining citizens. Still, as cool weather had commenced, no serious
danger. was apprehended, and by the recommendation of
my friends, Charles and Elihu Chauncey, I engaged lodgings with thenm at Mrs. Smith's, corner of Dock and Walnut
streets. Dock Street runs diagonally from the river, crossing Walnut Street at an acute angle, and there a wedgeshaped house had been erected which was now to be my
home for four months, both in this year and the next.
This house attracted a select class of gentlemen. The
Connecticut members of Congress resorted to it, I believe,
VOL. L        7




98          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
while the government was in Philadelphia; and after its
removal, as they were passing to and from Washington, it
was a temporary resting-place. Other gentlemen of intelligence were among its inmates, and several of them, being
men of great promise, were then rising into the early stages
of that eminence which they attained in subsequent years.
Among them. were Horace Binney, Charles Chauncey,
Elihu Chauncey, Robert Hare, John Wallace and his
brother; and as frequent visitors, John Sargeant and George
Vaux. There were occasionally other gentlemen, but those
I have named were our stars. Alas! of the eight whom I
have named only two remain; and if I add myself,-then
an almost unknown young man, - the circle of names will
be nine, and the survivors three, - Horace Binney, Robert
Hare, and B. Silliman.* Horace Binney, Charles Chauncey,
and John Sargeant rose to the head of the Philadelphia
Bar, and John Sargeant was afterwards a member of Congress, and, I believe, of the Senate of the United States.
Robert IIare took the first rank as a chemist and philosopher; Elihu Chauncey was an eminent banker and financier, and the Wallaces and Vaulx were most agreeable
gentlemen, - Vaux, a Quaker, but warm-hearted and of
easy, polished manners. Enos Bronson, of Connecticut
and Yale College, was also of our number. He edited the
" United States Gazette" with much talent.
The gentlemen whom I have named, with the friends and
visitors that were by them attracted to the house, formed a
brilliant circle of high conversational powers. They were
educated men, of elevated position in society, and their
manners were in harmony with their training. Rarely in
my progress in life have I met with a circle of gentlemen
who surpassed them in courteous manners, in brilliant
intelligence, sparkling sallies of wit and pleasantry, and
cordial greeting both among themselves and with friends
and strangers who were occasionally introduced.  Our
hostess, Mrs. Smith, a high-spirited and efficient woman,
* Dr. Hare died May 15th, 1858.




APPOINTED PROFESSOR: STUDIES IN PHILADELPHIA. 99
was liberal almost to a fault, and furnished her table
even luxuriously. Our habits were, indeed, in other respects far from those of teetotalers. No person of that
description was in our circle. On the contrary, agreeably
to the custom which prevailed in the boarding-houses of
our cities half a century ago, every gentleman furnished
himself with a decanter of wine, - usually a metallic or
other label being attached to the neck, and bearing the
name of the owner. Healths were drunk, especially if
stranger guests were present, and a glass or two was not
considered excessive, - sometimes two or three, according
to circumstances. Porter or other strong beer was used
at table as a beverage. As Robert Hare was a brewer of
porter and was one of our number, his porter was in high
request, and indeed it was of an excellent quality. I do
not remember any water-drinker at our table or in the
house, for total abstinence was not there thought of except,
perhaps, by some wise and far-seeing Franklin.
Accustomed to a simple diet in New Haven, without
wine or porter, and perhaps with only cider at dinner, the
new life to which I was now introduced did not agree well
with my health. Occasionally, vertigo disturbed my head,
and the nervous system was affected. At the end of both
seasons in Philadelphia I had made some progress towards
incipient gout. On my knuckles, what appeared to be
chalky concretions began to form, which however went
away after my return to New Haven and to my usual mode
of living. In the upper classes of society in Philadelphia,
the habits of living were then very luxurious and the spirit
worldly. In my case, the effects of luxurious living were
to a degree counteracted by vigorous exercise. Often I
walked with my friend Charles Chauncey, even in severe
weather and before breakfast, to the river Schuylkill, two
to two and a half miles, and of course four to five miles
out and back; and Robert Hare's brewery, one and a half
mile up town, often gave the occasion of useful exercise:




100         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
he became a warm friend to me. There were no outward
manifestations of religion in our boarding-house. Grace
was, I believe, never said at table, nor did I ever hear a
prayer in the house. I trust that private personal prayers
ascended from some hearts and lips, in a house where so
many were amiable and worthy, although without a religious garb. On the Sabbath, some of our gentlemen resorted to the churches, and some dined out on that day.
For myself I attended, almost without exception, the
church of the Rev. Dr. Ashbel Green. He was an excellent preacher, and I was favored with his kind regard.
Rev. Dr. Janeway was his colleague, and preached with
ability. My friend Charles Chauncey was generally my
companion at Dr. Green's church in Arch Street. Mrs.
Smith and her daughter Elizabeth also attended in this
church, - they held Dr. Green in high reverence, and respected religion. He was afterwards and for many years
President of Princeton College.
Mvy Opportunities for Professional Improvement. - The
lectures on chemistry by Dr. James Woodhouse formed a
part of the course of medical instruction in the Medical
School of Philadelphia. These were given in a small
building in South Fourth Street, opposite to the StateHouse Yard. Above, over the laboratory, was the Anatomical Hall. Neither of these establishments was equal to
the dignity and importance of the Medical School, and the
accommodations in both were limited: the lecture-rooms
were not capacious enough for more than one hundred or
one hundred and twenty pupils, and there was a great deficiency of extra room for the work, which was limited to
a few closets. The chemical lectures were important to
me, who had as yet seen few chemical experiments. Those
performed by Dr. Woodhouse were valuable, because every
fact, with its proof, was an acquisition to me. The apparatus was humble, but it answered to exhibit some of the




APPOINTED PROFESSOR: STUDIES IN PHILADELPHIA. 101
most important facts in the science; and our instructor
delighted, although he did not excel, in the performance of
experiments. Ile had no proper assistant, and the work
was imperfectly done; but still it was a treasure to me.
Our Professor had not the gift of a lucid mind, nor of high
reasoning powers, nor of a fluent diction; still, we could
understand him, and I soon began to interpret phenomena
for myself and to anticipate the explanations. Dr. Woodhouse was wanting in personal dignity, and was, out of
lecture-hours, sometimes jocose with the students. He
appeared, when lecturing, as if not quite at his ease, as
if a little fearful that he was not highly appreciated,- as
indeed he was not very highly.
In his person he was short, with a florid face. Hle was
always dressed with care; generally he wore a blue broadcloth coat with metal buttons; his hair was powdered, and
his appearance was gentlemanly. His lectures were quite
free from any moral bearing, nor, as far as I remember,
did he ever make use of any of the facts revealed by
chemistry, to illustrate the character of the Creator as seen
in his works. At the comlmenlcement of the course he
treated with levity and ridicule the idea that the visitations
of the yellow fever night be visitations of God for the sins
of the people. He imputed them to the material agencies
and physical causes, - forgetting that physical causes may
be the moral agents of the Almighty. HIis treatment of
myself was courteous. I dined with him in his snug little
bachelor's establishment,-  for he had no family, and a
matron housekeeper superintended his small establishment.
I should add respecting his lectures that they were brief.
Hie generally occupied a fourth or a third of the hour in
recapitulating the subject of the preceding lecture, and thus
he advanced at the rate of about forty or forty-five minutes
in a day.
At the commencement of my first course with him, in
1802, he had just returned from London, where he had




102         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
been with Davy and other eminent men. He brought with
him a galvanic battery of Cruickshank's construction, -the
first that I had ever seen, -but as it contained only fifty
pairs of plates, it produced little effect. Dr. Woodhouse
attempted to exhibit the exciting effects of Davy's nitrous
oxide, but failed for want of a sufficient quantity of gas, and
the tubes were too narrow for comfortable respiration. He
did not advert to these facts, but was inclined to treat the
supposed discovery as an illusion. I had afterwards, at
New Haven, an opportunity to prove that there was no
mistake, and that Davy had not overrated the exhilarating
effects of the gas when respired conveniently and in proper
quantities, - three or four quarts to a person of medium
size, inhaled through a wide tube. An anmusing occurrence
happened one day in the laboratory. Hydrogen gas was
the subject, and its relation to life. It was stated that an
animal confined in it would die; and a living hen was, for
the experiment, immersed in the hydrogen gas, with which
a bell-glass was filled. The hen gasped, kicked, and lay
still. "There, gentlemen," said the Professor, "you see
she is dead;" but no sooner had the words passed his lips,
than the hen with a struggle overturned the bell-glass, and
with a loud scream flew across the room, flapping the heads
of the students with her wings, while they were convulsed
with laughter. The same thing might have occurred to
any one who had incautiously omitted to state that this gas
is not poisonous, like carbonic acid, but kills, like water, by
suffocation.
The death of Dr.'Woodhouse took place in 1815, I suppose from apoplexy. He was found dead in his bed. He
had a short neck, and was of a full sanguineous habit.
The chemistry of that period - that of my attendance on
the lectures of Dr. Woodhouse, more than half a century
ago — had not attained the precision which it now has.
The modern doctrine of definite proportions or equivalent
proportions was then only beginning to be understood; the




APPOINTED PROFESSOR: STUDIES IN PHILADELPHIA. 103
combining proportions of bodies were generally given in
centesimal numbers, and thus the memory was burdened,
and with little satisfaction. The modern analysis of organic
bodies was then hardly begun. Galvanism had indeed
awakened Europe, and progress had been made towards
those interesting developments which have filled the world
with astonishment; but their era was several years later.
We may not, therefore, impute to a professor of that period
the deficiencies which belonged to that stage of this science.
I had not reason to regret that I attended on the lectures
of Dr. Woodhouse. He supplied the first stepping-stones
by which I was enabled at no distant day to mount higher.
The deficiencies of Dr. Woodhouse's courses were, in a
considerable degree, made up in a manner which I could
not have anticipated. I have already mentioned that Robert
Hare was a fellow-boarder and companion at Mrs. Smith's.
He was a genial, kind-hearted man, one year younger than
myself, and was already a proficient in chemistry upon the
scale of that period; and being informed of my object in
coming to Philadelphia, he kindly entered into my views
and extended to me his friendship and assistance. A small
working laboratory was conceded to us by the indulgence
of our hostess, Mrs. Smith, and we made use of a spare
cellar-kitchen, in which we worked together in our hours
of leisure from other pursuits. Mr. Hare had, one year
before, perfected his beautiful invention of the oxy-hydrogen blow-pipe, and had presented the instrument to the
Chemical Society of Philadelphia. His mind was much
occupied with the subject, and he enlisted me into his
service. We worked much in making oxygen and hydrogen
gases, burning them at a common orifice to produce the
intense heat of the instrument. Hare was desirous of
making it still more intense by deriving a pure oxygen
from chlorate of potassa, then called oxy-muriate of potassa.
Chemists were then ignorant of the fact that, by mixing a
little oxide of manganese with the chlorate, the oxygen can




104         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
be evolved by the heat of a lamp applied to a glass retort.
Hare thought it necessary to use stone retorts with a furnace-heat; the retorts were purchased by me at a dollar
each, and, as they were usually broken in the experiment,
the research was rather costly; but my friend furnished
experience, and, as I was daily acquiring it, I was rewarded,
both for labor and expense, by the brilliant results of our
experiments. Hare's apparatus was ingenious, but unsafe
as regards the storage of the gases. Novice as I was, I
ventured to suggest to my more experienced friend that by
some accident or blunder the gases - near neighbors as
they were in their contiguous apartments - might become
mingled, when, on lighting them at the orifice, an explosion
would follow. I was afterwards informed, although not by
Hare, that this accident actually happened to him, although
with no other mischief than a copious shower-bath fiom the
expulsion of the water. Many years afterwards, Professor
Hitchcock at Anmherst, from the same cause, met with an
explosion which gave him a great shock, and for a time
greatly impaired his hearing.
After my return to New Haven, I contrived a mode of
separating these gases so effectually that they could not
become mixed. Eventually I employed separate gasometers, one to contain the oxygen and the other the hydrogen, and during forty years that they were in use no accident ever happened. On this subject I may remark again
farther on. During the second course in Philadelphia
(winter of 1803-4) I commenced writing lectures on heat
and other general topics of chemistry, with reference to the
commencement of my labors of instruction in Yale College.
I enjoyed the important assistance of the lectures of the
distinguished Dr. Black of Edinburgh, then recently published by his pupil and friend, Dr. Robison. This book
was to me a mine of riches. The first edition of Thomson's
Chemistry, in four volumes, had then just appeared, and I
took hold of it with avidity and with profit.




APPOINTED PROFESSOR: STUDIES IN PHILADELPHIA. 105
The temptation was strong to attend other courses of
lectures, and I attempted it; but soon found that I must
confine my attention mainly to my own pursuits, and therefore I relinquished all, except two extraneous courses, which
I will presently name.
I attended an introductory lecture of Dr. Benjamin
Rush, and had the satisfaction of identifying his person
and manner, and I occasionally met him in society. His
voice was musical, his person and features pleasing, and
his diction clear and emphatic. Alluding to the use of the
lancet in yellow fever, he called it in his lecture, that
"magnum donum Dei. "
Dr. Barton was a learned professor of materia medica
and Botany, and his name is perpetuated in several valuable works. He was also a proficient in natural history
generally, and he offered a private course - I think - on
zoology. This I attended in the evening, and was entertained and instructed. After the course had advanced far
enough to make illustrations from specimens instructive,
our Professor one evening remarked to us, that it would
be desirable to visit Peale's Museum, which was rich in
preserved specimens of animals, birds, reptiles, &c. The
week being filled with lectures, Dr. Barton proposed that
we should go, by special permission of Mr. Peale, on Sunday, as that was a day of leisure, and then we should
not be interfered with by the usual visiting company. The
proposition was no sooner made than it was adopted by
general silent consent. With some hesitancy I rose, and
in the most respectful terms stated that I regretted to interfere with the wishes or convenience of the Professor and
the class, but that for myself I had other occupations on
the day proposed, and if that were to be the time, I must
lose the instruction.  After a moment's pause, the Professor named Saturday afternoon, which was adopted. A
few days after, when passing down Market Street, I met a
Dr. Parish, a young Quaker physician, who caught me by




106         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
the hand, and said: "Friend Silliman, I was glad to hear
that thee had objected to visiting Peale's MIuseum on first
day, when it was proposed by Dr. Barton." First day is
not sacred time with the Quakers, but they generally hold
meetings on that day, and partake, to a degree, of the general reverence for the Sabbath entertained in most Christian
countries.
The lectures on anatomy and surgery by Dr. Caspar
Wistar enjoyed a high reputation, and I was not willing to
resist the temptation to attend them, especially as I expected eventually to be connected with a medical school in
N ew Haven; and chenistry, moreover, sustains important
relations to anatomy. The lectures of Dr. UWistar were
highly instructive and interesting. He combined perfect
dignity with deep feeling and enthusiasm, which enabled
him to throw a charm over his subject, revolting as many of
its demonstrations appear to an unprofessional novice. So
great was his command of his class, that no levity was manifested by them on occasions when it would have been with
difficulty repressed by a professor of an opposite character.
He had an able demonstrator, by whom the recent subjects
were skilfully prepared. The structure of our wonderful
frame was most ably demonstrated in all its parts. Their
combination and use were fully explained, and the reasons
that must have influenced the Creator in the adaptation of
every part to every other were made manifest. Dr. Wistar's treatment of his classes was paternal and kind, and he
took a deep interest in their imnprovement. On one occasion he was demonstrating the structure and functions of
the eye and the theory of vision, when a student left the
theatre. The Professor made an abrupt pause, and, with
evident and strong emotion, added: " Gentlemen, this is
the first time I ever knew a student to go away during the
demonstration of this most interesting organ." Mlany of
these things have remained for half a century so deeply
impressed on my mind, that they now appear vividly,




APPOINTED PROFESSOR: STUDIES IN PHILADELPHIA. 107
almost as if I had heard them recently. I should mention
that Dr. Wistar, when returning from Europe in his early
manhood, having finished his professional studies abroad,
landed at Boston, and in his journey to Philadelphia,
stopped at New Haven, visited Yale College, and had an
interesting interview with President Stiles. He admired
exceedingly his various and curious erudition, his enthusiasm and eloquence, and the winning courtesy of his manners. He seemed fond of returning to the theme, which
was of course pleasing to me as a son of Yale, who passed
almost three years under the Presidency of Dr. Stiles.
Dr. Wistar treated me with marked consideration, and I
was invited twice to dine at his hospitable table, which was
supplied with an elegant and tasteful liberality, but without
ostentation. I enjoyed these occasions exceedingly. Dr.
Wistar was childless; but his wife seemed to be actuated
by the same spirit of hospitality.
Meeting with Dr. Joseph Priestley. —This celebrated
gentleman was also a guest on one of these occasions,
when I dined at Dr. Wistar's. As a very young man, (of
twenty-three or twenty-four years,) I felt it an honor and
advantage to be introduced to so celebrated an author
and philosopher. IIe had become obnoxious in his native
country on account of political and religious opinions, as
he was a friend of civil liberty, and his religious creed
was Arian, or Unitarian. At that time, during the early
part of the French revolution, there was a strong excitement in England against revolutionary sentiments and
movements. Dr. Priestley then resided at Birmingham,
and during an anniversary commemoration of the destruction of the Bastile, although he was not then in the city,
the mob proceeded to his house, which they burned, with
his library, apparatus, and manuscripts. All were lost;
and the outrage was said to have been countenanced by
persons of consideration both lay and clerical. In 1794




108         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
he fled from persecution, and took refuge with his family at
Northumberland, Pennsylvania, on the Susquehanna River.
Here he resumed his philosophical pursuits, and made
occasional visits to Philadelphia. It was on one of these
occasions that I was invited to meet him at Dr. Wistar's
table, and the interview was to me very gratifying. In
person he was small and slender, and in general outline of
person not unlike the late President Stiles. His age was
then about seventy. Ihis dress was clerical and perfectly
plain. His manners were mild, modest, and conciliatory; so
that, althougrh in controversy a sturdy combatant, he always
won kind regard and favor in his personal intercourse. At
the dinner, Dr. Priestley was, of course, the honored guest,
and there was no other except one gentleman and myself.
Some of Dr. Priestley's remarks I remember. Speaking of his chemical discoveries, which were very numerous,
he said: -" When I had made a discovery, I did not wait
to perfect it by a more elaborate research, but at once
threw it out to the world, that I might establish my claim
before I was anticipated."  He remarked upon those passages in the Epistle of John which relate to the Trinity,
that they were modern interpolations, not being found in
the most ancient manuscripts.* He spoke much of Newton and his discoveries, and the beauty and simplicity of
his character; and I think that he claimed him as thinking
in religion as he himself did. He mentioned being present
at a dinner in Paris given by the Count de Vergennes
during the American Revolution, and the seat next to him
was occupied by a French nobleman. At another part of
the table were two gentlemen dressed in canonicals. When,
said Dr. Priestley, I inquired of the nobleman the names of
those two gentlemen, he replied: " One of them is Bishop
So-and-so, and the other Bishop So-and-so; but they are
very clever fellows; and, although they are bishops, they
don't believe anything more of this mummery of Chris* Dr. Priestley doubtless referred to 1 John v. 7. - F.




APPOINTED PROFESSOR: STUDIES IN PHILADELPHIA. 109
tianity than you or I do."  " Speak for yourself, sir," I replied; "for, although I am accounted a heretic in England,
I do believe what you call' this mummery of Christianity."'
Dr. Priestley, whom I saw on various occasions, when invited to dine, accepted the invitation, but took out his
memorandum-book and noted the engagement, remarking
that he had now only an artificial memory. He died in his
seventy-first year, at Northumberland, February 6th, 1801.
After rejecting the doctrine of Phlogiston in early years,
he resumed it at a later period of life; and it was reported
at Philadelphia that he was occupied on his death-bed in
correcting. the proof of a new pamphlet on that subject.
He died'from inanition, being unable to take any food,his digestive powers being gone.
Summer of 1803, at New Haven. — On my return to New
Haven in MIarch, 1803, I resumed the instruction of a class
in the ordinary routine of college studies.  I had previously, in conjunction with my respected colleague and
friendl, Rev. Ebenezer Grant Marsh, carried a class through
the three years from 1799 to 1802. In the fourth year
the class passed into the hands of the President, and was
graduated in 1803. I ought to have been released from all
other duties of instruction, that I might devote my time
entirely to professional study; but the College was poor,
and it was necessary to economize in the labor of the officers, as well as in all other ways. Still, I found time to
perform some experiments, and to construct apparatus
which would be available in my future labors. I devoted
as much time as possible to scientific studies, and was thus
the better prepared to resume my residence in Philadelphia during the next winter.
Brief Residence in Princeton. -At this celebrated seat of
learning, an eminent gentleman, Dr. John Maclean, resided
as the Professor of Chemistry, &c. I early attained an




110         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
introduction to him by correspondence, and he favored me
with a list of books for the promotion of my studies.
Among these were Chaptal's, Lavoisier's, and Fourcroy's
Chemistry, Scheel's Essays, Bergman's Works, Kirwan's
Mineralogy, &c. I also passed a few days with Dr. Maclean in my different transits to and from Philadelphia, and
obtained from him a general insight into my future occupation; inspected his library and apparatus, and obtained
his advice regarding many things. Dr. Maclean was a man
of brilliant mind, with all the acumen of his native Scotland; and a sprinkling of wit gave variety to his conversation. I regard him as my earliest master of chemistry, and
Princeton as my first starting-point in that pursuit; although I had not an opportunity to attend any lectures
there. Mrs. Maclean was a lovely woman, and made my
visits at the house very pleasant to me. She was a sister of
Commodore Bainbridge, afterwards signalized by the capture of the British frigate Java, in the war of 1812-15.
Mrs. Maclean gave me an introduction to the family of
Commodore Bainbridge in Philadelphia, in which I was
an occasional visitor.  Dr. Maclean, the President of
Princeton College at this time and for some years past, is
the worthy son of Professor Maclean, and does honor to
his father and to the institution over which he ably presides. President Samuel Stanhope Smith was the head of
the college during my early acquaintance with Princeton,
and I had the honor of an introduction to him, and of dining in his family. Mrs. Smith, a grave, taciturn lady, was
a daughter of the celebrated Dr. Witherspoon, of Revolutionary memory, a member of the Congress which declared the independence of the Colonies, to which instrument he added his signature. The personal presence of
President Smith was noble and commanding; but there
was a stately gravity about him which did not encourage
freedom, and I felt much constraint in his society. He was
a powerful writer and an eloquent speaker.




APPOINTED PROFESSOR: STUDIES IN PHILADELPHIA. 111
My Second Winter in Philadelphia. (Nov. 5, 1803, to
March 25, 1804.) —There was little to distinguish this front
the preceding winter. I attended, as before, the course of
chemistry and anatomy, and resumed my private labors
with Robert Hare. The familiarity which I had acquired
in the preceding year with men and things, enabled me to
derive additional advantage, and made me feel more at
home.  My circle of acquaintance was more extended,
quite as much as was consistent with my studies. I was
admitted hospitably or socially to some of the most estimable families, - that of Judge Wilson, son of him of the
Revolution; to Bishop White's, Dr. Strong's, Col. Biddle's,
where there were beautiful daughters, (afterwards Mrs. Dr.
Chapman and Mrs Cadwallader.) I have mentioned the
Wistars, Bainbridges, and Greens.  At Judge Peters's,
also, I was acquainted, and at Mrs. Bradford's. I visited
also the public institutions, -the Hospital, the Mint, the
Navy Yard, the Water Works, the libraries, manufactories,
&c. Philadelphia had then seventy-five or eighty thousand
inhabitants; now it has more than half a million.  The
present beautiful Washington Square was a Potter's Field,
and all was country between it and the Hospital. About
this time I was elected a member of the Philosophical Society founded by Franklin, and of course had free access to
its library, and to its very intelligent and kind librarian,
Mr. John Vauahan, a man of large benevolence. I continued the writing of my lectures, and began to collect apparatus, although on a humble scale.
In March, 1804, after passing a few days in Princeton, I
returned to New Haven, and devoted my time to writing
lectures.
To Mr. Silliman's reminiscences, written after the
lapse of many years, may be added brief passages
from his correspondence during the period covered
by the foregoing chapter.




112         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
TO MR. STEPHEN TWINING.
PIHILADELPHIA, November 21, 1802...... THIS is truly a great town, and presents many
objects worthy the attention of a stranger. If I live to return to Connecticut, I will describe them to you. But I
have seen one which I cannot refrain from mentioning.
Governor McK   - is so popular among tavern-haunters
that the owners of public-houses are very fond of hoisting
up a picture of his Excellency over the doors. Two men in
Dock Street, brothers, one a Demo and the other a Fed,
being joint-owners of a house,- but the Fed possessing
rather the most wit, and consciously the superior influence, -differed concerning a new sign which they thought
of putting up. The Demo plead for his Excellency, and
the Fed finally consented, but gave the printer private orders to represent the Republican magistrate in the attitude
in which he generally appears at four o'clock P. 3i. The
governor accordingly stands forth, or rather staggers forth,
on the sign, a solemn memento to the lovers of brandy and
Democracy......
TO MR. G. S. SILLIM5AN.
No. 46 WValnut St., PUITLADELPITIA.
Novemlber 19, 1803.
MY DEAR BROTHER,..... The honorable confidence tendered to me in advance by the Corporation, the
hopes of many friends, and the envy of a few ambitious
contemporaries,-the extent and importance of the sciences
I am to teach, and the responsibility for their advantageous
introduction into the College and State to which I belong,are motives sufficient to excite my most active and unremitted exertions. Since the Chair has been offered to me,
I have not therefore considered myself as at liberty to indulge in recreation, or even in the common relations and
most interesting pleasures of friendship. My vacations, in
common with the rest of the year, have been devoted to




APPOINTED PROFESSOR: STUDIES IN PHILADELPHIA. 113
the study or practice of my profession, and I have the satisfaction to find that I have made progress.
With these considerations before you, you will acquiesce
in my conduct, although like me you will regret that it
should have prevented us from an intercourse which, next
to that with a reconciled' God, affords the truest, the most
heartfelt delight. Indeed, I bless Heaven that I have such
a brother, and that he has allied me to such a sister; and I
trust that more of those elevated pleasures which I have
experienced in their society are still in store for me.
Pray, my dear brother, write to me soon; detail the mzinutime of your welfare; tell me something about my dear
little niece. — NMy dear Helpsa, write something with your
own hand; let me know how you are sustained under God's
chastenings,- whether religion or time bring you any consolation, and at all alleviate your grief; and above all,
whether you have reason to hope that the present affliction,
though it seem not joyous but grievous, will in the end
work for your good. And now, my dear Selleck and Ilepsa,
with the tenderest affection and the sincerest prayers for
your welfare, I commit you to the care of IHeaven.
Your very affectionate
friend and brother,
B3ENJ. SILLIMIAN.
FROM3 TUTOR J. L. KINGSLEY.
February 18, 1802.
TIxE President called upon me this morning and wished
me to write you a request from him to pay some attention,
if possible, before you return, to the analyzing of stones.
You may possibly recollect that we some time ago received
sqme of the basalts from  the Giant's Causeway.  The
President supposes there is stone in the neighborhood of
this town of a similar nature, and wishes to ascertain the
fact.
VOL. I.          8




114         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
FROM MR. CHARLES DENISON.
December 5, 1802...... I HAVE lately heard from Mr. Day. He is no
better, but rather worse, than when he left us...... Dr.
Dwight told me, a short time since, that he had given over
the expectation of ever seeing Mr. Day in the professor's
chair.  WThat a loss to the Institution! A character so
near perfection is not often found in this wicked world.
Indeed, I know but few who are his equals, and I never
saw his superior. That such a man should be cut off in
the very blossom of life is to the human eye dark and mysterious.* We must, however, submit to Him who seeth
not as man seeth.....
The following are passages from a humorous letter of one of his colleagues in the tutorship. In the
treatment of these light topics, the reader will detect
traits of style which reappear in the erudite essays
and commentaries of the author's later years. The
" Gazette" was a document composed by the tutors
for the entertainment of their absent associate.
FROMI TUTOR MOSES STUART.
YALE COLLEGE, December 21, 1802.
DEAR SIR, - So much time has elapsed since the publication of our last " Gazette," that it becomes pleasing, and
in a degree necessary, to give you further information respecting the "gestion" of our affairs. To be very brief,
Mr.      has been rusticated, (for rolling barrels down
my stairs,) for the term of two months. Sophomore
has received the darts of Dr. Dwight's quiver, until they
were exhausted, for cutting bell-ropes and blasphemy, but
without any harm; he yet stands unhurt "Lamidst the war,
&c."  Freshman  -   has been suspended for crimes
* Mr. Day is now (October 1865) living, at the age of ninety-two. -F.




APPOINTED PROFESSOR: STUDIES IN PHILADELPHIA. 115
of almost every name. Many others stand trembling in
"fearful looking for of fiery indignation." In short, there
appear to be more devils in college at present than were
cast out of 3Mary Magdalene. I have been honored by a
broadside at one of my windows, which popped off without
ceremony six squares of glass. No matter; you were honored in the same way. I congratulate myself on having
obtained the honor. " Fiat justitia ruat caelum," is my
maxim. But the devil does not extend his dominion over
students alone. The august body of tutors have occasionally acknowledged his power. Last evening they met at
the " Luxembourg " to read " Dialogues" for the January
exhibition.
The letter proceeds to detail, in the same sportive
vein, the particulars of a harmless frolic such as
young men, even though clothed with tutorial dignity, sometimes indulge in, and in which a wrongly
directed missile -"miserabile dicta," to quote the
writer's phrase - shivered into a thousand pieces a
large mirror belonging to Mr. Silliman.
This was the catastrophe: " Valete, Plaudite." The only
observation I have to make on the above is: I hope the
students will not discover it. " Dulce est desipere in loco,"
is a sentiment we feel to be true, and I have only to regret
that you were not present to heighten and partake of our
festivity, hilarity, puerility, madness, pleasure, or whatever
name it may deserve. You will probably be occupied at
least two weeks in deciphering our " Gazette." I am
desired by our brethren to excuse our not sending it on
sooner. The reason was, we waited to send it by Morse,
the printer, who finally failed of going to Philadelphia as
he intended.
Since I have been here, I have been paying some attention to Italian, but I am not able to procure suitable books.




116         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
If in some of your rambles you would call at some of the
Philadelphia bookstores, and inquire for an Italian grammar, dictionary, —Tasso, Dante, Ariosto, Metastasio, or any
other Italian writer, if it even be a novelist,-I would thank
you. If any or all of these can be found, you would oblige
me by giving information soon, that I may take the proper
means of procuring them. Especially, I want Dante, Ariosto, and Tasso......
Yours forever,
B. SILLIDIAN, Esq.               MosEs STUART.
A second letter from  the same vivacious writer
announced the reception of the Italian books, and
remarked further on the state of the College.
YALE COLLEGE, February 6, 1803.
DEAR SR, — I have received my "Italian Library,"
and am much obliged to you for the pains you took in procuring it. I could wish you had not purchased i.etastasio,
as the edition is somewhat incorrect and very badly printed;
but since it is come, I acquiesce in the purchase. My intention was to have you write me a catalogue of some Italian books which could be purchased at Philadelphia, and
not to make the purchase before I had calculated what I
could afford to spare from my " liberal wages," in making a
purchase of this kind. I presume, however, that I did not
express myself in my letter to you according to this intention, and therefore am content with my i" library.".
We are all anticipating your return, and expect to be taught
where we may find, or rather how we may compose, the
"philosopher's stone." For my own part, I am so grossly
ignorant respecting chemistry, that I hardly know what it
cannot effect. This business of analyzing sometimes makes
bad work.  If you confine yourself to the laboratory of
Woodhouse, and do not happen to get analyzed in the laboratory of some Philadelphia ladies, you will do well. But




APPOINTED PROFESSOR: STUDIES IN PHILADELPHIA. 117
I fear the particles of which you are composed, and those
of some fine ladies there, are sufficiently homogeneous to
possess in a great degree the attraction of affinity. If so,
I am convinced that on near approach they would cause
such a fermentation as would produce a composition.
As to College affairs, they go on much in the old way. WVe
had many convulsions last quarter, many furious " spasms
of infuriated" Sophomores and Freshmen...... Mr.
Fowler's door almost split to pieces with stones; my windows broken; Freshman  -    publicly dismissed; Sophomores  -   and   -   sent home; T-, Sophomore,
rusticated three months; and W, Freshman, sent off.
Nothing but wars and rumors of wars. This term there
appears to be some disposition to enter into a treaty of
peace; at least, a cessation of hostilities is aoreed upon.
The time of your return is now so near that we begin to
anticipate much pleasure from a relation of some of your
chemical experiments. Wishing you a safe return, without
leaving your heart in any laboratory in Philadelphia,
I am, sir,
Yours with esteem,
MOSES STUART.
FROM PROFESSOR DAY.
YALE COLLEGE, January 7, 1804...... I AM much obliged to you for your plan of lectures, so far as you have already arranged them. As for
myself, instead of having written my fifth lecture, I have
not written my first, and probably shall not this long time.
My present course of' instruction occupies all the attention
which my health will allow me to pay to the subject. My
principal object at present is to collect and arrange the
most important materials in a course of philosophy. I so
contrive the business as to communicate the substance of
these, in my recitations, to the Senior class, and at the same
time preserve them for future use. I take the several




118         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
branches nearly in the order in which they are arranged in
Enfield's Philosophy. I consult the various authors on the
subject, select what is particularly interesting from each, and
if my own noddle suggests anything beside, I put all upon
paper and throw it into a form  somewhat like the skeleton
of a lecture. This I carry to recitation, and, with such enlargements as occur on the occasion, retail it to the class.
In addition to these recitations, I propose frequently problems in philosophy which require a mathematical solution.
The answers which are handed in by the members of the
class, I examine and correct.  This, little as it may seem,
is all that I am doing at present. As to what I intend to
do hereafter, I can say very little. I intend to do what I
can; but my health is such that I form no very distant and
extensive projects. The course which I have begun I shall
probably continue through next term. The summer will be
partly or wholly occupied with experiments. After Commencement, it is possible I may begin to read lectures in
the chapel...... I have anticipated with much pleasure
your return to this place in March. But if you are to hold
a talk of three weeks with your great brother in Princeton,*
I see plainly my expectations will be frustrated. Pray
bring home with you a specimen of the strings of wampum
exchanged on the occasion...... My dear friend, I daily
long for your return to this place. Though I am surrounded
with excellent friends and companions, yet, for one reason
and another, there is no one to whom I unbosom my full
soul. I could do it to Mr. Davis, if he were in health; but
his situation is such at present that it is desirable that his
mind should be kept as free as possible fromn all painful or
turbulent emotions. You already know my feelings on one
subject of immense importance. When I see you again,
perhaps I may, and perhaps I may not, disclose to you some
other anxious thoughts which contribute at times to disturb
the serenity of my mind......
* I. e., the Chemical Professor in Princeton College. - F.




APPOINTED PROFESSOR: STUDIES IN PHILADELPHIA. 119
FROM MR. CHARLES DENISON.
NEW HAVEN, February 8, 1804...... I READILY recognize not only your handwriting,
but your very self, in your very acceptable letter. You are
still Ben Silliman, notwithstanding the mysterious addition
to your name of " Chem. & Hist. Nat. Prof." I don't mean,
my dear Ben, that this learned addition to your former
simple title of Esq. does not perfectly becloud you with
dignity, so that those who view you at a distance must exceedingly fear and quake. Yet you must excuse me, to
whom you deign the honor of a near approach to your
chemical majesty, if I should be more familiar than properly becomes one whose highest honors reach no higher
than once to have been grand-juror and lister for the town
of New Haven......
The following letter was addressed to an esteemed
pupil who was engaged in teaching in the State bf
Maryland.
TO MR. [now REV. DR.] N. PORTER.
YALE COLLEGE, October 14, 1804...... I AM glad that experience enables you practically
to realize the feelings of an instructor towards a pupil, of
which you were before but an incompetent judge. An
amiable, worthy, and industrious pupil makes advances in
the affections of his instructor, of which he has but little
conception. I am gratified that you find your situation in
so many important points agreeable...... In my opinion you are, on the whole, employing your time very profitably; the rust which gathers on your learning you will.
soon brush off again. In the mean time you are gaining a
species of knowledge without which the other would be
of little use, -I mean a knowledge of mankind. And in
my opinion, gentlemanlike manners are worth some time
and attention; they are a perpetual letter of introduction,




120         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
wherever you go. On this point you cannot fail to improve,
and I am sure you have too much good sense to reject the
instruction. I cannot be understood by you to exalt good
manners and a knowledge of the world beyond their real
value; for without good sense, good principles, useful employment, and intellectual improvement, they are the mere
tinsel gilding on a wooden ball. I am happy to hear that
you intend to return as soon as January. I hope you will
make New Haven the scene of your professional studies.
You will find your friends Dutton and Whittlesey are
here, and I shall be happy to have you an inmate of our
society. I have lately received a letter from your classmate
Chiffelle. Poor fellow! his spirits are much depressed by
the conflict between his religious feelings and principles
and the habits of Carolina, to which he seems to submit
with the utmost reluctance.




CHAPTER V.
THE BEGINNING OF HIS WORK AS PROFESSOR.
His First Lectures in College (1804). - Construction of the Subterranean
Laboratory. - Its Alteration. - Lectures to the Class of 1804-5 (in the
Fall of 1804). - His Apparatus. - Suggestions of Dr. Priestley --
Plan for Visiting Europe. - Interview with President Dwight. - Preparations for Departure. - Letter from Rev. John Pierpont. - Letters of
Professor Silliman to his Brother.
MY FIRST LECTURE. April 4, 1804. - In a public room,
hired for college purposes, in Mr. Tuttle's building on
Chapel Street, nearly opposite to the South College, I met
the Senior class, and read to them an introductory lecture
on the history and progress, nature and objects, of chemistry. I was then twenty-four years old, and in Augulst of
that year I was twenty-five. I continued to lecture, and I
believe in the same room, until the Senior class retired in
July, preparatory to their Commencement in September.
My first efforts were received with favor, and the class
which I then addressed contained men who were afterwards
distinguished in life. Among them were John C. Calhoun,
S. C.; Rev. John Chester; Rev. Ezra Stiles Ely; Bishop
Gadsden; John Preston, Hampton, Miss.; Judge Hinman,
Conn.; Dr. Lansing, N. Y.; Rev. Dr. MCEwen; Rev. John
Marsh; Rev. John Pierpont, poet; Rev. Dr. Tyler, and
others. On the 4th of April, 1804, I commenced a course
of duty as a lecturer and professor, in which I was sustained during fifty-one years; and now, by God's blessing,
I am still in good health and power, sixty-five and a half
years from my entrance into Yale College; sixty-one and
a half years from graduating; fifty-eight and a half years




122         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
from being appointed tutor; and fifty-six and a half years
from my appointment as Professor.
In 1802 the Corporation of Yale College erected the
building which has ever since been known as the Lyceum.
Its position is between the old South Middle and the North
Middle College. I understood that a deep excavation under the west end of the building was intended for a laboratory. This building was erected before my appointment,
and soon after President Dwight had confidentially offered
the Professorship of Chemistry to me. I could, therefore,
before my appointment, only look on with suppressed curiosity as to the structure and progress and destination of the
edifice, as I was not at liberty to speak. It was understood that the main object was for a library-room, and for
suitable apartments for the recitations of the classes, and
for study-rooms for two of the professors. I was not consulted as to the laboratory, nor could I have been, openly,
before my appointment, nor afterwards with advantage,
until I had acquired some knowledge of chemistry. Still,
after the prospect of my appointment had been opened to
me by President Dwight, I cast anxious glances into that
deep excavation, not exactly comprehending how it could
be rendered available for the purposes of science; but my
lips were as yet sealed in silence.
An English architect, Mr. Bonner, had established himself in New Haven, and had acquired a deserved reputation
for knowledge, talent, and taste in his profession. He was
charged with the erection of the Lyceum; but, having no
particular knowledge of a laboratory, he placed it almost
under ground. On my return from Philadelphia, in the
spring of 1803, I found that a groined arch of boards had
been constructed over the entire subterranean room. It
rose from stone pillars of nearly half of the height of the
room, erected in each of the four corners and on the middle
of the opposite sides. The effect was, therefore, by the
curves of the arches, to cut off the light, more or less, from




THE BEGINNING OF HIS WORK AS PROFESSOR. 123
all the windows, - one third, or half, and even two thirds
in some of them. At once I saw that it would never answer, and I made my appeal to the Corporation at their
next meeting. I invited them to visit the room, to which
there was no practicable access except through a hole or
scuttle in the roof of the arch. A ladder was therefore
raised from below, or let down from above, and, Crusoelike, the grave and reverend gentlemen of the Corporation
descended, as Robinson did into his den, and arrived safely
on the floor. President Dwight, Rev. Dr. Ely, Hon. James
Hillhouse, and his venerable father, then fourscore or more,
and others, - members of the College Senate, - found
themselves in a gloomy cavern, fifteen or sixteen feet below the surface of the ground, into which, especially as
there was as yet no trench excavated around the outside of
the building, little more light glimmered than just enough
to make the darkness visible.
To see was to be convinced. I had no difficulty in persuading the gentlemen that the model arch of boards must
be entirely knocked away, the stone pillars removed, and
the space opened freely to the roof of the room, which
should be finished square up to the ceiling, like any other
large room.  It was indeed to be regretted that several
hundred dollars had been worse than thrown away upon
the preposterous arch. How did it happen? I suppose
that Mr. Bonner, an able civil architect, as I have already
said, had received only some vague impressions of chemistry, - perhaps a confused and terrific dream of alchemy,
with its black arts, its explosions, and its weird-like mysteries. He appears, therefore, to have imagined, that the
deeper down in mother earth the dangerous chemists could
be buried, so much the better; and perhaps he thought
that a strong arch would keep the detonations under, although, as an architect and engineer, he would of course
know that the arch, when pressed from above, grows
stronger until it is crushed; but, struck from below, its




124         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
resistance is feeble, and it may more easily collapse with
a crash.
I lost no time in having the model arch removed, and
the room finished as if there had been no arch. I caused
also a wide trench to be excavated outside, all around the
room, and the earth-banks to be sustained by the masonry
of stone walls whitened, so that a cheerful light was thus
reflected into a large and lofty room, whose windows were
now free to the external radiance of the atmosphere and
the solar beams from the west.
Still the place was a very unfortunate one, to which, had
I been seasonably informed, I should have objected decidedly. When I stood on the floor of the room, my head
was still six feet below the surface of the ground, and of
course the room was very damp: all articles of iron were
rapidly rusted, and all preparations that attracted water
became moist or even deliquesced.
I devoted the spring and early weeks of the summer to
the finishing and arrangement of my half subterranean
working and lecture room. There was no remedy; the
College was not able to construct another, and I was afraid
of alarming them with the prospect of expenses which I
was well aware nust be considerable, and would be annual and always recurring. There was therefore no way
but to make the best of a faulty location. The room was
now paved with flag-stones; a false floor of boards was
constructed, rising from the lowest level as high as the
ground-sill of the outer door, and thus affording an elevation - an inclined plane - sufficient to prevent the vision
of the rear from being obstructed by the front rows of hearers. A gallery was erected on the side of the room opposite to the windows, access being made from the front of
the tower or steeple through the intervening cellar, over a
paved walk. Tables were established on the floor of the
laboratory, in a line with a large hydro-pneumatic cistern
or gas-tub, and a marble cistern for a mercurial bath. The




THE BEGINNING OF HIS WORK AS PROFESSOR. 125
small collection of apparatus which I had got together was
duly arranged, and, things began to look like work. Arrangements were made for furnaces, and for the introduction of water from a neighboring well. The tables were
covered with green cloth; the stone floor was sprinkled
with white beach-sand; the walls and ceiling were whitewashed; the backs and writing-tables of the benches, and
the front and end of the gallery, were painted of a light
lead color; and the glass of the windows being washed
clean, the laboratory now made a very decent and rather
inviting appearance, like the offices, store-rooms, and lkitchens that are seen almost underground in cities.
During fifteen of the best years of my life, from the age
of twenty-five to forty, I was a diligent worker in this deepseated laboratory, and I will mention further on how I
finally emerged. This room had the advantage of a more
agreeable temperature than if it had been on the surface
of the ground.
In October, 1804, the new laboratory received the class
that were to graduate in September, 1805. Here, again,
were those who in after -life became men of renown.
Among them were Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, friend of
the deaf mutes; Edward Hooker, an able classical instructor;
Rev. Heman Humphrey, D. D.; Rev. Samuel F. Jarvis,
D. D.; Dr. J. M. Scott McKnight, S. C.; Rev. Gardiner
Spring, D. D.; &c. The very limited apparatus was somewhat extended and embellished by several chemical instruments which I found in a closet in the old philosophical
chamber, and which, as I understood, had been brought out
from London, in the time of President Stiles, by the late
President Ebenezer Fitch. This gentleman was graduated
in Yale College in 1777; was a tutor in it from 1780 to
1783; went into trade with Henry Daggett, Esq., in New
Haven, and their concerns led him to England, where he
obtained the apparatus named above. There were several
very beautiful gas-flasks, with sigmoid tubes ground into




126         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
them. There was also a Nooth's machine for impregnating
water with carbonic acid gas, and a collection of glass
tubes. I used also some of the glass bells from the philosophical apparatus; and, as my audience were novices,
probably the appearance of the apparatus was respectable.
I recollected, also, a remark which I heard Dr. Priestley
make, namely, that with Florence flasks (cleaned by sand
and ashes) and plenty of glass tubes, vials, bottles, and
corks, a tapering iron rod to be heated and used as a corkborer, and a few live coals with which to bend the tubes, a
good variety of apparatus might be fitted up. Some gunbarrels also, he said, would be of much service; and I had
brought from Philadelphia an old blacksmith's furnace,
which served for the heating of the iron tubes. He said,
moreover, that sand and bran, (coarse Indian meal is
better,) with soap, would make the hands clean, and that
there was no sin in dirt.
At that time there were very few chemical instruments
of glass to be obtained in this country. I had picked up a
few glass retorts in Philadelphia, and I made application to
Mr. Mather, a manufacturer of glass in East Hartford, a
few years later, to make some for me. On stating my wish,
he said he had never seen a retort, but if I would send him
one as a pattern, he did not doubt he could make them. I
had a retort the neck or tube of which was broken off near
the ball,- but as no portion was missing, and the two parts
exactly fitted each other, I sent this retort and its neck in
a box, never dreaming that there could be any blunder.
In due time, however, my dozen of green glass retorts, of
East Hartford manufacture, arrived, carefully boxed and
all sound, except that they were all cracked off in the neck
exactly where the pattern was fractured; and broken neck
and ball lay in state like decapitated kings in their coffins.
This more than Chinese imitation affords a curious illustration of the state of the manufacture of chemical glass at
that time in this country, or rather in Connecticut; the




THE BEGINNING OF HIS WORK AS PROFESSOR.  127
same blunder would probably not have been made in Philadelphia or Boston.
As far as I could judge, the impression on my pupils of
the institution and on the public was favorable. The experimnents were prepared with great care, and a failure was
a very rare occurrence. Although manuscripts fully written
out lay before me, I soon began to speak without reading,
and found my own feeling freer and easier, and the audcence
more interested. I always, however, prepared the matter
of the lecture thoroughly, and therefore avoided embarrassment in the delivery. Even with my immature and limited
acquirements I was encouraged to proceed by recollecting
other remarks which I heard from Dr. Priestley. Being
complimented upon his numerous discoveries, he replied to
this effect: —" I subjected whatever came to hand to the
action of fire or various chemical agents, and the result
was often fortunate in presenting some new discovery. In
teaching I have always found that the best way to learn is
to teach, when you will be sure to study your subject well,
and I could always keep ahead of my pupils. Thus while
I was teacher, I was still more a learner."
In September 1804, at a meeting of the President and
Fellows of Yale College, it was voted to expend ten thousand dollars in Europe during the ensuing year, in the
purchase of books for the library, and in the purchase
of philosophical and chemical apparatus. Symptoms of
dysentery were coming upon me during the examination
that preceded the Commencement, and I was hardly able
to perform my duty. The disease made such progress that
I was entirely unable to attend the public exercises of Commencement week, but was confined to my bed at Mrs.
Twining's under medical treatment by Dr. Eli Ives. There
I accidentally heard of the vote of the corporation, and,
immnediately I believe, a project occurred to me which I
resolved to disclose as soon as I should be sufficiently re.
covered to walk abroad; fearful in the mean time that I
might be anticipated.




128         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
President Dwight was at that time fifty-two years of age,
and was in the full splendor of his exalted powers, physical
and mental.
I called upon him at his house, and found him at leisure
in the front parlor, and in a state of mind to receive my
suggestions favorably. After ascertaining from him that
the report which I had heard of the appropriation of ten
thousand dollars was true, I inquired in what manner the
business would be transacted. He replied, probably through
the house of Isaac Beers & Howe, the college booksellers,
and by the agency of their correspondents in London. I
then inquired on what terms. He replied, by paying them a
commission of perhaps five per cent. I then added, "Why
not, sir, send me to transact the business, allowing me the
percentage, and continuing my salary, which, if I were
absent but six or eight months, would probably pay my
expenses, and I should in the mean time have opportunity
to improve in my profession."  The plan was afterwards
altered, and the time allotted was double of that originally
proposed.
To this proposal he instantly replied with his characteristic decision and frankness, and spoke as follows:-" I
am very glad you have made the suggestion; the thought
had never occurred to me; this will be the best possible
arrangement, and it shall have my decided support; but
the corporation of the college have adjourned and cannot
now be consulted without calling a special meeting, which
I think will not be necessary, as the Prudential Committee
can arrange the business, and I have no doubt they will be
willing to assume the responsibility. Step into a carriage,
therefore, and drive to Repton" (now Huntington, fourteen
miles from New Haven), " and consult the Rev. David Ely,
D. D., a member of the corporation and of the Prudential
Committee. Then go to Farmington, twenty-eight miles,
and submit the matter to Gov. Treadwell, who is an exoficio member of both boards. You will thus have con



THE BEGINNING OF HIS WORK AS PROFESSOR. 129
suited the Committee, and Rev. James Dana, D. D., the
other member of the Prudential Committee, is here in town,
and can be readily seen.
The proposal of President Dwight was immediately
adopted and carried into effect. I was too much interested
to make any delay, and hastened to those excellent patrons
and guardians of the college, explained to them the proposed plan, and had the happiness to find that it met
their cordial approbation. I had now a prospect of gratifying the cherished desire of visiting Europe, and under
auspices that would insure my favorable reception. This
arrangement was adopted, it is to be observed, in the
autumnal vacation. I entered, therefore, upon the labors
of my course of chemistry already referred to, with a fresh
stimulus for exertion, and was cheered througth the winter
with prospects brightening on my view as the spring drew
near. As yet the plan was not spoken of except to a few
friends; but I was making my arrangements to carry into
execution the proposed undertaking.
The lectures were given at the rate of four in a week,
which furnished a course of sufficient length, — sixty lectures
or more, including some notices of mineralogy. By the
middle of March I had accomplished all that I proposed
to do in that season, and was now ready to finish my final
arrangements and to take my departure, which was fixed
for the 22d of March, from New Haven for New York and
Philadelphia, to obtain additional letters of introduction,
to select a ship, and engage my passage for Liverpool, not
expecting to return again to New Haven before sailing.
Four years and eight months had elapsed from the time
when President Dwight gave me the first confidential intimation of his views and plan, and three years and a half
since my appointment. Chemistry was a favorite with Dr.
Dwight, and he looked forward to its establishment with
the connected sciences with a high and evident interest,
which increased in strength as the department advanced
VOL. I.     9




130          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
towards active efficiency. The present was an epoch in my
life. In my old expense-book under the date of March 22,
1805, I find the following remark:-" Here close my
accounts in this town (New Haven), having paid every demand, - being about to depart in the evening for Europe."
If I had never returned, no one would have been a loser
by me.
A survivor of the Class of 1804, and a hearer of
Mr. Sillirnan's first lectures, himself distinguished in
the walks of literature, writes as follows: —
REV. JOIHN PIERPONT TO G. P. FISHER.
WASIINGTON, D. C., March 6, 1865.......IY first sight of Mr. Silliman was, when the
day before Commencement 1800, I, with other candidates
for admission to college, with a very turbulent heart, took
my seat in the old dining-hall, for examination. I felt that
it was - and very probably it was - the most eventful day
of my life. The Examiners were then the now venerable
and saintly Ex-President Day, and Mr. Silliman, who, I
then thought, was the handsomest man that I had ever seen.
I was never in a class - academical - that enjoyed the
advantage of Mr. Silliman's immediate instruction; he, if
I remember aright, being connected with the Junior, when
I was of the Freshman class.
As you remark, sir, I was of the class that first heard his
lectures on chemistry, in the preparation of which he had
spent soime time.  I do not recollect whether or not I
went to his first lecture prepared to take notes of it. But I
think I remember the introductory sentence of it, definzig
the science that was to be the subject of his course; —
" Chemistry is the science that treats of the changes that
are effected in material bodies or substances by light, heat,
and mixture."
l3y impression nlow is, that he did not read his lectures;




THE BEGINNING OF HIS WORK AS PROFESSOR. 131
so that his instructions were not etymologically lectures
or readings, but free, fluent talks, prepared for evidently
with care, and delivered in a style. as some would say,
rather ornate for a strictly scientific discourse. Severe and
sensitive critics might go so far as to say that there was in
his style of lecturing a slight affectation of the exquisite;
while others would say " nay, but a very natural elegance."
In his demonstrative experiments he was always successful, and in all his manipulations there was uniformly a
grace and nicety that was pleasant to those of us whose
ideality had begun to be developed.
His elocution was distinct, sometimes rather too rapid for
those of us who were slow of apprehension, but it seemed
to go so fast because he feared there would n't be time
enough for it all to get out — there was so much of it -
before the clock would strike and shut the laggards in.
It was, I think, in 1829, that, at the request of the first
association for a course of popular lectures in Boston, I
called upon Mr. Silliman to solicit from him a course of
lectures in that city. As to his manner in that course, I
could see in it but little change. It seemed almost identical with what it was when I first heard him. His style of
rhetoric was perhaps rather more severe, but his experiments were equally graceful, and, as of old, equally and
always successful. What, under certain combinations and
mixtures, he said would come to pass, always did come to
pass. He was as a lecturer a true prophet, showing a full
knowledge of his subject, and because of that knowledge.
able to predict the phenomena that would result from stated
conditions.
Mr. Silliman's chemical lectures in Boston were eminently successful. In regard to his manner of lecturing
when I just compared it with what it was when I first heard
him, if I speak as I have done, of its almost perfect identity, thereby implying that he had not improved much between those periods, you, sir, ought not to be greatly




132         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
surprised; for what great improvement could be rationally
expected in 1829, in what was so nearly perfect a quarter
of a century before?
I fear, my dear sir, that you will be able to make little,
if any, use of what I have here given you, but as the poor
best that I can do for you, I beg you to accept it.
With respects of
Your obdt. servant,
JNO. PIERPONT.
The annexed letters were written after his plan
for visiting Europe was formed, and prior to his
departure.
TO MRS. G. S. SILLIMAN.
YALE COLLEGE, January 12, 1805...... A WEEK to-morrow evening I wrote to your
husband and gave him reason to believe that it would be
impossible for me to visit you before my embarkation. My
heart knows how much I regret this. I love you both
more than I can express, and I know not any earthly wish
that I should sooner pray to have gratified than that which
would place you both where I could see you and converse
with you every day. I love your society; it not only agrees
with every sentiment of duty derived fiom family alliance,
but it suits my taste exactly. With all the delights of
science and varied society, I have a sad vacuum; I have, I
trust, about me many well-wishers and more than one cordial friend, but mother is not here, Selleck and Hepsa are
not here, and I must smother in my own bosom much which
would make my tongue eloquent had I such ears as yours
and theirs to lay my mouth to; but I must grow concise
and proceed to other topics...... MIy chemical lectures
were most of them written carelessly as to the handwriting,
because I expected to copy them; but this I have given
up. But I will make no excuses; and although I believe




THE BEGINNING OF HIS WORK AS PROFESSOR. 133
they will afford Selleck but little entertainment, because
they all go upon the supposition that the experiments elucidating the principles are exhibited at the same time, I
will, nevertheless, send them; they with the Spectacle de la
Nature will just fill a small trunk, which I will forward.
The lectures must be returned as soon as I return next
fall, that I may have them to begin my course with.
The feeling and eloquent, though too flattering, manner
in which you urge me to leave behind a copy of my face, as
a sad remembrance, should I never return, took strong hold
of my feelings, and drew tears from eyes very little prone to
weep. I felt the request to be reasonable, and I will not
be so fastidiously delicate as to doubt that a faithful copy
of my face would be to my friends a dear memorial of one
whom they loved living, and would lament if dead......
I intended to tell you how I am delighted with the details which maternal tenderness, and not weakness, has led
you to give me of those dear babes; if you insist that it is
weakness, continue to be weak whenever you write. Your
pencil is so successful that I see them both now in my
mind's eye. Kiss them  six times apiece for me, and tell
them Uncle Ben dearly loves his little " pappoose" and his
little "' bow-wow." On Monday eveniing my friend Day is
to be married. I stand bridesman. The connection promises mutual happiness on the most rational grounds. I
assure you I feel very much disposed to go and do likewise,
but at least six thousand miles of water lie between me and
any glimpse of matrimony......
TO MR. G. S. SILLIMAN.
RYE, (State of New York,)
January 24, 1805.
DEAR SELLcFCK, —.....    I left New Haven on Wednesday morning of last week with Dr. Dwight, and proceeded to New York, which we reached on Thursday at
eleven o'clock A. M. We left it to-day at twelve o'clock.




134         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
Our stay was therefore one week. This period I have spent
very usefully and agreeably. I have met with very polite
and friendly attention from people of the first respectability.
I have secured letters of introduction to Scotland, England,
Holland, and France; from Samuel M. Hopkins, Dr. Mason, the house of Murray and Son, Oliver Wolcott, Dr. Perkins, Col. Trumbull, and Mr. King. All these gentlemen
offer me every information and assistance in their power.
Mr. King will introduce me to Sir Joseph Banks, President
of the Royal Society, to Sir Charles Blagden, late Secretary of it, &c. Col. Trumbull, in adclition to letters, will
give me in writing directions for travelling to advantage,particularly to enable me to make a respectable appearance
with the least possible expense; for he remarked that he
had visited Europe in circumstances very similar to mine,
and therefore knew how to direct me. In company with
Dr. Dwight and Mr. Rogers, I spent two hours one morning at Mr. King's. I was gratified to find in a man who
had been so long conversant with Courts, and who had so
long enjoyed the admiration of Europe and America, the
utmost affability and a total freedom  from formality and
that repulsiveness so commonly mistaken for dignity....
While in New York I dined with Moses Rogers, in company with James Watson, Dr. Mason, Mr. Hopkins, Mr.
Gracie, Oliver Wolcott, &c. I dined also with Win. Woolsey, Lynde Catlin, Mr. Winthrop; breakfasted with Peter
Radcliff, Mr. Hopkins, and Mr. Rogers, &c., &c. I must
stop to-morrow night with brother John, and reach New
Haven on Saturday evening. On Monday I shall go to
Middletown to spend a day or two with Itond' Mother, and
this will close the vacation. I must then give an assiduous
application to the duties of my professorship and to my
preparations, till my departure......
A voyage to Europe sixty years ago was a far
more serious undertaking than now; and the farewells exchanged were proportionately serious.




THE BEGINNING OF HIS WORK AS PROFESSOR.  135
TO MR. G. S. SILLIMIAN.
YALE COLLEGE, February 21, 1805...... THEu solemn trust which you so tenderly commit
to me in case of an event, - which may God of his infinite
mercy avert, - I with all seriousness and sincerity accept.
As you do not doubt the strength of my affection for you,
our dear Hepsa, and the lovely babes, so you cannot hesitate to believe that my affections would be seconded by my
principles and exertions. So long, then, as I have life or
ability, you may rest assured that any relicts of a brother,
whom I love as I do my own life, would share my last farthing. and the little ones would command all my vigilance
and wisdom to form their hearts to piety and their understandings to knowledge. Do not, I beseech you, lay it to
heart that I cannot visit you. We should be obliged to
part even then; and would it not be more painful than to
make up our minds to it now?  I trust firmly, cheerfully,
and confidently in Heaven, that we shall meet again. I
have not one gloomy foreboding, one desponzding thought
or doubtful apprehension. Do not think I want feeling.
Most sensibly do I feel the idea that I must be separated
for more than a year from those I love; but I will not give
way to such feelings; my mind is made up, and I go,
resolutely and cheerfully, to meet whatever is before me.
I have also a firmn confidence, under God, that I shall not
be influenced by the infidelity or the splendid pleasures
anti gilded fopperies of the Old World. Spare me not,
when I return, if you find that I have made a fool of myself. My mind is bent on acquiring professional science,
a knowledge of mankind, that general information which
shall give me pleasing resources for reflection and conversation, those polished manners which shall prove a perpetual letter of introduction, and that easy, elegant, and
chastened style of speech which shall give a garnish to all
the rest. I have not the vanity to believe I shall accomplish all this; but such are my objects......




CHAPTER VI.
VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN LONDON.
Residence in Europe. -  Ir. John Taylor. - Dr. William Henry. - Dr.
D)alton's Lecture and Conversation. - Arrival in London. - Mr. William Nicholson. - Frederic Accum, the German Chemist. - Dr. George
Pearson and his Lectures. -Illumination by Gas.-Scientific Societies. - Davy. - Sir Joseph Banks. - Visit to Cornwall. - Dr. Ryland
and Mr. Winterbotham.- Military Preparations on the English Coast.Back to London.- At the House of Benjamin West: Joel Barlow,
Robert Fulton, and Earl Stanhope. - Interview with Davy. - Professor
William Allen's Lecture and Conversation. - At Cambridge: Professor
Farish. - Visit to Lindley Murray.
THE  year which  Mr. Silliman spent abroad was
crowded with profitable and agreeable employmrnents.
In  Liverpool, where  he  landed  and  first saw  the
English  on their own island, he bad the good fortune to form  the acquaintance of Mr. Roscoe.  After
a visit to Manchester, he resorted to the Derbyshire
mines, which he diligently explored.  At Coventry
he witnessed the confusion and riot of an English
election.  Pursuing his way to  London, he took up
his abode in that metropolis for several months, executing the commission with which he was charged
by the College, prosecuting his scientific studies, and
making himself acquainted with things and persons
of note.   In  society he  met the leading  scientific
men of the day, including Watt, and  our countryman, Robert Fulton. In Parliament he had the




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN LONDON.  137
opportunity to hear the celebrated statesmen Pitt,
Castlereagh, Windham, Fox, and Sheridan. He
saw Lord Nelson on the Strand, with a crowd at his
heels, and afterwards witnessed his embarkation at
Portsmouth, with the glittering decorations on his
breast which soon after proved a mark for the fatal
shot on the deck of the Victory; and he witnessed
the mingled exultation and grief of the English
people at the news of Trafalgar. He Tnade an excursion to Cornwall, and a laborious examination of
the mining operations in that region, besides excursions to Bath, Bristol, and other places in England.
Passing over to Holland, he encountered the only
serious disappointment attending his tour. It was
during the period after the rupture of the Peace of
Amiens, when the tide of Napoleon's wrath against
England was at the highest point, and when the
great army which soon after achieved the capitulation at Ulmr and the victory of Austerlitz had suddenly marched from the northern coast of France,
where they had long menaced the opposite shores
with invasion. At Antwerp, Mr. Silliman and his
travelling companion were stopped by the French
police on suspicion of being spies, - no other proof
being alleged than the fact that they had come from
England. To come from England, whatever might
be the nationality of the traveller, was at that time
considered an offence meriting the imperial displeasure. Though deprived of the privilege of seeing
Paris and its men of science, Mr. Silliman embraced
the opportunity to visit several of the principal cities
of Holland. Returning to London, he saw Mrs.
Siddons in the Covent Garden Theatre, in one of




138         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
her favorite parts, the Grecian Daughter; he received the hospitalities of Mr. Thornton, member of
parliament and friend of Wilberforce, and by that
gentleman was introduced to the illustrious statesman, with whom he spent several hours most agreeably; and he was brought into personal intercourse
with the distinguished scientific professors, Davy and
Allen.  Taking the University of Cambridge on his
way, and passing through York and Newcastle, he
arrived in Edinburgh in the latter part of November, 1805.  He found everything to delight him in
this ancient and beautiful city, and in the University,
where he found the ablest instructors in the departments of study to which he was devoted. Here he
remained until the following spring, when he set sail
from Greenock, and reached New York on the 27th
of May.
In his Reminiscences, Mr. Silliman has presented
fresh and lively details of this early sojourn in Europe,
and especially of the winter at Edinburgh. To no
part of his long life does he seem to revert with more
pleasure than to this. The following passages embrace but a part of what he has written:My travels and residence in Europe in 1805-6, although
undertaken chiefly for the interests of Yale College and of
science, did not preclude observations of popular subjects
along with notices of science and the arts. These observations were preserved in a Journal which was published in
1810, and two other editions followed.
The ride from Liverpool made me acquainted with a gentleman, Mr. John Taylor, who proved to me an invaluable
friend through a long life. He died Dec. 9, 1857, aged 78.
(For a fuller notice of him see the 8vo. edition of my first




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN LONDON.  139
travels published in 1810, Vol. I. p. 70; also Vol. I. pp. 17
and 20 of the visit to Europe in 1851.) MIy relations with
him were most agreeable and useful to me, but had no
particular reference to science. He was, however, ever
ready to serve me, and did, many years after, perform an
important service in the line of my studies, by sending me
large specimen slates firom the sandstone quarry of Storeton,
near Liverpool, containing fine copies, in relief, of the feet
of the Chirotherium; they are now in the Cabinet of Yale
College.
Two gentlemen eminent in science, resided at Manchester. I sought them under the guidance of Mr. Taylor, but
did not find Dr. William  Henry, an eminent author on
chemistry, of whose excellent "Elements " I published, a few
years after, three American editions with notes. I sustained an occasional correspondence with him, and sent
him a rather copious table of errata in his work, which he
received courteously and even gratefully.
I found Mr. Dalton, who was a Quaker, with the plain
dress and address of his sect. He was apparently from
thirty-five to forty years old. I attended an evening lecture
by him on Electricity. The audience was popular, and ladies
formed a part of it. The lecture was beautifully illustrated
by experiments, and among them, in a darkened room, the
electrical discharge was conveyed around the cornices of
the room by means of an interrupted wire, cut at short
intervals; and as the discharge passed, there was a brilliant
light at each interruption, and without any appreciable succession in time. Mr. Dalton had already distinguished
himself by his researches on heat and vapor and evaporation and the law of diffusion cf mixed gases. His great
achievement, however, was the establishment of the doctrine of definite or equivalent proportions, including the
volumes of gases. Gay Lussac in Paris had also brought
forward similar views and proofs, before there was any
communication between them, or knowledge of each other's




140         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIIMAN.
researches. The morning after the lecture, Mr. Dalton
gave me an hour or two in a conversational explanation of
his views, and in showing me his apparatus and mode of
experimenting. I had, in after years, occasion often to
quote his discourses. He lived to an honored old age, and
his name, as well as that of his (then to hinm unknown) coworker, Gay Lussac, is deeply engraven on the monumnental
column dedicated to men eminent in science. 1ir. Dalton
was the first scientific man whom I saw in England. I had
seen 3Ir. Roscoe equally eminent in literature.
Dr. Henry was a great favorite with the scientific public,
and by the aid of chemical manufactures had secured
wealth, and his labors in science had won for him a high
and deserved reputation. But a mysterious Providence
removed him from life. He had recently returned from a
meeting of the British Association at Bristol, when, as is
believed, in a fit of derangement, he shot himself ill a
domestic chapel in his own garden.
On Monday, May 20th, I arrived in London, last from
Oxford, and obtained a home at No. 13 Margaret Street,
Cavendish Square, which had been the abode of a friend
of mine, Dr. Archibald Bruce of New York. By him I was
introduced to the worthy lady of the house, Mrs. Brooke;
and this was my residence for nearly six months. It was
every way comfortable and desirable. The vote of the
President and Fellows of Yale College, of Sept. 7th, 1802,
included Natural History along with Chemistry in the Professorship. So wide a range of research was very startling
to me. I was, however, willing to look at the subject and
see what could be done. The orders which were committed to me for the purchase of books and apparatus required a residence in London during the summer; and I
was desirous to discover what sources of information were
accessible in the metropolis. MIy first object was, however,
to make arrangements for obtaining the books for the
library, and the apparatus for the philosophical and chemical




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN LONDON. 141
departments. I had already arranged my money concerns
with the great American banker of that day, Samuel Williams, Esq., of Finsbury Square, a nephew of Col. Timothy
Pickering, by whom I was responsibly introduced; and the
funds which I brought were deposited with him, a wellknown, exact, and reliable man, of few words, but of many
good deeds of kind service.
A stranger in London, and a novice in its business
affairs, I did not feel safe in proceeding without mature
and wise counsel. For this purpose I obtained an introduction to William Nicholson, a veteran in science, and an
author and journalist of high reputation. I called on him
at his residence in Soho Square, and was personally introduced by a friend. My calls were repeated several times,
and I was present at one of his conversazioni. Nicholson
was an instrument-nmaker. I found this distinguished man
very affable and kind; and having explained to him my
object in coming to London, he entered into my views with
great readiness, and would not permit me to apologize for
the call. HI-le said, on the contrary, that he had always
made it a principle to aid, as far as possible, every worthy
effort, and to impart to inquirers all the information in his
power. In this course he said, morever, that he had received his reward in the great readiness which he found in
others to aid him in turn. Such liberal sentiments relieved
any embarrassment which I might have felt, and I hope
his sentiments have not been lost upon me, as an example.
Mr. Nicholson survived these interviews about fifteen years,
and the world was a loser when he died. In my published
journal of travels in England, I have recorded that he bore
a strong resemblance to the late President Dwight, both
in person and in the features of his mind. In his communications he was, like him, copious, flowing, lucid, and
courteous, bearing upon the given topic with great energy
and scope of thought, ready on almost every subject, and
pouring a full stream from a fountain so much more full
and ample that it was never exhausted.




142         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
I early made the acquaintance of a celebrated practical
chemist, Frederick Accum, a German, but fully established
in London, and speaking the English language very intelligibly. After fr'equenting his establishment near Soho
Square daily for many weeks, for purposes to be mentioned
hereafter, I became satisfied that I could employ him advantageously to obtain for me the desired chemical apparatus. IIe was well acquainted with practical chemistry,
and was much resorted to to make chemical analyses and
examinations of many things; — he was to the Londoners
a pet chemist. Hle was a most obliging and kind-hearted
man; and in ways which I will hereafter mention, as well
as in relation to apparatus and preparations, he was always
prompt to serve me, and would for that purpose go to the
end of London, if not to the end of the earth. He had
been, moreover, the operative assistant of Davy, in the Royal
Institution, and in that way had become familiar with the
requirements of philosophical chemistry and class instruction, as well as with the wants of the arts and economics.
In his house he kept a considerable variety of apparatus;
and his extensive acquaintance with all dealers and manufacturers of instruments enabled him to obtain all that I
wanted, better than I could do it myself in the immense
world of London, then (the summer of 1805) containing a
million of people, now, I suppose, two and a half millions.
Before comning to England I had made myself familiar,
in a good degree, with popular chemistry, and having a
natural tact for manipulations, I was already a pretty expert
experimenter. I wished, however, to become acquainted
with difficult processes, and I therefore engaged Mr. AcCum to give me private instructions, and to devote some
hour or hours to me daily in his working laboratory. He
then requested me to name the subjects with which I was
least acquainted, or not acquainted at all, and to them we
devoted our time and efforts. Among the subjects were the
analysis of ores, the formation of the crystallized vegetable




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN LONDON.  143
acids, the arsenical compounds, &c. WVe operated upon
arsenious acid, white arsenic, by nitrate of potassa in a hot
crucible, ibor the purpose of turning it into arsenical acid.
MIr. Accum did not caution me against inhaling the fumes
which were floating about the room, and, indeed, without a
caution from him, I ought to have been on my guard, as I
very well knew these fumes to be poisonous; but our minds
were so much engaged that we neglected our safety. We
both suffered serious inconvenience for some days in prostrated muscular power, and in debility and derangement
of the digestive organs. The time passed in this manner
with Mr. Accum was, in general, profitably spent; sometimes we were engaged together a whole morning. He
would receive no compensation for his time, his re-agents,
and his services,- the only instance of the kind that I met
with anywhere, at home or abroad, during my novitiate.
Eventually, however, Mr. Accum received compensation
indirectly by the very considerable order, already named,
which he executed for Yale College...... Coming to
the laboratory one day, I found Accum laughing and in
high glee on account of a good bargain he had made with
Mr. Pitt, the Prime Minister, for government. Mr. Pitt,
he said, had ordered a large quantity of chemical apparatus
for a place in my country. "Ah," I replied, "what is the
name of the place? "Pondicherry," he replied. " Pondicherry, indeed! That is not in my country: it is in India,
at our antipodes; and, moreover, Mr. Pitt would not send
apparatus to my country." " But no matter," he said, "I
have taken this opportunity to sweep my garrets of all my
old apparatus and odds and ends that had been acculnulating for years, and have turned everything over to government." Well, thought I, IMr. Pitt is not here to look
after his apparatus, and if he were present he would
probably not be a very good judge; but I am here, and
shall keep a. sharp lookout for my own concerns.
On my passage out from New York, I copied into my




144         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
journal all my documents and letters of introduction.
Among the latter was one from the late Benjamin Douglass Perkins to Dr. George Pearson. Mr. Perkins passed
several years in London, occupied in diffusing the knowledge of the once celebrated metallic tractors, first applied
to use by his father, the late Dr. Perkins of Plainfield,
Connecticut. Dr. Pearson favored the effobrts of B. D.
Perkins, and thus a personal interest was cherished between
them. In the introduction to Dr. Pearson, he (Perkins)
wrote thus:- "Visiting your country with such views,
[explained in the preceding part of the letter,] to whom
could I with more propriety address him than to the oldest
lecturer and the greatest chemist in England? "  There
were then — it being summer - no other chemical lectures going on in London, except, perhaps, at the hospitals,
and as I wished to make the best use of my time, in obtaining professional knowledge, and to hear moreover in
what manner eminent men in Europe lecture, it appeared
to me fortunate that I could listen to " the oldest lecturer
and the greatest chemist in England." I therefore took Dr.
Pearson's tickets. He gave lectures on three different subjects - Chemistry, Materia Medica, and Therapeutics -
in immediate succession. He began in the office connected
with his house, at eight o'clock A. Mi., and lectured forty-five
minutes on Chemistry; next on Materia Medica for the
same time; and last on Therapeutics forty-five minutes;
finishing at fifteen minutes past ten. There was no interval for breathing or for a gentle transition to a new subject.
This mental repletion was not favorable to intellectual
digestion. I attended the lecture on Chemistry and that
on Materia Medica. A learned man Dr. Pearson certainly
was, but I was disappointed in the great advantage which
I had expected. The lecture-room was ill furnished, and
the appearance of it was shabby and even mean. The
apparatus was quite limited, and the experiments not
numerous nor well performed. The class was composed of




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN LONDON. 145
young men, seemingly very raw, and not appearing like
cultivated and intelligent youth. Dr. Pearson usually came
into the lecture-rooml quite in dishabille - but half dressed,
and the air of things was not up to the dignity of a lectureroom. I felt that I was out of place, and in company to
which I did not belong. Some of Dr. Pearson's own discoveries were interesting to me; for example, the composition
of James's powder, and the decomposition of carbonic acid
by boiling phosphorus with carbonate of soda. The greater
part of the things said and done were familiar to me, and
some I thought I had done better at home. On the whole,
I did not feel that these lectures returned me an equivalent
for my time and money. Had I not paid for my tickets, and
-a stronger reason still - had I not been personally introduced and received civilities from Dr. Pearson, I should
have given up these courses. I breakfasted with Dr. Pearson and family, and he had taken me in a coach down to
Woolwich,- a government military station, eight miles below London; and I looked about while he visited a patient.
His personal deportment towards me was courteous, and he
even commended me to a friend as having made " astonishing progress while attending his lectures." Of this progress I was not myself sensible, nor could I feel how he
could have discovered my improvement, as there were no
scientific communications between us, except that I occasionally made an inquiry...... The first illumination by gas in London took
rplace in the summer of 1805, and it was my good fortune
to see this exhibition on the evening of July 4th of that
year.  Returning with a companion from  Hyde Park,
through Piccadilly, we stopped at the shop of a chemist
and apothecary, near Albany House. This shop - it being
evening - was surrounded by a large crowd of people who
were attracted by the brilliant exhibition of gas-light. It
sufficed not only to illuminate the premises, which it did
very splendidly, but the doors and windows being open, it
VOL. I.        10




146         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
made noonday in the streets. As I had never seen anything of the kind before, beyond the small experiments of
the scientific laboratory, I asked permission of the head of
the establishment to see his apparatus. At first he refused,
but when I assured him that I had no manufacturing or
trade interests to serve, but only those of science, he consented and accompanied me into the cellar. There was
nothing in the arrangement different from those now in
use, except that they were less perfect. The upper apartment being open to the breeze, the numerous long and
pointed jets of flame of great brilliancy, waving with every
breath of air, seemed as if endowed with animation, and
produced an effect almost magical. Fifty years have produced a great change. Now, illumination by gas prevails
throughout the civilized world, and its advantages are too
obvious to require any illustration. I suppose that the gastubes of London - those in the houses included - must
extend several hundred miles.
Among the advantages which I enjoyed in London, I
must not omit the learned societies, - The Royal Society,
the Antiquarian Society, the Academy of Painting and
Sculpture, the Exhibition of Paintings (annual) in Somerset House, the Royal Institution, Sir Joseph Banks's conversazioni at his house, and the British Museum. From all
these, some rays of light would shine into the mind of a
young stranger seeking knowledge. At the Royal Institution I saw and conversed with Davy in an informal interview in his working laboratory. At Sir Joseph Banks's I
saw many of the most eminent men of the day. I had
daily freedom of access, so far as my time would allow, at
Sir Joseph's, where there was always a public breakfast in
addition to the soiree.  At Sir Joseph's, beside himself
and his learned secretary Dr. Solander, I saw Mr. Watt,
Major Rennell, Dr. Wollaston, Dr. Tooke, Lord Macartney
the ambassador to China, Mr. Cavendish, Dalryrnple the
marine geographer, Windham the parliamentary orator,




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN LONDON.  147
and many others. I heard William Allen lecture at the
Royal Institution, and dined with Mr. Greville, of Paddington Green, son of the Earl of Warwick, whose collection
of minerals was one of the first in Europe.
In the course of his journey to the mines of Cornwall, he tarried at Bristol.
The Rev. Dr. Ryland, head of the Baptist College in
Bristol, and his colleague the Rev. Mr. Page, showed
us much kindness while here. They by their influence
obtained access for us to several important manufactures:
that of pins, that of brass, and that of glass bottles, for all
of which Bristbl was famous. They showed us also many
Oriental idols, and other objects connected with the early
Baptist Mission in India, in promoting which these gentlemen and their friends had been actively engaged.
Mr. Winterbotham, a clergyman, an author of a voluminous work on American geography, met us at Dr. Ryland's.
He had been captivated, as many worthy people were, by
the French revolution, and becoming obnoxious to the
British government, he was shut up in Newgate Prison,
where he produced his large work. While in prison he
became acquainted with the detestable principles of some
of his political associates, one of whom declared to him,
that if his party should prevail, not a teacher of religion
should be left alive in the land. Winterbotham replied: —
"I am a preacher, and the moment I am liberated from
prison, I will preach again." " Then," said his companion,
" I will be the first to plunge a dagger into your bosom."
IMr. Winterbotham deserted this violent party and made
amends for his error; and indeed his parishioners, the
people of his flock, believed that government had dealt too
harshly with him...... Rev. President Ryland kindly volunteered to
give me a general introduction to his friends in the region




148         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
which I was about to visit. His letter was truly a catholic
epistle, not indeed to the churches, but to the ministers of
his denomination in the provincial places on my intended
route to Cornwall and back to London.
After stating my character as it was made known to him
by President D)wight, and my object in travelling, he recommends me to a long colunln of clergymen with their
places of residence annexed; and finally, "' to any one else
who knows John Ryland.".....
As I travelled along the coast of the English Channel, I
saw piles of combustibles which had been placed on the
hills, to be seen as burning  signals in case the French
should invade England. Before I left London I was informed that every volunteer was warned to be ready, and
not to leave his place even for a short time, without leaving
a notice. where he might be found at a moment's warning.
My book-merchant, Ogilby, showed me such a government
notice. All the vehicles of the country, including farmnwagons, were numbered and registered, that they mlight
be employed in transporting troops; and the people were
in a state of constant anxiety. When I crossed the Channel
I found that the fears of the English had not been without
cause. An immense array was assembled at Boulogne,
ready to embark. Troops were actually embarked in HIolland, and were ready to emblark from other ports, when the
new war in Germany called for the troops to be nlarched
in that direction, and the canipaign which ended in the
battle of Austerlitz, diverted Napoleon from his purpose
of invading England...... Returning to London, at the house of MIr. West,
the distinguished American artist, I met our celebrated
countryman Joel Barlow, recently from the Continent. He
was a Fairfield-County man, was acquainted at my father's,
and was a class-mate with my oldest half-brother, Joseph
Noyes, in Yale College. He received me with great cordiality, and furnished me with letters to eminent men of science




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN LONDON.   149
in Paris and Lyons, which my repulse at Antwerp prevented
me from delivering. Although his own field of fame had
been in poetry and belles-lettres, he appreciated science, and
kindly invited me to pass an evening at his lodgings in
Swallow Street, to meet Earl Stanhope and Robert Fulton,
two scientific stars. I went accordingly, but there is little
to record, except the pleasure of meeting imen of renown.
The conversation turned chiefly on scientific subjects and
those connected with the arts. Mr. Fulton was silent
respecting his reputed projects for submarine expldsions
in war for the destruction of an enemy's ships or flotillas.
There was, at that time, much conversation in London
regarding Mr. Fulton and his reputed invention, called
" kata maran n" (beneath the sea), and no small amount of
asperity and ridicule was vented on the occasion. In table
talk, I heard it said that neither the French nor the English government favored the propositions of' Ir. Fulton, to
explode the marine armaments of their respective enemies.
However this may have been, and whether true or not, it
was fortunate for mankind and for the famne of Mr. Fulton,
that his inventive mind, perhaps from disappointment, received another direction, which resulted in placing the
COhancellor Livingston steamer triumphantly upon the Hudson, within two years after the time when I saw him. The
world is his debtor, and his country is preiminently so; but
that country has been shamnefully parsimonious to his family,
while untold millions alone can adequately represent the
amount of her gains, resulting from the only successful application of steam to navigation. As to Earl Stanhope, —
omitting his gloomy political auguries, (for he was in the
opposition), - I will mention only a very ingenious, but not
very important, invention which he named to me. There
was with the Earl at Mr. Barlow's, a German lady, possessing both musical genius and musical taste and tact in so
high a degree, that upon the piano she would often throw
off extempore, from the ends of her fingers, the most de



150         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
lightful airs, which she herself could not afterwards recall.
In order to arrest this fugitive harmony, the Earl contrived an apparatus to be connected with the keys of the
instrument and to be actuated by their movement, so that
the nlusic was dotted down as it was played, and thus
recorded on the tablet which was placed to receive and
preserve it.
Mr. Barlow inquired with much interest concerning his
native State and his Alma Mater. HIe expressed satisfaction that chemistry and the associated sciences were being
introduced into Yale College, and added, that he would
have sent out a chemical apparatus and preparations had
he not supposed that, coming from him, the college authorities would make a bonfire of them in the college yard.
I could, in reply to this bitter remark, add nothing more
than the assurance that such a gift would have been highly
acceptable, and that the articles would have been carefully
preserved. Mr. Barlow had been a minister of the gospel,
had preached and prayed publicly, and written sacred
hymns in elevated strains, both of poetry and devotion,
some of which are still preserved in our Congregational
collection of sacred poetry. He espoused the French revolution with great warmth, even in its most bloody periods,
and even wrote a song in praise of the guillotine; and one
sentiment in it was, that under the axe " Great George's
head would roll." In his poem on the " Hasty Pudding,"
he apostrophizes the cow, and says: --
_ " Sure it is to me,
Were I to leave my God, I'd worship thee."
His early friends regarded him as an apostate from
Christianity. As an ambassador to Napoleon, he sought
him in Poland, and fell a victim to the severity of winter
at Wilna in 1815-16...... Just before leaving London, in November 1805,
I visited again the Royal Institution under the introduction
of Mr. Accum, who had formerly been assistant operator to




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN LONDON. 151
Professor Davy. My principal object was to see that celebrated man, whom we found in his laboratory in the basement of the building (in Albemarle Street), beneath the
lecture-room. He received me with ease and affability, his
manners being perfectly polite and unassuming. In person
he was above the middle size, with a genteel figure and an
open countenance. In our brief interview, we conversed
on chemical topics and upon his late tour in Ireland, from
which he had only recently returned, having been absent
through the summer. lIe showed me an ingenious article
of apparatus which he had lately invented. His appearance at the age of twenty-six (nearly my own age) was
even more youthful than the years indicate. Ile inquired
about Dr. Woodhouse, who was here in 1802. I have
already mentioned that the obscure town of Penzance, in
Cornwall, was his birthplace, and, although without social
position or university education, he had by his own efforts
and talents, arisen to his present eminence among the most
distinguished philosophers of Europe. I wrote at the time
about him, thus:  " He is now very much caressed by the
great men of London, and by the fashionable world; and it
is certainly no small proof of his merit that he has so early
attained such favor and can bear it without intoxication."
It is not agreeable therefore to add, that after his elevation
to the title and rank of an English baronet, and to the
Presidency of the Royal Society, he became haughty, and
his biographer and eulogist, Dr. Paris, records that he bore
himself so loftily during a visit in Paris, as to repel the
advances of the Parisian philosophers, who were themselves so distinguished for unassuming courtesy of manners. I have been credibly informed, also, as I believe, by
the late Dr. Mantell of London, that when Faraday, then
Davy's assistant, was with him in Paris, he was repressed
by him, who was unwilling that he should appear in French
society as his companion and equal, although he then gave
promise of equalling if not surpassing the attainments,




152         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
merit, and fame of his patron. Alas for human weakness!
When, in July 1851, I stood by the grave of Davy in the
public cemetery of Geneva, I forgot his follies, and remembered only his virtues and his brilliant success and service
to mankind. He was cut off at fifty-one and a half years
of age, a little past the meridian of life. "What shadows
we are and what shadows we pursue!"..... Prof. William Allen belonged to the Society
of Friends. I first met him  at dinner at MIr. William
Vaughan's, and was interested by his intelligence and agreeable manners, - the manners of a gentleman, joined to
those of a Quaker, - simple, but without stiffness or any unnecessary deviation from customary forms of speech. I was
indeed happy in hearing a lecture from him in the Royal
Institution, which I felt to be some compensation for mnissing Prof. Davy, who would not lecture until after I should
have left London. The lecture-room of the Royal Institution accommodates an audience of one thousand persons.
The room is sky-lighted, and a movable screen with the aid
of a pully enables the lecturer to cut off the daylight and
thus to darken the room in the daytime. In this way Davy
was able to exhibit the wonderful illuminating power of the
gigantic battery of the Royal Institution, of two thousand
pairs of plates, and Faraday has successfulily followed his
steps with results still more astonishing. At Mr. Allen's
lecture, the audience was of all ages and of both sexes;
and about half were young ladies with some matrons.
Thus one of the great objects of the Institution is answered by affording rational entertainment and instruction
for the vacant aristocracy of London, as well as for those
who are in earnest in seeking mental improvement. Prof.
Allen gave a very interesting and instructive lecture on the
general properties of matter;-his style was lucid, his illustrations were appropriate and satisfactory, as were his conclusions. It was my privilege again to hear a lecture in
the Royal Institution, but it was after an interval of fortysix years.




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN LONDON.  153
On his way to Edinburgh, he stopped for a short
time at Cambridge.
Arriving at evening, I had drawn my boots off, and with
pen in hand was just beginning to write, by a comfortable
fire in my chamber in the hotel, when I received a call
from one of the Fellows, to whom I forwarded a letter of
introduction from London. He insisted upon my going
over to his apartments to sup with him, and the invitation
was so kindly pressed that I complied, and enjoyed a very
pleasant interview with a most agreeable and polished gentleman, the Rev. Mr. Qunningham. The next day, by the
introduction of another Fellow, Rev. Mr. Currie, I dined
with a large circle of University men, Heads of Colleges,
Professors, Fellows, &c., and thus I was made to feel at
homne.
Elementary Chemistry, in 1805, was taught in the University by Prof. Wollaston. PProf. Farish was the founder
of a new course of chemistry and mechanics, applied to the
arts. I called on this gentleman, to whom I had letters of
introduction, and was received with great courtesy and
kindness. He took me to the laboratory and showed me
his extensive apparatus. Prof. Farish made it his leading
object to demonstrate the most important applications of
chemistry and mechanics to the arts of life, and particularly to the manufactures of Great Britain, many of the
establishments of which he had in person visited for the
sake of inspecting their processes. He had a complete set
of models and machines, and of apparatus for the purpose
of carrying his designs into effect. A small steam-engine
served to illustrate the nature of that instrument, and the
moving power thus obtained was then applied to work the
rest of the machinery...... Lindley Murray, a man equally distinguished in a
different line,- that of English grammar and philosophy,resided near York at the time of my visit here in Novem



154         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
ber 1805. At evening I rode out on horseback to his residence at Holgate, a suburban village. I passed out under
a Roman arched gateway. This eminent man, early in life,
removed from New York to old York, on account of a
muscular weakness in his limbs, hoping for relief from the
climate of England; and in this country he found a permanent home, although he did not obtain the desired relief.
His grammar of the English language was the best that
had been written, and he published several other works.
"' In the chaste, perspicuous, and polished style of his writings, and in the pure and dignified moral sentiments which
they contain, one may discern proofs of the character of
the man. Both he and Mrs. Murray retained the simplicity
of Quaker manners, while they were refined and polished
people. I was fortunate in finding him able to converse,
for at times he cannot utter even a whisper, and is compelled to decline even seeing his friends."




CIHAPTER VII.
VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH.
His Residence in Edinburgh. - His Associates, Mr. Codman and Mr. Gorham. -Introduction to Dr. Thomas Hope. -Dr. Gregory. - Dr. Hope's
Lectures.- Dr. John AMurray and His Lectures.- Dr. Hope and Dr. Murray on Geology. - Controversy of the Huttonians and Wernerians. -
The Progress of his own Geological Views. —Dr. John Barclay's
Lectures on Anatomy. - Narrow Escape on Salisbury Craig.
MR. SILLIMAN came to Edinburgh well provided
with letters of introduction to persons whom he
would wish to know. Soine of these had been furnished by Mr. Thorntonl; and the interest which this
gentleman had taken in forwarding the plans of the
young American is indicated by the following note,
which  he doubtless sent to Mr. Silliman after the
arrival of the latter in Scotland.
HENRY BROUGHAM, ESQ., (2now LORD BROUGHA3I,) TO MR.
THORNTON.
1, TANFIELD COURT, January 4.
DEAR Sin, - I have only to-day received a letter from
Edinburgh, with one enclosed from you, in which you do me
the favor of introducing me to Prof. Silliman. HIe does not
appear to have arrived at Edinburgh previous to my departure, - at least he never called on me before that time. I
therefore have to regret that I had no opportunity of making his acquaintance. But I have to-day written a letter
to some of my friends at Edinburgh, whom I conceive Prof.
S. would like to know, as they will immediately introduce




156         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
him to the best literary circles of the place. I have particularly requested the person alluded to, to introduce Mr.
Sillirnan to a club composed of the most select part of
the professors and other eminent men in Edinburgh, which
is one of the greatest resources in point of good society
that the place has.
I am, however, a little afraid that it may be difficult to
find Mr. S.'s address, as he left none when he called at my
father's house. If you know it and can send it to me, you
will greatly oblige,
Dear sir,
Your obliged and faithful servant,
HENRY BROUGHAM.
Mr. Silliman was the bearer of a letter from President Dwight to Dr. John Robison, Professor of Natural Philosophy at Edinburgh. In addition to scientific writings of importance, he had published in
1797 a book against the Illiuminati, entitled, " Proofs
of a Conspiracy against all the Religions and Governments of Europe."  This brought upon him both
praise and odium.  He died before the arrival of
Mr.' Sillirnan in  Edinburgh; and the letter of Dr.,Dwight, for the intrinsic interest that belongs to it,
is here subjoined.
NEWV IIALEN, March 20, 1805.
DEAR SiR,- This letter will be handed to you by Benjamin Silliman, Esq., Professor of Chemistry in Yale College. He goes to Europe on business of this Seminary,
and to further his own acquaintance with his science and
scientifical men. I beg leave to introduce him to you, as a
young gentleman of the best character and hopes. He is
ambitious of an acquaintance with persons of literary distinction, and particularly desirous of seeing you. The




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 157
ambition is worthy of him, and merits every aid which I
can furnish; and the particular wish which he indulges of
knowing Prof. Robison is highly agreeable to me. When
you have become acquainted with him, I am confident that
this introduction will need no further apology.
The letter which you were so good as to direct to me, in
answer to one from me to our good firiend Doctor Erskine,
was by some means or other left in the Custom-house,
whither it was carried by some accident, and did not come
to hand until six or seven months after I received Doctor
Erskine's answer. I had given it up for lost when it arrived. The controversy which it respected was given up by
your enemies, -if those may be called such who opposed
you becaLuso you opposed vice and falsehood, and opposed
you without even a disadvantageous thought of your real
character. The reason why they gave it ulp was their inability to maintain it against the continually accumulating
evidence of the unstained respectability of your character,
and of the substantial foundations of your book. Multitudes of my countrymen, and among them the wisest and
best, feel deeply indebted to you for your efforts in the
cause of truth and righteousness, - efforts, in their opinion,
able, upright, and indispensably demanded by the time. I
have the satisfaction to inform you that beyond all doubt,
you have contributed largely and effectually to the erection
of an immovable standard against the miserable scheme
of profligacy formed by Weishaupt, and then spreading
through this country as well as through Europe. Around
this standard a great number of wise and good men have
rallied, and have presented a body of opposers too formidable to be hopefully resisted. I am sure this information
will give you pleasure. It is to be deeply regretted that
mathematical philosophy and chemistry, so honorable to
the present age, and so calculated to advance our views of
the divine wisdom, should be prostrated to the miserable
purpose of dishonoring God and corrupting man. We




158         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
cannot, however, be surprised at such an event when we
remember that Revelation itself has been thus abused. I
have been looking for.the publication of the books announced by your letter, but have hitherto learned nothing
concerning this subject. Should they appear, particularly
the formidable one, which the French philosopher has prepared for the final overthrow of theism, I hope your health
and your business will permit you to answer it. I have not
a fear that any effort of this kind will stand the test of fair
examination, but I dread the immediate effect of all such
efforts on the votaries of both pleasure and the world.
Truth will ultimately prevail, even in this wicked world;
but the ravages of falsehood will, whenever it comes out
in a specious and imposing garb, be great and lamentable.
Would my poor eyes permit, I would willingly write more
on this subject than your time or patience would suffer
you to read. But I am obliged to desist. My best wvishes
attend you. I am, with the most respectful sentiments,
Dear sir,
Your very obedient friend and servant,
TIMIOTHY DWIGHT.
PROF. RonIsoN.
Of Edinburgh and his residence in that city, Mr.
Silliman writes:My Domestic Establishment. - My banker and friend, Mr.
Samuel Williams, of Finsbury Square, London, gave me
an introduction to two very worthy gentlemen from Boston,
U. S.,- Mr. John Codman and Dr. John Gorham. With
them I became associated. We occupied the square apartment of a house in Fyfe Street in the old town, and near
to the University. Our repasts were provided for us by
Mrs. Herriott, the head of the house: the breakfast was in
one of our three parlors, the dinner in another, and the tea
in the third. We paid the net cost of the articles of con



VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 159
sumption, with a gratuity to our faithful female servant.*
Every Saturday night we cancelled the bill, and Mrs. Herriott's gain was in the rent of her apartments.  My associates were, except myself, the only men from New England
in the University, and as we were congenial, we formed a
happy domestic society. There were attending the lectures
more than thirty Americans, chiefly from the South. My
companions became distinguished in after-life, - Dr. Gorhanl as a Professor in the Medical College of Cambridge
and Boston, and Mr. (afterwards Dr.) Codman, as an
eminent Congregational minister at Dorchester, Mass., and
as a very influential man ill the religious concerns of the
country. Dr. Gorham died before attaining the meridian
of life. Dr. Codman enjoyed a long life of usefulness.......My earliest introduction among nlen of science
was to Dr. Thomas Hope, Professor of Chemistry, &c. in
the University of Edinburgh.  I found him at his house in
the New Town, and received a very kind and courteous
welcome.  Dr. Hope was a polished gentleman, but a little
stately and formal withal. After reading the letter of introduction, he turned to me and said, "I perceive that I
am  addressing a brother Professor."   I bowed, a little
abashed; a very young man, as I still was, (at the age of 26,)
thus to be recognized as the peer of a renowned veteran in
science, the able successor, as he had been the associate, of
the distinguished Dr. Black.  He proceeded, -" Now sir,
from long experience, I will give you one piece of advice,that is, never to attempt to give a lecture until you are
entirely possessed of your subject, and never to venture on
an experiment of whose success you are doubtful." I bowed
respectfully my assent, adding at the same time that I was
happy to find that I had begun right, for I had hitherto
W*  e each of us gave good Margaret a shilling on Saturday evening, intending the gratuity both as a reward for her fidelity and as a comfortable
addition to her small wages; but we were sorrr and displeased to learn late
in the season that she was compelled to pay this money over to her mistress,
while the poor girl was going barefoot in the winter.




160          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
endeavored to adopt the very course which he had presented, and which I should endeavor still to follow. I
thought I perceived that something in his manner indicated
that he would have been quite as well pleased if I had not
in some measure anticipated his experience. He proved
himself a model professor, and fully entitled to act as a
mentor.
The professorship of chemistry was, at the time of my
Edinburgh residence, very lucrative. The chair was so
ably filled, and the science so fully illustrated by experiments, that the course drew a large audience, which, at
three guineas a ticket, probably gave him  an. income of
four thousand dollars or more, - some said, five thousand.
He, with his brother, kept bachelor's hall in a handsome
house on Princes Street, in the New Town. In this house
I was received with hospitality, being one of a party of invited guests, —I believe students of the University, and
others, older gentlemen. Dr. Hope dressed and appeared
like other gentlemen, and his conversation was easy and
polite. No lady appeared in the parlor or at the table; it
was exclusively a party of men, —and such parties are
never equally agreeable with those of which ladies form, a
part. The famous Dr. Black, the predecessor of Dr. Hope,
was also a bachelor, and there was unfortunately among
gentlemen in this country too great a tendency towards
celibacy. An establishment must of course be maintained
at an expense approaching that demanded by a family, but
without its solaces and home-felt joys. - At Dr. Hope's, this
evening, (Dec. 18th), I met a son of the celebrated Dr. Darwin, and a brother of the no less celebrated Maria Edgeworth. As neither of the gentlemen conversed at all, I
had no opportunity to judge of their talents and attainments.
MIr. (or Dr.) Darwin was a man of large and massy frame.
At Dr. Hope's I was somewhat annoyed by the frequent
mention of my title. I should much rather have preferred
to pass simply as Mi.., being sufficiently conscious that my




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 161
years - not to say my attainments - hardly justified the
appellation of Professor. It is true that Professor I-Humphrey Davy of London was a man of my own age, and was
equally youthful in appearance; but he had already distinguished himself by important researches and discoveries.
To Dr. Hope I was indebted for other civilities, - particularly in walking with me to Leith, to use his personal influence in obtaining for me some articles of glass apparatus,
especially some instruments like those which I had seen
successfully used in his own experiments. He was too
liberal to allow any little jealousy of a pupil to restrain him
from a kind and useful action. The father of Dr. Hope
was Professor of Botany in the University. In a walk with
Mr. Codman to Leith, we entered the Botanical Garden,
which was beautiful, although it was winter. A monument
has been erected in the garden by the late Botanical Professor to the memory of Linneus.  It bears the simple
inscription - Linnceo posuit C. Hope.
Expecting from the first to be ultimately connected with
a medical school in Yale College, I attended the course of
anatomy in Philadelphia, and here in Edinburgh I selected
several courses of which mention will be made hereafter.
That of Dr. Gregory had great celebrity, and I took his
ticket among the first. An amusing circumstance occurred
when I called at his office. It was evening, and I found
him in a basement room impatiently listening to a long
story of ailments, and he evidently wished to be rid of his
long-winded patient. I waited quietly until the man rose
to depart, evidently very much to the Professor's relief, and
the departing invalid had only cleared the door, when Dr.
Gregory threw it back with a thundering noise, and then
turning to me abruptly, exclaimed, "A dyspeptic man,never get well and never die, - plague one to death!"  I
contented myself with taking the Professor's ticket and
paying for it, (~3 5s.,) but as I did not make myself known,
I had no occasion to complain of want of liberality. The
VOL. I.          11




162         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
courtesy of a free ticket was never in any similar case extended to me, at home or abroad. I have myself generally
given free tickets to professors and to those who are preparing to be professors. When, however, they have gone
through the practical drill of instruction by daily labors in
the experimental laboratory, I have generally charged the
institutions with which they were connected. It has been
my practice to give free tickets to clergymen, and to their
daughters, when, as pupils in the female schools in New
Haven, they have attended my lectures. - But to return to
Dr. Gregory. As the son of an eminent father, the author
of" A Father's Legacy to his Daughters," he enjoyed a prestige of enviable fame. But there was no occasion to build
on his father's foundation. Being a man of distinguished
talents, of large stores of knowledge, and a fervid, rapid
eloquence, his lecture-hall was crowded with an attentive
and gratified audience. His lectures were very informal,
although not immethodical; if they were written out, he
made no use of notes, but began without exordium, and
poured out the rich treasures of his ardent mind with such
crowding rapidity of diction that it was not always easy to
apprehend fully his thoughts, because we could not distinctly hear all his words. He had many historical and
personal anecdotes, some of which have remained with me
during the fifty-two years that have passed since I heard
them.
Dr. Gregory sometimes indulged in sarcastic wit. He
was not on good terms with Dr. Hope, who was reputed to
be very conservative of money; and Dr. Gregory was reported to have said, that no sooner did a golden guinea
touch the palm of his colleague's hand, than it produced a'convulsive movement of the flexor muscles which locked
fast the precious coin.
Dr. Gregory's mind kindled so much with his subject,
that he was not ready to stop when the bell told that the
hour was gone, and the students rushed for the door that




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 163
they might reach the best seats in the hall of the professor
who was to lecture next. But the zealous teacher did not
give over with the ebbing tide of his pupils, but continued,
with an elevated voice and excited action, to pursue the retiring crowd until they had cleared the door and he could
be heard no more...... I never lost one of Dr. Hope's
lectures, although I was absent from one, — I believe on
the occasion of going to breakfast with Dr. Anderson,
April 2, 1806, with my friend Mir. Codman, to meet the
Earl of Buchan and a literary circle; but my kind friend,
Rev. David Dickson, took full notes for me. I took notes
myself always; and in my rough way, without graphic
skill, I made such sketches of apparatus, when there was
anything peculiar, that I could afterwards recall the structure and arrangement. I still have my note-book of Dr.
Hope's lectures, and they were of material service to mle
both in the composition of my own lectures, and in the experimental preparation and delivery after my return....
I have paused for a few moments to look them up, and
have them now before me, numbered " Hope's Lectures, I.
II. Ill." They were hastily written, chiefly in the lectureroom, and although fifty-two and fifty-three years old, they
are still quite legible, and the figures, rude indeed, are intelligible. There is a pensive interest in looking them
over. I believe all who were concerned in them with me,
and at Dr. Anderson's breakfast, are dead. Dr. Codman,
Dr. Gorham, the learned Professor Hope himself, Rev. Dr.
Dickson, who wrote the notes in my stead, Dr. Anderson,
and his guest the Earl of Buchan, and probably most, if
not all, of those assembled at that literary breakfast, are
now in the other world, and perhaps I may be the only survivor, at the age of almost seventy-nine. On looking at
my notes and journal, I find that I lost no time. I arrived
in Edinburgh at midnight, November 22d, 1805, on Friday.
Saturday, November 23d, I settled myself in lodgings; the
24th was the Sabbath, and on Monday, the 25th, the ear



164         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
liest day possible, I attended the lectures of Dr. Gregory,
Dr. Hope, and Professor Dugald Stewart. I find in my
note-book the very leaves which were neatly and accurately
written out in full by the excellent Rev. Dr. Dickson. The
subject was Copper, and I pinned the lectures in their
proper place among my own notes: there they are, as legible as print, and afford me a touching remembrance of my
departed friend Dickson. The very pin which holds them
was put in at Edinburgh, and has never been moved.
These preliminary recollections have interested me, although it is like wandering among funeral monuments, like
Old Mortality; and I now turn to the lectures of Dr. Hope,
-still following, however, the record of the dead.
Dr. Hope's lectures formed a strong contrast to the
course which I attended in Leicester Square in London.
They were not only learned, posting up the history of discovery, and giving the facts clearly and fully, but the experiments were prepared on a liberal scale. They were
apposite and beautifil, and so neatly and skilfully performed, that rarely was even a drop spilled upon the table.
No experiment failed, except that in two instances glass
vessels were broken by the heat evolved in the experiment:
in one case, by burning phosphorus, and in another, by sulphur and iron filings combining with incandescence when
gently heated; — but in these cases there was no fault in
the experimenter; the experiment was hazardous to the
vessels, and in such cases, if the lecturer states the fact
beforehand, he will save his credit, even if the glass should
be shattered. Dr. Hope lectured in full dress, without any
protection for his clothes; he held a white handkerchief in
his hand, and performed all his experiments upon a high
table, himself standing on an elevated platform, and surrounded on all sides and behind by his pupils. It was an
indifferent room for a laboratory, and the furnace conveniences were very limited. He, however, overcame the difficulties by ingenious contrivances...... The lectures




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 165
were all written out, but very rarely read. He generally
spoke, doubtless casting his eyes upon his MS. to observe
and follow the order of his subject.  He was very methodical, and filled out his themes without omission, repletion,
or confusion.  He was not, like Dr. Gregory, fluent and
impetuous; he was cool and lucid, but sometimes rising
above his MS., he essayed a flight of eloquence.  In these
cases he was not very successful, and we regretted that so
able a man should provoke a smile when he looked for admiration. I thought he once caught me with a smile upon
my face, which might have appeared equivocal, unless selflove might have preferred to regard the expression as one
of approbation rather than of mirthfulness. After this, I
was more on my guard, especially as a friend who attended
the lectures informed me that, as I generally sat very near
the Professor, he kept an eye on his " brother Professor,"
and once remarked to my informant that he believed I lost
nothing of the lectures, and did not permit anything to
escape my attention; and I supposed that he might have
descried some of my pen sketches, which might well have
provoked a smile in turn. I was early a faithful and delilghted student of the lectures of Dr. Black, as published
by his surviving pupil and friend, Professor Robison, from
notes taken by himself and others.  This work, being very
familiar to me, I was forcibly struck with the great resemblance of Dr. Hope's lectures, in style, substance, and illustrations, to those of his great master. As his pupil. admirer, and assistant, it is not extraordinary that he should
have formed himself upon that excellent model.  Dr.
Black's lectures, in two volumes quarto, were so instructive and attractive too, that I studied them with equal
pleasure and profit. Dr. Hope had enjoyed also the advantage of knowing and studying under another great
master. le informed me that he was associated witlh, and
was instructed by, the illustrious Lavoisier, the Newton of
Chemistry, as he has been called. He was made familiar




166          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
with his apparatus and experiments, and with the operations of his great mind; and as my conversation regarding
Lavoisier was only eleven and a half years after his death,
Dr. Hope's recollections of him were doubtless correct.
Lavoisier was guillotined May 8th, 1794, by the Revolutionary Tribunal, on the frivolous pretext that he had adulterated tobacco; and they even refused him a respite of a few
days, to enable him to complete some experiments then in
progress. The report in his case declared that the Republic had no need of chemists. Bloody and execrable despotism, - infamous through all time! Dr. Hope's admirable course finished my educational training in chemistry.
I understood, realized, and retained every part of it.- To
me it was worth a voyage across the Atlantic.
Dr. John JMurray -  called then Mr. Murray- was a
private lecturer, not connected with the Univefsity; but his
high reputation for talents and learning secured him a
class respectable for numbers and character. He had also
distinguished himself by an excellent elementary work on
chemistry, and by a system of materia medica which was
of the first authority among the treatises on that subject.
He was a very agreeable lecturer, with a pleasant intonation, and a voice of sufficient strength.  He spoke with
perfect ease, in a style lucid, terse, and flowing, but without
diffuseness. His manner and action were graceful, and his
treatment of the class polite and friendly; so that he secured their good-will, and was able to maintain good order
in his lecture-room, which was an apartment in his house,
not capable of containing more than thirty-five or forty
persons.
Dr. Murray, when I was his pupil, was threatened with
consumption, and died not many years after I left Edinburgh. He wrote to me a year or two after my return, and
infornled me that he was about going to the south of England to revive his health. A son who bore his name, re



VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 167
published his father's elementary work on chemistry, posting it up to the time. The principal advantage which I
derived from Dr.' Murray's course of chemistry was from his
perspicuous and highly philosophical views of the science,
as such. His experiments were few and simple, and not
very remarkable for tact and beauty in the performance....... tHis mind was of a highly philosophical cast. The
flow both of his language and the thoughts of his mind was
like that of a deep river, smooth on the surface, transparent
to the very bottom, and whose evenness, free from rocks
and eddies, presented no impediment to the equable current. Dr. Murray's course was a valuable adjunct to that
of Dr. Hope, and, both united, gave a finish and completeness which was all I could desire to enable me to resume
my course of instruction at home.
IDr. Hope and Dr. Murray on Geology. - There was no
distinct course of geology in Edinburgh in 1805-6. Some
dissatisfaction was indeed expressed regarding Professor
Jameson, -who had then recently returned from Werner's
celebrated school of geology at Freiburg, in Saxony, and
who was fully imbued with the doctrines of his great master,
that he did not commence his course of instruction. He
had, however, an able substitute in Dr. Murray, who was
a well-instructed and zealous advocate of the Wernerian
theory on the agency of water; while Dr. Hope, on the
other hand, was an ardent and powerful supporter of the
Huttonian or igneous theory. The discussions on these
subjects were held in the midst of the chemical lectures,
being introduced in connection with the elementary and
proximate constitution of rocks and minerals. My geological notions were crude and unsettled when I left home; I
had not enjoyed any opportunities of geological instruction,
and was slowly climbing up the ladder of mineralogy, when
I took my departure for England. Both subjects began to
be unfolded in the mines and mineral districts of England,




168          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILL31AN.
and both in those regions, and in others marked by diversity
of structure, I had received the elements of geological and
mineralogical instruction; and I was in the condition of a
hopeful pupil, who already understands enough, both to
enable and dispose him to know more; keenly alive to see,
and prompt to understand, everything that was presented
to my view, - industrious, persevering, and hopefll. My
Edinburgh life was one of constant effolrt, and my exertions,
while in that city, pressed hard upon my health, so that I
was compelled occasionally to relax my labors, and both to
take additional exercise and to indulge in the recreations.f social intercourse in society which was enlivened by
female conversation. No five months of my life were ever
spent more profitably; and this residence laid the top stones
of my early professional education, which extended nearly
through four years. Not, however, that I considered the
work as even then done. As a teacher, I was still more
of a learner than my pupils, and I found my own pupilage
to be coextensive with my professional life of fifty years;
for I have never ceased to learn, especially as the progress
of discovery in science unfolded new facts and miodifi#,d or
substantiated old views. The discussions of Dr. Hope and
Dr. Murray afforded me a rich entertainment, and a wide
range of instruction. Dr. Murray would solve nmost geological phenomena by the agency of water. Even granite, and
of course the members of that family, were a crystalline
deposit fiom the primeval chaotic ocean; and this being
granted, the Wernerians would fain give an aqueous origin
even to porphyry and bastalt and all the traps. As far as
I had any leaning, it was towards the Wernerian system.
Water is always active upon the surface of the. earth, and
it flows also from its interior; and atmospheric waters are
ever descending upon the earth in rain, snow, and hail, as
well as in the gentle dews, not only to refresh the surface
and to sustain life, in all its various forms, but to replenish
the fountains themselves.  Then again it reascends by




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 169
evaporation to form the clouds, those exhaustless storehouses of rain, snow, and hail. But in the progress of this
endless circulation, it is everywhere obvious that water
produces extensive and highly important geological results,
in the transportation and deposition of solid as well as of
dissolved materials, in the formation and disintegration of
strata, and especially in the ceaseless wear of rivers and
torrents, and in the never-ending motions of the oceans
and seas in tidal waves and storm billows and currents. It
is not wonderful, then, that the powerfill nlind of Werner
should appreciate, and even exaggerate, these agencies.
He had not travelled far away from his own (geologically)
peacefull Saxony, and knew little from personal observations
of the agencies of internal fire. He founded his system,
therefore, upon a partial and imperfect view of evidence;
but his zeal and eloquence captivated his numerous pupils,
whose delight it was to blazon the system of their great
teacher; and for many years few were bold enough to
question its entire truth. But a change of opinion had
been for some years going on. The philosophy of fire as
regards its agencies in the earth - not entirely new indeed   had been revived and greatly extended by the researches of DI)r. Ilutton of Edinburgh, aided by his enthusiastic followers, Playfair, I-lall, Hope, Seymour and others.
The followers of Hutton were now organized into a geological phalanx, and my residence in Edinburgh occurred at
the fortunate crisis, when the combatants on both sides
were in the field; and I, although a non-combatant, was
within the wind of battle, and prepared, like victory, to join
the strongest side. When Dr. Hope came out with his
array of facts in support of the Huttonian theory, I was in
a state of mind to yield to evidence. Being a young man,
uncommitted to either theory, I was a deeply interested
listener to the discussions of both the Wernerian and Huttonian hypothesis. From the fierce central heat of the
philosophers of fire, and its destructive heavings and irrup



170         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
tions and overflows, I went to bathe in the cool ocean of
Werner; and as both views were ably and eloquently sustained, the exercise was to me a delightful recreation and
a most instructive study. I found time, also, to read Playfair's illustrations of the Huttonian theory, and AMurray's
comparative view of both the conflicting theories; and I
was not long in coming to the conclusion that both theories
were founded in truth, and that the crust of the earth had
been formed and greatly modified by the combined, or
sometimes antagonistic and conflicting powers of fire and
water. The two theories occupied to a considerable extent
a common ground as to the agency of water, but fire canlme
in to modify, or entirely transform, the materials which
water had deposited. The stratified rocks, the igneous
theory still conceded to the dominion of water; but porphyry and all the trap family, and even granite, it claimed
as the products of fire. The strong analogy existing between the porphyries and traps and lithoid lava, both in
physical characters and composition, and frequently in position, left no reasonable doubt that both are igneous. The
dykes and intrusive veins in rocks, go to the same account.
I felt greatly relieved when I was excused from attempting
to compel myself to believe that porphyry, trap in all its
varieties, and even granite, had ever been dissolved in
water. I became, therefore, to a certain extent, a Huttonian,
and abating that part of the rocks which the igneous theory
reclaims as the production of fire, I remained as much of a
Wernerian as ever. But I held myself aloof from entire
committal to either theory, or to any theory except one
derived directly from the facts. Up to the time of my
leaving New Haven for England, (March 20, 1805,) I only
supposed that the east and west rocks of New Haven were
of the basaltic family, agreeably to a suggestion reported
from an English traveller many years before. Now I felt
assured of their igneous origin. New Haven resembled
Edinburgh, having trap rocks in its immediate vicinity.




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 171
Salisbury Craig is situated in relation to Edinburgh, almost
exactly as the East Rock is in reference to New Haven,
and the two are not unlike in form. I have already mentioned the Castle Rock as trap or basalt. Arthur's Seat,
also very near to Edinburgh, is nearly eight hundred feet
high, and in elevation and form  is not unlike our Mount
Carmel; and between the old town of Edinburgh and the
new. or rather on the borders of the new, rises the Calton
Hill of porphyry, -the hill which is consecrated to monuments, -those of Hume, Sir W~alter Scott, and others.
I now felt that my geological difficulties were vanishing,
and I began to repose, in great confidence, upon the double
action of fire and water. After my return honle it was a
great pleasure to me to view all the trap ranges of Connecticut and Massachusetts and New Jersey, as belonging
to the same category with Scottish trap, or whinstone, as
it is called in Scotland. I became convinced, also, that the
basalt of the Giant's Causeway belonged to the same fanmily;
and that compact lava and trap basalt and porphyry,
are merely modes of one and the same operation. MIany
years afterwards, (May 1851,) on Mount Etna, I saw true
basaltic columns that had been formed in a lava current.
(See Visit to Europe in 1851, Vol. II. p. 26). Extended
observations in different countries, and comparison with
Vesuvius and Etna, by a visit to those mountains, have
given my mind entire satisfaction on the subject of igneous
agency. Seventeen years after my return from Scotland
Cordier's little book appeared, assuming to prove, as he did
prove, that the heat increases regularly in all countries as
we descend into the earth, after passing below the efflcts
of atmospheric variations; and the average rate of increase
is about one degree for every fifty feet of descent. Of
course, if the ratio, or any ratio of increase, continues, we
must eventually arrive at ignited and even melted rocks.
The deductions of Cordier have been since confirmed by
observations made in many countries, particularly in deep




172         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
mines and artesian wells, whose water, if derived from
deep sources, always rises to an elevated temperature, and
in many countries hot and even boiling springs spout from
the ground. I was greatly satisfied with the result of my
geological studies in Scotland, and felt that, on account of
that subject as well as chemistry, it would have been worth
a voyage across the Atlantic.
Renzark.- In April, 1851, I saw Cordier in Paris, still
vigorous, active, and cheerful, at the age of eighty-five, and
full sixty years after he with others went to Egypt in the
train of Napoleon, as a member of the corps of learned
men, artists, &c. which that extraordinary Nan took along
with hill. In war Napoleon did not forget the arts of
peace and the interests of science.
I was desirous to add anatomy to my list of studies, and,
of course, my mind was at first directed to the Anatomical
Hall of the University. I did attend a single lecture there
under Professor Monroe, the third of the name and family,
— father, son, and grandson having occupied that chair.
More, certainly, from the reports of students and others
who had attended on him than from the slight experience
of a single lecture, I decided not to attend on that course,
and to prefer that of Dr. John Barclay, a private lecturer,
to whom many of the medical students resorted, to take
advantage of his high talents and accurate knowledge, not
only of human, but of comparative anatomy. The students
took the Monroe ticket because it was necessary to enable
them to graduate, and often they took Dr. Barclay's ticket also
for the sake of the valuable knowledge which was imparted
by that course. I had not occasion to regret my decision.
I found Dr. Barclay to be a man of vigorous mind and
great enthusiasm. As to his subject, or rather subjects, he
was torus in illis. He was not satisfied with human anatomy only; he illustrated it in a very instructive and interesting manner by comparative anatomy, ranging through




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 173
the creation, and bringing monkeys, or the quadrumana,
the cetacea, the carnivora, the amphibia, the rodentia, and
pachydermata alongside of man, to illustrate their comparative corporeal structure, and, so to speak, mental
powers also, and the perfection of their respective organizations. A statue of the Venus de Medici stood elevated on
a pedestal to illustrate the beau ideal of the human figure;
while the head of a crocodile was placed side by side with
a human cranium, the frontal orb of the latter rising in intellectual grandeur, the same portion of the skull of the
former being very shallow and depressed, leaving little room
for brain and intellect. Thus he followed the intellectual
gradation of animals from its lowest to its highest development; and in fact he showed himself the master of human
and comparative anatomy and of physiology, in both brutes
and men; while the whole range of natural history afforded
him ample and happy illustrations. One of his most favorite topics was muscular action and its laws. On this subject he was great; and his thoughts and illustrations were
afterwards published in a work which, I believe, has a high
reputation among anatomists. lie was himself a striking
example of powerful muscular organization. His figure
was short and very robust, with powerful limbs; a massy
figure constructed for strength and not for speed; and, indeed, judging fiom his energetic, decisive manner, he could
hardly regret that he was not made for flight, for I believe
he would not have fled in battle. Although more than half
a century has passed away since I heard his voice, I can
see him now, with his iron frame and firm features, enforcing his lucubrations by the gestures of his brawny arm, and
earnestly enforcing the truths he taught, with his broad
Scotch dialect and intonations, not softened, as in the case
of the professors whom  I have named, - in them  deprived in a great measure of national peculiarities by
southern cultivation in England and even by foreign travel.
While writing these reminiscences of Edinburgh chiefly




174         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
from  recollection, I have been surprised by the fidelity
with which that faithful prompter, memory, summons up
scenes and thoughts that have apparently long since passed
into oblivion, and have faded away from our minds. Association is, however, the strongest cord which, woven into
a moral and intellectual network, yields to our soliciting
force expended upon it, and produces a rich result, as a
seine in the sea draws in a multitude, a whole school, when
we might have thought that there were only a few stragglers, and they scarcely worthy of the capture.
Salisbury Craig. - Among the visits which I made to
this celebrated mountain, that of March 5, 1806, came very
near being made memorable. As it was a very fine morning, I passed several hours in examining the Craig, in pursuit of its minerals. The columns appeared to be from
seventy to one hundred and twenty feet high, and immediately at their feet commenced a sloping descent, so nearly
vertical, that one could walk only with great care, making
his way over it with watchful eyes. The mass is composed
of the ruins of the cliffs, brought down, through ages, by
frost, rains, wind, and gravity. The accumulation forms a
slope of two hundred to three hundred feet. My course
lay along at the top of the slope and at the foot of the cliffs;
immediately over my head were the impending cliffs, and
at my feet a giddy descent to the bottom of the mountain.
Stopping every few minutes to examine the rocks, and
freighting my pockets with minerals, I pursued my course
at leisure, not without some solicitude lest a false step or
a faithless fragment, treacherous to my weight, should precipitate me to the bottom. Coasting along the front of the
mountain, I had nearly reached its western extremity, when
I was induced by a place that looked very promising,
to clamber up over a great mass of loose stones to the
very foot of the precipice, and was busily occupied beneath the ragged and ruinous cliffs, which seemed ready




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 175
for a movement,- and indeed they occasionally gave a
premonition by the fall of a fragment of stone, but not
large enough to excite alarm. Soon, however, on looking
up, I saw with consternation a large mass of rock at that
instant separating to commence its fall. A little below me
a column of some magnitude, an avalanche from an earlier
convulsion, lay in its bed, firmly projecting, prominent from
the mass of ruins. It was but a glance upward and then
downward, when I saw my asylum, and, quick as thought,
with a desperate effort, I leaped over the stones and was
sheltered by the friendly column; had I delayed, even the
few beats of the pulse, while the ruin was beginning its
fall, it might have been too late. Thank Heaven! I was
securely sheltered while the desolation was passing by. One
mass of rock as large as a barrel struck about twenty feet
above where I had stood, and, rebounding, flew with great
velocity down the mountain, passing in the line of my former position, at about the height of a man's breast, and of
course might have been fatal to me had I remained where
I was. In my flight I had left behind me my collected
minerals, and my cane, which stuck fast in the crevices of
the rock. Thinking that the avalanche was past, I was,
with some hesitation, stepping forward to recover my relics,
when another mass, which must have weighed twenty
tons, broke off from the cliff, and came thundering down
with a loud crash, filling the air with flying rocks and fragments and dust, and covering all that tract of the mountain where I had been exploring, and to which I was returning, with ruins and desolation. Had the fall been
delayed for only one minute, I should have been in the
midst of the space which it swept, and a more brief narrative by some other hand would have related the result.
Such was the noise produced by this avulsion, that the
people living in the vicinity and in the Palace of Holyrood came running out to learn the cause.




CHAPTER VIII.
VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH.
Residence in Edinburgh (continued). —Other Eminent Men. —Dugald
Stewart; a Party at his House. - Professor Leslie. - Dr. Thomas Thomson. - Dr. (now Sir) David Brewster. - Lord Webb Seymour. - Dr.
Anderson. — Earl of Buclian. - Lord Rawdon. - Mr. Liston. - Rev.
David Dickson.- Rev. Mr. Black. -' The " Edinburgh Re-view"; Information received from the Publishers.- Sir John Stirling and Lady; Romantic History of Lady Sterling.- Social Habits in Edinburgh.-Result
of his Residence in Europe: in Relation to Business; in Relation to
Personal Culture and Improvement. - Arrival in New York.- Visits
to Oliver Wolcott. - Arrival in New Haven, and Welcome from President Dwight. - Correspondence with President Dwight, Professors Day
and Kingsley, &c.
MY time was so much engrossed by my professional
studies and the engagements connected with them, that
I had little leisure, when residing in Edinburgh, to become
acquainted with its celebrated men.   Several of them  I
have, however, already mentioned at some length, -Hope,
Gregory, Murray, Barclay, the Monroes, &c. To Professor
Dugald Stewart, I was indebted for very courteous attentions, but unfortunately I missed him, both when I called
at his house and when he returned my calls. I missed
him always in both places, and indeed I thought it very
condescending in a man of double my age and of his high
reputation, to reiterate his calls at my lodgings. At last,
however, we met at an informal soire'e. This was held at
the house of the distinguished professor, and there was
present an interesting group of persons of both sexes.
Their manners were easy and polite, and the more so as
the refreshments were all served upon several tables in




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 177
different parts of a large room, - a cold collation with a
warm reception; and the guests walked freely about enjoying conversation or refreshments as they chose. "Professor Stewart is the pride and ornament of the University,
and of Scotland. With a countenance strongly marked by
the lines of intellect; with an expression of thought amounting almost to severity, but in conversation softened by
great benignity, and with manners uniting everything of
dignity and ease, he, even at first sight, impressed a
stranger forcibly with an idea of his superiority." " When
he speaks, either in his lecture-room or in conversation,
he draws forth the resources of a highly enriched and polished mind; he charms the hearer by the beauty of his
language and the fine cadence of his voice, while he arrests
his attention by the energy and fulness of his eloquence."
(Published Travels of the author.)  Professor Stewart
conversed with me upon American topics. Soon after the
American war, he had known Dr. Franklin in Paris, and
he spoke of him in terms of the highest respect. On topics
of American literature, he expressed himself in polite and
delicate terms, although it was evident that our literature
was not highly appreciated by him.  When our poems
were inquired for, it was evident that the distinguished
men around me had not heard even the names of our
poets, Dwight, Trumbull, Barlow, Humphreys, and others.
Before I had met him, I went with my friend, Mr. Codman, to hear one of Professor Stewart's lectures. It was
equal to his high reputation, and served to identify his
person and manner. He was very sensitive as regards inattention and levity in his lecture-room. Mir. Codman told
me that the Professor was much incensed one day by the
improper conduct of a pupil; he made a solemn pause,
and, with a stern voice and a keen glance, required the
offending youth to call and receive his money back, surrender his ticket, and never to appear in that lecture-room
again.
VOL. I.      12




178         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
Professor Leslie was of our party at Professor Stewart's;
he had honored me by calling upon me, and I was already in some degree acquainted with him. He had not
the quiet, polished dignity of his friend Stewart; his manners had a blunt frankness which, however, inspired confidence in his sincerity. His person was large. He was
distinguished by an ingenious and original volume containing researches on heat. The differential thermometer was
described in that volume, and many curious results on the
radiation of heat were obtained by means of this instrument. (The originality of the discovery of the differential
thermometer was afterwards denied in the Edinburgh
Journals.) Professor Leslie had travelled on the Continent, and in his researches on heat there were occasionally poetical and picturesque allusions to scenery. He
visited the United States soon after the peace of 1783, at
the close of the American Revolution. He said that he
found the country poor, and the people discontented, —
and no wonder, considering the immense expenditure of
nioney and blood by which the conflict had been sustained
during eight years of suffering. The election of Professor
Leslie was attended by a severe conflict between the Orthodox party which sustained him, and the Arminian party
which opposed him. The latter charged him with infidelity, and the former vindicated him. A war of pamphlets
was carried on during the winter, and in one of them which
I saw, the clergy were, by name, arranged in two columns.
The Orthodox column was headed by Clean, and the
Arminian  Unclean, — " Tantene animis celestibus ire?"
The column of the Clean was headed by the name of the
President of the University, Dr. Baird; but it should be
remembered that it was not placed there by himself, but
by the invidious rivalry of party. Professor Leslie was
regarded as well worthy to fill the place of his illustrious
predecessor, Dr. Robison.
I was never introduced to that eminent writer, Dr. Thomas




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 179
Thomson, whose chemistry, as I have already mentioned,
was among my very early studies. It is always interesting
to see the persons and to observe the manner of eminent
men, and with this view I resorted to the lecture-room of
Dr. Thomson. In person he was not above the middle
height, his complexion was dark, and the impression of
his entire appearance was not prepossessing. His manner
as a lecturer -judging from a single lecture - was formal
and precise, not flowing and easy, like that of Murray.
It seemed to be in harmony with the excellent method of
his published works.
Dr. (now Sir David) Brewster, was present at the soire'e
of Prof. Stewart, and should have been mentioned in that
connection. Although I saw him only on that occasion, I
retain a very distinct impression of his personal appearance. He was of about the middle stature, complexion
bright and slightly florid, form rotund but not corpulent;
manners affable and pleasing, simple, direct, and unaffected.
I did not suppose I had made a lodgment in his memory,
but an editorial sympathy brought us together in subsequent years.  In 1819 a joint-editorship of the " Edinburgh Philosophical Journal," by Dr. David Brewster
and Prof. Jameson, (1819-1823,) was established, and ten
volumes were published. Then followed a distinct work,
(the editors having dissolved their partnership,) Brewster's
" Edinburgh Journal of Science," (1824-1829,) also in ten
volumes. Prof. Jameson then instituted still another journal, -the "Edinburgh Philosophical Journal," (18241826; four volumes). Then Prof. Jameson published still
another journal under the same title, -the " Edinburgh
Philosophical Journal" (1826-1838; eighteen volumes).
A degree of rivalry seems to have been cherished between
these eminent men. Dr. Brewster established still another
journal,- "Brewster's Edinburgh Journal of Science,"
(1829-1832; five volumes).  These works are now in
my library. From the dates last mentioned to the present




180          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
time, Edinburgh has never been without a journal of
science. That of Prof. Jameson was continued until his
death, a few years since; and able successors have followed
in the same line of labor.
A mutual sympathy was sustained between Sir David
Brewster and myself, not only by editorial services and.
courtesies, but by his numerous memoirs. Being desirous
that they should appear in the "American Journal," he sent
them to me from time to time, in detached printed forms
or " brochures," as the French call them; and each memoir
was usually accompanied by a letter from the author. If I
live to revise my files of letters, and to select those that are
to be preserved, I shall leave a small file of Dr. Brewster's.
Dr. Brewster still lives, and is almost alone among my
Edinburgh contemporaries. Ile has led a highly useful
life, and must, I should think, have now reached fourscore.
He is not only a man eminent in science, he is a man of
decided religious principles, and, I trust, of piety.
At Prof. Dugald Stewart's I met Lord Webb Seymour.
I know little of his history. Hle was, however, a compeer
with Playfair, Hope, Leslie, Sir James Hall, and other men
eminent in physical science, especially in mineralogy and
geology. It was a pleasure to me to meet him, not because
he was a nobleman, but because, being a nobleman, he was
exempt from pride and bore himself with perfect courtesy
and affability. I had an agreeable conversation with him,
and to me it was instructive also. He appeared to be well
acquainted with chemistry, and named several processes in
the arts in which there was great loss from an ignorance
of chemical principles. In person, he was tall and rather
slender; his dress was that of a genteel man, or, in other
words, that of a gentleman, as without his title he would
have been a noble man. His age appeared to be about
thirty-five.
I am not certain whether I met Dr. Thomas Brown first
at Prof. Dugald Stewart's; he called on me at my lodg



VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 181
ings, and when returning his call I found him living with
a widowed mother.  Htis intellectual and metaphysical
works are well known in this country. He gave me a small
Latin treatise of his own composition; I think it was entitled "De somniis."  His appearance was that of an ania-.ble mnan, of modest and conciliating manners. His person
was genteel, his countenance mild and pleasing; and his
age might have been thirty-two or thirty-three.
I have mentioned a literary breakfast at the house of a
celebrated gentleman,- Dr. Anderson, the well-known editor of the British Poets. I met there an agreeable circle of
gentlemen, and the conversation was more or less literary.
American literature, of course, comes in for a share of attention on such occasions. Dr. Anderson conceded to us
much talent and keenness, especially in debate,- what the
English call cleverness, - with a fair amount of information,
but he said we had not yet attained to taste. Our literary
productions being "often tumid and bombastical," (but
hardly more so than a sermon which I heard, on the occasion of the National Thanksgiving, by Dr. Baird, President
of the University of Edinburgh).  If such remarks are
annoying, I could not but admit, tacitly, that they were
but too well founded. I parried Dr. Anderson's censure,
however, by adding, that there was much talent and taste
in my country, the results of which did not reach Europe.
Dr. Anderson was a gentleman, I should suppose, then
turned of fifty. His person and presence were both commanding and affable, but his costume was negligent, his
apparel old and worn, and was hardly worthy of himself or
his guests; but I was led to believe that his circumstances
were far from affluence, - a fact not uncommon in Edinburgh.
That eccentric nobleman, the Earl of Buchan, was one
of the guests at Dr. Anderson's. He appeared to be sixty
or sixty-five years old. I was no sooner announced to him
as an American, than he singled me out as a subject of




182         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
attention. This arose from his political position. He was
a decided friend to the Americans in their Revolutionary
struggle, and remained an ardent admirer of Washington.
lie had, as most persons will remember, transmitted to
General Washington a box made from the wood of the tree
which sheltered Sir William Wallace. It was accompanied
by a request that General Washington would designate
a successor, one whom he would regard as most worthy
to possess the box after he should have done with it.
That great man declined the invidious office, and in his
will directed that the box should be returned to the Earl
of Buchan. On the present occasion he was full of Washington, condemning his own government not only in their
treatment of the colonies, but for entering upon one unnecessary war after another, thus involving the nation in debt
and wasting human life. Had things been ordered as his
friend, Mr. Fox, and the party which he led, himself included, had wished, all these evils would, he said, have been
avoided. As the Earl was short-sighted, he came so near
to me that I was within the limit of his distinct vision,
and when I retreated to gain a little more offing, he followed me so perseveringly that I brought up against the
mantle and was rather inconveniently pressed between the
fire and his nobility. Without preface or apology he gave
me the history of his agricultural proceedings for the season, and especially in the culture of the turnip; and he
continued to pour forth an uninterrupted effusion on agriculture, John Bull, Mr. Pitt, General Washington, and
twenty other topics, and I could find space only for an
occasional interjection of admiration or wonder. From the
embarrassing effort to preserve the gravity of my muscles,
I was occasionally relieved by flashes of wit or humor which
now and then broke forth from the Earl, and the relief was
complete when a hearty laugh exploded between us. When
seated at the table, the garrulous old nobleman resumed
the same strain of talk, - the most extraordinary specimen




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 183
of incongruities and eccentricities that I have ever met with.
This, it is said, was always the character of his mind, and
that it had been excited almost to a happy delirium by the
recent success of his party. In person, the Earl of Buchan
was not much above the middle size, and there was very
little of dignity in his appearance. His dress was coarse
and negligently worn, so that he might have been mistaken
for a very common man. Indeed, my friend Codman told
me that the Earl was conducted into the kitchen, while the
house-servant went to inform the Rev. Charles Lowell of
Boston, that a man wished to see him; and of course an
apology was made for the blunder.
17Te Earl of Moira, olim Lord Rawdon. - This distinguished nobleman and commander was probably acquainted
with no other science than that of war. It was that distinction which created a strong interest in my mind to see
a man who inflicted much suffering on my country, especially in the Southern States, where, as the daring and impetuous Lord Rawdon, he combated our ablest generals:
but a stain remains permanently attached to his character
on account of the military execution of Col. Isaac Hayne,
in Charleston, in August, 1781. This act of severity, alike
cruel and unnecessary, brought so much odium upon Lord
Rawdon (then only twenty-seven years old) and his coadjutor, Col. Balfour, that Lord Rawdon in 1813, thirty-four
years after the event, wrote an elaborate defence, which
was not published until 1824. This defence, with all the
most important historical documents relating to the tragedy, is ably analyzed in the "Southern Review," (Vol. I.,
Art. III.,) for February, 1828. A careful perusal of the
article has not served to change my opinion. To say the
least, it was a case in which clemency was demanded, and
it would have promoted the royal cause far more than the
merciless severity which was exercised. But it was in harmony with the spirit which prevailed in the British coun



184          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
sels —the counsels of the king and the ministry, not of
the people of England, -and armies, during that bloody
and barbarous crusade against the colonies. The occasion
when I saw Earl Moira was at a military review (January
18, 1806), both of the regulars and the volunteers. I encountered it accidentally in a morning walk, in Princes
Street, in the new town. I chose a position very near to
his lordship, who was on horseback in the full British uniform of the commander-in-chief of the forces in Scotland.
The housing of his saddle was a leopard skin, the holsters
were covered, as is usual, with bear-skin, and he wore the
three-cornered military hat. He was a noble-looking veteran. Although only fifty years old, care, fatigue, and danger had given him the aspect of sixty years. His face was
furrowed and marked by anxiety. I studied him intently,
and thought to myself, " then you are the man who, as an
active and brave young officer, associated with Col. Tarleton, and both, acting under Lord Cornwallis, desolated
South Carolina, and hanged one of its most estimable citizens." I was so near that I could have heard every word,
had he spoken, but he was entirely silent. It was a mere
reconnoissance of troops, exercising and passing before him
in review by hundreds and thousands, - a grand and beautiful spectacle; with all the pomp and apparatus of war
it gave a spectator a vivid impression of the reality of
those sanguinary scenes, so falsely called the fields of
glory. The mute artillery, with burnished brass cannon,
attended by their gunners and matrosses. with their caissons, and all their machinery, passed quietly along, a harmless pageant, but ready to wake the thunders of war.
The Earl of Moira appears not to have lost his dislike
to the Americans, even when the contest was finished.
Col. Trumbull told me that when one of his historical pictures- I believe it was Bunker Hill —was being exhibited
in Somerset IHouse, and was visited by the young army officers, Earl Moira caused them to be informed that the visit



VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 185
ing of the pictures of that artist would be regarded as a
proof of want of loyalty, and of course the visits ceased.
This was very narrow and illiberal, and of a piece with the
execution of Col. Hayne. From 1812 to 1822, he was
Governor-General of India. In 1824 he was appointed
Governor of Malta, and resided there until 1825, when he
died on board of the British ship-of-war Revenge in the
bay of Baiae, near Naples. It is mentioned to his honor,
that his " profuse liberality and generous hospitality," particularly to the French emigrant noblesse, clouded the
later years of his life. His country-seat was near Edinburgh, and Holyrood House was occupied by the Count
D'Artois and his friends of the Bourbon family; and again it
became an asylum for French exiles after the fall of Charles
X. in 1830......
Among the celebrities of Edinburgh, Mr. Liston (afterwards Sir Robert Liston) must not be forgotten. Probably
he had no more to do with science than the Earl of Moira;
for, unlike him, he had passed a public life, not in the field,
but accredited as a minister to most of the cabinets of
Europe, and to that of the United States. He had had,
therefore, an opportunity to study the science of government. From Henry Thornton, Esq., M. P., I had brought
a letter of introduction to a venerable friend of his in Edinburgh, Mr. R. S. Moncrieff; and he was on terms of intimacy with Mr. Liston. Mr. AMoncrieff, learning from me
that I bore a letter from Col. Pickering to Mr. Liston,
proposed that we should ride out together on horseback to
Mr. Liston's residence at Melbourne, five miles from Edinburgh, in season for breakfast. We were received by Mrs.
Liston with great politeness, and then by her husband, who
was called in from the field, where he was directing the
agricultural operations of spring. During the administration of General Washington, Mr. Liston had been long
resident minister of Great Britain at the American court,
which was then held in Philadelphia. They (Mir. and Mrs.




186          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
Liston) both retained the kindest recollections of their
American residence, and Mrs. Liston cherished a small
American garden devoted to our trees, shrubs, and plants;
and into this garden she admitted nothing that was not of
transatlantic origin.  I looked with peculiar interest to
these natives of my country. We found these interesting
people living in all the simplicity and retirement of rural
life. Their house, a neat stone cottage, was of one story,
with a thatched roof, and had a few handsome rooms. It
was situated in the midst of a farm which Mr. Liston cultivated, not without personal toil. His person was tall and
dignified, his manners presented a model of graceful simplicity, and his conversation was highly intelligent, instructive, and agreeable. We took breakfast in a small octagonal apartment resembling a ship's cabin, and lighted from
above. Mrs. Liston did the honors of the occasion with
much dignity and affability.  Their sentiments on the
United States and its affairs, its government, and the prospect of the permanency of its institutions, were highly
favorable.  Mr. Liston was now in retirement, and appeared to be past sixty years of age. A revolution of parties having recently taken place, and the party of Mr. Fox
having come into power, allusion was made to that fact, and
to the probability that he, Mr. Liston, would soon be called
again into public life, when he replied,-" If they want me,
they know where to find me;" and I believe he was soon
after sent on some foreign mission. Mr. Liston, while residing in Philadelphia as minister front the Court of London, was constantly assailed by "The Aurora," the leading
Democratical paper of that day. At breakfast he remarked
to us pleasantly, that finding one morning that his name did
not appear in "The Aurora " sheet as usual, he was led to
inquire whether he had done any base act that day or recently to entitle him to favor from "The Aurora."  He
remarked that the editor, Duane, was a renegade Englishman, and Callender was another base instrument also, - an




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 187
Englishman who was set up on purpose to assail General
Washington and his administration. At this day, as for
many years, a Scotchman in New York edits a paper notorious for falsehood and slander. It is thus that foreigners
disgrace us.
Sir Harry Mfoncrieff Wellwood, an excellent baronet,
deserves to be commemorated among the eminent men of
Scotland of my time. He was an established minister of
the West Kirk at the foot of the Castle Rock, Parish of
St. Cuthbert's, and although a titled man, he was a fervent
minister of the gospel. Cowper mentions, as a wonder,
the Earl of Dartnlouth, who " wears a coronet and prays."
I often attended the preaching of the Rev. Sir Henry M.
Wellwood. who retained his aristocratic title, and was rarely
called Reverend.  He exhibited every appearance of a
sound and excellent mind, and every proof of rational,
although ardent piety. He appeared to be about sixty;
but his physical frame was robust, and he seemed to have
the stamina of a long life.
Rev. David Dickson was an intimate friend of my associate, Mr. Codman, and he honored me with his friendship
and confidence. I was also kindly received in the family of
his father, the Rev. Mr. Dickson, senior. I occasionally
heard the father preach, and often listened to the soin in
the BWest Kirk, near which MIr. Dickson resided in a bachelor's home, with an intelligent and agreeable sister to do
the honors of his house. His hospitality we often enjoyed,
and the most valued -part of the entertainment was derived
from his own bright intelligence, joyous spirits, sparkling
wit, and warm welcome. He was a man of talents and
learning. In the pulpit, he was solemn, earnest, and affectionate; his sermons were lucid, and their tendency was
eminently practical. He had read the writings of our principal New-England divines, - Edwards, Hopkins, Bellamy,
and others, - and he remarked to me once that he thought
our preachers indulged too much in metaphysics. "We




183         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
here," added he, " take the doctrines for granted, and appeal directly to the hearts of our people and make our teachings bear upon their lives." Still the preaching of the
Evangelical clergy in Edinburgh often involved doctrines
with their warm exhortations. On my leaving Edinburgh,
in April, 1806, he gave me as a remembrancer a volume,
elegantly bound, of the published sermons of Sir Henry
MIoncrieff Wellwood, and on a blank leaf he wrote, —
"TO B. SILLIMAN, EsQ.,
f/)om a friend.
Etsi corpore absens, spiritu tamen prmsens.
Edin. April 26, 1806."
The inscription was in his most beautiful chirography,
and the sentiment was so perfectly printed by his pen in
an imitation of the impress of type, that even now, more
than fifty-two years after the time, I find it difficult to convince a friend that it is not really printing.
Rev. Mr. Black, an excellent man, was a devout and
earnest preacher of the gospel. He was not reckoned
among the stars of Edinburgh, but he was greatly respected, and he drew very large and attentive congregations. We were occasionally in his church, and every
seat was occupied. The people filled the alleys, and hung
around the door in dense masses, like bees clustering
around a hive in cold weather. The spirit of John Knox
had not died out in Scotland, and seemed to animate many
of the preachers and no small portion of the people. We
enjoyed occasionally the hospitality of Rev. Mr. Black,
and met there intelligent and interesting people. The
standing topic of American literature being introduced with
the usual intimations of its inferiority, I ventured to suggest that an American, Lindley Murray, had given to
Britain as well as America the best grammar of the English language which had been published. Mr. Black then
with playful retaliation replied, that Mr. Murray, by long
residence in this country, had learned the language. Alas,




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 189
the winter was not passed before Mr. Black was called
away! Hearing that he was sick, we sent our servant-girl
daily to inquire as to his condition. At last she returned
one morning and said, " Sir, he has gone to his rest," -a
beautiful annunciation of his death.
The fame of our American Dr. John Mitchell Mason
was widely extended in Scotland, and especially in Edinburgh where he was educated. Although they were proud
of his talents and eloquence, adorned as they were by a
noble person and a commanding voice and manner, he
was not permitted to preach in the churches of the Establishnment, because his family, which was from Scotland, belonged to the Seceders. They regarded him, moreover, as
too ornate in his style; and in London he was censured for
eulogizing Colonel Hamilton, who in July, 1804, had fallen
in a duel with Colonel Burr.
" Edinburgh Review." - A curiosity, natural on my part,
to know something more of the organization and history
of this Review, was gratified by the hospitality of our bookseller, Mr. Ross. This kind friend, as he ever proved
himself to be, invited me to meet at dinner at his house
a party of gentlemen, and among them Messrs. Constable
and Hunter, the publishers and proprietors of the Edinburgh Journal. These gentlemen, with great frankness
and liberality, communicated to me those facts respecting
the origin and plan and execution of this journal which
I have published in my early travels...... At dinner,
at Mr. Hunter's, the next day, I found in him not only
hospitality but great intelligence, with an extended knowledge of books, especially those that are rare and valuable,
of which Mr. Hunter was, a great collector. I mentioned
Mather's " Magnalia," of which I wished to obtain a copy
for a friend at home. It was sometime after procured at an
expense of seven dollars, but unfortunately was lost from
the stage between Edinburgh and Liverpool. Mr. Hun



190         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
ter's house had then in the press for Walter Scott, "Marmion." His sun was at that time in the ascendant, but it
did not culminate in full splendor until years after my
return home.  I believe, however, that the "Minstrelsy
of the Scottish Border," and his " History of the Scottish
Border," had been published.
Sir John Stirling and Lady. - In my childhood, an itinerant mechanic, an artist in metals, travelled from place to
place, bearing his tools on his back, and he was occasionally at my father's house to repair the utensils of the
kitchen. My brother and myself, both below our teens,
were delighted with the visits of the old man, - listening to
the clatter of his hammer as it was applied to the sounding
brass, and entertained more still by his legendary lore.
Among other tales, he was wont to enlarge upon the high
condition of a daughter, married, as he said, to a Laird in
Scotland, the possessor of a great estate, and of flocks of
sheep and herds of cattle, with their herdsmen and shepherds. The story sounded like romance; but it was stated
in proof of its truth, that the daughter, still filial in feeling,
although exalted in condition, did not forget her family,
and proved her fidelity by sending out annually presents
of valuable things to her humble sire and mother. Such
was the story of old Fulsome (Folsom), as he was called;
and the tale went through Stratford and Fairfield that,
before the American Revolution, a young Scotch Laird
stopped over the Sabbath at Stratford, either voluntarily
or constrained by the strictness of Puritanical laws which
forbade travelling on that day; and what could he do better than go to church? And to church he went, seeking
edification, as we might charitably hope, but finding, at
least, occupation, and finding, moreover, a boon little expected. The legend relates that a beautiful girl among
the singers caught the eye of the young' traveller, and,
more than the minister, fixed and engaged his attention.




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 191
Inquiry discovered her humble condition, but did not abate
the virtuous feelings which she had excited, and doubtless
they were confirmed by personal interviews. She was in
due time favored with educational training, and having
native dignity and good sense, it may be presumed that she
honored her station not less than it honored her. Many
years passed away; the tales of childhood faded into
glimmering recollections; and this story would doubtless
have been remembered no more, had it not been revived
by an accidental occurrence. Being invited to dine at the
house of one of our friends, a clergyman, I was informed
that I should there meet an American lady. I accepted
the invitation, and was introduced to Sir John Stirling and
lady and daughter. They were sensible and agreeable
people, intelligent and courteous, and, withal, dignified
without formality. Sir John might have been fifty-six, and
his wife fifty-three.  Conversation, of course, turned on
America, and Lady Stirling and myself were drawn a little
nearer in interest, as we could speak of a common country.
The course of conversation soon discovered that New England and Connecticut was our native land, and I avowed
myself Connecticut born. It appeared that the lady had
left the land of her nativity thirty years or more ago; and
when I took the liberty to inquire still farther for her native
town, she named Stratford, and I responded that it was
also my native town, although that portion of it where I
was born now bore the name of Trumbull. The next
town; Fairfield, was the abode of my family, but my mother
was driven into exile by the British invasion along our
coast, and I was born away from home. In an instant the
tales of childhood were summoned afresh from their long
repose in my memory, and I felt no doubt that the once
young and beautiful Miss Folsom was now before me as
Lady Stirling, - a grave matron, —and the ardent and
gallant young Scotchman was the veritable Sir John Stirling,- a grave knight. I pursued my inquiries no further;




192          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
and as the lady did not name her family, I remained silent,
except to my two Boston friends, the companions of my
domestic retirement. I thought that perhaps she would
not care to advert to her own early history; and I saw
them no more.*
Among the Edinburgh friends whose hospitality
and kindness Professor Silliman always remembered
with pleasure, was the family of Mr. Ebenezer Mason, a respectable merchant, an uncle of Dr. Mason
of New York. After many years he had the satisfaction of renewing his acquaintance with members
of Mr. Mason's family, who emigrated to this country.
The recollections of his Edinburgh life conclude
as follows: -
A supper at nine o'clock, ample although frugal, and got
up in good taste, frequently afforded a scene of pleasant
intercourse in Edinburgh families. Social intercourse was
easy, and in a high degree friendly. The time went away
rapidly, and brought us sometimes to the midnight hour,
when a hearty good-night followed, not unfrequently animated by a farewell song. Scotch social feelings needed
physical excitement; it is, however, not to be denied
that they were often intensified by libations of the mountain dew, - the favorite name of " Highland whiskey." A
large bowl, reeking with hot whiskey-toddy, sometimes
found a place in the centre of the supper-table; a ladle
served to transfer portions of the cheering fluid from the
central reservoir to the glasses of the guests, who sipped
it from time to time, by means of small ladles, one in each
glass; and it was not difficult to discover the effect on the
* In Dod's Book of Peerage, &c., 1856, Sir Samuel Stirling is described as the " son of the sixth baronet by his marriage with Miss
Folsdn [an error for Folsom] of Stratford, North America." —(F.




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 193
sociability and colloquial powers of the company. However gratifying at the moment, the tendency was no doubt
bad, and we presume that the jovial beginnings had sometimes a melancholy end. Entertainments were not always,
however, so frugal. I dined on one occasion with a Scotch
bachelor, who for a few guests spread a sumptuous table,
which he told me of his own accord cost twelve pounds, or
sixty dollars. It was less agreeable than the frugal suppers, and was not recommended by the free habits and
sentiments of our host as developed by himself. In family
parties in Edinburgh, music, both vocal and instrumental,
was a favorite entertainment. Native airs and native songs
or poems exerted a fascinating power, and it often happened that the music of the piano was the signal for
Scotch reels on the parlor carpet, ending at the usual hour
of family retirement. To these few notices of social manners in Edinburgh, I add a paragraph from my published
travels.  " The Scotch are a noble people; and, poor and
narrow as is the tract of earth allotted to them, cut up by
friths, enfiladed by mountains, and girded by a belt of stormy
islands, Scotland may still proudly challenge the nations
whom the Creator has placed in more favored climes, to
produce higher examples of all that adorns and ennobles
the human character."
RESULT OF MY RESIDENCE IN EUROPE IN RELATION
TO THE OBJECTS OF MY MISSION.   I. In Relation to
Business.- I was fortunate in my engagements in London
for the purchase of books and apparatus. I met with faithful men in all the departments, who executed the orders
with zeal, punctuality, and fidelity. All the books, and
every article of apparatus, except a few unimportant pieces
of glass, arrived in safety, and met the full approbation of
my patrons. After examining all my accounts, and those
of the artists and booksellers, with the vouchers, and my
own account of personal expenditures, I received a full
VOL. I.      13




194         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
discharge of my pecuniary responsibility and a vote of
approbation. It was signed by the Prudential Committee
of Yale College, namely, - Timothy Dwight, President;
John Treadwell, Governor of Connecticut; Rev. James
Dana, D. D.; and Rev. David Ely, D. D. The two latter
were members of the Corporation of Yale College, and
Dr. Ely was Secretary.
I was charged also with various private commissions, all
of which were executed with fidelity, and the mloney duly
accounted for, and I made no charge for services. I have
on my files the book which contained the account of all my
personal expenses, and entries of the concerns of other
persons. I left home for Europe, and Europe for home,
without leaving any unsatisfied demand; in a word, with a
healthy conscience and an unsullied character; a name, I
trust, without reproach, - and, for the satisfaction of my
children, may it ever so remain! As regards my personal
expenditures, I not only kept an account of every disburse.
ment, but I footed up always on Saturday night, and noted
the ratio of my expenditure compared with my means. Thus
I was able to keep myself within the limits of safety. I
neither borrowed money nor loaned my funds, and therefore my resources proved sufficient; but there was no excess. I had no money left; but I had not anticipated my
salary, and therefore my small means began again to
grow.
II. In Relation to Professional improvenment, Intellectual
Culture, Enlargement of Mind, and Social Advancement. -
My first duty and highest obligation were, to dispose of the
funds of Yale College which had been confided to me with
fidelity, and, as far as possible, with good judgment, so as to
effect the objects in view. Ten thousand dollars was a considerable sum more than fifty years ago, and a few hundred
more were remitted afterwards, in addition to the bills of exchange which I carried with me, and of which, for safety, du



VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 195
plicates were forwarded by tle usual channels. I have already
stated that I received a full discharge from my pecuniary
responsibility. This document I still hold, with the signatures of the great and good men who are long since removed from life. I hold also another document, an honorary and honorable testimonial of entire satisfaction on the
part of my patrons, as regards the use of all the means,
opportunities, and time that were placed at my disposal.
This document has the signatures of a majority of the
Board, - the Prudential Committee of Yale College. It
is in my recollection that two of the gentlemen were absent
from the meeting, and that I neglected afterwards to obtain their signatures, which would have been given at any
time. In relation to professional improvement, I trust it
has been already rendered evident that a much higher
standard of excellence than I had before seen was presented to me, especially in Edinburgh. Upon that scale I
endeavored to form my professional character, to imitate
what I saw and heard, and afterwards to introduce such
improvements as I might be able to hit upon or invent. It
is obvious that, had I rested content with the Philadelphia
standard, except what 1 learned from my early friend,
Robert Hare, the chemistry of Yale College would have
been comparatively an humble affair. In mineralogy, my
opportunities at home had been very limited. As to geology, the science did not exist among us, except ill the
minds of a very few individuals, and instruction was not
attainable in any public institution. In Edinburgh there
were learned and eloquent geologists and lecturers, and
ardent and successful explorers; and iri that city the great
geological conflict between the Wernerian and Huttonian
schools elicited a high order of talent and rich resources
both in theory and facts. Here my mind was enlightened,
interested, and excited to efforts which, through half a
century, were sustained and increased. Had I remained at
home, I should probably never have reached a high stand



196         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
ard of attainment in geology, nor given whatever impulse
has emanated from New Haven as one of the centres
of scientific labor and influence. Intellectual culture and
enlargement of mind resulted, of course, from the opportunities which I enjoyed.  I went abroad at a period
of life when the ardor of youth was associated with the
maturity of manhood.  Having no proclivities to wrong
courses, my time, money, efforts, were all enlisted in the
enlargement not only of professional, but of general knowledge. I had vigorous health; and, except a few days of
debility and derangement arising from the inhalation of
arsenical fumes in London, and front the influence of the
stagnant waters of Holland, - producing, however, no intermission of labor, — I was, during my entire European
noviciate, capable of strenuous exertion. I found it a
source of enjoyment as well as of improvement; and the
acquisitions of that period, with the habits then formed,
proved to be an available capital, even forty-six years afterward, when Europe was the theatre of mature observation
in the evening of life. That some enlargement of mind
and social culture in the survey of human society and institutions, as well as in physical observations, resulted from
my European residence, has, I hope, appeared in some degree in my earlier as well as more recent published volumnes of travels. They have proved, at least, that I was
not an idler nor a devotee of pleasure, and that I made
the best use of my time and opportunities of which I
was capable. I believe I may, without vanity or presumption, repose upon the verdict of approval which has been
pronounced upon those works by the public in all their
numerous editions. Thus I conclude my review of an
important portion of my life, and with grateful acknowledgment to a kind Providence, which, as with an unseen
hand, guided me in a path which I had not known, and
having kept me in safety and prospered my efforts, brought
me back in peace to my native land. I arrived in New




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 197
York May 27, 1806, being then twenty-six years and nine
months old.
On Thursday the 29th, I breakfasted with Oliver Wolcott,
Esq., who arranged the business concerns of my mission,
and with whom I corresponded. Mr. Wolcott was successor to Gen. Alexander Hamilton as Secretary of the Treasury of the United States under President Washington. Mr.
Wolcott was a highly dignified and intelligent gentleman,
and was now a merchant of high position and connections
in New York. With him I called on Col. John Trumbull,
who had acted as my patron and friend in England. I
dined with my old friend, Mr. Zachariah Lewis. Although
Mr. Wolcott had lost his wife, who is remembered as a lady
of great excellence and loveliness, he, notwithstanding the
derangement of his family, held at his house a soire'e of
some of the most eminent men of the city, among whom;were Mr. Hoffman, Mr. William W. Woolsey, Col. Trumbull, Archibald Gracie, Judge Radcliffe, and many more.
Probably not an individual of them is now living. The
gentlemen thus assembled were members of a social club,
and this was one of their meetings. On looking into my
journal written at the time, I find that I was admitted in
courtesy. The meeting was social, easy, and agreeable, and
was characterized by good sense, intelligence, and politeness.
I received of course many warm greetings from the friends
whom I met on this occasion. On Friday, May 30, I breakfasted with Mr. Samuel Miles Hopkins, a delightful man
with a polished and intelligent wife (Miss Rogers, daughter
of Moses Rogers, an eminent New York merchant). I
dined with Mr. Codman, uncle of my Edinburgh friend,
and like him, an agreeable and friendly gentleman.
Steamboats and railroads were in those days unknown,
and stage-coaches were slow. Dr. Gorham and myself
prepared to take our chance in a New-Haven packet, the
Maria, Capt. Bradley, in which we embarked at four o'clock
P. M., on Friday. With a continuance of the fair wind with




198         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
which we set sail, we should have been in New Haven the
next morning, as we confidently expected. We were however becalmed, and wore away both our Saturday and the
Sabbath in listless inaction; but we were not unmindful
of the holy day, and occupied some of its hours with reading sermons and singing hymns,- this being the only
instance in which I had witnessed such observances on shipboard on the Sabbath. The day had been passed off Stratford Point, within twenty miles of home; but at last a
favoring breeze arose, which wafted us safely into the harbor. At four o'clock i. M., Sabbath evening, June 1, 1806,
I stepped upon the long wharf, and was first welcomed by
my early friend, Charles Denison. The public services of
the day were over, but I resorted to the evening prayers
at the college chapel. President Dwight, nly great and
good friend, led the services; when they were finished
he gave me a warm, paternal welcome, inviting both Dr.
Gorham and myself home to tea; and we had a very interesting evening. I then realized that I was indeed at home
again, and safe once more in my own town and institution.
My excellent friend, Professor Day, came to President
Dwight's, and we accepted his invitation to find our beds
at his house, which had become a house of mourning by
the death of his estimable wife (Miss Sherman, daughter
of the eminent patriot, Roger Sherman). Instances of
death among my friiends and acquaintance had been painfully numerous during my absence of fourteen months and
ten days; but I had been protected and preserved in every
vicissitude on the ocean and on the land, and excepting
sonle political jealousy at Antwerp, I had been treated
everywhere with confidence and kindness. I had therefore
only to thank my great Preserver, and to address myself to
perform with zeal and energy the arduous and interesting
duties appertaining to my professorship.
During his absence from  home and country, Mr.




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 199
Silliman was not forgetful of his friends.  The selections which follow from his correspondence afford
pleasant glimpses of his relations to them.
FROM PRESIDENT DWIGHT.
NEW HAVEN, May 7, 1805.
DEAR SIR, —I regret, that having so good an opportunity, it is out of my power to write you more. My eyes
have been miserably worried for some time past, and are
now very troublesome.
All whom you love are as well in this neighborhood as
when you left us. Two pamphlets for Doctor Ryland accompany this, and a certificate of your church-membership.
Governor Strong is elected by a majority of somewhat
more than two thousand votes; and Governor Trumbull
by the usual majority. Democracy appears plainly to decline here. The Livingstons and Clintons are entirely
separated, at least for the present. The Pennsylvania fever
is not yet come to a crisis. M3r. Porter, of Hadley, is sensibly better; and will, I think, soon recover a sound state.
We have had many fears concerning you on account of
the islands of ice, and they are not yet over.
I am, very affectionately, your friend,
BENJ. SILLIMAN, Esq.           TiM0THY DWIGHT.
TO MR. AND MRS. G. S. SILLIIAN.
LONDON, June 3, 1805...... MY letters of introduction are beginning to take
effect, and I am daily receiving civilities; but a letter of
introduction to an Englishman is generally little more in
effect than an order to this purpose: "Sir, - Please to
give the bearer a dinner and charge the same to yours, &c."
But anlong the numerous letters which I have delivered
here, I shall secure, no doubt, some friends whose attentions and civilities will be both interesting and useful. I




200         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
already find this in an eminent degree in Mr. Williams, a
most excellent man, formerly our consul here. I begin to
look out for letters from America, and you must not be
negligent in writing. Tell me everything; how do the
sweet babies? kiss them for me, and tell them there are no
such lovely ones in England......
TO PROFESSOR J. DAY.
LONDON, Jul.y 9, 1805...... TIE death of MIr. Heart is a striking instance
of the vanity of human hopes. God grant that the destroying angel may not be suffered to enter the houses of
any of my fiiends! Present me affectionately to our good
friends, MIr. and MIrs. Davis. I am glad to hear even of a
little amelioration in his health, and hope that his journey
has proved usefitl to him, -never forget him in your letters. That the State and College still keep on in the good
old way gives me great pleasure, as you say the March
Devil has kept far to leeward. I hope he will be joined
with the political devils, and that all will drift away, I care
not whither.
As to myself you will learn how I am spending my time
from my letter to Dr. Dwight. In my domestic situation I
am very fortunate; my good landlady treats me with the
kindness of a mother; but there are hours which neither
study, business, nor amusement can occupy, and then I
very much want a friend intra mcenia et parietes. This is
the only serious drawback on my enjoyment. I have seen
a considerable number of the distinguished literati, politicians, and philosophers of this country. I have heard Pitt,
Fox, Sheridan, and Windham in the House of Commons.
I have conversed with Sir Joseph Banks, Sir Charles Blagden, Dr. Tooke, Major Rennel, Mr. Watt, &c.; have been
in company with Cavendish, Wollaston, Lord AMacartney,
&c.; have attended a meeting of the Royal Society, and
seen their Majesties and the Royal family. My own coun



VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 201
try has risen in my estimation by a comparison with
this. Wre are in the rear, but not so far as I had imagined
before I came to England. I have it in contemplation to
go to the Continent for a few weeks in the coming autunln, but I cannot speak decisively. I want a good companion who speaks French well. Those whom I remember
with affection in New Haven are so numerous that I cannot
mention them all; I therefore give you a general commission to remember me as you know I wish to be remembered.  Pray write often, and remember that you are
surrounded by friends and the dearest relations of domestic
life, but that I am a stranger in a strange land, and therefore need the consolations of friendship. I am, my dear
friend, very affectionately yours......
TO MIR. AND MIRS. G. S. SILLIAIAN.
LONDON., July 14, 1805...... DEAR HEPSA, - Give me credit a little, if you
please. I have not lost my heart since I arrived in England. The worst thing I have done in this way is to fall in
love with a portrait of a young lady in a gallery of pictures
in London. I have been se2veral times to see this lovely
picture, and have ranted about it terribly in my journal,
but that's all; the lady I believe is dead, -so no harm
done.
How are you both? Do you ever talk about your brother?
Have the sweet babes forgotten me? how do they do? kiss
them both a hundred times. As I said before, there are
no babes in England like them. Has our venerable mother
visited you this summer?..... Now that I am so far
away, I realize, more than I ever did, her almost saint-like
excellence. There are very few such mothers (or such
women) as, dear Hepsa, your mother was and mine is. I
doubt not that the one will go to heaven, and the other is
there. There is no news, my dear friends; only invasion is
still talked off, and the English are expecting every day to




202         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
hear that Lord Nelson has destroyed the French and Spanish fleets......
TO TUTOR J. L. KINGSLEY.
LONDON, July 26, 1805.
1.6 Margaret Street, Cavendish Square.......You judge correctly that a multitude of interesting objects now crowd upon me on every side. It is
so indeed. I am very industrious in exploring the metropolis, but it is such a world of men and things that the most
a stranger can expect to do is to make a judicious selection
from a whole wilderness of curiosities. I have already seen
much, and am now so familiar with London that I go everywhere by night or by day, and generally without embarrassment. You may rely upon it, I shall take great pleasure
in satisfying the curiosity which you express, as far as it is
in my power. My only fear is that my information will not
be equal to your expectations. I have it in contemplation
to go on to the Continent early in the month of September.
I want a good companion who speaks French well, and this
I have some prospect of obtaining. I shall probably return to England by the beginning of November, and then
fix down for the winter, either in London or Edinburgh. I
still speak with uncertainty.
I do not think it worth while to fill my letters with my
views of England; they are recorded every day in my journal, and if I am so happy as to return in safety, I will talk
you to death if you wish it. I could say very little in the
compass of a letter if I were to attempt a description of
anything. I will just say, however, that I went the other
day to see the garret where Goldsmith in his days of poetry
and poverty used to live. It is small and low, and lighted
through the roof with one window, set with the old-fashioned diamond glass in lead frames.
Remember me particularly to our friend Mr. Stuart, and
tell him for me, that should he be settled according to the




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 203
prospects held out in the letters which I have received, I
should think it a very fortunate circumstance to have him
added to our circle of friends in New Haven.
There is no news. The invasion is still talked of, but it
does not come, although immnnense preparations are said to
be going forward. We wait impatiently to hear the event
of Lord Nelson's interview with the French and Spanish
fleets. With sentiments of great esteem, and the best
wishes for your happiness, I remain, truly your
Affectionate friend, &c.
TO PROFESSOR J. DAY.
LONDON, August 22, 1805...... AND now, my dear friend, having given a complete, I fear a tedious, statement of our concerns, I must say
a word to you in your character of a friend. I have literally
been longing for letters these Inany weeks. Had I been in
love and been expecting letters from my charmer so long
without obtaining any, I should long ago have gone nmad
and jumped over London Bridge into the Thames. But as
it is not the fashion to kill one's self for friendship, I have
thought it best since I aml not in love, to take the matter
more coolly and wait a few weeks longer......
Your Commencement approaches. I shall think of you
on that day; write me anything interesting concerning it.
I hope you will grant a degree of Master of Arts to Bonaparte, for he certainly has discovered himself to be a master of arts in the management of his fleets this summer.
There is no news of much importance.  Before this
arrives you will have heard of the action between the combined fleets and Admiral Calder. The English are much
chagrined at the result.
The alarm of invasion has been very active here for two
or three weeks, and the whole country has been on tiptoe
looking towards France; but I think the sensation is subsiding, although the danger and probability of invasion are
certainly as great as they ever were.




204         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
Farewell, my dear friend; I wish you health and happiness, and remain, with every sentiment of esteem and emotion of friendship, truly yours.
TO MR. CHARLES DENISON.
BRISTOL, September 1, 1805...... WE received every attention from  Miss Herschel, so celebrated for the discovery of some of the satellites of the new planet; she obligingly explained to us
the arrangement of the machinery, and left little for us to
wish but the sight of the Doctor himself. This telescope
is indeed a wonder. His Majesty has walked through it,
stooping however, I presume; but Bony, I am confident,
might go through it erect, with hat and feather standing.
I will thank you to tell Mr. Kingsley that the beautiful
young lady whom his ardent imagination had painted as
star-gazing through her father's magnificent tube, and discovering moons with eyes which might well have slain lovers, is an ancient maiden lady, hard on threescore, and the
sister, not the daughter, of the great astronomer.
FROMi PROFESSOR DAY.
NEW HAVEN, September 30, 1805...... OvUR good friend, Mr. Davis, has declined accepting his appointment at College. His health appears to
be slowly mending. He will probably spend the winter in
New Haven, boarding and instructing young gentlemen
and ladies. He has not yet fixed upon any business for
life. It may be merchandise, but more probably instruction. Dr. Dwight is elected Professor of Divinity with a
compensation of five hundred dollars for himself and an
amanuensis. I know it will do you good to hear that Mr.
Kingsley is elected Professor of Languages and Ecclesiastical History. You will ask what are to be his duties; and
how is he to be supported? There is no vote concerning
either. But I understand something like this, - that he is
to have charge of one division of the Junior Class; that




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 205
he is to instruct in Hebrew, and be Librarian. Whether
he or the senior tutor is to matriculate is yet a controverted
point. His salary I suppose is to be made lip much in the
same way: one hundred pounds instead of a tutor's salary;
thirty-six for Hebrew instruction; something for keeping
the library; and fifty pounds taken from the salary of Professor of Divinity, will make up the two hundred pounds;
which, it would seem, is to be the whole Professor's compensation. I was surprised to hear Dr. Dana say the other
day, that he should strongly oppose the idea of giving
houses to professors. It seems, then, we have calculated
too much upon the premium matrimonial. We must learn
a little of MIr. Jefferson's republican economy, to support
families upon six hundred and seventy dollars a year. MIr.
Kingsley, when he left town, requested me to inform you
that he regretted extremely that he was unable to write to
you; that he had several tines taken his pen, but was
obliged to drop it. He was so unwell during commencement week as to be unable to attend to any business. We
hear he is better since he has been in the country. Ile
left the following list of books, which he has obtained the
President's approbation to have forwarded for the library,
and which you will add to your catalogue:- Bingham's
"Ecclesiastical Antiquities," Jortin's " Remarks'on Ecclesiastical History," with the continuations, Father Paul on
"Ecclesiastical Benefices," Bowers'" History of the Popes,"
- the first two volumes are now in the library; the other
volumes are  uch wanted..... I wrote in my last for
a few mathematical books. The principal were Hutton's
" Mathematical Recreations," and the works of Donna Maria
Gatona Aynesi, female professor at Bologna, translated by
Colson. This is for de curiosity of de ting. As for myself,
I am as happy as I ever expect to be in this world. My
health, I think, has not been so good these four years as it
is now. I am the same steady, silent, slow-moulded jogger
that I always was; and as affectionately yours as ever.
J. DAY.




206          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
FRO-M MR. STEPHEN TWINING.
NEW HAVEN, November 16, 1805.......WE have been in much commotion in our society through the past summer and until now, with Doctor
Dana. The ground of the difficulty has been an irreconcilable hostility in the Doctor to the settlement of Mr.
Stuart in the society, and a very general attachment of the
members of the society to him. The present week, a compromise has been effected between the society and the
Doctor, by which the Doctor unites with the society in asking a dissolution of the pastoral relation between them. I
expect an Ecclesiastical Council will meet to dismiss the
Doctor about the first Tuesday in December, and that an
invitation of Mr. Stuart to settle will immediately succeed
it. There is some talk here of war between this country
and Spain. In Pennsylvania, McKean's party, with the
help of the Federalists, have prevailed over Duane and his
party, the Snyderites, by a majority of about five thousand
votes for McKean. The State of Delaware holds to its
Federalism. New Jersey has been considerably agitated
by the revolutionists; but the Quids and Federalists have
a large majority. The legislature of this State had more
Federalists in it than it has had for several years......
TO PROFESSOR J. DAY.
EDINBURGH, December 28, 1805.
MY DEAR FRIEND, --.... B. Brother Davis * will not
doubt that I am deeply grieved at the part which he has
found it necessary to act with respect to his office. We
must submit to God's will, believing that all is for the best.
I hope, however, that our brother (for so we must still
call him) will be able to find a proper avocation in New
Haven, so that we may still enjoy his society and conversation. My love to him and Mrs. D. Dr. Dwight, it seems,
* Afterwards President Davis.-F.




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 207
is rising; he may live to be a tutor yet if he goes on at
this rate.* I need not tell you how well I am pleased that
since we are thwarted with respect to Mr. Davis, we may
still sit under his [Dr. Dwight's] preaching. To the newborn Professor of Languages and Ecclesiastical History,t
you will, in the first place, in an official capacity, make my
most profound salutations, and then assure him it is with
real pleasure I learn that there is a probability of his being
permanently connected with us, for the books which he
sends for seem to indicate that he will accept.
I am not at all pleased with the remarks which you
quote from -.  I cannot believe, however, that a majority of the corporation are of the same opinion. I should
certainly consider it as severe and unjust treatment. So
far from being diminished, the compensation of the professors must be increased, or they cannot live with families,
and will be compelled to resort to some other employment.
I thank you for various articles of intelligence, which I
cannot now particularly notice. The death of my venerable friend, Mr. Eliot, gives me pain. He has, however,
left a most worthy son to bbear up his name and usefulness....
TO MR. CHARLES DENISON.
EDINBURGH, January 6, 1806...... ON the 22d of November I crossed the Tweed,
and at midnight arrived in Edinburgh. I live most agreeably. Mr. Codman, a student in divinity, and Mr. Gorham, a student in medicine, (the only Yankees here besides
myself,) both from Boston, men of correct habits, congenial sentiments, and the most amiable manners, are my
companions; for we three occupy a house and have our
meals at a common table; our landlady provides whatever
* An allusion to President Dwight's acceptance of the Professorship of
Divinity, which Mr. Davis was obliged to decline. - F.' Professor Kingsley. —F.




208          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
we order, and we have separate apartments. This mode
of living unites retirement, independence, comfort, and
economy; in short, it is just what Mr. Day, you and I
should have realized, if he had not deserted.*  I am in the
midst of professors, lecturers, apparatus, and books, and
wholly devoted to my studies...... I am much satisfied with my advantages here. I can tell you no news
except what you will learn from the papers. Peace and
security reign in this island, while human blood is flowing
in carnage almost unexampled on the Continent. I pray
God to preserve you, my dear Charles......
TO PROFESSOR J. L. KINGSLEY.
EDINBURGH, January 29, 1806.
YOuTR favors of November 18 and 19 are before me;
they arrived on the 10th inst., accompanied by others from
Mr. Twining, Dr. Dwight, Mr. Whittelsey, Mr. Day, &c.
These letters afforded me a degree of pleasure of which you,
in the midst of your country and friends, can have no adequate conception. There was a period of five or six months
in the past summer and autumn, when I was almost without a letter. I had fretted myself quiet, and began to find
some consolation in despair; when a flood of letters burst
in upon me, and has continued since to flow in a regular
stream, so that for a month past I have bathed in epistolary pleasures. I answered Mr. Twining's letter three
days ago. I wrote to Mr. Day and 1Mr. Denison on the
6th inst., before their last letters arrived, and shall delay
writing to them again till the next ship, especially as I
cannot give Mr. Day satisfactory information concerning
his apparatus, as my returns from London are behindhand.
You will remember me to these gentlemen, to the academic board, and to all my friends, with every expression
of remembrance. And now as to your letters, -there is
no doubt that they are genuine; never did compositions
* A reference to his marriage. -F.




VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 209
contain stronger internal evidence; there are Kingsleyisms
in every sentence, and this is only saying that they are replete with what makes letters interesting to one in a foreign
country. I would gladly notice every particular that gives
me pleasure, but I must set bounds to my garrulity, or I
shall swell your postage unreasonably. I hope your health
and that of our little Mantua is by this time restored; it
gives me concern that either should have been impaired.
If Mr. Davis is still with you give my love to him and his
lady. I wish he would settle in New Haven that we may
have him  near us.  The prosperity of our College, the
general health of our friends, the increasing number of
hymeneal devotees, the happiness of those who have so
recently surrendered their liberties, -all afford me pleasure.  With these general acknowledgments I must pass
to a few articles of business. The books which you and
Mr. Day and Dr. Dwight have written for are all ordered.
I trust you have by this time received Reiske's "Greek
Orators," with a great many other classical books which I
bought in Rotterdam; they were shipped in the Diana, Captain French, from Amsterdam. The other classical works
will be sent from London.  I sent you poorer editions
of the French and Italian classics than I could wish to
have done, because, as they were not ordered by the Commrittee, and as there is a prepossession especially against
French writings, I did not feel myself authorized to expend
much money upon them. A copy of Aristotle's works
went with the rest. As to the books which -remain, we
are waiting only to receive answers to the queries which
we sent out to the Committee, when the business can be
closed in a few days......
Since I am disappointed in not having " The Gazette," *
I beg that you will preserve it till my return, for it will
afford a "sentimental history" of your circle. Now, then,
* The humorous production of the young college officers, for private
circulation. - F.
VOL. I.       14




210         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIhIAN.
for a few words about myself, and then I will fill the rest
of my letter with anything which may amuse you. I left
London about the middle of November, and went first to
Cambridge. I had letters to the gentlemen of the University, and was constantly among them, - dining, supping,
walking, &c., for two days. I was a kind of phenomenon, -an American Professor is a kind of personage not
often on this side the water, and of course 1 was not a
little stared at. How little my external man came up to
the gravity and vastitude of those associations which the
European world connect with a Professor, (not to mention
more important matters,) I leave you to judge. I cannot
now say niuch of Cambridge, for want of space and time;
but I will fully satisfy you if we live to meet again. I was
however gratified and instructed, and on the whole, I was
treated with great kindness. The University gentlemen
of England are rather more convivial than we are in our
American colleges. They push the bottle briskly, and I
was urged to take a rubber at whist with a party composed
of Mlasters and Professors. At York I saw Lindley Murray, and was greatly gratified with the interview. He was
pleased at hearing that his grammar is a text-book with
us. I am finely situated for study in Edinburgh. The
medical professors are able men, and Dr. Hope gives us
chemistry in high style. I have heard Dugald Stewart
lecture. He is the first man in the University, and is
really a fine example of a highly enriched and polished
mind, with manly and impressive eloquence. I sup with
him on Friday evening. At last I have realized our old
project of keeping bachelor's hall. Dr. Gorham and Mr.
Codman, two fine young men, from Boston, with myself,
occupy a house, and live in all the comfort, independence,
economy, and quiet which can be imagined. Our landlady does everything that we say; we have everything in
good order, and I never lived more comfortably. Query -
If I should live to return, and you should remain unmar



VISIT TO EUROPE: RESIDENCE IN EDINBURGH. 211
ried, what then? Now for the " tender and pathetic." I
have been through Holyrood House, and have seen Queen
Mary's apartments; they remain precisely as in her time.
There are her bed and sofa, wrought by her own hands; her
toilet, with all its female ornaments and appendages. I saw
the apartment in which she sat at supper when Darnley and
the conspirators entered; and there is the stain of Rizzio's
blood on the floor.  I have seen the apartment in the
Castle where James I. of England, and VI. of Scotland
was born. His mother retired there for safety after the
assassination of Rizzio; it is a little room, not larger than
one of your college studies. I have been to see David
Hume's mausoleum. It is a large cylindrical stone monument, and records only his name and the time of his birth
and death.
I have seen the house where the sweet pastoral bard,
Allan Ramsay, used to live. It is a neat little octagonal
lodge, well suited to the moderate wishes, and still more
moderate means of a poet. I am happy to inform you that
Robert Burns's favorite dog is living in good health. I
have not seen him, but hope to be introduced to his dogship among other distinguished personages.
I have been to see the ruins of Roslin Castle, about
seven miles from town. Every lover has heard of Roslin
Castle, and it is very happy that this celebrated ruin is not
near New Haven; for some of your remarkable young
Strephons, in the delirium of success or the paroxysms of
despair, might be induced to throw themselves down from
the giddy height on which it stands. I am much engrossed
by my studies, but am occasionally in Scotch society, where
I am treated with much cordiality. I know some of the
pretty Scotch lassies and am not a little diverted with
their " dinna kens " and other Scotch phrases. Conversing the other day with a young lady on the subject, I
lamented my ignorance of the beauties of the Scotch language and begged her to instruct me. She consented, and




212          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
began by saying, -" Qua canta colin pre my moo." (I
only give you the sounds, probably not the orthography.)
Now what do you think this means? I puzzled myself to
no purpose, till a grave matron, sitting by, gave me the interpretation: " Come my smart laddie and give me a kiss."
But as I had not made the discovery myself, I was not
entitled to the benefits of it. I begged the young lady to
repeat it that I might get the pronunciation more perfectly,
but she was too wary for me. I trust you have now enough
of the " tender and the pathetic," and remain sincerely your
friend.....
TO MR. CHARLES DENTSON.
EDINBURGIH, February 27, 1806.......AND now, Charles, as to your hypothetical and
paradoxical statements of, - it may be and it may not be, -
that you are and you are not - that you expect to be - and
that youL do not expect to be. I know what it all means; as
Falstaff says, I know you, —I know you, Hal! Well; as
the old ladies say, 1 thought it would come to this. I conclude, then, my dear fellow, that your die is cast, at least
by this time. Well, I will not be selfish. It will give me
the most heartfelt satisfaction to see you as happy as our
friend Jere * is, and you do not deserve to be any happier,
deserving as you are. By the by, Charles, I am afraid you
will work up this play so fast, that the catastrophe will happen before my return. If you must put on fetters, like the
rest of the world, I should like to stand by and see them
riveted, as I did last winter when Jere was married....
* Professor Day. —F.




CHAPTER IX.
GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY IN YALE COLLEGE: THE
WESTON  IMETEOR.
Visit to his Mother. -Reaction from Excitement and the Benefit of Occupation. - lectures to the Class of 1806.- Introduction to the Cabinet
of Col. Gibbs at Newport. - Miss Ruth Gibbs. - The Collection of Minerals in Yale College. - Origin of Geology in Yale College. - Geological
Excursions about New Haven.- Dr. Noah Webster.- Lectures in
1836-7. - Intercourse with Col. George Gibbs. - Visit to Boston and
Cambridge. - Kindness of the Gibbs Family. - Purchase of the Perkins
Cabinet. - Visit of Gov. Trumbull to the Cabinet. - Republication of
Henry's Chemistry. - The Weston Meteor. - Correspondence.
MY  last duty on leaving my country for Europe, in Mlarch
1805, was to bid farewell to my mother and the excellent
family in which she had formerly resided; so my first duty
after my return, was to resort again to Wallinoford -  she
had been married in the spring of 1804 to Dr. John Dickinson; her home was now  at Middletown, but our interviews were at Wallingford- to present myself to her, by
God's blessing, safe and sound. At seventy years of age,
her faculties were still in full vigor, and her affections fresh
as in earlier years. This filial duty being discharged, professional claims commanded my attention next. I attended
to the opening of the chemical apparatus and preparations.
This occupation was both a duty and a relief. It was a
duty as an indispensable preliminary to the renewal of my
professional labors, and it was a relief from mental collapse.
I had been between fourteen and fifteen months in a state
of high excitement, and while in Europe I. was constantly
engaged in efforts which called into action both my intellectual and physical powers.




214         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
After the warm welcome of friends had subsided, and
the enthusiasm of travelling had ceased, a mental collapse ensued. I felt a sinking of spirits, and ennui, which
was foreign from my natural character, began to make its
approaches. What remedy should I seek, and what substitute should I find, for the exciting and engrossing scenes
in which I had been so long engaged,- for I had then no
home, " sweet home," of my own. Occupation was my only
resource, and this, happily for me, was demanded immediately in the line of my profession. The boxes of apparatus and preparations had arrived, and it had been requested in my letter that the opening of them might be
reserved for myself. Accordingly, without wasting time, I
took hamnier and chisel in hand, and with some assistance'removed the covers and explored the treasures that had
been packed in London.
At the period of my arrival from England, June 1, 1806,
the summer term was already begun, and but five weeks
remained for the then senior class before their final examination. I therefore commenced lecturing without loss of
time, and carried the subject of chemistry as far as possible in the short period at my command. In this class,
also, there were distinguished men, among whom were Gov.
Bissell, Judge Carlton of Louisiana, Nathaniel Chauncey,
Isaac MI. Ely, Alfred IHennen of New Orleans, Jabez W.
Huntington, Henry Strong, Dr. Winm. Tully, et alii.
Introduction to the Cabinet of Col. George Gibbs. - This
gentleman, as I was informed, had in 1805, brought over
from Europe a splendid collection of minerals, augmented
from time to time by magnificent additions, only a part of
which had as yet been opened. He himself had again gone
abroad, and was still absent. My brother, through a common friend, obtained for me an introduction to Miss Ruth
Gibbs, a sister of Col. Gibbs, who very kindly permitted
me to inspect and examine such minerals belonging to her
brother's collection, as were open and accessible.




GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY: THE WESTON METEOR. 215
They were stored chiefly in the chamber of a warehouse
in the Main Street [in Newport] contiguous to the family
mansion. In this room, Miss Gibbs was so obliging as to
meet me several times, and to remain while I examined
the minerals.  Her intelligence, courtesy, and benignity
made these interviews extremely agreeable to me. If I
was fearful of intruding upon her time and engagements,
she made everything easy to me, and I was even more
delighted with the lady than with the minerals, although
the latter were very instructive and gratifying, and gave
me exalted ideas of what the entire collection probably
contained.  Important results grew out of these interviews, as I shall have occasion to mention farther on.
Miss Ruth Gibbs married her cousin, Wm. E. Channing,
afterwards, and for a long life, the admired and honored
Rev. Dr. Channing of Boston, whose exalted talents, attainnments, and virtues made him well worthy of so noble a
woman. I-e was removed by death a number of years
ago, but she remains his honored widow, and has not participated in the decays which commonly attend the evening
of life. Dr. Channing gave me strong proofs of esteem
and confidence during the years when I knew him in Boston, and Mrs. Channing has recently spoken with interest
to a common friend in Boston, (Miss D. L. Dix,) of those
early interviews over her brother's minerals.
I had not been negligent of the few minerals which I
found in the drawers of the old Museum of Yale College.
I have often mentioned that I carried them in a small box
to Philadelphia, and that Dr. Adam Seybert kindly named
them  for me.  They were chiefly metallic ores, among
which lead and iron were the most remarkable; there was
a splendid specimen of irised oxide of iron, from Elba.
My brother had then recently purchased for Yale College
a very small collection of minerals brought out from England by Dr. Senter, who afterwards fell in a duel with John
Rutledge at Savannah —"'femina teterrima causa." Among




216          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
them there were some beautiful specimens, particularly in
the lime family. They were regarded by me as an interesting acquisition. My own collections in the mines of
Derbyshire and Cornwall, in England, — not numerous,
indeed, but valuable, - with a beautiful suite of Italian
polished marbles purchased in Edinburgh, and some local
specimens obtained in my rambles among the trap-rocks of
the Scottish capital, — all these things, when arranged,
labelled, and described in illustration of the mineral portion of the chemical lectures, served to awaken an interest
in the subject of inileralogy, and to produce both aspirations and hopes, looking towards a collection which should
by-and-by deserve the name of a cabinet. Our own localities in the vicinity of New Haven, containing agates, chalcedonies, phrenite, zeolites, marble, and serpentintes, were,
in the progress of research, not neolected, and the discovery of them in due time excited zeal and affbrded pleasureOrigin of Geology in Yale College. - It has been already
remarked that when I left New Haven, in March, 1805, on
my way to England, I was quite in the dark regarding the
nature of the rocks that surrounded me at home, and I
have already stated how light broke in upon me in Edinburgh. It was, therefore, natural that I should, early after
my return, attempt to ascertain whether the geological
analogies, which I thought I had discovered between New
Haven and Edinburgh, were well founded. Accordingly,
as soon as academical duties would permit, I commenced
the examination of the mineral structure of our plains,
hills, and mountains. In these excursions, generally made
on horseback, because an extensive area and circuit of
country were to be examined, I was attended by several
friends who felt an interest in the subject, and who, both
from personal and scientific feeling, sympathized with the
youthful explorer. I mention with pleasure, that the distinguished philologist, Dr. Noah Webster, then in the me



GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY: TIlE WESTON METEOR. 217
ridian of life, was among the most zealous of my companions, and with activity and perseverance he dismounted
with me to examine every feature of the country which was
not intelligible when viewed from the saddle. I-lis large
mind admitted every species of knowledge, and the fruits
of his untiring industry in the prosecution of truth are
garnered in his admirable Dictionrary.
I arrived in New Haven fromn Scotland on the first of
June, 1806, and on the first day of September I read to
the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences a report
on the mineral structure of the environs of New Haven,
which was printed in the first volume of the transactions
of the Academy. This report occupies fourteen pages,
and having been published more than fifty-two years ago, -
when I was twenty-seven years of age, - I have been gratifled to find that an attentive re-perusal yesterday, (January
6, 1859,) - after I know not how many years of oblivion, -
suggested very few alterations, and I have not discovered
any important errors. As regards the trap-rocks, and their
relation to the associated sandstone and conglomerate rocks,
the analogy is fully'sustained between Edinburgh and New
Haven.  The coal formation, and the fossiliferous limestones and fossil trees of Edinburgh, are not found here;
but the relation of the trap and sandstone formations to
the primary slates, now called metamorphic, is here immediate and accessible, and thus affords the geological student
an interesting field of observation and instruction. On the
whole, I do not see any reason to be ashamed of my youthful effort in geology, nor do I think that half a century has
materially improved my style of writing.  In a literary
point of view, I could not do the work any better now than
I did it then.
In the autumn of 1806, I found myself, four years after
my appointment, in a condition to attempt a full course.
Through that winter and spring, and through half of the




218         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
summer, I labored with zeal and untiring industry to impart instruction in chemistry, including also mineralogy
and geology, as far as I had means of illustrating them.
I gave three and four lectures in a week, and the mineralogy and geology were interspersed among the chemical
lectures, wherever there were mutual relations.
This course of lectures in 1806-7 was more satisfactory
to myself than either of the more imperfect courses which
I had given. Among the members of this class were some
men of note: Thaddeus Betts, Lieutenant-Governor of
Connecticut and Senator in Congress; J. P. Cushman, member of Congress; William Dllbose, Lieutenant-Governor of
South Carolina; Thomas Smith Grimke, of Charleston, an
eminent jurist and scholar; William Jay, judge, and son of
the distinguished John Jay; Dr. Alexander H. Stevens,
of New York, an eminent surgeon; James Sutherland,
judge, &c. in the State of New York; Dr. Nathaniel W.
Taylor, an eminent divine and theological professor; Jonathan George Washington Trumbull, an amiable and excellent man, but never in public life.
Colonel George Gibbs having returned from Europe, I
was introduced to him in Newport, where, after the lectures
were finished, I passed many weeks in the summer and
autumn of 1807. He was a courteous gentleman, and a
zealous promoter of physical science, especially of mineralogy and geology. Having been made acquainted with
my pursuits he warmly espoused my cause, and made me at
home in his house and in the family of his mother and
sisters. He was a bachelor, but he maintained a distinct
establishment in a mansion on the hill opposite to the old
stone tower, (doubtless once the foundation of a wind-mill,
although some assigned to it a fabulous origin and antiquity).
In this house, Colonel Gibbs - Colonel Gibbs, although he
cherished a martial spirit, had never seen service; the title
of Colonel is given by courtesy to an aid of the commander,
who in this case was Governor Fenner of Rhode Island




GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY: THE WESTON METEOR. 219
had established himself with a portion of his library, and
more of his cabinet of minerals than I had before seen was
here opened, while numerous boxes, filled with minerals,
remained in the warehouses, unopened. What I now saw,
and had before seen, excited in my mind a strong interest
to see and examine the whole. My daily visits to the Gibbs
house, which was always accessible to me, made me familiar
with its contents, and placed me on terms of easy intercourse with its liberal-minded proprietor. An intelligent
colored servant, Scipio, was always ready to admit me.
I had now acquired a scientific friend and a professional
instructor and guide, much to my satisfaction, and he appeared equally pleased to find a companion in his scientific
sympathies and pursuits, especially in a young man full of
zeal, and both willing and desirous to work. There were
in Newport no other men that were devotees of science,
and therefore we, as regards these pursuits, became intimlately associated, and were not long in planning excursions
on this picturesque and beautiful island, whose physical
features of course depend upon its geological structure.
Soon after our return from an excursion to Cumberland
we visited Boston, and returned to Newport October 3,
1807. This visit introduced me to some persons having a
taste for science. Among them was the lIon. John Davis,
Judge of the District Court under the General Government. Judge Davis showed me much kindness; I enjoyed
his friendship to the end of his long life; and his brother,
Mr. Isaac P. Davis, was also my friend.
There was not at that period - fifty years ago - much
of a spirit of science in Boston. Literature was cultivated
and flourished. In my visits to Cambridge, I saw their
small but beautiful collection of minerals, given them by the
French Republic, which was followed by a similar donation
from Dr. Letsome of London. But mineralogy seems not
then to have taken root at Cambridge; and neither min



220         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMIAN.
eralogy or geology entered into the plans of education in
any of our seminaries. Salem presented a very interesting
and instructive collection in its East India MIuseum. This
remarkable institution was founded by the illustrious Dr.
Nathaniel Bowditch.
I made three journeys to Newport in the season of 1807,
and there and in the environs, including Boston, passed
all the time which was at my command. The summer was
a very profitable one for mne in a professional view, and, as
will appear farther on, drew after it important results.
Amnong the families to which I was indebted for a kind
hospitality, I must not omit to mention, more specially than
I have done, the families of Gibbs and Clhanning. Their
social position was elevated, and their means being ample
they of course stood first in the rank of society; and
although I did not feel particularly flattered on that account, their kindness and favor, shown in hospitable and
other usefill and agreeable manifestations, formed a pleasant
and sustaining indorsement of the adoption of me already
made by their son and brother. The mother of Col. Gibbs
was a dignified and estimable matron, and the daughters
cultivated, refined, and agreeable ladies.
The second full course of lectures in my department was
given in 1807-8. I had now tried my powers and my acquirements so far successfully, that I felt very much relieved from anxiety in regard to my ultimate success. A
warm interest had been excited in the College and in the
public mind, and it was my earnest wish to increase in
every way in my power the means and the value of instruction in my departments.
About this time, the Corporation were persuaded
by Mr. Silliman to purchase the cabinet of minerals
belonging to Mr. Benjamin D. Perkins of New York.
This had been collected during the residence of Mr.
Perkins in England, and was of considerable value.




GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY: THE WESTON METEOR. 221
The price paid for it by the College was one thousand
dollars.  It was transferred to Mr. Sillitan's chamber, and was the starting-point for more extensive
collections added afterwards.
Soon the news of the arrival of this cabinet was spread
abroad, and my chamber was visited by many persons,ladies and gentlemen. Some were intelligent, and appreciated the cabinet in relation to science, and all were curious to see beautiful things. On one occasion the late Governor of Connecticut, Jonathan Trumbull, Esq., honored the
room with a visit, and I had mnuch pleasure in displaying
and explaining the specimens. IHe was very cautious and
reserved as to handling theml, and when I presented to him
the beautiful silky amianthus, at the same time handling
its delicate threads and offering it to his own fingers, he
declined, saying that he would obey the general noli me
tanyere rule of cabinets. I assented, adding, however, that
the rule was for the many, but as there was only one governor in the State, the precedent could not be followed, and
therefore he might handle. The remark was received with
his usual courteous smile of acquiescence. I was then
twenty-eight years old, and confess I was not a little gratified that the devotion of five years to my profession at home
and abroad had been so far successful.
B. D. Perkins, of whom the cabinet was purchased, had
becomie, with a partner, Mr. Collins, a publisher of books;
and to that firm I intrusted the republication of " Henry's
Chemistry" with my additions. The work was in progress
in their hands, and the proofs were arriving for my correction, when the Weston Meteor made its appearance. As
soon as the news reached:New Haven I broke off every
other engagement, and immediately resorted to the scene
of this remarkable event. On my return, after an absence
of some days, I found an accumulation of proofs from friend
Perkins, not without some reproofs, as pointed as a Quaker,




222         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
and a newly converted one, would presume to indite, - the
dampened sheets being ready for the press: but the reproofs were cancelled when the cause of my absence was
made known, and the Weston Meteor furnished an interesting subject for future annotations. I may as well mention in this place, that my edition of " Henry," with notes
and other addenda, met with so much favor, that two other
editions under my hand followed, and these editions were
generally adopted in the schools.
I have introduced a digression in my narrative, as there
was a digression of events. In Europe I had become acquainted with meteorites and the phenomena that usually
attend their fall, and several specimens had come under
my notice. I did not dream of being favored by an event of
this kind in my own vicinity, and occurring on a scale truly
magnificent. The event happened on December 14th, 1807.
In the morning of that day, at early dawn, (6~ o'clock,)
a grand fire-ball passed over the town of Weston in the
county of Fairfield, apparently two thirds as large as the
moon. Its motion was mainly from the N. to S., rising
rapidly towards the zenith, with a vermicular or serpentine
motion. Several loud explosions tookl place near the zenith,
like heavy cannon, with intermediate and subsequent discharges like those of musketry. There were three principal explosions, during which the fire-ball travelled about
ten miles, and at each of those explosions stones fell to the
earth, - some of them very large, - twelve, twenty, and
even thirty-six pounds in weight. One mass that was split
to pieces upon a rock and ploughed its way into the earth,
might have weighed a hundred or two hundred pounds.
It made a hole in the ground of five feet long, four and a
half broad, and almost deep enough for a grave. It was
ascertained that stones fell at six places, and probably at
many more, as the report of falling bodies was heard in
various directions, several of which were examined, both
with and without success. The report of these events did




GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY: THE WESTON METEOR. 223
not reach New Haven until two or three days had passed,
when my friend and colleague, Professor Kingsley, accompanlied me to Weston, which is about twenty-five miles west
from New Haven. We visited all the places where stones
were reported to have fallen; we examined most of the witnesses as well as the attendant circumstances, and brought
away a considerable number of specimens. We published
an account of the facts in the "Connecticut Herald,"
of New Haven, which was extensively copied into other
papers. I afterwards made a chemical examination of the
masses, and in the course of the season a revised account,
with the chemical analysis, was communicated to the Philosophical Society of Philadelphia, which was published in
their transactions, and afterwards republished in the memoirs
of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences. The
case was deemed so interesting and important that the published account was read aloud in the Philosophical Society
of London, and in the Academy of Sciences of Paris. It
was admitted to be one of the most extensive and best
attested occurrences of the kind that has happened, and of
which a record has been preserved.
The exciting effect produced on his own mind, as
well as on the minds of others, by the investigation
of the Weston Meteor, may be gathered from the
subjoined letter which Mr. Silliman wrote from Philadelphia to his friend, Mr. Kingsley.
TO PROFESSOR KINGSLEY.
PHILADELPHITA,,January 23, 1808.
Saturday Morning.
DEAR KINGSLEY, - I am by no means ripe for an ultimate account of everything, yet, knowing your keenness
for letters, I now begin a few memoranda. We arrived on
Wednesday morning, after riding all night through New




224         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
Jersey. The night was very cold, and we suffered much,
but as Miss W-    was very solicitous to get forward, I
would not hang back. Anecdotes of the journey will come
better orally, -there were, however, none of any moment,
- but I hasten to Philadelphia. I attended Woodhouse's
lecture the day after I arrived. He received mle politely,
but made no allusion to the offensive part of his letter. He
showed me his laboratory, which is a very fine one indeed.
I dined with him yesterday and met a large party of sarans.
I cannot stay to relate many particulars.  (Monday 25.)
The meteor is immediately brought forward in every circle
where I go. It was so at Woodhouse's. He was very
modest, and even ridiculed the lunar theory which he advocated in his letter. There was a Dr. C. present, who, with
an air of ridicule and of self-importance, began questioning
me, and intimated incredulity on several chemical and astronomical points; but I met him with a decision and severity which I would not often indulge in society, and the Doctor being really as ignorant as he was vain and impertinent,
I found no difficulty in laying hinm on his back. N. B. -
Through the remainder of the evening he treated me with
fawning civility. Both Mitchell's and Coxe's "Journal" are
out, so that our piece cannot appear under two or three
months in either of them. Perkins told me in New York
that the first piece would undoubtedly be reprinted in the
"IMedical Repository." I am uncertain what I shall do.
They are very solicitous here to obtain the communication
for the Philadelphia transactions, which are now on the
point of appearing. I would give it to them, if they would
at the same time permit us to send it abroad; this, however, would be considered as invading their priority. I
shall, nevertheless, make the proposition to the secretary,
and if he refuses, as I expect he will, I shall bring it home
that we may revise it, copy the printed part, and forward it
to London and Paris. Our account has been reprinted in
most or all of the papers of this city, and has been the




GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY: THE WESTON METEOR. 225
subject of universal conversation. I have had occasion
many times to detail and illustrate President Clapp's theory, and it has generally been considered as better than
any other; the lunar philosophers are humorously called
lunatics. I am told that at a public dinner here the meteor
was the subject of conversation, and a gentleman present
exclaimed, - somewhat impiously perhaps, but very pithily,
-" Well, I must believe it because of the testimony, and I
do believe it, but before God it is impossible! " (Ten o'clock
at night). — I have dined with Bronson since writing the
above and he has thrown new light on our subject, - or, to
make my figure more consistent with fact, - he proposes
to throw a little money into our purses. I am quite serious
in what I am now saying. Bronson says, that if we will immediately revise the whole subject, collect all well-authenticated instances of similar events, arrange and illustrate
them, relate our own case with the analysis, and the result of
the analytical examination of the rest, state all the theories
and refute them, bring forward the Yalensian theory with
the ample illustrations of which it is susceptible, and, in
short, make a book, which shall be worth a dollar, that there
can be no doubt that it will give us a handsome remuneration. He says he will bear and risk all the expenses of
publication, and will remunerate us in any way that we can
agree upon. He even went so far as to say, that he had no
doubt it would bring us a sum equal to a year's salary.
Besides, he urges that this is a favorable time to come
before the public and to write ourselves into reputation and
into bread; that we ought not to lose the benefit of the
labor which we have already expended, and that if the
work is throughout as well executed as what we have already published, he will insure its success. MIuch more
passed, and Elihu Chauncey, who was present, is of the
same opinion. Both these men know the whole book-selling concern from beginning to end, and are therefore qualified to judge. I confess myself an entire convert to their
VOL. 1.     15




226         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
opinion. You will remember I mentioned this thing before
we parted, although not with a view of profit. Now I think
the thing perfectly practicable. You must collect all the
historical evidence. I will do everything connected with
mineralogy and chemistry, and together, and with the occasional aid of brother Day, we will state and refute the
prevalent theories and magnify our own and make it honorable. I am confident the thing may be done in high style.
With this view I have determined not to leave our communication with any of them, especially as it contains all my
original chemical matter, and this is capable of much amplification and illustration. Dr. Seybert is the only man
here who has perused it. He gives it full credit and says
that my views of the effects of heat, connected with the
experiments, are demonstrative. I have not communicated
the piece to -, nor said anything to him about it. I am
convinced, from what he has told me, that his own analysis
was altogether loose and not to be depended on, nor am I
at all afraid of any publication of his. Seybert advised me
not to trust him; said he would play me some trick,- for
instance, purloin and publish it as his own; and averred
that he did not know how to analyze a stone, and that he
had not a single sure test or agent of any kind to do it
with.
-'s reputation is up, both here and at New York, for
unfair dealing and in matters affecting scientific reputation.
I leave this place on Wednesday morning for Princeton,
and shall be in New York on the succeeding Monday;
there let a letter meet and tell me that you have been employed every leisure moment in attending to this business.
It will be very important that the work come out soon. We
shall not lose reputation, and some money we shall certainly gain. Now don't trifle with it; close in with the
proposition; the bones of the business are already together.
If you do not undertake it, I shall do it without you. Elihu
Chauncey says, -" Publish the journal by all means; one




GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY: THE WESTON METEOR. 227
edition can be sold good or bad, and if popular, it will
be a permanent source of profit." * You see, matters look
up...... Direct to me at 86 William Street, New York,
care of David Ely. Remember me to all friends. Show
this letter to nobody but brother Day, and lose no time in
going to work on our new book. I will return as speedily
as possible; will repeat the analysis and analyze every
separate part. You don't know how keen the world this
way are for meteors. Perkins told me that the publication was received with great favor in New York, and that
no occurrence had, in his recollection, excited such general
interest. It is late, so good-night.
Yours affectionately,
DIOPETES.
The annexed letter makes mention of his mode of
living and of the labors in which he was engaged.
TO MR. G. S. SILLIMAN.
YALE COLLEGE, December 5, 1807...... I nAVE a complete' equipment of every article
requisite for breakfast and tea, arranged in a large new
closet in one of my studies, and it is now four weeks that I
have taken my breakfast and tea in my own chamber, with
more economy of time, addition of comfort, and independence, than I can describe, and with very little additional
trouble or expense. My little writing-desk lies open on
a stand on the right of the fire, and on the right of
that is a table for my books in immediate use. I have
now the accommodations and respectable establishment of
a genteel, literary man, and I have no thoughts at present
of leaving my state of celibacy. The publication of the
chemical text-book, of my journal, the completion of my
lectures, an admission after some previous study to the
faculty of medicine, now become very necessary by my
* The reference is probably to his manuscript journal of travels. - F.




228         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
being about to become permanently one of the Board who
will instruct and license the physicians of this State; an
increase of salary which is, I trust, no very distant event,
and an increase of revenue from the chemical tickets, seem
to be necessary preliminaries to a matrimonial settlement.......Dr. Dweight and all the Faculty of College have
at various times taken tea with me, and occasionally other
friends.....
TO MR. G. S. SILLIMAN.
YALE COLLEGE, December 10, 1807......  IR. DAGGETT * and family have lately perused
my journal with eagerness, if I may judge from the rapidity with which they called for the volumes. I met Mr. D.
in the street the other day while he was perusing the work.
He stopped me, and, after requesting the remaining volumes, added: " I observe you describe the manner of rapping in London. I wish you would rap four or five times
at my door." This rap, you will remember, is the gentleman visitor's rap. When he had finished the work, he delivered the last volume with a flattering note, thanking me
for the pleasure I had afforded him, saying that he had accompanied me with great satisfaction through every part
of my journey, and had learned many new and interesting
facts. The approbation of such a man is highly encouraging and gratifying. I cannot, however, even commence
any great labor for some weeks, till the text-book is finished. The ladies affect to consider me as gone over to
irremediable celibacy; but I do not perceive that they are
less polite than before. You see I egotize as much as
ever. I only wish I could do it by word of mouth. I remember with great satisfaction our many happy hours last
summer and fall, and do not entirely despair of their return......   But, at any rate, let us write frequently; and,
for my part, I promise to write as much folly as I would
* Hon. David Daggett. -F.




GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY: THE WESTON METEOR. 229
talk....  Dear Hepsa, kiss the pretty children for me......My dear brother and sister, I bear you affectionately on my heart, and long again for your endeared
society.
His sympathetic feeling when any danger impended over those whom he loved, may be seen in
the following letter
TO MR. AND MRS. G. S. SILLIMAN.
YALE COLLEGE, March 16, 1808.
31Y DEAR FRIENDS,-I sympathize with you in your
distress, and have waited with trembling solicitude to hear
how it was to fare with the dear little lamb.* I did not
answer your first letter because I was in hopes of receiving
another immediately. That letter came to-day, and I could
hardly muster resolution enough to break the seal, till I
saw that it was not a black one. You must pardon me for
not having forwarded your first letter to Huntington, because I re Ally did expect better news, and thought that in
the worst event I could but send it as preliminary. I shall
now commit both letters to David's care (he is in town).
I am writing in the midst of company and conversation,
and must beg you to pardon my hurried letter. Most frequently do I beseech Almighty God to spare the life of our
darling. She is very dear to me, for she is a very lovely
child; but if she is to be removed, may God of his infinite
mercy grant that you may be sustained and comforted, and
that the affliction may redound to our good. ZMy dear
friends, I feel most sensibly for you, and am anxious that
every passing hour should bring me news on this most
anxious subject. Write a line by every mail, -yes, by every
mail, without omitting one, - till our dear little lamb is out
of danger, for I trust that she will be soon, notwithstanding
her distressed state. I mention no other topic, except that
* Mary, afterwards Mrs. Jones. - F.




230         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN
I go this week to meet our mother at Wallingford. She is
now there, but no better. Dr. Dana lies dangerously ill,
and I am to watch with him to-night. Commending you
both, but especially our lovely little friend, to the care of
Him who doeth for us, and will deal justly and mercifully
with us, even in His present dispensations, I remain, my
dearly beloved brother and sister,
Most affectionately your sympathizing
Friend and Brother.




CHAPTER X.
HIS MARRIAGE: REMINISCENCES OF GOVERNOR TRUMBULL.
His Marriage. - The First Governor Trumbull. - The Second Governor
Trumbull: His Person, Manners, and Character; His House and Family;
His Appearance in Public; Experience of his Personal Kindness. -
First Introduction to Miss Trumbull. -Governor Trumbull's Political
Firmness. -Popular Chemical Lectures in New Haven, and Further
Acquaintance with Miss Trumbull.- Visits to Lebanon. - Death of
Governor Trumbull. - His Marriage.
AN important event in the life of Mr. Silliman
occurred about three years after his return from
Europe.  This was his marriage to  Miss Harriet
Trumbull, daughter of the second Governor Trumbull. Jonathan Trumbull, the elder, a graduate of
Harvard College, had distinguished himself by refusing to join a part of his colleagues on the Council in administering to Governor Fitch the oath to
execute the stamp-act, and being chosen LieutenantGovernor, he had himself likewise refused to take the
oath to carry out the oppressive measures of Parliament.  Chosen Governor in 1769, he was reielected
for fourteen consecutive terms, — the only Colonial
Governor who retained his office after the beginning
of the Revolutionary war. He stood very high, as
is well known, in the esteem of Washington, who
pronounced him " one of the first of patriots," and
whom he sustained with resolute, unfailing patriotism to the end of the great struggle. A sedate




232          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
Puritan, deeply imbued with the spirit of religion,
and fearless in the discharge of every duty, he stands
among the heroic figures in our national history.*
His son, the second Governor, and the father of
Mrs. Silliman, was worthy of such a parent. After
filling various important offices, which will be mentioned hereafter, he was made Governor of Connecticut in 1798, and held this station until his death in
1809.
In one respect, Mr. Silliman's marriage had more
than the ordinary influence resulting from such a
connection.  The Revolutionary character and services of the family to which he was now allied
strongly moved his feelings, and contributed to
establish him  in the political ideas, as well as patriotic sentiments, in which  he had been educated.
He has recorded, in a separate manuscript volume,
notices of Governor Trumbull and his family; and
a portion of these, independently of their bearing on
his own personal history, will be interesting to all
who would know New England as it was in the
past.t
JONATHAN TRUMBULL was the second of that name who
held the office of Governor of Connecticut. In stature he
could not have exceeded five feet and eight inches. In
form he was slender, erect, well proportioned; in movement alert, but with an air of energy and decision. The
impression which he made on an observer who was a
stranger to him, would lead him to conclude that he was
* A life of the first Governor Trumbull has been written by Isaac
Stuart.
t impo'rtant letters of General Washington, and a letter of Martha
Washington, addressed to Governor Trumbull, the father of Mrs. Silliman,
are printed in the Appendix to this Memoir.




HIS MARRIAGE: REMINISCENCES OF GOV. TRUMBULL. 233
no common man. Dignity without formality, hung about
him like an every-day robe, worn easily and naturally as
his common costume. His manners were those of a wellbred, polished gentleman, combining in a high degree dignity with a finished courtesy and affability. His benevolence shed a charm over his intercourse; it animated his
features, prompted and enlivened his conversation, and
shone like a living soul in his interviews with society.
The most humble people were so kindly received by him;
and, without descending to undue familiarity, so well did
he adapt his conversation to their intelligence and circumstances that they left him with friendly and grateful feelings.  His versatility of manners fitted himn equally for
the society of the most elevated and refined individuals,
and for that of the small farmers and mechanics around
his rural abode, who, not unfrequently, called to pass an
evening hour at his house.  Still, this was the same man
who had been the associate and confidential friend of
Washington, his private secretary, and the intimate of his
marquee.
His conversation was very attractive; it was full of intelligence, uniting perspicuity and vivacity, with occasional
sallies of humor. The existing portraits of him (the best
is at Ex-Governor Trumbull's, at Hartford,) convey no
adequate idea of the animation and expression of his
face, in which both the mind and the heart shone forth,
although correct in the form of the features and head.
His voice was very remarkable. It was strong, clear,
and melodious, with a fine musical cadence and intonation. His reading of the Scriptures in the family worship
was very impressive, being distinct, deliberate, and solemn.
Not a word was lost, and the hearer felt that he received
a more forcible impression of the meaning than ever before.
With his diction, the Prophet Isaiah appeared doubly majestic. His manners in his family were delightful. His
cheerfulness, his cordiality, his hopeful temperament, his




234         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
ample store of materials for conversation, and his unwavering kindness shed a charm over the domestic circle and
made his house a happy home. It was a beautiful rural
residence. The house was not an architectural structure
according to the rules of art. It had indeed a colonnade
with square pillars, in imitation of Mount Vernon. There
were noble trees, and ample fields and out-houses, and an
office detached from the mansion. A wide court-yard
separated the house from  the office.  A  long gate, or
pair of gates, for the admission of carriages, seemed to
swing, almost voluntarily, on the hinges, and arriving
friends drove in, with full confidence of a kind and hospitable reception.
Many friends were there received. The hospitality of
the house was well known, and besides relations and family
friends and associates, few strangers of distinction passed
through Lebanon without calling to pay their respects to
him who had been Paymaster of the Northern Army, Private Secretary of Washington, Speaker of the second Congress under the Constitution at Philadelphia, when Washington was President; Senator of the same august body, and
finally Governor of his native State of Connecticut, in which
office he remained until death. The interior of the house
was a model of chastened elegance. It made, indeed, no
pretensions to splendor; but everything was in the highest
degree neat and comfortable, and in the best taste. Mrs.
Trumbull * had admirable administrative talents.  She
united great energy with excellent judgment, and the
power of influencing and moving her servants and all who
owed her deference.  Her daughters t were lovely and
accomplished women, and being trained also in habits of
useful industry, they both aided their mother efficiently,
and were the bright and polished ornaments of a family
circle, than which none was mlore attractive.
* Eunice Backus, of Norwich.
t Mrs. Daniel Wadsworth, Mrs. Henry Hudson, Mrs. Benj. Silliman.




HIS MARRIAGE: REMINISCENCES OF GOV. TRUMBULL. 235
The house at Lebanon had ample literary resources.
A large library in the office, and a smaller select collection in the house afforded abundant means of entertainment and instruction, especially in the long winter evenings, and in the many days of the same season when cold
and snow gave almost undisturbed quiet in a country village of sparse population, and whose principal street was in
fact a wide common across which it was not always easy
to pass. It used to be said, sportively, that the people on
the opposite sides of the street had so little intercourse that
they spoke different languages.
The physical comforts of the family were also abundant.
The apartments had a cheerful, hospitable air; the table
was spread with the best food, prepared with skill and
taste; the table furniture was in keeping with the dignity
of the house, and Mrs. Trumbull, by hex provident care
and energy, managed to obtain the more rare articles of
food, and even the treasures of the seas.
Kindness to the poor and the humble was a bright trait
of this family. Not only was charity extended to the needy
and suffering, but plain and obscure neighbors were received with a gentle welcome, and made to feel happy in
the society of those whose social position was so much superior to their own. Some persons of this description, perhaps coming from a more distant home, were received as
visiting friends, and remained for several weeks at a time
in the family, but they were always distinguished for personal worth.
With the dignity of elevation there was no family pride.
A sense of religious duty, and the mild but prevailing effect
of Christian feeling, shed a happy influence over the domestic scenes; and family worship, always attended with
seriousness and punctuality, seemed both a fair exponent
and a happy result of the living religion of the house.
It was usual to anticipate the arrival of the Governor,




236         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
when attending the Legislature at New Haven or at Hartford, by a cavalcade of honor composed of large numbers of
citizens, both in carriages and on horseback, who met the
Governor some miles from town at some designated place,
- I believe Woodbridge's tavern in East Hartford, ten
miles from Hartford, and Eastman's tavern in North Haven,
eight miles from Nlew Haven.  Salutations were interchanged, some refreshments taken, and the procession returning was received with the ringing of bells and other
demonstrations of joy. I remember, long before my marriagre, coning in firom Eastman's, on one occasion, in Governor Trumbull's retinue, when we were wrapt in a cloud
of dust so dense that we were all in uniform. I should
mention that the Governor usually entered the town on
horseback. Governor Trumbull told me the following anecdote of a little occurence near Hartford. The cavalcade
had arrived at the ferry in East Hartford, opposite to the
city, and there being at that time no bridge, they were
waiting for the flat-boat to carry them over, when an old
salt - a short, thick-set little man - was pressing his way
among the crowd to obtain a sight of the Governor; but
not finding, like Zaccheus of old, a friendly tree, he rose
on his toes and eagerly asked, "Which is the Governor?"
Some one pointed out a small, genteel man mounted conspicuously on a fine horse, when the sailor exclaimed, —" That
the Governor, -why, he is not bigger than a cob!"  He
had associated official dignity with physical volume of person. The Governor was much amused by Jack's surprise,
the expression of which he overheard.
While the Legislature was in session he always, when he
appeared abroad, wore a three-cornered cocked hat, such
as was worn by officers in the Revolutionary army. There
was mounted upon it a handsome cockade, made of black
satin ribbon, elegantly and tastefully arranged, probably by
the hand of a daughter. Ile wore breeches and long boots
with white tops, and he always retained the sword as a




HIS MARRIAGE: REMINISCENCES OF GOY. TRUMBULL. 237
badge of office. Although not above middle size in person, and in other respects dressed like a citizen, the costume that I have named on a gentleman of a decidedly
military air corresponded well with the dignity of his station as Governor of the State.
The Governor was ex-officio President of the Council
(or Senate), and being present at all their deliberations
his opinions had deservedly great weight. When there
was a public hearing, the House of Representatives came in
a body to the Senate Chamber. The Governor's speech or
address at the opening of the session was delivered in presence of the entire Legislature. I was present on one of
those occasions, and I well remember Governor Trumbull's highly dignified and impressive manner. His powerful and musical voice filled the room; his enunciation was
perfect, and, being very deliberate, not a word was lost.
His sword and cocked hat lay on the table before him, and
his graceful and elevated manner gave the best possible
effect to his communications. Never before or since have
I listened to such a speaker.
I believe I must have seen Governor Trumbull first in
some of those public gatherings to which I have alluded.
As he was Governor from 1798 to 1809, and was ex-officio
a member of the College Corporation, he always attended
the Commencements and united in the deliberations. He
appeared on these occasions in the costume which I have
described,- the sword, perhaps, excepted,- and was seated
on the stage, in the place of the highest honor. He may
have been present when my class took their first degree, in
September 1796, but he was then Lieutenant-Governor.
When, in 1799, I became a tutor in Yale College, in common with the other members of the faculty I was introduced to the Governor and to the other members of the
corporation.  Dr. Dwight established the custom  of a
friendly meeting, at dinner of the faculty and corporation,
on the day before the Commencement, and this afforded a




238         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
pleasant opportunity of recognition. In 1802, having been
appointed Professor of Chemistry, &c., I passed the next
two winters in pursuing my studies in Philadelphia, and
was of course, by my appointment, known to the Governor.
I was present at the College Commencements, and he as
a member of the corporation knew my position. In the
autumn of 1804, it was determined that I should proceed
to England in the ensuing spring of 1805. A few weeks
before my departure from 1N'ew Haven, which was March
20th, I addressed a letter to Governor Trumbull at Lebanon, informing him of my projected journey, and requesting from him, as chief magistrate of my native State, an
official document certifying my citizenship and my collegiate and social position. To this request he promptly
acceded. I have his letters respecting this matter, but I
believe that the paper was left in Europe, - perhaps with
Mr. Monroe, then our minister in London. When the Governor met the Legislature in New Haven in the October following my return, the College was remembered in his speech,
and he did me the honor to mention emphatically the new
department of chemistry, and to recommend it and me as
its head to the favor of the Government. The terms in
which he mentioned me were such as to gratify and encourage a young man of twenty-seven years of age, and the
impression on his mind was only that of an increased sense
of obligation to perform his duty in the best manner possible. The confidence of this distinguished magistrate thus
bestowed on me in advance, was followed by an invitation,
warmly expressed, that I would call on him at his house
in Lebanon, and I did not forget the invitation. In the
summer of 1807, Mr. Daniel Wadsworth of Hartford, the
husband of the Governor's eldest daughter Faith, came
to New Haven, - prompted by an interest excited in his
mind by the perusal of the MIS. volumes of my " Travels
in England, Htolland, and Scotland." On this occasion he
made my acquaintance, proffered me his personal friend



HIS MARRIAGE: REMINISCENCES OF GOV. TRUMBULL. 239
ship, and tendered me the hospitality of his house. Early
in the autumn, I was most kindly received there as a guest,
and there became acquainted with that most estimable lady,
Mrs. Wadsworth. I remained a day or two, and took my
departure for Newport, via Lebanon and Norwich. Mrs.
Wadsworth volunteered a letter by me to her sister, Miss
Harriet Trumbull, which was made introductory by my
name upon the outside. I availed myself of the short stop
which the stage made at the post-office in Lebanon, to run
forward half a mile, and thus I gained time to deliver the
letter. The family were at dinner, but I was promptly
admitted, most kindly received by the Governor, and with
courtesy by Miss Trumbull. A chair was placed for me at
the table, and I yielded to the hospitable invitation to occupy it even for the few minutes that were at my disposal.
The occasion, apparently fortuitous, was fruitful of the
most important results, and a series of providential events
brought that noble and lovely lady, whom I then saw for
the first time, to this house, which she blessed during forty
years.....
The confidence reposed in me by the good man [Governor Trumbull], was truly paternal, and I had full opportunity to scan and understand the character and circumstances which in the preceding pages I have endeavored
faithfully to unfold. My visits were, of course, frequent,
and Hartford afforded an interesting and convenient middle
ground. During several weeks of suffering that preceded his
death, I remained constantly in the family, and participated
in the final scene...... I ought not to omit to mention
an action of Governor Trumbull's public life, very near
the close of his career, which was regarded as very important. The American Democracy had long been seeking an
occasion to quarrel with England, and the leaders at Washington were not only preparing the public mind for that
result, but were meditating on the means of carrying it into
effect. It was therefore deemed of primary importance to




240         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN
obtain the control of the militia, and especially of that of
New England and New York, with particular reference to
the invasion of Canada. With this view the experiment was
made, first upon Governor Trumbull, whose courtesy of
manners and kindness of temper might have induced them
to believe that he would not oppose the wishes of the administration. General Dearborn was then Secretary of War,
and Mr. Madison, President. In the spring of 1809, I happened to be at Lebanon, when the letter of the Secretary
was received. He appeared to be aware that he was treading on delicate ground, and therefore his letter was written
in the most deferential terms. The object in view was to
obtain the Governor's approbation to the placing of the
militia under the command of military officers of the United
States, in which case they might be marched out of the
State into Canada or anywhere else. It was requested by
the Secretary that in communicating the order to the militia and in the selection for service the utmost kindness and
even delicacy might be used. The administration had mistaken their man. Governor Trumbull did not hesitate to
refuse compliance; and in firm but respectful terms, informed the administration that he did not discover either
in the Constitution of the United States, or in the laws of
his own State, any power to surrender the command of the
militia, which were reserved for local defence and to repel
actual invasion. He communicated the correspondence to
me and requested me to criticize his reply with severity,
adding that the step he was taking would make a great
deal of noise and be trumpeted as incipient rebellion. So it
proved, but the decision was warmly welcomed by the opposite party and by the Governor's personal friends. I was
present at an evening's conversation at Dr. Dana's, when
Judge Daggett, alluding to this decision, said that Governor
Trumbull had not a weak nerve in him, and Samuel W.
Dana, Dr. Dana's brilliant son, said that if the hot men of
the South should come, as they threatened, to fight Con



HIS 3MARRIAGE: REMINISCENCES OF GOV. TRUMBULL. 241
necticut, their coffins would be a necessary part of their
baggage.
How the acquaintance with Miss Trumbull ripened
into an intimacy and resulted in their union, is detailed in the " Reminiscences," to which we now revert. It may be remarked that the course of lectures
to persons outside of College, of which he speaks,
was an event of no little importance in his career as
a teacher of science.
First Course of Popular Lectures in Yale College, May
1808. Personal Events. - My mother some two years before had fallen on the ice and inflicted a severe injury upon
the wrist of her left arm, which had been unskilfully set,
so that the arm remained useless, and was even an encumbrance. A journey of business in the nlonth of May 1808,
took me to Norwich and through Lebanon, where I received such decisive evidence of the skill of the elder Dr.
Sweet in breaking up and setting anew injured members,
that after an interview with him I induced my mother to
come on with me and place herself under this self-taught
surgeon. The effort in which I participated as an assistant
wts successful. A delicate lady of seventy-two submitted
to the severe torture, supported solely by her own firmness, without stimulants or sedatives, and the injured arm,
although not rendered perfect, was eventually restored to
usefulness and comfort, and served for ten years more until
her death. My frequent journeys to Lebanon to attend on
my mother's case during several anxious weeks, produced
an interesting social intercourse with my mother's early
friends, the family of Governor Jonathan Trumbull. Before I left New Haven a course of popular chemistry for
ladies and gentlemen had been proposed by Mr. Timothy
Dwight, Jr., the eldest son of President Dwight; and the
proposal having been sanctioned by him and consented to
VOL. I.         16




242          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
by me, the class, to the number of about forty-five, had
been secured without any effort on my part. The proposition was pleasing to me, as it placed me professionally in a
new position, responsible indeed, but promising to secure
additional favor for the science then so new in Yale College,
and almost new indeed in this country. Having been before
accredited in my public character by Governor Trumbull,
and invited by him to his house, I learned with pleasure
that his daughter, Miss Harriet Trumbull, would soon go to
New Haven, and pass some weeks with the ladies of the
family of the Hon. James Hillhouse.  I thought it not intrusive, therefore, to invite her to attend on the professional
course of lectures with the young ladies of the I-illhouse
family; and having been before received into the confidence and friendship of Mr. Daniel Wadsworth, of Hartford, Miss Trumbull's brother-in-law, I ventured still further
as his friend, to offer myself to show her. those civilities
which might be useful and agreeable during her stay in
New Haven. This statement would hardly be appropriate
to scientific reminiscence, were it not that the proposed
course had, in iNew Haven, turned on female hinges, and
as I had occasion afterwards to know, sentiment lubricated
the joints. It was my province in the proposed course to
explain the affinities of matter, and I had not advanced fat
in my pleasing duties before I discovered that moral affinities, also moving without my intervention, were playing
an important part.  To this I could not object, and it
was certainly the most gratifying result of my labors that
several happy unions grew incidentally out of those bright
evening meetings. The happy parties enjoyed many genial years, although death has now broken all those harmonious bands asunder.  This being my first attempt to
explain science to a popular audience I endeavored to
study simplicity and perspicuity; simplicity in the absence
of all unnecessary technicality, and perspicuity by the
choice of good Saxon words and by explaining all that




HIS MARRIAGE: REMINISCENCES OF GOV. TRUMBULL. 243
would not be obviously intelligible to a good mind. The
lectures, I have said, were given in the evening, and as the
course was begun in the spring vacation, ladies were not
embarrassed in coming to the college laboratory; and the
precedent being once established, was easily continued into
the summer term. The lectures were fuilly illustrated by
experiments which were carefully prepared and successfully
performed. On the whole, the course itself was a decided
success, and I had no reason to regret that I had undertaken it. I have before had occasion to observe that Providence often leads us in ways that we know not, and to
results which we are not aware of. This course was the
opening of a series of labors performed many years afterwards, with popular audiences, often in large assemblies,
and sometimes in distant cities, - as I shall in due time
have occasion to relate. It is also with grateful, although
pensive recollections, that I mark this course as one of the
most important crises of my life, - important to my professional reputation, and fruitful of the most signal blessings
extending through many years, and I trust, connecting
earth with heaven.
The hint on the preceding page will prevent surprise,
and the conclusion will have been already anticipated. I
was drawn again to Lebanon, but on a more agreeable
errand than in May; and the courtesies of hospitality
which I then received were now most agreeably ripened
into the confidence of an assured friendship, without other
desired limits than that of life itself; and so, by God's
blessing, it proved. Visits of reasonable frequency shed a
cheering influence over the time as it passed, and I could
discern that earlier events, then not understood, had providentially guided me in a way that I then knew not, until I
perceived at last whither the path led. My early travels
in Europe - the travels addressed to my brother - which
were sent out in MS. volumes, and, by some liberty in loaning, came under the eye of Mr. and Mrs. Wadsworth and




244          LIFE. OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
her sister, two or three years before they were published,
had silently pleaded my cause; they made Mr. Wadsworth my friend. The influence was, however, not confined to him; and my mother's severe casualty placed me
in the most favorable circumstances for observation and
influence. Ten months passed rapidly away, and the sun
during all that period shone upon me without a cloud.
But the halcyon days were about to be overcast by domestic afflictions, and the happy family at Lebanon were soon
to be called to mourn. In the early part of the summer,
their loved and venerated head began to experience alarmning symptoms, which created solicitude, and produced fruitless efforts for relief by travelling; but the succeeding days
and weeks brought only increased anxiety.
After the middle of July, I was at liberty as regards
college engagements; my letters had prepared me to expect unfavorable tidings; and accordingly I was summoned,
about July 15th, to the bedside of the sufferer. The stages
were circuitous arid slow, and I therefore took a spirited
horse, with a chair-sulky without a top, and crossing the
Connecticut, made as straight a course as possible; aIld, in
an all-day tempest of wind and rain, holding an umbrella
with one hand and driving with the other, I arrived at
Lebanon by daylight, and found the revered patient still
living...... Hie died August 7, 1809, having attained
the age of seventy the preceding April. Thus passed
away the wise and good man, the faithful husband and
affectionate father and friend, the tried patriot and governor, the confidential secretary, companion, and friend of
W5ashington, who loved him as a father loves a devoted
son, and corresponded with him to the end of his life. The
people of the State were sincere mourners, and his loss
was felt throughout the United States.
My Marriage, September 17, 1809. - This event, so
happy for me, - happy, I may say, for both parties, - took




HIS MARRIAGE: REMINISCENCES OF GOV. TRUMBULL. 245
place at Lebanon, September 17, 1809, -six weeks,
wanting one day, after the death of Governor Trumbull,
whose approbation and blessing rested upon us. After a
journey to Newport, to visit my brother and family, and
calls upon other friends, we returned to the now solitary
mansion at Lebanon. After a few days of repose, the
bereaved mother, with Christian firmness, resigned the
only remaining solace of her home, and we with mixed
emotions bade farewell. At Hartford we were cheered by
a brief visit with Mir. and Mrs. Wadsworth; and a Sabbath
at Wallingford formed a tranquillizing transition to our
own home at New haven, where our house was in readiness to receive us. October 16, 1809, is to me a memorable day, for we then for the first time crossed the threshold
of our own door and found a home, - " a sweet home,"over which, as I have already written, the lady who inow
honored me by adopting my name presided most happily
for forty years, - presided, too, with dignity, wisdom, kindness, and hospitality.  She died January 18, 1850, aged
sixty-six years, four months, and fourteen days, having
been born September 3, 1783. Now, at the time of my
writing, January 14, 1859, I am still an inhabitant of the
same house, and if I live and remain here until October 16
of this year, I shall have inhabited the same house fifty
years.
Mrs. Trumbull maintained her independent establishment in Lebanon until 1814, when she came to this house
as a home, visiting at Mr. Wadsworth's, as she had done at
both Hartford and New Haven before, - passing months
at a time in either place, as she found it convenient.
In a letter to his brother, dated May 9, 1809, he
describes the house which was his place of abode for
the remainder of his life.......I have been so fortunate as to obtain a charm



246         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
ing new stone house, completely and genteelly finished
from cellar to the very ridge, with an acre of ground:
rooms: — parlor, dining-room, bed-room, and five lodging
chambers, besides a finished garret, two kitchens, and
cellars paved, and little accommodations in abundance.
The house was built by Mr. Hillhouse, and stands in that
beautiful avenue near his house, - rent, $175. No house
except this could be obtained in the town under $200,
except half-houses, and they were from $130 to $150.....
A day or two subsequent to his marriage, he wrote
to Professor Kingsley as follows:LEBANON, September 19, 1809.
DEAR KINGSLEY, — My story is a very short one, and,
fortunately, as pleasant as it is short. I arrived here on
Saturday at five o'clock, and found my friends well. Mr.
and Mrs. Wadsworth had arrived the day before from
Hartford.
On Sunday the intention was duly announced. We
attended meeting all day; but Mr. Ely stole the march
upon us by reading the publishment at the commencement
of the afternoon session, and before -    and I had arrived.
As we were, however, entirely ignorant of the circumstance, we had the pleasure of expecting it through the
afternoon, and of being disappointed at last by having our
friends whisper to us that the thing had been done already.
We had, however, the advantage of going into meeting in
the afternoon with the utmost composure. On the Sabbath
evening, between seven and eight o'clock, the ceremony was
performed by Mr. Ely, and in a very impressive and proper
manner. Miss Sebor was the only person present not belonging to the family, except Jonathan G. W. Trumbull and
Mr. and Mrs. Winm. Williams, who came in in the evening.
To-morrow we set out for Newport, and expect to return
here within a fortnight.




IIIS MARRIAGE: REMINISCENCES OF GOV. TRUMBULL. 247
Tell Mr. Denison that on Thursday he may expect a
wagon from Lebanon with furniture. I shall direct the
man to drive at once to the house; but I wish Mr. Denison would walk up and see that everything is safely put
away. I attended freemen's meeting here yesterday, and
voted for the nomination; thus you see that in the midst
of private felicity, I did not forget my duty to the State.
I cannot say more, and I am not disposed to say less
than that everything has been as happy as I could wish;
and although I am now actually wearing those badges of
subjection which some consider as iron chains, and some as
silken bands, I am conscious of no diminution of liberty,
nor of any irksome weight of obligation.
You will give proper publicity to the thing; and, as a
name and a fee are now demanded at the "H -erald " office
for such publication, you will be so good as to furnish both.
Remember me affectionately to Denison and Day; and
I have only to add that I hope you will all go and do likewise.                       Your affectionate friend.




CHAPTER XI.
HIS JOURNAL OF TRAVELS: THE GIBBS' CABINET: THE
MEDICAL SCHOOL.
Publication of his Journal of Travels. - Reception of the Work. - Letter
of Chancellor Kent. - Letter from Mr. Wilberforce. - Accident in the
Laboratory. - Transfer of Colonel Gibbs's Cabinet to New Haven.Impression made by the new Cabinet. -- War with Great Britain. - The
Medical Institution of Yale College: its Origin and Organization. - Provisions for the Defence of New Haven against the British. - Birth of a
Son.- News of the Conclusion of Peace.- Destructive Gale of 1815.Death of President Dwight. — Letters of Judge Desaussure, Professor
Cleaveland, and Judge Daggett. - Letter from Dr. John Murray.
IN the year next following his marriage, he gave
to the press his " Journal of Travels in England,
Holland, and Scotland," which passed through three
editions. He had been advised by Dr. Dwight and
other friends to publish this work, but the circumstance which determined him to comply with their
wish was the unsolicited offer of Mr. Daniel Wadsworth to assume the pecuniary risk of the publication. The manuscript journal had been circulated
among his personal friends, and, as narrated above,
had found its way into the family of Mr. Wadsworth,
and won for the author their respect and regard.
Probably no book of European travel, by an American, has been so much read or so generally admired.
A great many persons derived from it their first distinct impressions of England and English society.
Not a few, who still live, preserve a fresh recollection




HIS JOURNAL OF TRAVELS.        249
of the delight with which, in their youthful days, they
hung over its pages. It was well received by the
critics, at home and abroad; and was favorably noticed
in the "Quarterly Review," a journal not disposed to
flatter American writers. The Reviewer (in the number for July, 1816) says: -" The American traveller
brought with him such feelings as become a man of
letters and a member of that commonwealth in which
all distinctions of country should be forgotten, or
remembered only when principles and paramount
interests are at stake. His Journal represents England to the Americans as it is, and exhibits to the
English a fair specimen of the real American character." " Mr. Sililman is a good representative of the
best American character."  " England is to them
what Italy and Greece are to the classical scholar,
what Rome is to the Catholic, and Jerusalem to the
Christian world. Almost every hamlet, says Mr.
Silliman, has been the scene of some memorable
action, or the birthplace of some distinguished person. It is interesting to observe this feeling, and
trace its manifestation in a writer who makes no
ostentation of his feelings, and who never disfigures
his plain and faithful Journal by any affectation of
eloquence or of sentiment."  More pleasing to Mr.
Silliman than even this praise was a compliment
which came to him from a much humbler quarter.
Professor Olmsted, on a certain occasion, stopped at
a toll-gate and found the toll-keeper, who was also a
shoemaker, with Silliman's Travels open before him
as he labored on his bench, —the most interesting
book, he said, that he had ever read.
This publication served to bring the author into




250         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
an acquaintance with the distinguished jurist, Chancellor Kent, from whom he received a comnplimentary
letter.
FROM CHANCELLOR KENT.
ALBANY, Aplril 11, 1810.
DEAR SIR, - This is the first letter I have ever written
to a stranger with no other motive than to gratify the
wishes of my heart. We all owe a debt of gratitude to an
author when he has pleased and instructed us. I have just
finished your 1"1Journal of Travels," and I feel a propensity
too strong to be resisted of making known to you the
pleasure I have received from the perusal, and the lively
impression of respect and esteem which it has given me
for your character. The volumes were read by me with
minute attention and unceasing interest. By the aid of
excellent maps I followed your steps over every part of the
town and the country, and I feel proud that an American,
and more so that a professor of the College to which I once
belonged and for which I still feel a filial veneration, should
have given to the world one of the most instructive and
interesting views of England that any single traveller has
ever presented.
It would not be proper here to enlarge on this subject.
I will only add that your work has one feature not always
to be met with in books of that description. It has preserved " virtue in its dignity and taught innocence not to
be ashamed." If ever you should be led to visit this part
of the country I hope you will give me the pleasure of
seeing you, and perhaps my duties would not intervene to
prevent me from attending you to any interesting objects
or scenery in this State to which your taste or scientific
researches might direct you.
I am, with much respect,
Yours, &c.
JAMES KENT.




LETTER TO CHANCELLOR KENT.            251
PROFESSOR SILLIMAN TO CHANCELLOR KENT.
NEW HAveN, April 30, 1810.
DEAR SIR,-I have the pleasure of acknowledging your
favor of the 11th inst., and you will do me the justice to
believe that uncommon occupation and not insensibility to
your kindness has alone prevented me from thanking you
before for an honor which was as unexpected as gratifying.
Although I have not been so happy as to enjoy your acquaintance I am not ignorant of the character which you
have long sustained, nor of the enhanced value attached to
a spontaneous commendation flowing from such a source.
There is something in the manner of a kindness which is
often as important as the substance, and you will allow me
to say, sir, that no mark of approbation could have been
communicated in a way more delicate and generous, or have
been more grateful to my feelings. Although I was supported by the opinions of friends whose judgment I respected, I dismissed the Journal with unfeigned diffidence,
and endeavored to prepare myself for the sneers of fastidious criticism, if not for the condemning sentence of the
candid and discerning. But when you, sir, assure me that
you have found my book " one of the most instructive and
interesting views of England that any single traveller has
ever presented," and, more than all, that " it has preserved
virtue in its dignity, and taught innocence not to be
ashamed," I confess I feel my courage so much fortified
that I can look forward with composure to treatment of a
different character. Should I ever visit Albany again, it
will give me great pleasure to avail myself of your kindness, and I shall take as much pleasure in receiving the
polite and useful attentions which you offer as I should in
returning or advancing them should you visit New Haven,
or should circumstances ever allow me the pleasure of
meeting you at another place. Whatever may be the general voice respecting the Journal, it can never be worthless




252         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMIAN.
in my eyes, since it affords me an opportunity of subscribing
myself, with sentiments of gratitude and respect,
Your obliged, humble servant,
B. SILLIMAN.
Mr. Silliman received the following letter from the
eminent statesman and philanthropist whom he had
met in England, and to whom he had sent a copy
of the "Journal of Travels."
FROM MR. WILBERFORCE.
(Near) LONDON, January 28, 1811.
SIR, — I fear I may appear chargeable with the imputation of making a very unfriendly return for the kindness
which obtained for me the obliging marks of your remembrance with which I was favored about three weeks since,
in delaying for so long a time to make my acknowledgments; but I can truly assure you that my dilatoriness has
not arisen from my having been insensible to your obliging
conduct towards me; but I have been, and indeed I still
am, exceedingly occupied both with public, and, as it happens, with private business, and being thus circumstanced,
I have naturally put off sitting down to a letter which I
conceived might probably wait in the post-office a week or
more before it would depart. But in justice to myself, I
must no longer remain silent, though I can now do little
more than thank you for the kind recollections which
prompted you to send me a proof of your regard. I shall
avail myself of some of my first leisure intervals for perusing your book, convinced that the remarks of an intelligent writer (I do not like to call a subject of the United
States, stranger or even foreigner, though a member of a
different commnunity) who lives in a circle different from
our own, may afford both profit and pleasure. I should
have been happy to introduce you to Mrs. H. More, whom,
besides respecting her as one of the most elegant writers




LETTER FROMI MR. WILBERFORCE.         253
and useful characters of our age, I have the pleasure, and
indeed honor, to number among my personal friends. The
praise due to her for her writings is scarcely less than that
which she has justly earned by her humane and judicious
labors, carried on now for many years, in educating and
improving the lower orders of a populous country, which
she found in a very rude and ignorant state. I cannot lay
down my pen, though forced to draw towards a conclusion,
without expressing my most earnest hopes, that instead of
mutual jealousy and recrimination, much more, instead of
an actual rupture between our two countries, they may be
long united together by the bonds of reciprocal esteem,
confidence, and affection. It cannot be that the well-being
of each is inconsistent, rather let me say is not identical,
with that of the other. To admit the contrary supposition,
would almost deserve the name of blasphemy against the
great Creator of us both, and surely we can never so well
fulfil His purposes, or provide for our common happiness,
as by striving to maintain between us unbroken peace and
harmony. This may include in special cases a disposition
to forego on either side some temporary gain, but again to
be far more than compensated by a greater and more durable benefit. I have no time to dilate, explain, or qualify;
but trusting these effusions of the heart to your candor,
and may I not also hope, to your fellow-feeling,
I remain, sir,
Your faithful servant,
W. WILBERFORCE.
P. S. -I am chiefly occupied (inter alia) in considering
how best to enforce the act for abolishing the slave-trade,
which, I grieve to say, is shamefully evaded. I must add,
by none so much as by your countrymen; I should, however, say, by individuals among them, for the government
of America has shown an eager disposition to enforce your
own laws against that wicked traffic; but the aid of individuals may be more useful in this case, by obtaining intel



2M54        LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
ligence, especially legal evidences of breaches of the act,
and assisting prosecutions, &c., &c. I am persuaded I need
not apologize for this hint.
Mr. Silliman persevered in zealous attention to his
professional pursuits. While engaged in his laboratory, in the preparation of fulminating silver, the
materials exploded in the vessel over which he was
bending.  The accident is described in the Reminiscenlces.
IMy own experience in chemistry had hitherto been very
successful. I devoted myself laboriously and zealously to
the duties of the laboratory, and had now acquired a good
degree of confidence in my own experience, - too much
indeed, as the sequel will prove. I had still to a degree
the characteristics of youth, and was just advancing into
mature manhood.
After detailing the process of the experiment, he
adds:
Mly face and eyes being directly over the dish, they
received the full force of a violent explosion, which threw
me back upon the wall behind, and produced intense pain
both from the concussion and from the corrosive materials,
- alcohol, nitric acid, and lunar caustic, - blown forcibly
into my eyes. I was stunned, but not deprived of my consciousness, and I fully comprehended my perilous condition. I was entirely alone; my assistant, Lyman Foot,
having gone away on an errand. I made my way, in the
horror of deep darkness, - for my eyes were involuntarily
shut, - I groped my way to the pneumatic cistern, the only
water that I could hope to reach. It was covered with
drawers full of minerals, but I managed to throw some of
them aside, and thus reached the water with which I
washed my face, and especially my eyes abundantly. My




ACCIDENT IN THE LABORATORY.              255
first anxiety was to ascertain whether fragmnents of the
porcelain dish had hit and penetrated the balls of the eyes.
With intense anxiety I passed my fingers carefully over the
blind orbs, and to my inexpressible relief, ascertained that
the eyes were there and not lacerated. I then pulled the
lids apart, one after the other on both eyes, and to my great
and grateful satisfaction, found that the objects in the room
could be dimly discerned as if through a thick and yellow
haze. I had now done everything for myself that I could
possibly do alone, and sat down to await the arrival of my
assistant. Happily he came at the critical moment. The
carriage of my friend and family physician, Dr. Eli Ives,
was at hand, and I was borne to my own house, distressed,
even more than by the injury, because I must inflict severe
mental suffering upon my devoted and affectionate wife.
Her firmness was, however, equal to her kindness, and no
heroine of romance or of the battle-field could have behaved better.
It was an hour of dismay when I was carried, a blind
and suffering man, to my before happy home,- perhaps,
like Milton in that one particular, to behold no more the
loved faces of my excellent wife, my sweet daughter of
one year and one month,* and of many loving and loved
friends. As I passed along from the College, I prayed
mentally that I might not thus be consigned to darkness,
so early after I had begun my professional career, and in
the bright morning of my domestic happiness.  I was then
nearly through my thirty-second year, and had been but
five years fully established in my professorship. But it
pleased God to give me in time perfect restoration. My eyes
gradually recovered their strength; and now, forty-seven
and a half years after the accident, and when I am almost
* His eldest child, Maria, now Mrs. John B. Church, of New York, was
born June 16, 1810. The birth of this child, writes Mr. Silliman, "sent
joy to many hearts and grateful thanks to Heaven. With this new theme
of gratulation came a new motive for exertion and a novel source of happiness, -which, blessed be God, still remains." - F.




256         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
half way through my eightieth year, I am writing without
glasses, my eye is not dim by reason of age, nor is my natural force abated; and I bless my great Preserver that I
am so exempt from infirmities incident to the evening of
life, that I am passing comfortably and hopefully through
my evening twilight, and looking forward to the glorious
morning light, which will break forth beyond the dark
valley.
About the time of this accident, Mr. Silliman received a noble accession to the means of illustrating
one of his favorite sciences.
In the winter of 1809-10, Colonel Gibbs, on a journey,
called on me in the evening, and, as usual when we met,
the conversation turned on the cabinet, and I inquired:
" Htave you yet determined where you will open your collection?"  To my great surprise he immediately replied:
"I will open it here in Yale College, if you will fit up
rooms for its reception." I rejoined: "Are you in earnest? "
and he instantly responded: "I am."  "M Ray I then consult President Dwight and the college authorities on the
subject?" " You may, as soon as you please."
I was thus suddenly called upon to think of and propose some feasible plan for the accommodation of this
large cabinet.  There was no building on the college
ground fitted for its reception. I lost no time, however, in
laying the subject before President Dwight. His enlarged
mind warmly espoused the design, and, without hesitation,
acceded to the plan which I suggested. The alleys or entries of the college halls divide them crosswise or transversely; and two rooms, with their bedchambers and
closets, occupy the breadth of the building. I proposed to
knock down all these divisions in the second floor, north
end of South Middle, throw the entire space into one room,
and thus establish a mineral gallery, lighted at both ends
by two windows. The dimensions of the room thus pre



WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN.            257
pared would be forty by eighteen feet. Colonel Gibbs having observed the premises, approved of the plan, and no
time was lost in taking steps to carry it into effect......
While the work was in progress, the Rev. Dr. Ely, one of
the most active and efficient members of the College Corporation and of the Prudential Committee, said to me, on
inspecting the work: "Why, Domine," (his usual style in
college matters,) " Domine, is there not danger that with
these physical attractions you will overtop the Latin and
the Greek?"  I replied: " Sir, let the literary gentlemen
push and sustain their departments. It is my duty to give
full effect to the sciences committed to my care.".....
Nothing had been before seen in this country which could,
as regards mineralogy, be compared with this cabinet. It
kindled the enthusiasm of the students, and excited the
admiration of intelligent strangers. It was visited by many
travellers, and New Haven was then a focus of travel between North and South. Railroads were unknown, and
navigation by steam had hardly begun. The comparatively slow-moving coaches conveyed the passengers, who
were generally willing to pass a little time in New Haven;
and the cabinet of Colonel Gibbs afforded a powerful attraction, while it afforded also a high gratification. The
liberal proprietor of the cabinet was himself highly gratified, both by the brilliant appearance of the collection, and
by the admiration of the country, and especially by that of
such men as the Hon. Josiah Quincy, the Hon. Harrison
Gray Otis, Hon. Daniel Webster, Col. David Hlumphreys,
and other eminent individuals who were among the visitors. Trains of ladies graced this hall of science; and thus
mute and animated nature acted in unison, in making the
cabinet a delightful resort.
Before his new treasures had been deposited on
their shelves, Mr. Silliman had been disturbed in his
work by the alarms of war.
VOL. I.          17




258         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMIAN.
June, 1812, is rendered memorable by events associated
in my mind. Mr. Mills Day, a tutor in Yale College, and
brother of Professor (afterwards President) Day, lay dead
at his brother's house on the corner of Orange and Crown
Streets. Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Wadsworth were in my
house on a visit; and Colonel Gibbs was in town, ready to
proceed with the opening of the cabinet, when, on a Sabbath morning in June, the tidings came of the declaration
of war with England. A thrill of painful excitement - an
electrical stroke - vibrated through the Continent.  It
was a thrill of horror to all good minds that were not paralyzed by party; for fraternal blood, after a peace of almost
thirty years, was now to be shed again; and it did flow in
torrents. This war of less than three years, - indeed. only
two years and eight months, - sent probably 50,000 men
on both sides to premature graves, while nothing was
gained on either side but military and naval renown,dearly bought. A spirit of justice and mutual conciliation
would have prevented the conflict. On our side we gained
not one of the points for which we had contended. In the
treaty of peace concluded at Ghent in December, 1814,
the principal alleged causes of the war - the right of
search for the property of an enemy, and the impressment
of American seamen - are not even mentioned.  But I
forbear. The painful topic was, however, not without an
important bearing upon the peaceful pursuits of science.
The question of course arose in our minds: Shall we proceed to open more treasures in a maritime town, - treasures which we cannot remove, and which may be destroyed
by the vicissitudes of war? We concluded, however, to
trust in God and proceed with our work.
Colonel Gibbs devoted himself with great zeal to our
pleasant labor, and he was quite satisfied to remain quietly
in New Haven, for he had brought with him a treasure
more valuable than his gems.  Miss Laura Wolcott,
daughter of the distinguished statesman and patriot, the




THE GIBBS CABINET.              259
Hon. Oliver Wolcott, now appeared here as Mrs. Gibbs,
and cheered our labors by her agreeable society and
assistance. The work went on cheerfully, and by midsummer we had occupied the new cases, and the entire
circuit presented a rich and beautiful sight. The fame of
this cabinet was now blazoned through the land, and attracted increasing numbers of visitors. This collection
doubtless exerted its influence upon the public mind in
attracting students to the College, and was regarded as a
very valuable as well as brilliant acquisition. The collections were all (I am not aware of any general catalogue of the
Russian Collection *) furnished with catalogues, scientific
and popular; and it could not happen that the opening and
examining of ten thousand specimens, with a frequent reference to the descriptive catalogues, could fail to give greater
extension and precision to my knowledge of the subject.
I had become a zealous student of mineralogy and geology,
and now felt that the time had come to present them with
more strength and fiulness than in former years.
Hitherto the public instructions in mineralogy and geology - I mean those which were intended for the entire
classes —had been given, as I have already stated, in the
laboratory in connection with the chemical courses. The
lectures to the private class on the Perkins cabinet had
been given in my chamber. Being now furnished with
ample means of illustration, I separated the lectures on
mineralogy and geology from the chemical course. The
Perkins cabinet was brought over to the newly prepared
rooms, that thus all the resources in the department might
be in one place. The requisite fixtures of table and seats
were also introduced; and as soon as practicable, I began
to lecture in the new rooms, but I believe not fully, until
the next year, 1813. Thus the department became fuilly
inaugurated, and I had the pleasure of seeing the progress
from the small box of unlabelled minerals, carried to Phil* The' Russian Collection " formed a part of Col. Gibbs's cabinet. - F.




260         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
adelphia to be named by Dr. Seybert in 1802-3,- the
triumphant progress from this humble beginning to the
splendid cabinet of twelve thousand specimens by which
I was now surrounded; and many more were contained in
closets and in drawers.
TXe Iedical Institution of Yale College.- It is not my
purpose to give a history of this department, but I must
make some mention of it on account of my own connection
with it. Rev. Dr. Nathan Strong of Hartford, then a member of the Corporation of the College, introduced, in 1806, a
resolution for establishing a Medical Professor - such is
the language of the resolution; doubtless it was intended as
the leading step towards a Medical School, which actually
took its origin from that resolution - in the College; and
I had the honor of being named with him as a committee
to examine and report, and to devise means for effecting
the object. There was a general Medical Society for the
State, and there were local societies for the counties, and
to the last named belonged the duty of examining and
licensing candidates for practice. At first there was jealousy of the College, and it was necessary to conciliate. I
omit the mention of many intermediate steps, and come at
once to the important measure, — the appointment of a
committee of conference and consultation, - an equal number being appointed by the Medical Society and by the Corporation of the College. President Dwight was at the head
of the college committee, of which I was a member. Dr.
Woodward, the elder, led the medical committee, of which
Dr. Eli Ives was a member. The joint committee met in
my chamber in the Lyceum. The prejudices with which
some of the medical men appeared to have come to the
meeting, were removed, and harmonious action ensued........ I pass over the various enactments of the Legislature, of the Corporation of the College, and of the Medical
Society, which were necessary to authorize and organize the




THE MEDICAL SCHOOL.              261
medical institution and to carry it into effect. In the end
everything was harmoniously effected. A new stone building, erected by the Hon. James Hillhouse, was rented to
accommodate the lectures, and after some years it was purchased.......  The medical students attended the
lectures in the college laboratory along with academical
students, but with separate seats. The laboratory was enlarged for their accommodation. I gave them also distinct
instruction on their own subjects, both by lectures and recitation...... The institution has been decidedly successful, as regards valuable instruction and the elevation of
the medical profession in the State. As regards tlJe number of students, it has been only moderately successful.
When the subject of the organization of the Medical College was under discussion in the Corporation, I was present
and heard from the Hon. Chauncey Goodrich the following
observations, succeeded by a distinct proposition. "The
medical class," he remarked, "having a building devoted
to their use, and many of them having their rooms there,
they constitute in fact a peculiar family, and they ought
to have a family constitution. There must, therefore, be
prayers, as in the College proper." The proposition was
accepted with little discussion, and without inquiring for
my opinion. Not being a member of the Corporation, I
could not volunteer in the discussion. I did not, however,
believe it to be a wise measure, although proposed by a
very wise and good man. A transient collection of students,
most of themn without previous discipline, afforded but a
small prospect of a reverent and attentive audience; but
the attempt succeeded better than I expected, and some
special religious meetings were held in the Medical College
on Sabbath evenings. Commons were also instituted in
the Medical College as a family; but the experiment was
unfortunate...... Neither did the inhabiting of the
building by the students produce a happy result. They
were, in their habits, too familiar, sometimes noisy and




262         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
rude, and of course the studious individuals were annoyed
by their more restless companions. By degrees the entire
building, except the wing, was relinquished in favor of the
public purposes of the institution, and the attempt at sustaining a family condition was tacitly relinquished.
The decisive and sanguinary battle of 1814 on Lake
Champlain between the American commander McDonough,
and the British commodore Downie, -f ttal to the latter, -
followed the not less bloody and equally decisive conflict
of 1813, on Lake Erie, between the commanders Perry
and Barclay. I should hardly allude to these events, had
not the same state of things placed us in peril upon the
seaboard, and caused us to hesitate, even in our quiet and
peaceful walks of science.  British cruisers and squadrons occupied Long Island Sound and Gardiner's Bay.
Our local commerce by water was suspended, and heavy
land-wagons laden with flour and other objects of traffic, and
drawn by teams of four and six horses, constantly traversed
the roads between New York and Boston. Some hesitating
scruples we had indeed felt while unpacking and arranging
our minerals, lest the chances of war should reach and
destroy them; and we were hardly settled in our enjoyment
of these treasures, when increased strength was given to
our apprehensions by British depredations on Connecticut
River, and by the appearance of a British squadron at anchor
near Guilford, only sixteen miles from New Haven. Two
hours of favoring winds might place them at the mouth of
our harbor; their spars were distinctly visible from our
heights, and we could make out a ship of the line, a frigate,
and a sloop of war.
The citizens of New Haven had, for some weeks, been
alarmed, and the bombardment of Stonington had shown
the probability that New Eaven might be assailed in the
same manner, although the want of depth of water in the
harbor might afford protection against large ships, but not




DEFENCE OF NEW  HAVEN.                263
against bomb-ketches. Money was contributed by the citizens, and personal labor also was contributed to strengthen
the old fort of the Revolution on Prospect Hill, east of the
harbor. Officers of the College and their pupils entered
zealously into the plans of defence, and quotas of the
students, say fifty at a time, led by their officers, worked
in relief-parties along with the citizens. Professor Day
and myself were among the laborers; we worked in earnest, as our blistered hands might prove.  Engineering
skill was also employed; a substantial bomb-proof was constructed to contain the powder; the old breastwork in the
form of a regular redoubt was raised, and a triantgular outwork to protect the gate on the land side. Some heavy cannon were drawn up from Fort Hale, - a low and indefensible water-battery but little above the waves. There were
no soldiers, however, to man our main fort, but the citizens
and military companies volunteered. On the day when the
British squadron were descried near Guilfbrd, the companies paraded. I saw lMr. James A. Ilillhouse, the scholar
and poet, in the ranks, marching with shouldered musket
as a volunteer, emulating the example of his noble father,
when this city was invaded by the British forces, July 3,
1779, during the American Revolution. Happily our alarms
died away and no hostile aggression was made.  On one
occasion there was a report that a small British cruiser was
in the Sound, and forthwith an artillery company, commanded by Captain Philos Blake, volunteered to go out to
attack the enemy. I saw them embark on board a sloop
at the end of the long wharf, with their pieces of field artillery mounted as for long service. I saw it with regret, for
it was obvious that they stood no chance against ship-guns,
and that their only hope would be the forlorn one of boarding. Happily they did not sail, and Captain Blake remains
my neighbor to this day.*
* Captain Blake states that Major Thomas Sherman had the chief command, and that they sailed for some distance out into the harbor before they
were led to abandon this imprudent enterprise. - F.




264         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
The most interesting domestic event of this year (1814),
was the birth of a son. Jonathan Trumbull Silliman was
born August 24, 1814, in the midst of the alarms of war,
on the very day on which the city of Washington was destroyed by a British army. The Government was disgraced by permitting this capture; and the British disgraced themselves, not by burning the ships and the munitions of naval warfare at the navy-yard, - for that was
within the rules of war, - but by destroying by fire the
National Capitol, the Presidential Palace, the National
Library, and Public Offices. It was indeed said in palliation, that General Dearborn's army had committed similar
atrocities at Little York, on Lake Ontario, now Toronto.
If so, they also disgraced themselves. The little stranger,
unconscious of these events, brought joy to the hearts of
his parents during the almost five years of his short life,
and deep sorrow when his beautiful form was laid in a premature grave, June 27, 1819.
But of this severe bereavement I may say somewhat
more, when in these annals that day arrives,-dark, indeed,
in parental grief; but bright in the full assurance that the
lovely boy, who, while with us, won all hearts, became in a
better world like an angel of light. The sanguinary and decisive battle of New Orleans had been fought and won on
the 8th of January, 1815. Many other victories had been
obtained by land and by sea; but still the war was very
distressing, and tidings were eagerly desired front our
Commissioners, who were in conference with the British
Commissioners at Ghent. As we were going to the chapel
service in the afternoon of an early Sabbath in February,
we met Mr. Wm. M'Crackan, who informed us that an express had just passed through town from Boston, bearing
the joyful news of peace. I suppose that the news had
not been made known, and it was announced by President
Dwight from the pulpit by reading the following very
appropriate hymn:



LECTURES ON MINERALOGY.                265
"4 Great Ruler of the earth and skies,
A word of thy almighty breath
Can sink the world or bid it rise:
Thy smile is life, thy frown is death.
When angry nations rush to arms,
And rage and noise and tumult reign,
And war resounds its dire alarms,
And slaughter spreads the hostile plains; -
Thy sovereign eye looks calmly down,
And marks their course and bounds their power;
Thy word the angry nations own,
And noise and war are heard no more."
The audience were thrilled with joy.  The impressive
manner of the President, with a touch of pathos, as he was
himself deeply affected, and the following prayer, - grateful, fervent, and eloquent, — produced a powerful effect.
The city was illuminated on Monday night, and the people
manifested their joy by congratulations and many sportive
exhibitions.
The summer of 1815 found the cabinet fully arranged,
and the lectures of that department well systematized and
established. I gave elementary mineralogy in a course,
generally twelve or fifteen lectures. They were given
in the spring, and the geology followed. The private
course was also continued, parallel with the public course.
The lectures on geology were delivered in the summer,
and the lectures relating to both mineralogy and geology
were given in the cabinet, which had now become the
grand repository of all the specimens in these departments.
President Dwight, who, from the first, took a deep interest in the lectures on these subjects, was now more interested than ever, and was generally present, particularly at
the lectures on geology.
Iy early friend, Robert Hare, who, ten or twelve years
before, led me in chemistry, was now content to follow me
in geology, which he had not studied. Having formed a




266         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
happy alliance with a superior and lovely lady, Miss Harriet Clark of Providence, he came to pass the summer in
New Haven, and was daily with me in the cabinet, and in
attendance on the lectures. He became well informed in
geology, and made valuable observations, as he travelled,
during subsequent years.
In the autumn of 1815 a fever prevailed in New Haven,
and I removed Mrs. Silliman and the children to Wallingford. I remained most of the time in town, going out frequently to my family, until the malady had subsided. In
September there was a very destructive gale which devastated the coast of New England. It blew from the southeast, and the saline spray was blown far into the interior
of the country. There was a saline incrustation upon the
front windows of my house, and the fruit-trees that were
not protected by the buildings were killed. The twigs
and leaves were said to be salted as far inland as Worcester, Mass. The town of Providence presented an appalling scene of devastation. My friend, Mr. Wadsworth,
proposed to me to go with him to see it. We travelled in
his phaeton, and saw with painful interest the records of the
tempest, in ships on shore, high and dry in the streets, or
on high sandbanks, and in ruined warehouses and dwellings. Mr. WVadsworth made a pen-and-ink sketch of the
scene as it appeared from an upper room in our hotel; and
this drawing, bold, graphic, and effective, I have preserved
to this day.'We returned to his beautiful villa at Monte
Video, ten miles from Hartford, where the family were
staying.
Mr, Silliman, recording only the events which
were most noteworthy, passes to the death of his
illustrious friend, Dr. Dwight.
This great and good man was called home, January 11,
1817. His physical frame had been growing more and




CORRESPONDENCE.                267
more infirm for two or three years, but his mental powers
remained almost to the last. Iis disease was ascertained
to be of the prostate gland, - which in popular language
is usually called a cancer of that organ. His sufferings
were very severe, and surgical instruments were necessary
for his daily, almost hourly, relief. His instructions were
continued until within a few days of his death; but towards the last, llis mind wandered, and he sometimes spoke
incoherently, but he always preserved his courtesy. He
appeared not to be fully aware of his approaching end. I
read aloud to him the 14th, 15th, and 16th chapters of St.
John, which appeared to command his earnest attention.
When I parted with hinm the evening before his death, he
bade me good-night, and added;' "My best respects to the
ladies."  By invitation of the Corporation, I delivered in
the Centre Church a eulogy upon his talents and character; and to this I refer for my views.
The state of public feeling during the latter part of
the war with Great Britain is indicated in the letters
which follow.  The first is from  the Hon. Henry W.
Desaussure, the distinguished jurist and scholar of
South Carolina. The writer of the second, Professor
Parker Cleaveland, of Bowdoin College, was at that
time preparing his meritorious work upon mineralogy, a department in which he acquired deserved
honor. Judge Daggett, the author of the third letter,
was then United States Senator from Connecticut.
FRO3M JUDGE DESAUSSURE.
COLUMBIA, S. C., July 5, 1814.
DEAR Sn, — I avail myself of the opportunity furnished
by my worthy friend Mr. HIooker, who has the pleasure of a
personal acquaintance with you, to inquire after your health,
and to transmit you catalogues of the officers, graduates,




268          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
and students of the College established at this place under
the State authority. You will perceive that something has
been done since the work commenced, and I doubt not that
the College will succeed, and will be-of very great utility to
the country. You will, I dare say, be struck with the few
deaths marked or starred in the catalogue; and you may
be induced to think that this is not so dying a climate as
you northern gentlemen usually think it is. The truth is
that the country from about the falls of the river which are
generally at one hundred and twenty miles from the sea,
(by the road.) is a very sickly country. But from thence
to the mountains it is remarkably healthy. I am inclined
to think that this part of the two or three southern States
is the healthiest part of the United States, being equally
free from the bilious diseases of the flat, swampy sea-coast,
and the consumptions, rheumatisms, and pleurisies of the
eastern and northern States, and being absolutely clear of
the spotted and other malignant fevers of every species...... I am thus particular in my communication to you,
because I am persuaded that you take a deep interest in
the success of all literary institutions. Indeed, it seems to
me that upon their success depends, not only a large portion of happiness in considerable numbers of the community, but the duration of our free institutions and of the
Union of the Republic. For no people can remain longl in
the enjoyment of so much freedom, so little regulated, without abusing it to its destruction, unless enlightened to a
very high degree. I have, however, trespassed too long on
your time already. Allow me only to add my grief at the
present deplorable state of our country. If the same wise
and overruling Providence which has so recently prostrated
usurpation and tyranny in Europe, and tranquillized the nations, almost against all hope or expectation, does not save
us and give us peace, I fear we are doomed to great suffering, and, what is of infinitely more importance, I fear
your discontents in the East will drive you to the desperate




CORRESPONDENCE.                269
measure of a dissolution of the Union, which would seal
the ruin of our country. I am, dear sir, with very sincere
esteem,
Your obedient servant,
HENRY W. DESAUSSURE.
FROM PROFESSOR CLEAVELAND.
BRUNSWICK, September 20, 1814.
MIY DEAR SIR, -I have long been wishing to write you,
and among other things, to thank you for the politeness,
&c., of your last favor. I need not attempt to describe to
you, the state of alarm in which we have lived during a
great proportion of the last summer; for I perceive you
must have participated in similar troubles. There is now
one army of nearly two thousand men within seven miles
of my house - another of nearly three thousand at the distance of eighteen miles, - and another, this larger, about
twenty-six,miles west of us. It has been supposed, that
Brunswick is in very considerable danger of an attack, as
we have two large manufacturing establishments, and two
iron furnaces, one of which is constantly bringing forth the
means of annoyance, - as Mr. Madison calls them, - that
is, cannon-balls; and more especially, as we are so easily
accessible from the sea. I have not, perhaps, felt so much
consternation as many of my neighbors, because I have
ever believed that college-ground would be held sacred. I
have, however, found it difficult to avoid entirely the contagion of alarms, and have for some time kept my most
valuable papers, &c., in trunks, ready to decamp when I
see contiguous buildings in flames. So much, - and all to
gratify the cursed democracy of this country. Can brother
Day keep cool, even when breathing the sober atmosphere
of mathematics? I confess I cannot, - and, when I reflect on the present state of our native country, and perceive " Troja fuit " written on all our greatness, my only
relief is to sally forth with my hammer, and vent my feelings




270         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
in the demolition of some rugged cliff of granite that rise
on the banks of the Androscoggin. But I have insensibly
gotten into the mineral kingdom, and will now endeavor to
feel a little calmer, notwithstanding these turbulent times.
I still go on, and suffer no day to pass without a page or two.
For several reasons, however, the work cannot appear
before the winter. Indeed, were I this day ready for the
press, I should doubt the expediency of proceeding instantly, such is the universal state of excitation and alarm
throughout our country. I am yet to receive considerable
assistance from  two or three gentlemen in Baltimore,
which must, of course, be delayed by recent events in
that vicinity.
FROMI HON. DAVID DAGGETT.
WASHINGTON, November 28, 1814.
DEAR SIR, — Your letter of the 24th instant, concerning a twenty-dollar note of one of the banks of this district, is received. I will readily do all I can in the case.
It can scarcely be credited in Connecticut, but so the fact
is, that the Treasury of the United States cannot pay this
nor any other sum in any other than a depressed currency.
Our wages we must spend here, or fund, or loan to individuals. A dollar cannot be raised here in any paper east of
Baltimore. Silver and gold are literally banished. You
might as well hunt for foxes or deer on our green as for a
dollar in Washington. I need not tell you how deplorable
is our condition as a nation. I see no prospect of a favorable change. If the war shall continue a year, the government must cease to operate. It cannot - it will not -
be administered by its present incumbents. With my regards
to Mrs. S., I amn, dear sir,
Truly yours,
DAVID DAGGETT.




CORRESPONDENCE.               271
The war did not wholly break off communication
with men of science whom  he had known in Great
Britain, as is shown by the following letter:FRO~M DR. JOHN MURRAY.
EDINBURGH, February 5, 1813...... In a letter which I had very lately from 3Mr.
Griscom of New York, he mentioned to me that you are
not a convert to Davy's opinion on the oxy-muriatic and
muriatic acids. It does not gain ground, I think, here;
indeed, I have scarcely heard of any chemist of eminence
having decidedly embraced it. In one of the latest volumes
of the " Annales de Chemie " there are two excellent papers
in opposition to it, one by Berzelius, and another a report by
Berthollet and Vauquelin. If you have seen the late volumes of Nicholson, you will have observed that the controversy in which I have been engaged on this oubject rests
much on the experiment of obtaining water by heat from
the salt formed by the combination of muriatic and ammoniacal gases. Sir Humphrey visited Edinburgh a few months
ago, and at that time performed the experiment with Dr.
hIope, and a very inconsiderable quantity of water was obtained. The experiment, however, was conducted in a manner very liable to fallacy. I have repeated it within these
few days with I)r. Hope, in a less exceptionable manner, and
a larger quantity of water was obtained. None ought to
appear, according to Sir Humphrey's opinion....




CHAPTER XII.
THE JOURNAL OF SCIENCE: DOMESTIC EVENTS: THE CABINET OF MINERALS.
The Establishment of the Journal of Science. -The Death of his Mlother.The Death of his Son.- Journey to Canada with Mr. Wadsworth.Purchase of the Gibbs Cabinet. - Robert Bakewell and his Contribution
of Minerals. - Alexander Brongniart. - William Maclure and his Services. - Dr. Thomas Cooper: his Character. - Letters from John C.
Calhoun, Chancellor Kent, Robert Y. Hayne, &c.
IN following up, as far as possible, the annals of our
scientific labors, we now come to the birth of the "' American
Journal of Science and Arts." In the preface to the fiftieth
volume of that work, being the index volume of the entire
series to that time, - 1846, - there is a full history of the
rise and progress of the Journal. It is not my design to
recapitulate it on this occasion, except so far as to mark its
origin at this era. Dr. Archibald Bruce of New York, had,
in 1810, instituted an American journal of mineralogy; it
was ably conducted, and was most favorably received; but
it lingered with long intervals between its four numbers,
and stopped with one volume of two hundred and seventy
pages.  The declining health of Dr. Bruce, ending in apoplexy, rendered any prospect of the continuance of his
Journal hopeless. His own life hung in doubt, and was actually ended the 22d February, 1818, in the forty-first year of
his age. Anticipating the death of Dr. Bruce, and it being
certain that his Journal could never be revived by him,
Colonel George Gibbs, in an accidental meeting on board
the steamer Fulton on Long Island Sound, in 1817, urged
upon me the duty of instituting a new Journal of Science;




JOURNAL OF SCIENCE.             273
that we might not only secure the advantages already
gained, but make advances of still more importance. After
much consideration and mature advice, I reluctantly consented to make the attempt. It was not done, however,
without showing due deference to Dr. Bruce. It was in
the autumn of 1817 that I called upon him at his house
and asked his opinion, vWhich was given at once in favor of
the effort, and moreover in approbation of the plan, which
included the entire circle of the physical sciences and their
applications. The first number appeared in July 1818, and
the Journal, under many discouragements and through some
perils, has survived until this time, February 3, 1859, having already had a life of forty and a half years; and the
labors of its editors and contributors are recorded in the
seventy-sixth volume.
The Journal was often obliged to maintain a
dubious struggle for existence; but, when it was
most endangered, the friends of Mr. Silliman and
the friends of science rallied to its support. This
was particularly the case when a discreditable effort
was made by an individual to destroy it and to supplant it by a rival publication. Mr. George Griswold, and other liberal-minded gentlemen of New
York, came forward at that time with their generous
patronage. A few years after the Journal was started,
it was recommended to the public by Mr. Edward
Everett in an article in the. " North American Review," (for July, 1821,) of which he was then the
editor. He speaks of it as " a work which does
honor to American science," and as " a vehicle of
imparting to the world the scientific speculations
and discoveries of our countrymen, which is held in
honorable esteem by the philosophers of Europe."
This last remark truly describes a most important
VOL. I.      18




274         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
service rendered to science by the Journal.  As
editor, Mr. Silliman became the recipient of communications without number from every part of the
country. Not only such as made science a profession sent him their papers, but unlearned pioneers
in the East and the West would give him information of curious objects that fell under their notice in
exploring the country. By gathering together so
many scattered rays of light, the Journal aided not
only in the diffusion, but also in the advancement,
of the sciences. Another result was the intercourse
into which Mr. Silliman was brought with scientific
men abroad.  Their discoveries were also announced
to the American public in the Journal, and their
articles not unfrequently found a place on its pages.
His reputation in Europe was without doubt the
effect, for the most part, of his editorial labors.
The following paragraphs record bereavements
that deeply affected him, — the death of his mother
and of his eldest son:
Sickness and Death of my Mother, 3. 83.- Until the
spring of 1814 she had enjoyed very good health, when she
was prostrated at Wallingford, at the age of seventy-eight,
by an attack of pneumonia, and she never recovered her
former vigor. She was thrice a widow, and the time when
she was at liberty she divided among her children. I brought
her from Norfield, the residence of her son, the Rev. John
Noyes, in June 1818. She passed a few days in my house,
and I then conducted her to Wallingford, which was her
favorite home. She was feeble, and continued to decline
until July 2d, when she passed gently out of life, - eightytwo years old in the preceding May. I had not received
information of the impending event. A letter sent by a
private hand was not seasonably delivered. I was therefore




DOMESTIC EVENTS.               275
deprived of the satisfaction of watching her last hours. On
the 4th of July we went, Mrs. Silliman and all my children,
in a family carriage to attend the funeral. The Rev.
Matthew Noyes conducted the religious services with solemnity; and we remained over the night. My little Trumbull,
who was with us, was very ill, and it was the first of those
premonitory attacks which ended his mortal life.  My
brother, Gold Selleck Silliman, did not arrive until after
the funeral. Thus was ended an excellent Christian life,
and we felt that our mother had been spared to us to a
good old age, and was summoned home when she was
mature for heaven. She cherished a cheerful confidence
in her Saviour, and looked at death without dismay. She
told me after her recovery from the attack of pneumonia,
that she had no fear of-death, and was ready and willing to
go at any time. She opened her trunk and showed me her
shroud, and all the dress for the grave which she kept by
her, that whenever she might be summoned, her death
might make little trouble in preparation. She was a heroic
woman, and encountered with firmness the trials and terrors
of the American Revolution, in which my father was largely
concerned. She did not lose her self-control, when three
months before my birth the house was assailed by an armed
banditti at the midnight hour, the windows demolished, and
my father and elder half-brother were torn away from her,
and my father detained for a year at Flatbush, Long Island,
as a prisoner of war. Blessed Mother! In her widowhood,
after my father's death in 1790, she struggled on in embarrassed circumstances, and gave my brother and myself a
public education, forming our minds at home to purity and
piety. Whatever I have of good in me, I owe, under God,
mainly to her, and I look with nmingled reverence and
delight at her lovely picture, which smiles upon me still.
Her death was soon followed by that of his son,
whom he tended, during a lingering illness, with
affectionate care.




276         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
This lovely and promising child gave us only delight,
until occasional ill turns of fever and cough, in the autumn
of 1818, began to excite alarm. All his unfavorable symptoms were aggravated in the winter, and my own solicitude
and watchfulness at night, after busy and laborious days at
College, were increased by the sufferings of his mother
with acute rheumatism. His nights were much broken by
his cough and fever, but his spirits were cheered by the
hymns which I often sung to him during the watches of the
night. Spring brought some recreation to the dear child
by riding; but it was only too obvious that his progress
was downward toward an early grave.
The little sufferer was removed by his father to
Hartford, in the hope that good would result from
the journey and the change of place.
I remained in Hartford with my precious little patient
as long as there appeared the slightest prospect of alleviation. At last, with a bed in the coach as before, we proceeded slowly homeward, and one week of respite was
afforded us before death came to his relief. We had a
few. short rides, and I had arranged a swing for his amusement; but all in vain. The evening before his death, his
little brother, Benjamin, came into the room, and, although
Trumbull was panting with cough and fever, on seeing his
little friend waddling into the room, he smiled, and uttered
his favorite expression: "O funny little Bunny!"  On
Sabbath morning, June 27, I was alone with him when he
gently expired, and he put up his cold lips to kiss me a
few minutes before he ceased breathing. His mother was
brought down in a double chair, and looked upon his cold
remains, still beautiful in death, as he lay in his coffin;
and she could only follow with her tearful eyes the funeral
procession as it moved from the house. We were sorely
bereaved; but we submitted without repining, feeling that




DOMESTIC EVENTS.               277
He who had given us this child of hope and promise had
a right to take him again; and we blessed His holy name.
This bereavement took fast hold on me. The shaft of
death, which never before had been discharged in this
house, was levelled against my oldest son, a child of the
most attractive traits, lovely and beautiful, serious, considerate, and affectionate, but with a slight air of pensiveness, which added to the interest of his character, although
a child not yet five years old when he died. We believed
that he was accepted by the Saviour, to whom he had been
offered in baptism and commended in prayer.
The death of this child inflicted a wound which
was never fully healed. All the toys which he had
used were carefully garnered up by his sorrowing
father, who never ceased to recollect, with tenderness
of feeling, the loss which he had sustained.
What with the labors, the watching, and anxiety of
the preceding year, followed by this affliction, my spirits
drooped and my health began to be affected, when a source
of alleviation was opened by my ever kind and considerate
brother-in-law, Mr. Daniel Wadsworth, and it was the
more seasonable, as death had more recently smitten another lamb in our flock.*
Neither Mr. Wadsworth or myself had ever visited Canada, and we resolved on this journey as a tour of refreshment and observation, without any motives of business.
As it is my habit, when circumstances are favorable, to
preserve written notices of my journeys, I began to do it
in this instance with the design of inserting in the " Journal
of Science" any notices that might appear worthy of it;
but the interesting objects and scenes and historical associations were so numerous that my MS. became a small
* This was an infant which was born a week before the death of Trumbull. — F.




278          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
volume, which appeared in two editions, in 1820 and 1824,
entitled, " A Short Tour between Hartford and Quebec in
the Autumn of 1819," with pictorial illustrations by Mr.
Daniel Wadsworth. To this volume of 443 pages 12mo.,
I refer for the details of the journey.
My little book met with favor. It became a vade mecum
for travellers to Canada, and might readily have passed to
a third edition, had I moved in the matter...... It was
agreeable to me also to find that the book met a very
favorable reception in Canada.  I received from officers
of the British army on service in that country, as well as
from persons in civil life, a decided expression of approval.
These communications were made to me both by letter and
in personal interviews.  To this day this unpretending
volume is sought for by tourists going to Canada; and repeated applications have been made to me by strangers for
the loan of the book, as it was not to be found on sale.
Purchase of the Cabinet of Colonel Gibbs. - In May,
1825, I received a letter from Colonel Gibbs, in which he
informed me that he intended to sell his cabinet, but that
he now offered to Yale College the right of preemption.
The price named was twenty thousand dollars, with a
reasonable allowance of time to make the payments. We
were startled, indeed, by his letter, and taken by surprise,
although we had no right, as regards the liberal proprietor,
to entertain any other sentiments than those of grateful
acknowledgment for the long-continued loan of such a
treasure. The cabinet had rested with us from thirteen to
fifteen years. From it the owner had derived no pecuniary
advantage whatever; but he enjoyed the richer satisfaction
of doing good to many hundreds of young people, of diffusing useful knowledge through the country, and elevating
the reputation and dignity of science. I have already
mentioned that he had, at his own expense, and without




THE CABINET OF MINERALS.           279
our knowledge, kept the cabinet insured. It is true that
he derived from his liberality a rich reward of honor and
esteem by the common verdict of his country, an honor
more permanent than that of sanguinary success in war;
for, while military heroes enjoyed only a transient fame,
the name of Gibbs is enrolled for posthumous fame as long
as science shall be cultivated and honored.
On myself as the head of the department rested of
course the duty of making the first movement. I had able
counsellors; President Day, the Hon. James Hillhouse,
our Treasurer, and my brother Professors, were unanimous
in the feeling that the Gibbs Cabinet, so long our pride
and ornament, must not be removed from Yale College.
The Corporation was called together by the President.
The meeting took place at Hartford on the 24th day of
May; the Governor, the Lieutenant-Governor, and six
members of the Senate of the State, who are ex-ojficio
members of the Corporation, being already there in attendance on the Legislature then in session.  The clerical
members were summoned to meet them, and the subject
was at once proposed for their consideration. They also
were unanimous in the sentiment, that the Gibbs Cabinet
must be retained, and they approved of the measures
already adopted in New Haven. The treasury of the College could not afford to make the purchase, and our only
resource appeared to be to call again,- as had always been
done for the endowment of the College, - upon the loyalty
of our alumni and the liberality of the friends of science and
of the College, - a resource which had never failed in previous exigencies. (See the appendix to Baldwin's " History of Yale College," for a list of contributors on many
occasions.)
Agreeably to the intimation already stated, the Corporation passed votes, in form, approving of our efforts to save
the Cabinet, and gave us authority to invite subscriptions
and contributions.




280         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
The first effort appears to have been made in New
Haven.
As a preliminary to a public meeting, a hand-bill was
prepared, in which the case was concisely but clearly and
forcibly stated, with an invitation to the citizens to attend a
public meeting at a time and place named, to hear a discussion of the merits of the case. The hand-bill was extensively distributed in the town, and the meeting, which
soon followed, was well attended, and was warmly addressed,
not only by gentlemen of the College, but by some of our
prominent citizens. Among them was the Rev. Dr. Croswell, Rector of Trinity Church. Although not an alumnus,
nor sympathizing in the religious organization of the College, he addressed the assembly with powerful arguments,
which were, perhaps, rendered more effective by touching a
string of policy, and no one knew better than he how to do
it. He gave an intimation that if New Haven did not come
forward and secure the Gibbs Cabinet, Hartford might
secure it, as the people of Hartford were always prompt
and liberal in cases where their local interests were concerned, and they too had a college.
The public meeting in New Haven was immediately
followed by personal applications to the citizens. The permanent officers of the College subscribed first, and then
dividing the town into districts, each solicitor called upon
individuals and asked for their donations. This canvass
was laborious, and such duties are always irksome; but
when the object is a public one, and not personal, we do
not feel that we are chargeable with selfishness,-which is
a great relief. President Day zealously led in the canvass,
and all the gentlemen put forth such efforts as were convenient to them. It is obvious, however, that no one could
be expected to labor so much as the head of the department. I was indeed most ably and zealously assisted by
Prof. Chauncey A. Goodrich, who was always zealous and




THE CABINET OF MINERALS.         281
efficient in every good cause in which he engaged. He
worked with all his might, and he had uncommon tact in
approaching people; he could put on the pressure both
upon the right man and in the right place, and was not
only successful with the willing, but with the unwilling.
When Mr. Edward Everett came to New Haven to
deliver his discourse upon Washington, he related in
a short speech to the college students, an anecdote
connected with the purchase of the Gibbs Cabinet.
Understanding that this collection was offered for
sale, Mr. Everett had suggested to several friends of
Harvard that it might be secured for that institution.
" But," said Mr. Everett, " they hung fire; and after
the bargain was concluded by Mr. Silliman, I observed to him that I hoped the affair would give a
useful lesson to our people against delay in such
matters.' You are welcome,' said MIr. Silliman with
a smile, to any moral benefit to be derived from the
matter; we, meanwhile, will get what good we can
from the Cabinet."
Other additions were made from time to time
to this noble collection, one of the most important
of which was the cabinet of Baron Lederer, Austrian Consul-General in the United States, which
was purchased by subscription in 1843. From his
scientific correspondents Mr. Silliman obtained valuable specimens, and several of these friends, together
with their contributions, are noticed in the " Reminiscences," in connection with the history of the
cabinet.
A Collection was purchased from Robert Bakewell, London.- I became acquainted early with the system of geol



282         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
ogy by this gentleman. By profession a mineral surveyor,
he was, of course, a practical geologist, and being a man
of strong mind, sound judgment, and moral courage, he
pursued an independent course, without being committed to
existing theories. In commencing my geological lectures,
I used the sketch of the Wernerian system, which was annexed as an appendix to Brochant's "Mineralogy," and
from this I derived important aid; but I found it difficult
to make out all the Wernerian distinctions, and to identify
the rocks which they were intended to illustrate. I was,
therefore, greatly relieved by Mr. Bakewell's straightforward, cormmon-sense method, which tore away and threw
aside useless subtleties and refinements, and took strong
hold of the great framework of the subject. I therefore
decided to adopt Mr. Bakewell's work as a text-book, and
wrote to the author, requesting that any additions or corrections might be forwarded to me. Eventually I published three editions with copious notes and additions, and
the work was generally adopted in this country. My first
edition was from Mr. Bakewell's third.
We became, of course, correspondents, and his letters
were always interesting and instructive, and sometimes
brilliant with original thoughts. Wishing to see the original types representing Mr. Bakewell's ideas, I obtained
from him a small collection of rocks and minerals which
came out, numbered in reference to a detailed catalogue
which accompanied them. In earlier years I became acquainted, at Edinburgh, as I have already stated, with the
geological ideas that prevailed in Scotland, and was familiar with their representative types. Now I had before me
the palpable thoughts (so far as stones could represent
them) of an eminent English geologist, and I had the satisfaction of finding that I had before not erred in any important fact or opinion.
Mr. Bakewell appeared much gratified that his work had
been made so extensively known in this country. In the




THE CABINET OF MINERALS.           283
preface to a new edition, following my first, he quotes from
me the remark that I had adopted his book as being one
that " my pupils would be willing to read and able to understand," and he justly regarded this as a high recommendation. Such was his feeling of personal and scientific
independence that he held himself aloof from the aristocracy of science, and he even declined the proffered honor
of membership in the Royal Society, after he had, almost
alone, vindicated his claims to rank among the most eminent geologists of the day. His travels among the Alps
added to his reputation, - (" Travels in the Tarentaise and
Grecian and Pennine Alps, and in Switzerland and Auvergne, in the years 1820, 1821, and 1822, by R. Bakewell
Esq.") Dr. Mantell was his warm and constant friend.
I received a French collection from  Mr. Alexander
Brongniart of Paris. The specimens related chiefly to the
tertiary and chalk formations of the basin of Paris, and
the collection included also miscellaneous specimens from
many other places. Mr. Brongniart forwarded to me his
work on the mineral and paleontological history and structure of the basin of Paris. At a later period I received
also from him the revised and improved edition of his
work, - a great work indeed. He sent to me also a suite
of specimens illustrating the materials and the manufacture
of porcelain, especially as it is carried on at the Royal
Manufactory of Sevres, six miles, or two leagues, from
Paris, of which Mr. Brongniart was superintendent. This
collection I left in the laboratory of Yale College, with the
catalogue and description of the process in the handwriting
of Mr. Brongniart. His letters to me were highly instructive and very friendly. He corresponded with me also on
the subject of a collection which he was forming to illustrate
the art of pottery in all ages and countries. It was in my
power to aid his design in a small degree, by specimens of
aboriginal pottery of the American Indians, and by the
products of our advancing arts in common ware and in




284         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
porcelain, - the porcelain especially of Philadelphia, which
compared very well with that of Sevres. We were at
Sevres early in April 1851, and saw this extensive collection in the ceramic art, and surveyed with admiration the
splendid productions of the manufactory.
William Maclure: His Contributions. - This gentleman,
born in Scotland in 1763, resided some years in London
as a member of a mercantile firm, and early became opulent.
He retired from business about 1798-9. He visited the
United States in 1782, at the age of nineteen, and again in
1796. In 1803 he appeared in London along with two
colleagues, as a commissioner of claims upon the French
government for spoliations on American commerce. During
some years following he visited most of the countries of
Europe and collected specimens in geology and other
branches of natural history, which he sent to the United
States, his adopted home. He then came to America and
commenced the exploration of its geology, and the result
was published in 1809 in the Transactions of the Philosophical Society of Philadelphia. In 1817, eight years after,
he published a revised edition of his memoir, enlarged and
made more perfect, and it appeared also in a small separate
volume, with maps. His observations were extended through
nearly all the States, from Canada to the Mexican Gulf,
and from Maine to the Mississippi, - also including the
West Indies. In order to obtain correct sections of the
Alleghanies, he crossed that chain of mountains fifty times,
back and forward. During all his journeys he collected
geological specimens which, from time to time, he boxed
and forwarded to Philadelphia, or other places of deposit.
He came to New Haven in the autumn of 1808, and I
passed several days with him in exploring our geology. He
had then come from Maine, and had become acquainted
with Professor Parker Cleaveland, whom he greatly admired.
He travelled in a private carriage with a servant, and a




THE CABINET OF MINERALS.           285
pair of horses which, as they transported loads of stone
from place to place, were lean and dull. Mr. Maclure was
at that time in his meridian. Being a teetotaller, drinking
nothing but water and requiring only a moderate quantity
of the most common articles of food, his health was perfect,
and his frame robust and vigorous, as his temperance was
associated with much travelling and with mountain excursions on foot; his countenance had a ruddy glow, and his
manners were in a high degree winning and attractive. His
language was pure and elevated, and his mind being imbued with the love of science, he was successful in exciting
similar aspirations in other, and especially in younger, minds.
In 1817, he was elected President of the Philadelphia
Academy of Natural Sciences, and he was annually reelected
until his death..... At the meeting of the Geological
Society, November 17, 1828, Mr. Maclure appeared
decidedly marked by age and infirmity. The brilliant man
whom I first saw twenty years before, had now hoary locks;
he stooped as he walked, and an ulcer on his leg made him
lame. His friend, Dr. Thomas Cooper, was with him, and
these two celebrated men did me the honor to attend one
of my lectures in the chemical course, and to call at my
house. The principal topic was the moral relations of
science and the expositions it gives of the mind and
thoughts of the Creator, as they are recorded in his works.
Other topics might have been more agreeable to these
gentlemen. Dr. Cooper was well known as a sturdy sceptic
in religion, and Mr. Maclure's plans of education did not
include the Bible. Still all his efforts, continued through
forty years with an immense expenditure of money and an
unselfish devotion of time and effort without any personal
advantage, bore every mark of benevolence and good-will,
not only to his adopted country, but to mankind. Mr.
Maclure was a punctual correspondent. For about twenty
years, we exchanged letters, rarely, I believe, omitting a
year. His brother, who was his executor, kindly returned




286         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
to me many of my letters, but, I should think, not all.
There are about twenty-five, five or six of which passed to
him in Spain through Paris; the remainder are directed
to the city of Mexico; they run from 1821 to 1838, - from
my forty-second to my fifty-eighth year, - the meridian and
best part of my life. They are, of course, occupied with the
busy avocations of that active period of my labors, in which
I might have truly said, " Omnia plena laboris." My letters
were also responsive to those of my correspondent on the
great subjects which occupied his mind,- the education
of the young, the diffusion of useful knowledge, and the
elevation of the masses from ignorance, degradation, poverty,
and vice. His views were noble; his fellow-creatures were
his family, and to carry out his large plans his ample means
were munificently bestowed. His own personal wants were
few and simple, and a very small part of his revenue sufficed
to supply them. Although some of his views were visionary, they were benevolent, and he was one of the benefactors of his race.
As the companion of Mr. Maclure in his last visit to New
Haven, Dr. Cooper is entitled to be mentioned on this
occasion, as well as on account of some friendly epistolary
relations, for a time, subsisting between us. Dr. Cooper
came out from England, I believe, with Dr. Priestley, or soon
after, in 1794, during the exciting periods of the French
Revolution. Dr. Cooper resided with Dr. Priestley at or
near Northumberland on the Susquehannah River, and
was familiar with his scientific pursuits; and being himself a man of science, he occasionally wrote to me, and
always exhibited a vigorous and discriminating mind. I had
never seen him before his visit to New Haven with Mr.
Maclure in November 1828. On that occasion his manners were mild and conciliating, and his appearance was
patriarchal and venerable, very different from what I had
imagined it to be. Ten years after, 1839, my third edition
of Bakewell's Geology appeared. In an appendix I had




DR. THOMAS COOPER.              2S7
endeavored to reconcile the Mosaic history with geology,
but this gave great offence to Dr. Cooper, who in a letter
to me protested against my views, both scientific and moral,
and he even wrote a considerable book, principally in opposition to me indeed, but still more to vituperate Moses
or the author of the Pentateuch, whoever he might be. In
the last letter which I received from him he reviled the
Scriptures, especially of the Old Testament, pronouncing
them in all respects an unsupported and, in some respects,
a most detestable book. To this letter I made no reply,
feeling that it was such a violation of gentlemanly courtesy
when writing to one whose sentiments he knew to be so
opposite to his own, that I thought it better to drop the
correspondence, and I never heard from him again. While
presiding over the College at Columbia, S. C., he made
no secret of his infidelity, and the community in South
Carolina was divided into supporters and opponents of Dr.
Cooper, until he was constrained to resign. One of his
college faculty, Professor Gibbs, informed me that as he -
Professor Gibbs -was passing the college grounds on
Sabbath morning on his way to church, he met Dr. Cooper
going to work in his laboratory, who said to him,- -" Come
along with me and learn something that is true and worth
knowing." When Dr. Cooper resigned his place, some of
the first gentlemen - General Hayne, General Hamilton,
and, I believe, Mr. Calhoun - of South Carolina, consulted
me to know whether I would accept the Presidency of the
College. If I had felt no other reason for declining, I
should have been very reluctant to sow in a field which had
been so ill prepared to receive good seed. I was unwilling,
moreover, to become a member of a community where slavery
was established. The only reason, however, which I assigned for declining the overture was, that I feared I should
not be able to give them satisfaction. I would not forget
the friendly maxim -" Nil de mortuis nisi bonum." Dr.
Cooper was, I have understood, much esteemed by those




288         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
who knew him intimately, and it affords a pleasing indication of his domestic character that he lived in great harmony with an excellent wife. If I am not misinformed,
the ballad "John Anderson my jo John" would have
described them well. In religion and politics he was pugnacious and sometimes bitter. He was considered as the
leader of the disunion party in South Carolina, and to him
was first attributed the sentiment, uttered at a convivial
meeting, that it was "high time to calculate the value of
the Union."
Among the early patrons of the " Journal of
Science," was Mr. Calhoun, whose feeling with reference to Yale College at that time is expressed in
a note to Mr. Silliman.
FROM HON. JOHN C. CALHOUN.
WAR DEPARTMENT, March 26, 1818.
DEAR SIR, - I have received the Prospectus which you
transmitted to me, and I hope most sincerely that you may
meet with ample encouragement.
The utility of such a work, particularly in this country,
must be apparent, and our number, wealth, and intellectual
improvement have now attained that point at which there
ought to be sufficient patronage.
You do me justice in supposing that I still retain an
affection for the institution with which you are connected.
I have every reason to feel the strongest gratitude to Yale
College, and shall always rejoice in her prosperity.
I remain, with esteem,
Yours, &c.,
J. C. CALHOUN.
The principal difficulty in sustaining the Journal
is indicated in the following note from Dr. Hare.




LETTER FROM MRS. HUMPEIREYS.         289
The Essays on Musical Temperament to which
he refers were written by Professor A. M. Fisher.
Mr. Silliman succeeded in sustaining the enterprise
without suffering the Journal to become a merely
popular magazine.
FROM DR. ROBERT HARE.
July 28, 1819...... I AM grieved to hear the pecuniary result of
your publication is so unfavorable. In our city the interest in favor of our own journals is very strong. I have
already hinted this to you as operating against the giving
of communications abroad, and of course it will operate
against subscriptions. There are few in our country who
take interest in the profounder branches of knowledge. I
doubt if there be a dozen men on the Continent who would
peruse some of the essays on musical temperament in your
Journal. I was told in New York that many said they
could not understand my memoir, who considered their
standing such as to feel as if this were an imputation
against me rather than themselves. I could not write it
for those who are so ignorant, without making it too prolix
and commonplace for adepts. There is our difficulty, —
we cannot write anything for the scientific few which will
be agreeable to the ignorant many......
Among the letters of condolence which he received on the occasion of the death of his son, was
one from Mrs. Humphreys, the widow of Colonel
Humphreys.
FROM MRS. HUMPHREYS.
BOSTON, October 6, 1819.........I CONDOLE with you most truly and sincerely
on the loss of your darling child. The all-consoling reflection, that you describe with so much feeling, is so just and
VOL. I.     19




290         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
so true, that it cannot fail to heal the sorrow of every
Christian who has faith in the words of our Saviour. I
cannot here forbear to mention to you the customs of my
native land - Portugal - in regard to the death of little
children under seven years old. If you ask a mother how
many children she has, it is usual that she should answer:
" I have two with me, and three in Heaven."  Or, if she has
lost them all, she will say, without hesitation: "I have so
many in Heaven."  The funerals of little children in that
country are accompanied by every emblem of joy instead
of sorrow; the coffin, or rather cradle, is of pink and silver; roses and myrtles and jasmine are thrown upon the
corpse, which is only covered with a transparent silver
gauze. A band of fine music accompanies it. After the
funeral, all the friends and acquaintance return to the
house to congratulate the mother (who is smiling through
her tears) on having an angel in heaven and another advocate in her favor.  Such are the singular customs in
Lisbon.
I pray you to make my best regards to Mrs. Silliman,
and believe me to be,
Yours with esteem and friendship,
A. F. IU3MPHREYS.
A portion of the journey to Canada is briefly
described in the following letter:TO PROFESSOR J. L. KINGSLEY.
QUEBEC, October 8, 1819.
MY DEAR SIR, - In compliance with your request and
with my own promise, I now write you from the capital of
the Canadas. Our journey has been thus far prosperous.
We left Hartford in the equinoctial gale, September 22,
Wednesday; on Friday reached Albany; dined and spent
most of a day with Judge Kent, in whose fine library of
between two and three thousand volumes you would revel:




LETTER TO PROFESSOR KINGSLEY.        291
they are choice books, and have cost him $10,000. I was
more than ever delighted with the Judge. We were also
at the Patroon's, - probably the most like an ancient baronial establishment of anything in America: it is a princely
place. At Troy we saw the new and almost ludicrous
horse-boat, which two horses, without ever moving a step
from the places they stand in, and to which indeed they are
harnessed, propel the boat merely by moving their legs,
and thus causing a circular flat platform on which they
stand to revolve. I will explain it fully when I see you.
We lodged at Stillwater, in the house in which General
Frazer died, in which Lady Harriet Ackland and the
Baroness Reidesel met with those interesting but tragical
adventures, which we read together, you may remember.
I visited the battle-grounds in company with an old man
(a Lebanon man, too), who was a guide to our armies in
all the fighting. Mr. Wadsworth stopped that night at
Sandy Hill, and I proceeded to Lake George. I will say
nothing about this wonderful scene and its interesting forts
and battle-grounds till we meet. I rejoined Mr. W. at
Fort Anne, half way between the Hudson and Lake Champlain; and, in our ride to Whitehall, we found frequent
occasions to wonder at seeing a fine canal to connect the
waters of the H-udson and of Lake Champlain, running
along almost side by side with, and frequently within a
stone's throw of, a still finer natural canal, a wood-creek,
which empties at precisely the same spot with the canal.,
From Whitehall we proceeded down the lake, in the only
remaining steamboat; the horse and carriage were taken
on board and left at Burlington (Vt.), to await our return
from Canada, when we proposed to cross the mountains to
Hanover, and so home down the river. At Plattsburgh
we saw the scene of Macdonough's victory, as we had seen
the trophies of it - the flotilla - laid up at Whitehall; we
found out Lyman Foot, who is very happy, and in high
repute in the army, at which I was not a little gratified,




292         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
regarding him as almost my child. We entered St. John's
River - the river Sorel -just nine days from our leaving
Hartford, and passed by the magnificent stone castle on
Rouse's Point, at the foot of Lake Champlain, the guns
of which were intended to prevent any more Commodore
Downeses from ever escaping from Canada into the Lake;
hundreds of thousands of dollars have been expended on
it, and it is now ascertained that the forty-fifth degree of
latitude falls about one half a mile south of it, so that this
work now falls to our friends, the British, who will thus
affectionately prevent any armament proceeding by water
to St. Johns. At the Isle au Noix, ten miles down the Sorel,
we passed a strong British fort, a fiigate on the stocks, &c.,
&c. Everything looked foreign and formidable.
We lodged at St. Johns, and a week ago to-day arrived
at Montreal, where we stayed between three and four days.
It is a fine, foreign town, nmuch underrated by our countrymen, and the city and environs make together a grand
prospect. Two days ago we arrived here, and shall stay
several days longer, determined to see everything in and
out of town. We are highly gratified with our tour, and
everything in Canada is beyond our expectations. The
fortifications here, and the natural situation of the town, are
so commanding, that it seems as if it could never be taken.
We have got acquainted with a noble-hearted fellow, a
captain of grenadiers, in the garrison. He was with Sir
John Moore at Corunna, and with Wellington in the Peninsula, and has taken us into the Citadel on Cape Diamond,
-a favor very rarely granted to anybody. But I must
have done. I will, however, tell you a great deal when we
meet.
The" Tour in Canada " was the subject of an interesting communication




LETTER FROM CHANCELLOR KENT.          293
FROM CHANCELLOR KENT.
ALBANY, October 14, 1820.
DEAR SIR, -Your obliging letter of the 9th instant has
been received, accompanied with your " Tour to Quebec,"
and I return my sincere thanks for this mark of your kindness, and for the great pleasure which the perusal of your
book has given me. I have read it very attentively, and
beg leave to bear my humble testimony to the justness and
beauty of its descriptions and the accuracy of its historical
illustrations. It has, also, that moral charm and those graces
of composition which are diffused over all the productions
of your pen. There is not a page too much on geological
observations, and no more than what was due to your character and required from your station.
I have not been to the northward this summer as you
have been informed, but I have frequently visited the
grounds over which you passed between the matchless valley of Lebanon and Montreal. The first time I visited the
shore of Lake Champlain was twenty-five years ago with
Mirs. K., and I shall never forget the emotions excited when
we landed for the first time near sunset at Ticonderoga,
and hastily ascended to the top of its mouldering walls
(then a solitary and awful ruin) and caught within the
sweep of the eye the majestic scenery around the place,
and the distant lofty summits of the Green Mountains. I
visited at that time old Fort St. Frederick at Crown Point,
built by the French in 1731, and the near and large fort
on higher ground, built by Lord Amherst in 1759. There
was not then a human habitation on that peninsula. We
returned through Lake George in a small sail-boat, and
lodged at a dismal old house which had been a military barrack on the shore below fort George. It was all woods
where the beautiful village of Caldwell now stands, and we
ran over the ruins of Fort William Henry, then most fearfully interesting from historical recollections, for it appeared




294         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
not to have been disturbed by the hand of man since 1757.
I think you must admit Mrs. K. and I had considerable enterprise, considering the great inconvenience of travelling at
that day in what was then a new and wild country. I had
learned in early youth from my father and from Carver's
"Travels" (for he was present) the tragical story of the
Massacre of the garrison, and I trod the ground with highly
excited feelings. You have given a very interesting account of that enchanting spot JrJonte Video, and the pencil
of Mr. I-W has contributed exceedingly to illustrate and
adorn your work. If I ever go to Hartford I think I shall
solicit the honor of his company on a visit to his seat, which
does infinite credit to his munificence and taste.
All the leisure I have had this season was occupied in a
short visit to Governor Jay, who lives at Bedford, about ten
miles west of Ridgefield, in Connecticut. I went through
Dutchess County and the mountains in Putnam County, and
discharged a debt of respect, reverence, and gratitude,
which I owed to that venerable man. Mirs. K., as usual,
accompanied me, and we stayed a night with him. He is
now seventy-four years old, and is feeble but cheerful, and
his mind appears to have retained all its acuteness and
vigor. He has a grand farm of six hundred acres, and
everything about himl was plain, convenient, and substantial, and bore the same stamp of solidity and simplicity
which has always characterized the owner. He received us
with most engaging kindness, and conversed freely on the
passing events of the times, and dwelt on the Revolution,
in which he bore such a distinguished part. He spoke
highly of Dr. Dwight's volumes on theology, and regretted
he had not known more of him in his lifetime. Hle is
very religious and performed family worship in the Episcopal form with tender and impressive devotion. He ap.
peared to be- a perfect model of a Christian sage, and I am
not aware that we have a more finished character in the
country. From his house we returned through Danbury,




LETTER FROM HON. ROBERT Y. HAYNE.    295
where I lived from 1773 to 1777, and then visited Southeast Town, in Putnam County, where my father once resided. I went to the house, and to the very room where I
was born, where I saw my blessed mother die, fifty years
ago next December. I never viewed any scene with deeper
interest or more affecting recollections. Everything looked
decayed and melancholy, and the features of nature seemed
to have dwindled since the eye of youthful exaggeration
was withdrawn. I was astonished to find how much the
enchantment of youth had disappeared, and how much
forty years had disrobed the spot of the brightness and
charms with which it once contributed to transport me.
But, my dear sir, excuse my wandering pen. I set out to
thank you for your friendship and goodness, and to assure
you of the interest I take in whatever concerns your wel-fare and your character. I am, with the highest esteem and
regard,
Yours, &c.,
PROF. SILLIMAN.                    JAMIES KENT.
The letter of invitation to the Presidency of South
Carolina College, with Professor Silliman's reply, is
presented below.
FROM HON. ROBERT Y. HAYNE.
CHARLESTON, January 19, 1835.
DEAR SIR,'- You have probably seen that the trustees
of the South Carolina College have made a radical reform
in that institution, the president and all the old professors
(except one, Mr. Nott) having gone out with a view to give
place to others to be chosen. Three only have as yet been
elected professors: Dew, of William and Mary, to the professorship of History and Political Economy; Professor
Davis, of West Point, to the professorship of Mathematics,
and Mr. Cogswell, formerly of Northampton, to the professorship of Languages; the presidency with the professor



296          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
ships of MIoral Philosophy and Chemistry, still remaining
vacant. We are very anxious to fill these with men of high
character and commanding talents. To accomplish this, a
committee has been appointed by the trustees, consisting
of Governor IcDuffie, General Hamilton, and myself, to
make inquiries and find out suitable persons for these
stations. The president will not be chosen till the annual
meeting in November next; the professors, if we can find
proper men, may be elected in June next, to enter upon the
duties of their respective offices in October. Now it has
occurred to me that as the presidency of the South Carolina College is in many respects the most desirable literary
office in the Union, it might suit your views to accept it,
and believing that there is no man better qualified for the
station, none who would be more acceptable not only to the
trustees but to the people at large, I take the liberty ofsubmitting the question to your consideration. The salary
is $3000 per annum, with a good house; the tenure during
good behavior. The salary is certain, being paid out of
the public treasury. The number of students it is not expected will exceed one hundred for several years to come,
and probably never extend beyond one hundred and fifty.
There is an annual vacation from June to October, which
includes the whole season in which autumnal fevers occasionally (though rarely) prevail in Columbia, which, as you
are aware, is a fine flourishing town, the seat of government,and possessing a polished society by whom the faculty of the College are greatly cherished. The president
might choose his department, and chemistry could be assigned to you. I am persuaded that there is no station in
the Union in which you could acquire more honor or be
more successfully employed. Under the new arrangement,
I think there will be no serious difficulty in enforcing discipline. With these brief suggestions, I submit to your
consideration whether you cannot allow us to look to you to
fill the vacancy. I anm, of course, not authorized to act for




LETTER TO HON. ROBERT Y. HAYNE.         297
the Board, but I have the sanction of Governor McDuffie
and General Hamilton for saying, that we should not only
support you ourselves, but we have no doubt that, should
you consent, the trustees would elect you without hesitation.
1 write this confidentially, because it may happen that you
would not desire (even should you be willing to be a candidate for the office) that it should be publicly known, with
reference to your present situation. I shall be much gratified to hear from you on this subject, and also to have the
names of suitable persons suggested for the other vacant
offices in the College. I am, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
PROFESSOR SILLIMAN.           ROBERT Y. HAYNE.
TO HON. ROBERT Y. HAYNE.
YALE COLLEGE, February 2, 1835.
DEAR SIR, — I have taken a few days to consider the
very important subject which you have done me the honor
to lay before me, and trust I have not trangressed the limits of propriety in consulting a very small number of trustworthy friends immediately around me. While I feel much
gratified by the favorable opinion which you and the eminent gentlemen, your associates in this affair, are so kind as
to entertain of me, it is but candid to say that I cannot discover good ground of confidence in myself, that I should be
able to answer the reasonable expectations of your community. I-Iaving from a very early period corresponded with
several gentlemen in the faculty of your University, and
with others interested in promoting its welfare, it will give
me pleasure still to exert myself for that object. I will
therefore keep in mind the vacant offices, and should the
names of any persons qualified to fill them occur to me, I
will, with your permission, communicate them to you. I
remain, most respectfully, your
Very obedient servant,
HON. ROBT. Y. HAYNE.                B. SILLIMAN.




CHAPTER XIII.
HIS PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANTS: HIS LOSS OF HEALTH:
HIS "ELEMENTS OF CHIEMISTRY."
Organization for Aid in his Department. - His Assistant, Lyman Foot:
Subsequent History of Dr. Foot. - Professor D. Olmsted. - Mr. George
T. Bowen: their Subsequent History. - Temporary Assistants. - First
Permanent Assistant, Mr. S. J. Andrews. - Domestic Affliction, and
Interruption of his Health. - Journey to West Point. - Death of Professor A. AM. Fisher. - Second Journey with Mr. Wadsworth. - Mr.
Andrews as Amanuensis. -Journey to Ballston and Saratoga. - Journey to Washington: Dinner with Mr. Calhoun: Interview with President Monroe: Visit to Arlington House: Notice of Mr. and lMrs. Custis.
— Means by which his Health was Regained. - Advantages of Temperance. -Resignation and Subsequent Career of Mr. Andrews. - Mr.
Benjamin D. Silliman, Successor of Mr. Andrews. - Dr. Burr Noyes:
Professor Charles U. Shepard: Professor Oliver P. Hubbard: Professor
J. D. Dana: Professor B. Silliman, Jr., and other Assistauts. - His
" Elements of Chemistry."- Correspondence: Letters from Professor
A. M. Fisher, Mrs. Sigourney, D. Wadsworth, J. C. Calhoun, Jared
Sparks, Josiah Quincy, Lafayette, Commodore Hull, H. W. Desaussure,
J. Fenimore Cooper.
IN 1806 I made the first arrangement for regular aid in
the manual service of my departments. Before I went to
England, I depended on accidental assistance, by hiring
one and another to do the work. But in the autumn of
1806, being at Wallingford, Mrs. Noyes recommended to
me a lad of about twelve years of age, by name, Foot, who
soon after came to me at the College, and a sleeping-room
was prepared for him in the attic of the Lyceum, in which
building was my own chamber.  He did the work of the
laboratory as far as he was able. During the autumnal,
winter, and spring seasons, after my return from England,
in June 1806, I had my breakfast and evening tea in my
chamber, - until October 1809, when I had a better home,




PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANTS.           299
— and this lad arranged everything satisfactorily for my
comfort, while his own food was taken in the college hall.
In the summer I boarded at Mr. Twining's, in the town.
Foot grew in usefulness, as in stature and intelligence; he
was studious and exemplary, and became a useful assistant
in all my departments, but particularly in chemistry. He
remained with me nine years, studied medicine and surgery,
received a diploma from our medical institution, and after
a short term of service in rural practice, he became surgeon in the army by the recommendation of the Professors
addressed to Mr. Calhoun, then Secretary of War. Three
of us, - Mr. Day, Mr. Kingsley, and myself, - in addition
to President Dwight, had been instructors of Mr. Calhoun
in Yale College, and he paid more attention to our recommendation than to that of our demagogues, who presented
their own favorites. Dr. Foot reared an interesting family,
from whom he was separated by active service in the war
with the Seminoles in Florida, and in the Black Hawk war
in the region of the northern Mississippi. When more
than fifty years of age, he was ordered to join the army in
the Mexican war, but his constitution, already impaired by
severe service in savage warfare, yielded to the deleterious
effects of the climate, and he died of dysentery at Port
La Vacca, in Texas. From the situation of a poor boy, of
unfortunate parentage, he rose by his merit to the rank of
second surgeon, in point of age, in the American army.
President Dwight and the Professors gave him their friendly
influence, and the medical professors gave him the fees of
their respective courses, in consideration of his merits and
of his inability to purchase their tickets.
After the resignation of Dr. Foot in 1815, and until
1821, I had no regular trained assistant. The labor of the
laboratory was performed by hired men, who lived in my
family, serving there in all necessary domestic duties, including the garden and the barn, and at the College, as
there was occasion. It may be well supposed that such




300          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
persons would not be very adroit adepts in scientific employments. A few of them, however, having acquired some
degree of skill, became very useful assistants, but others
were clumsy, heavy-handed men, and the glass vessels suffered not a little in their hands. During this period, and
at subsequent times also, I was aided by private pupils who
worked in the laboratory for the sake of obtaining a knowledge of practical chemistry. Among the most distinguished
of these were Prof. Denison Olmsted, Prof. George T.
Bowen, and Prof. Edward Hitchcock, -giving them the
titles which they afterwards bore. Prof. Olmsted had been
appointed to the chair of chemistry in the College of
Chapel Hill, North Carolina; and with a view to render
himself more fit for the duties of the office, he passed a
year with me at the expense of his College, and became
familiar with chemical manipulations and with the various
duties of all my departments. When departing in the autumn of 1818, from New Haven, for his destination in
North Carolina, Mr. Olmsted feelingly expressed to me his
sense of the advantages which he had enjoyed in the course
of preparatory labor and instruction through which he had
passed, without which he said that he should not have dared
to enter upon the duties of hlis station. In that station,
during the seven or eight years of his professorship at
Chapel Hill, he bestowed important advantage on the College there, and acquired deserved honor for himself. In
addition to his duties of instruction and the necessary labor
of preparing his experiments, he explored extensively and
successfully the geology of North Carolina, whose territory
is rich in valuable minerals, and in facts illustrative of
geological theory, which were presented by him to the
public in a small but valuable volume, — an interesting
early record of American Geology. He deposited, also,
duplicate specimens in Yale College Cabinet. From my
successive classes, and especially from my private pupils, I
vithheld no important fact with which my experience had




PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANTS.             301
made me acquainted, and I, in turn, invited a frank communication of their knowledge and of their objections to
my views. With Horace I often said to them, "Si quid
novisti rectius istis, candidus imperti; si non, his utere
mecum."  I had some way of succeeding in every department, but I was always happy to hear from them of a better way. From Chapel Hlill, Professor Olmsted returned
to Yale College in 1825, as Professor of Mathematics and
Natural Philosophy, in place of Rev. Professor Matthew
Rice Datton, deceased.
Mr. George T. Bowen, of Providence, R. I., when a
member of the Junior and Senior classes, in 1821-22,
made application to me for admission to the laboratory, as
a private pupil and assistant in the preparation of the
experiments. As such an engagement might interfere with
his duties as an undergraduate and a member of one of the
College classes, I declined receiving him, unless he could
obtain special leave from the President. So earnest was
the young man in his application, that the indulgence was
granted upon the express condition that he should perform
all his college duties with fidelity. Under these conditions
he came to the laboratory; and he proved himself a zealous, industrious, ingenious, and efficient pupil and assistant
during the two years when he was with me. He performed
several analyses, which are recorded in the fifth and eighth
volumes of the "American Journal of Science," and in the
fifth volume he recorded the magnetic effects produced by
the calorimotor of Dr. Hare...... After leaving New
Haven, Mr. Bowen passed some time with Dr. Hare, in
Philadelphia, both for the advantage of his instruction
and from social considerations, as Mrs. Hare, who was a
lady from Providence, was also his relative.  He went
also through a regular course of medical instruction in
the University of Pennsylvania. From Philadelphia Mr.
JBowen passed to Nashville, Tenn., as Professor of Chemistry in the University of Tennessee, where, under President




302         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
Lindsley, he was associated with the eminent Dr. Troost.
We had occasion to lament that only a brief course of duty
was allotted to him. He died of consumption, in 1828,
having a decided Christian hope. From his death-bed he
sent me an aerolite that had fallen in Tennessee, at the
same time that he sent me an affectionate farewell.
More than forty years ago -I believe in the year 1817I received a box of minerals from a person, then unknown
to me, who signed his name Edward Hitchcock, teacher of
the Academy of Deerfield, Mass. He stated that he had
collected these minerals from the rocks and mountains in
the vicinity; and as he stated, moreover, that they were
unknown to him, he desired me to name them and return
them to him with the labels. I promptly complied with the
request, and as the accompanying letter of Mr. Hitchcock
was written with modest good sense, and indicated a love
of knowledge, I invited him to send to me another box,
and I promised him to return it with the information he
desired. It came, and was attended to accordingly. The
minerals were chiefly of the zeolite family, - chabasie,
analcime, mezotype, and agatized quartz, &c., being the
usual companions of trap-rocks, such as are numerous in
that region. I then invited Mr. Hitchcock to visit me in
New Haven. The invitation was accepted, and for a series
of years he was often here, and attended all the courses of
lectures with more or less of regularity. He discovered an
amiable character and an ardent mind animated by the
love of knowledge, and he engaged with great industry in
the study of chemistry, mineralogy, and geology.  The
"Journal of Science and Arts" was instituted the next
year, 1818, and Mr. Hitchcock appeared in the first volume. His communications have been numerous and important. I have found between fifty and sixty titles of his
papers in the tables of contents and in the index; not a
few of them are elaborate, and indicate much care and skill.




PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANTS.            303
His starting-point was with us, and we may regard him as
a pupil of our scientific departments.
I cannot take time to follow him in his career as a
minister of the gospel at Conway, in his office as Professor
of chemistry, geology, &c., in Amherst College, as President afterwards, for several years, of the same institution,
and as Professor again, after his voluntary resignation of
the presidency.
It was rare that I was without private pupils, but of some
the term was too short or the result too unimportant to
merit a mention, unless very transiently, on this occasion.
Rev. Sereno E. Dwight was with me when a youth, and
worked with his characteristic zeal. Prof. Chester Dewey
and Prof. Robert Hare both operated with me at different
times in making potassium, and Dr. Hare in later periods
in galvanism. Prof. Amos Eaton passed a winter here in
preparation to become a lecturer, and he became a distinguished teacher. With the same view came Prof. William C. Fowler, although he did not follow the profession;
and the same was true of Rev. Gamaliel Olds, a gentleman
whose mind was more bent on metaphysics than physics.
Prof. Avery, afterwards of Hamilton College, was much
engaged as a student of chemistry, and so was Dr. and
Prof. Edward Leffingwell, who was, moreover, a very
useful assistant, although he could not distinguish colors.
Prof. Vigus, of Alabama, observed and recorded everything, and carried his knowledge into the Southern academies. Prof. Ormond Beattie was an earnest student. Others resorted to the laboratory as amateurs, - as Mr. Dill,
of Indiana. Mr. George Spalding and Mr. John W. Parker studied and practised to become chemical manufacturers. There were doubtless others whose names do not
occur to me, and which could be rallied from my old notebooks,-for it was very seldom that the laboratory was without extra students or observers of the operations.' Many
times I have said to those who as novices have offered to




304         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
aid me, that they might come and see what we were doing,
and I should much prefer that they should do nothing; for
then they would not hinder me and my trained assistants,
nor derange or break the apparatus.
Again being at Wallingford, the same good lady, Mrs.
Noyes, wife of the Rev. James Noyes, on being informed
that an assistant was needed in my department in Yale
College, recommended a young gentleman of Wallingford,
MIr. Sherlock J. Andrews, a son of an eminent physician
of that place, and a recent graduate of Union College,
Schenectady. Mr. Andrews readily accepted the offer, and
came with me to New Haven, to be ready to commence the
business of the term. A pleasant chamber was assigned
to him in the North College, opposite to President Day.
The choice of Mr. Andrews was a happy one.  lie was a
young man of a vigorous, active mind, and energetic and
quick in his decisions and movements; of a warm heart,
and a genial temper and temperament; of the best moral
and social habits; a quick and skilful penman, an agreeable inmate of my family, in which we made him quite at
home; and in short, we found that we had acquired an
interesting and valuable friend, as well as a good professional assistant. It is true he had, when he came, no experience in practical chemistry.  He had everything to
learn, but he learned rapidly, because he had zeal, industry,
talent, and love of knowledge, and before the end of the
first term he had proved that we had made a happy choice.
Mr. Silliman interrupts his account of the services
rendered by Mr. Andrews, for the purpose of describing his exertions at this time for the restoration of
his health, which had become seriously impaired.
The death of his son, Trumbull, and also of an infant daughter, in 1819, has already been mentioned.




PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANTS: LOSS OF HEALTH. 305
Within three years, two other infant children were
taken from him by death. " Anxiety, watching, and
sorrow " had worn upon his health, and in the
autumn of 1822 repeated attacks of vertigo warned
him of the necessity of seeking some relief. He first
undertook a journey to West Point, having been appointed an official visitor to the military school. He
was on his way back when he received the appalling
intelligence of the death of his friend and youthful colleague, one of the most brilliant young men
whom the country has produced, —Alexander Metcalf
Fisher.
We passed a night at Kingston, and at Poughkeepsie the
morning papers shocked us with the news of the wreck of
the Albion - a New York packet-ship - in a tempest on
the rock-bound coast of Old Kinsale in Ireland, with the
loss of all her cabin passengers, except one, and among the
lost was our Professor Fisher of Yale College, who was on
his way to Europe for improvement. More than forty passengers were drowned, besides numbers of the people of
the ship; and her commander, Captain Williams, was among
them. Her spars and topsails being blown away, she could
not be kept off from the shore.
Mr. Fisher perished at the age of twenty-six, and his
attainments and merits placed him among the very first
young men in the land. My companions being devout men,
we all kneeled in our chamber in an act of devotion. Resigned indeed we were, but deeply afflicted by this most
unexpected event. The disaster might probably have been
averted had the ship tacked and stood out to sea until
the southeast gale abated. In April 1805, the Ontario,
in which I was a passenger for Liverpool, was caught in a
southeast gale in the same part of the channel, and she
tacked in time to escape being driven upon those terrible
VOL. I.     20




306         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
cliffs of Kinsale. In my last trip to Liverpool, in March
1851, we steamed with a smooth sea so near these cliffs
that they were very distinctly visible within two miles, and
our captain pointed out the very place where the Albion
perished, and with her, poor Fisher and his companions.
Having returned home, Mr. Sillirnan, soon made
a second journey with Mr. Wadsworth, southward
as far as Philadelphia, and back as far northward
as the Catskill Mountains.
We remained two days in New York, stopping at the
City IIotel, where the house was not quiet until past midnight, and the city, with milkmen, sweeps, and moving carriages, was astir again between three and four o'clock, A. M.
Of course, there was little time for repose, and I felt little
spirit for the interviews of the day. My good Quaker friend,
John Griscom, a brother chemist and lecturer, dined with
me quietly at the hotel, and his mild and soothing manners
and modest good sense formed a pleasant relief from a
rather stormy interview with an English travelling geologist,
whose arrogant assumption of superiority over American
geologists provoked me to a rather sharp rejoinder and
reproof, and somewhat agitated my nerves which were
prone, in my enfeebled state of health, to vibrate painfully,
when roughly touched. This gentleman, however, profited
by my rebuke, for he became very much my friend, visited
me at New Haven and communicated several valuable
papers to the "American Journal of Science." His name
was John Finch; he remained several years in this country,
returned to England, and is, I believe, deceased.
Mr. Silliman reverts to Mr. Andrews, and to the
valuable aid derived from him.
We acquired the habit, on my part, of dictating, and on




PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANTS: LOSS OF HEALTH.  307
his, of writing, from the living voice. We improved daily
in this exercise, until it became familiar and easy. Often
when my debility induced me to recline on the sofa, Mr.
Andrews wrote for me by the hour, and sometimes for
whole days, for it cost me no inconvenient effort to dictate,
although I had little ability to write. I began usually by
stating the subject; then I gave him the first sentence,
or a member of it, if it was long. It being written down,
my assistant then repeated the last word of the sentence or
clause and another sentence or member was then added,
and so on until the subject was finished. Last of all, the
writing was read aloud for corrections. I learned these
habits from President Dwight, who from the weakness of
his eyes, was compelled to dictate most of his writings.
Even his great theological work was put on paper by the
hand of an amanuensis, generally a regular paid assistant, -
but sometimes his friends wrote for him. I wrote after his
dictation, his very interesting and instructive sermon, on
the close of the century and the commencement of a new
century, January 1, 1801, - not January 1, 1800, as many
strangely imagined, as if ninety-nine years were a century.
Finding his health not established by these repeated journeys, he with his wife and Mr. and Mrs.
Wadsworth spent some time at Ballston and Saratoga.
Among our guests at Ballston were Hon. Martin Van
Buren; Mr. Short, formerly of Paris; George Harrison of
Philadelphia, and his beautiful wife; the rich bachelor, Mr.
Pollock of North Carolina; Harrison Gray Otis and family
from Boston; John Dickinson and lady from Troy; Mr. and
Mrs. Williams from Mississippi; Rev. Sereno E. Dwight,
and many more persons of the higher aristocracy, as well as
those of less pretension. Had I not enjoyed the company
of my good wife I should, however, have suffered from




308         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
ennui, for we had few sources of entertainment. Our walks
were limited as the ground was not very eligible, but I
enjoyed riding on horseback through the pine woods, in
company with a lady friend, Miss Davenport, now and for
many years the wife of Rev. Dr. Skinner of New York,Mrs. Silliman not preferring that kind of exercise. We
had more time than spirits for reading in our chamber; the
evenings were generally passed in the parlor, where we
were entertained by a band of musicians, who also summoned us to dinner with the Marseilles Hymn, or God save
the Queen, or Hail Columbia.
In 1797, soon after leaving College, owing to a wound
in my foot from an axe, I was in danger of lockjaw, and a
nervous debility followed after the immediate danger was
removed. This induced me to pass a month at 1Ballston
Springs. My companions were Mr. John Winn, and the
Hon. John Elliott, both from Sunbury, Liberty County,
Georgia. We performed the journey on horseback, and
of course rode daily at Ballston when the weather was
favorable. There was but one hotel, that of Aldrich, and
in the street in front of the house the sparkling fountain
of chalybeate water, brisk with carbonic acid gas, rose as
if joyous, from the earth; and the area was enclosed within
an iron railing. We of course visited Saratoga, which has
now become a large and celebrated town, owing to the
excellence of its waters. Reverting to 1797, the period of
my early visit, it is interesting to mention the condition of
Saratoga at that time. We, the little party before named,
Mr. Elliott, Mr. Winn and myself, mounted our horses one
day and rode seven or eight miles through the pine forest,
with its delightful fragrance, and arrived at the place where
they said that there were some mineral springs. There
was not even a village, but only two or three log-houses
standing among the pine-trees. The people were civil, and
provided hay for our horses, and for ourselves bacon and
eggs. They then piloted us into a morass where nature




PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANTS: LOSS OF HEALTH.  309
was unsubdued, and, stepping cautiously from bog to bog,
we soon arrived at a spring which they called the Congress
Spring, and we drank the water which tasted as it does
now....... Twenty-six years had passed and what a
change! A beautiful city had arisen where there were only
a morass and a pine barren. Beautiful lawns adorned with
statuary now meet the eyes, and the fashionable world, in
the summer months, throng this favorite resort.
Once more, in May 1821, with his usual companion in journeying, Mr. Wadsworth, he left home
and travelled southward as far as Washington.
We were just in time to see both Houses of Congress
in session. We dined with MIr. J. C. Calhoun, a distinguished graduate of Yale College, who was the Secretary
of War, and who received us with great cordiality. He
explained to us his plans for internal improvement, which
were extensive and detailed, and included not only a shipcanal between Lakes Superior and Huron, by the Sault
St. AMary, but even a cut across the neck of Cape Cod, thus
uniting Buzzard's Bay with Massachusetts, or Cape Cod
Bay, and saving a dangerous navigation around the Cape.
But all this was changed when sectional jealousies arose,
and the high-minded, honorable patriot became the antagonist of internal improvement, and was narrowed down to
a South Carolina politician. President Monroe was then
at the head of the Government. He had been kind to me
in 1805, when he was our minister in London, and I called
upon him there in company with the late Professor Peck
of Harvard. I paid my respects again to him when he
visited New Haven on his Eastern tour in 1816, and was
promptly recognized. We now called upon him in the
official palace, and were received with that mild benignity
which corresponded with his amiable character. As we
then thought of travelling into Virginia, his native State,




310         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
he, unsolicited, offered us letters to his friends. Although
not a splendid man, he was a wise and good President.
Twenty-five years have passed since this visit at Washington, and I will copy firom a letter which I wrote at the time,
the impression which I then received. " The magnificence
of the exterior of the public buildings quite equalled my
expectations, and the city itself is more considerable and
more respectable in its appearance than some people will
allow. As I sit writing in my chamber, the grand Potomac winds and stretches far away, and reminds me of the
St. Lawrence at Montreal and Quebec. Arlington House,
the seat of George Washington Parke Custis, Esq., grandson of Mrs. Washington, makes an imposing appearance
on a high hill upon the opposite side of the river. The
carriage is at the door to take us to the Capitol, - for nobody walks here, in this rudimentary city, where, as our
Senator Tracy used to say,'it is three miles to anything."'
In many visits to Washington in later years, I have seen it
gradually filling up, until it is no longer a skeleton city, and
now numbers 50,000 people. We visited Arlington then
(1824), and I was there again in 1852, after the lapse of
twenty-eight years, and found everything very much improved. The hospitable proprietor made this brief visit
very pleasant. IMrs. Custis was living, and the house was
rich in relics of Washington: his plate in many forrhs;
his portrait at the period of Braddock's campaign, dressed
in the full and flowing costume of that day; - and, in the
visit of 1824, Mrs. Custis showed me the bed on which
General Washington died, and offered it in hospitality for
my repose, - if repose would indeed come when memory
recalled the death-scene.  Mrs. Custis gave me a terra
cotta medallion of Dr. Franklin, which used to hang in
General Washington's study or office at Mount Vernon;
and Mrs. Custis sent to Mrs. Trumbull a saucer of the
Presidential period at Philadelphia, from a set made for
Mrs. Washington in China. A napkin also was sent, be



PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANTS: LOSS OF HEALTH. 311
longing to the camp furniture of the military marquee.
This grand tent was expanded in full in the garret at Arlington; it was in perfect preservation, fit for field-service
again; and it was no small satisfaction to me to stand beneath its ample folds, associated as they had been with so
many stirring events, and anxious as well as joyous musings. Those who rendered Arlington so attractive are
there no longer. Mr. Custis died October 10, 1857, some
years after he had returned from a journey to Boston, when
I received a call from him at my house, where he passed an
hour. His age, when he died, was seventy-seven. Mrs.
Custis died before him...... At dinner, at Gadsby's,
I found myself next to General Bernard, the distinguished
engineer of Napoleon I. He exhibited the suavity of his
country; and, as he was about to visit the West as an engineer of our government, I, by a passing remark, invited
him to speak of our great system of Western waters,our Mediterranean -like lakes, and our rivers great and
full; and I ventured to add that the regions of the West
were admirably adapted to a system of internal navigation.
These journeys were doubtless salutary; but the
principal cause of his renewed vigor was a change
of diet, of the nature and effect of which he gives
the following description:When my health began to fail in 1821 and 1822, I was
under the common delusion that debility and functional
derangement must be overcome by a moderate use of stimulants. I had used the oxide of bismuth as an anti-dyspeptic
remedy, but with no serious benefit. The muscular system was enfeebled along with the digestive, the nervous
power was thrown out of healthy action, an indescribable
discomfort deprived me in a great degree of physical enjoyment, and the mind became unequal to much intellect



312         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
ual effort.  My spirits, were however, cheerful; and even
when I was unable to sustain a conversation with a calling
stranger, I still believed that I should recover, for my
physicians, after careful examination, could find no proof
of any organic disease, but only of functional derangement.
I yielded for a time to the popular belief that good wine
and cordials were the lever which would raise my depressed power; but the relief was only temporary: a flash
of nervous excitement produced an illusive appearance of
increased vigor with which the mind sympathized; the
transient brightness was soon clouded again, and no permanent benefit followed; but often disturbed slumbers,
with nocturnal spasms and undefined terrors in dreams,
proved that all was wrong. No medical man informed me
that I was pursuing a wrong course; but the same wise
and good friend, to whom I have been already so much indebted, Mr. Daniel Wadsworth, convinced me, after much
effort, that my best chance for recovery was to abandon all
stimulants and adopt a very simple diet, and in such quantities, however moderate, as the stomach might be able to
digest and assimilate. I took my resolution in 1823, in the
lowest depression of health. I abandoned wine and every
other stimulant, including, for the time, even coffee and tea.
Tobacco had always been my abhorrence; and opium, except medically, when wounded, I had never used. With
constant exercise abroad, I adopted a diet of boiled rice,
bread and milk,- the milk usually boiled and diluted
with water, —plain animal muscle in small quantity,
varied by fowl and fish, avoiding rich gravies and pastry,
and occasionally using soups and various farinaceous preparations. I persevered a year in this strict regimen, and
after a few weeks my unpleasant symptoms abated, my
strength gradually increased, and health, imperceptibly in
its daily progress, but manifest in its results, stole upon
me unawares. While this course of regimen was in progress, I met at Mr. Wadsworth's the late Mr. William Wat



PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANTS: LOSS OF HEALTH.  313
son, who, as an invalid, had pursued a similar course, and,
although consumptive, had recovered comfortable health.
He gave me - then begcinning to recover strength - the
fullest assurance that, as I had no organic disease, I should
fully recover, provided I persevered; and that in his opinion I should by-and-by be able to ride all night in the
stage, and to perform all the labors to which I had been
accustomed in former years. I was then at the meridian
of life, in my forty-fourth year; and in the almost thirty-six
years that have elapsed since, I have resumed no stimulus
which I then abandoned, except tea, and very rarely coffee.
Tea is a cordial to me; "it cheers but not inebriates."
Tea and water are my only constant drinks; milk I drink
occasionally. I have not the smallest desire for wine of
any kind, nor spirit, nor cider, nor beer; cold water is far
more grateful than any of the drinks which I have named
ever were. I never used them more than moderately, as
they were formerly used in the most sober famlilies. If
any person thinks that wine and brandy are useful to him,
he cannot, at this day, have any assurance that they are
not manufactured fronii whiskey, with many additions, and
some of themn noxious. Very little port wine has seen
Portugal, or madeira wine Madeira, or champagne wine
France; and if we would have pure wines, and avoid imposition, they must be manufactured at home from grapes
or other fruits; and sugar and age are all that are needed
to make them very good.
I cannot dismiss this topic without adding that Mr.
Watson's predictions have been fulfilled. Some of my
most arduous labors have been performed since my recovery. I have not only been able, as Mr. Watson predicted,
to travel all night in the stage, but to travel extensively
both at home and abroad; to lecture to popular audiences
in many towns and cities, — some of them far away; to
write and publish books; to ascend the White Mountains
of New Hampshire in 1837; to explore copper mines in




314         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
the Blue Ridge of Virginia in 1856; twice to traverse the
Atlantic and portions of the Mediterranean; and to ascend
Mount Bolca, near Verona, Mount Vesuvius, and Mount
Etna, at seventy-two years of age, in 1851. I record these
facts, not with any feeling of vanity or pride, but with deep
gratitude to God; and I am influenced more than all by
the wish to warn my children, and my children's children,
to obey God's physical as well as moral laws, and so remember, if they would enjoy health and long life, that they
must not waste their physical powers upon extraneous indulgences, but must be satisfied with nutritious food, water,
or watery fluids and milk for drink, regular and sufficient
sleep, and a due regulation of all propensities, physical,
moral, and intellectual.  With a good conscience and a
faithful discharge of duty, which will naturally result from
the course which I have sketched, they will pass on agreeably and usefully through life, and may expect, under the
influence of religious principles and the hopes which they
inspire, to meet death without dismay.
Resignation of MAr. Andrews. - I have kept Mr. Andrews in view so long, because his services were of the
utmost importance to me during three to four years of
feeble or fluctuating health, - from 1821 to 1824. During
this anxious crisis, he sustained and served me with much
ability, and with the zeal of an affectionate son. Without
such aid I could hardly have retained my place in the
College. He remained with me until my health was restored; and he has been ever since held by me and my
family in grateful remembrance. His chosen profession
was the law, in the study of which he had been more or
less engaged during his residence with me. In 1825 he
resigned his place as assistant in my department, and, soon
after, he established himself in Cleveland, Ohio, in his profession, having married Miss Ursula Allen, daughter of
the late Hon. John Allen of Litchfield, an eminent law



PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANTS.           315
yer, and a member of Congress from Connecticut,- an
estimable lady, still surviving, with a happy family of four
daughters and a son. Mr. Andrews has taken a high
stand in his profession, both at the bar and as a judge.
He served in one Congress; but, not being pleased with
life ill Washington and with life in Congress, he returned
to his profession in Cleveland. He is a learned and eloquent advocate, a man of great integrity and purity of
character, ardent and earnest in support of a good cause,
and not disposed to engage in one that is bad. His high
position and success in life have gratified me very much,
as I cherish towards him a paternal regard. The children
of Mr. Andrews are among our cherished and personal
friends.
Benjamin Dollglass Silliman was the successor of S. J.
Andrews. Mr. Silliman was graduated in Yale College in
1824. As the designated successor of Mr. Andrews, he
was more or less associated with him in the laboratory in
the last year of his College life, in order to become gradually initiated into the duties of the department. He also
aided Mr. Andrews in writing for me by dictation, or by
copying; and these gentlemen being persons of genial
temper and temperament, and congenial withal, they brightened the laboratory by their wit and good humor. Mr.
Silliman, being the oldest son of my brother, Gold S. Silliman, I may be presumed to have been partial to him;
but I would not, on that account, fail to do him justice,
although he will, in this narrative, fill a much smaller space
than that allotted to Mr. Andrews. This is not merely
because he remained with me only one year, — for that
brief period was sufficient to develop the interesting and
valuable traits of his character, - but to delineate him as
he was, it would be necessary very nearly to repeat the
account of Mr. Andrews, for mutato nomine de illo, ]istoria
non fabula narratur. He was equally kind, equally de



316          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
voted, and equally quick and skilfilul with his pen, - quick
also in apprehension, and judicious and prompt in execution. The affairs of his father and family, and his own
interests, took him  from  me within one year after Mr.
Andrews left me; but I have long had the pleasure of
seeing him in the first rank at the New York Bar, and
beloved and admired for his winning manners, his talents,
and generous and noble social qualities...... Mr.
Silliman has, very wisely, avoided being drawn into the
turbulent maelstrom of politics, from which very few escape unharmed. He has pursued quietly his professional
course, with the exception of being once a member of
the Legislature at Albany; and, like his early fiiend,
Mr. Andrews, avoiding political life, he has acquired both.
honor and emolument in his professional course. He
very reluctantly yielded, a few years since, to the urgent
solicitations of his fellow-citizens in the district in which
he resided, to be nominated for an election to Congress,
and I took occasion to congratulate him upon his defeat,
as, had he succeeded, it would have been a serious injury to his professional business; for in Congress it is
rare that any one saves much money, or gains in reputation.
Dr. Burr Noyes was also of my family, his father being
my eldest half brother. He was of the same graduating
class with Mr. B. D. Silliman, and had been engaged in the
study of medicine, at or near his native home, Norfield and
Saugatuck in Fairfield County. He was intelligent, faithful, and studious; and as chemistry had a favorable bearing
on his professional studies, I offered him the place of assistant, when Mr. Silliman resigned.  lie retained it only
long enough to make me regret losing him so soon. IIe
passed but one winter with me, and he would have become
a still more usefill assistant, had his experience been equal
to his fidelity. In the spring of 1826, after the chemical
lectures were ended, he received temporary overtures for




PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANTS.           317
settlement as a physician at Chester, a parish of Saybrook
in Connecticut. I could not refuse to release him, especially
as the happiness of another was deeply involved in his success. He so early proved himself an able practitioner that
he did not long delay to introduce a lovely partner into his
house, but death removed her within a few weeks,- a very
noble woman, who left him broken-hearted. A sudden
hemorrhage from his lungs, induced by the attempt to hold
in a hard-nmouthed, running horse, ended in a rapid consumption, and he was laid in an early grave. He died
July 2, 1830.
Charles Upham Shepard. - This gentleman had been for
a year residing in New Haven as a student of natural
science. He had brought with him a reputation For the
love of science, especially of mineralogy and chemistry, and
he had given lectures to some of the schools in Boston.
His manners were amiable and gentlemanly, and his moral
character pure. Ile was not an alumnus of Yale College,
but of Amherst. Dr. Noyes had been acquainted with him,
and as he mentioned Mr. Shepard's name as a successor to
himself, I offered hinm the place and it was accepted. Mr.
Shepard was already a proficient in mineralogy, and his
services were at this time particularly acceptable in that
department, as I was now to resume the lectures in the
Cabinet, which had been suspended or imperfectly given of
late. He was also, to a considerable extent, acquainted
with geology, and was advancing in both of these departments. He had formed habits of travelling to observe
localities of minerals, fossils, &c., and his views were directed
to science as the business of life.
Mr. Shepard retained the office until 1831, -five years;
he discharged the duties of his station with zeal, fidelity,
and ability. His taste was eminently scientific; he loved
science for its own sake, and found his happiness in its
pursuits; of course, his society was congenial and we pro



318         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
ceeded in our mutual duties with entire harmony. His
manners were habitually polite and respectful, and his
temper so amiable, that during our whole intercourse there
was never a moment of irritation, still less of alienation.
Professor Oliver Payson Hubbard was an alumnus of
Yale College, of the Class of 1828. He came from Hamilton College at Clinton, N. Y.; and although he joined the
Junior Class in Yale, not having the advantage of the
instruction of the previous years in that institution, he took
a high rank among his classmates, and was greatly respected
for his intelligence, his virtues, and attainments. He had
the warm recommendation of Professor Olmnsted, and was
agreeably remembered by me as an attentive hearer of
the lectures, and as indicating by his inquiries both intelligence, curiosity, and habits of observation.
Mr. Hubbard remained with me five years, and his services were very important. His intelligence and gentlemanly bearing made him very acceptable to the strangers
who very often called upon us. He was also highly acceptable to the students, whom he treated with affability and
kindness. His punctuality, his exactness in affairs, and
perfect integrity, made him entirely reliable, while his
knowledge of science in all the branches that belonged to
the department qualified him to render efficient assistance.
Professor Silliman proceeds to speak in warm
terms of the eminent ability manifested by Mr.
Dana, who succeeded to the post vacated by Mr.
Hubbard.  " Mr. Dana's works," he remarks, " are
of the highest authority, and place him among the
first scientific men of the age." He also dwells
with tender feeling upon the long-continued assistance rendered him by his son, Mr. Benjamin
Silliman, Jr., and his earnest and successful devotion to scientific pursuits. Honorable mention is




HIS WORK ON CHEMISTRY.             319
made of his last regular assistant, Mr. Mason C.
Weld, one of the present editors of" The American
Agriculturist."   Among the gentlemen who were
more or less associated with him as occasional assistants are Mr. William Blake, Prof. T. Sterry Hunt,
Prof. Charles H. Porter, Prof. John P. Norton, Prof.
George J. Brush, and Prof. William  H. Brewer,
names since distinguished in the annals of American
science.
In 1830, Professor Silliman published, in two volumes, his " Elements of Chemistry." This extended
work was mainly written in a little room connected
with his laboratory, to which he retired after taking
his tea, laboring at his task sometimes until near
midnight.  He says of the work:In the preface to the first volume, I find the following
statement of my embarrassments. "If it does not excuse,
it may account for, some inadvertencies, when it is known
that an arduous and responsible work was written and
printed under the unremitting pressure of absorbing and
often conflicting duties. Life is flying fast away, while in
the hope of discharging more perfectly our duties to our
fellow-men, we wait in vain for continued seasons of leisure
and repose, in which we may refresh and brighten our faculties and perfect our knowledge. But after we are once
engaged in the full career of duty, such seasons never
come. Our powers and our time are placed in incessant
requisition, there is no discharge in our warfare, and we
must fight our battles, not in the circumstances and position
we would have chosen, but in those that are forced upon
us by imperious necessity."..... Its reception by candid
men was quite favorable. I received many expressions of
approbation; and teachers of chemistry regarded it as a




320          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
magazine of valuable facts, disposed in an orderly and
practicable way, so that they could avail themselves of its
affluence in materials. The work also contains exact and
ample directions for the successful performance of experiments, especially of those which are attended with difficulty
or danger. I had been a zealous and active experimenter,
and rarely met with a failure. I recorded in my work the
results of twenty-five years of experience, and my contributions to practical chemistry were regarded as generous
and vallable. I had the satisfaction to find that processes,
which I had regarded as my own, were, in various instances,
similar to, or identical with, those which Professor Faraday
had published in his very valuable work on chemical manipulations, which I had not then seen.
Considering the size of the work it went off with reasonable rapidity, and could I have found time to revise and
cast it anew with corrections and improvements, and with
more condensation, its vitality might have been continued.
If I had found such a work as I had myself written, I
should never have undertaken a duty which proved to be
extremely laborious, and with the result of which I was dissatisfied, because I had overshot my mark, and therefore,
as a manual for those who attended on my lectures, I could
not but regard it as a failure. In a more elevated view it
was no failure. It was a very valuable work for professors
and teachers in colleges who, I have been assured, held it
in high estimation. Everything considered, however, I was
not well satisfied, and I have never ceased to regret that
I committed myself, as I did, by commencing the publication while I was lecturing, and with the vain hope that I
could write and print even a brief work so rapidly that I
could keep pace with my own doings in the lecture-room.
With the foregoing chapter may be connected
some letters of a miscellaneous character, a portion




CORRESPONDENCE.               321
of which relate to the topics of the preceding narrative.
The first of them have a melancholy interest, as
emanating from Professor A. M. Fisher, just prior to
his departure on board the ill-fated Albion.
FROM PROFESSOR A. M. FISHER.
WALL-STREET HOUSE, March 28, 1822.
MY DEAR SR, - I have just time to inform you, before
the departure of the boat, that I have concluded to take
my passage in the Albion, which starts for Liverpool on
Monday next, at ten A. M. I previously went, in company
with Mr. Doolittle, on board of two Danish vessels bound
to Havre; but have concluded not to take passage in either
of them, for three very good reasons: 1st. They will neither
of them sail under two or three weeks. 2d. They have
very wretched accommodations. 3d. They positively refuse
taking any passengers. The Albion has most excellent
accommodations. I have arranged everything to my satisfaction with the captain, and have my passage (all
liquors included except wines) for thirty guineas. It is
now probable that I shall make the former half of my residence abroad in - England, and the latter in France....
FROM PROFESSOR A. M. FISHER.
NEW YORK, March 31, 1822.
MY DEAR SIR, — I have just received your bulky packet
of letters, and need not tell you under what obligations 1
feel to you for furnishing so many more than I had any
claim on you for, or than I anticipated. The few words of
advice at the close of your letter are very comprehensive,
and I shall endeavor to profit by them. I have picked up
a very considerable number of letters, which will be valuable to me, during my short stay here, and that with very
little solicitation. Mr. Griscom, alone, besides a great
VOL. I.      21




322         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
deal of useful information, will furnish me with eight or
ten. Dr. Mitchell is now very busy with his medical examination, but promises to send out a number of letters after
me for the Continent. I have seen a good deal of the Doctor, and am not sorry that I took your advice in regard to
making myself acquainted with him. I trust that I shall
hear from some of you every few weeks, and that you will
not wait till you hear from me before you begin to write...... I feel ashamed of sending you two such scrawls as
this and my last; but I have not been able to arrange matters so but that it has been absolutely necessary to dispatch
a half dozen letters since ten o'clock this evening; and I
shall be called up to-morrow at five. With the sincerest
wishes for the restoration of your health, and the welfare
of your family during my absence, I remain,
Dear sir,
Yours with high esteem and respect,
A. M. FISHER.
FROMf PROFESSOR A. M. FISHER.
NEW YORK, April 1, 1822.
MY DEAR SIR, - Since I despatched the letter for you
by the steamboat, it has occurred to me that perhaps Dr.
Morse would be willing to make me the bearer of a line to
Mr. Wilberforce...... Steamboat Nautilus, half-past
ten. -We are now going down the harbor to the Albion;
fair weather, and a west wind which promises to take us
out of sight of land before night. I will thank you to inform Mr. Twining, as I have no time to write him again,
that Mr. Catlin will write him and inform him what is the
current value of five-franc pieces; and to get word to Mr.
Orr, of Hartford, if you can do it without any trouble, of
the receipt of his last communication. This is my last
communication to my friends in New Haven. So I bid
you and them an affectionate adieu.
A. M. F.




CORRESPONDENCE.               323
This proved, in truth, the " last communication"
of its gifted author to his New Haven friends.
FROM MRS. L. H. SIGOURNEY.
HARTFORD, November 26, 1822...... MY principal object in writing at the present
time is to request your acceptance of the volume that accompanies this letter. You may possibly recollect that it
was on the eve of publication just before my marriage, —
and was delayed in conformity to the wishes of my husband. Since that period, he has been anxious that I should
devote my intervals of leisure to its improvement, and
after it had received considerable additions, became desirous that it should appear. I am conscious that it retains
many defects, and think it will not prove a popular work,
since the modern taste seems drawn more powerfully to
productions where the entertainments of fiction predomi.
nate. My principal anxiety respecting it, is to remain concealed, and to gain something from its sale for the religious
charities to which it is devoted. The secret of its publication and authorship are only known in this place to my
dear Mr. and Mrs. Wadsworth, beyond whom I hope it will
not go. I am happy to be permitted to give you and Mrs.
Silliman and your mother this mark of my confidence;
and with sincere wishes that the Almighty will send the
richest of His blessings upon your heads, both in this life
and the next, remain,
Yours, with
Esteem and affection,
L. H. SIGOURNEY.
A frequent correspondent of Mr. Silliman, was his
brother-in-law, Mr. Wadsworth, who expressed himself with force and decision on whatever subject he
wrote. The letter below discovers a strong impres



324         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
sion that a new style of preaching was coming into
vogue, though Dr. Beecher would hardly have accepted this representation of his views.
FROM MR. WADSWORTH.
HARTFORD, February 14, 1825........ THE influence which has so long prevailed at
New Haven on religious subjects, has extended to Hartford. Mr. Maffit seems to have been the original cause.
Mr. Beecher has been here nearly a fortnight, and preaches
almost every night to the most crowded audiences in one
or the other of our meeting-houses. I have never heard
him but once before, but now five times. He is certainly a
most uncommon man in his way. But I have not been so
much surprised at his power of stating in a clear manner,
without being tedious, his own views on religious subjects,
as at his entirely giving up, or sweeping away, in as unqualified a manner as its greatest opposers could wish, the doctrine of election. He placed it exactly in the light that you
and I have always viewed it. He also expressed his horror
at the idea that Christ died only for the elect; and declared
that it was blasphemy to suppose that God had called upon
us all to be saved (which he did) at the same time that he
had made it impossible for a certain number to accept
salvation, which he had offered to all, - and they could be
all saved if they would. On these two points, he was so
entirely the reverse of what I had always supposed him,
and so explicit, that I take it for granted he has, like many
other men, grown older, and consequently found out that
there are some parts of the administration of the Almighty
with which he is not as well acquainted as he would have
been had his infallibility been as certain as he once believed
it. Whether he may not at some other time absolutely
contradict the whole of this, I do not know. But he said
he made no metaphysical distinctions between will and can,




CORRESPONDENCE.               325
&c., &c., - and he seemed not to leave himself one knothole to creep out at on another occasion. He might as
well have knocked down some of the ministers near him
(as far as civility went) as to contradict them so to their
teeth about what they had so labored to establish.
To a request to contribute to the purchase of the
Cabinet, a cordial response was received
FROM HON. J. C. CALHOUN.
August 14, 1825.
MY DEAR SIR, — You do not mistake my feelings in
supposing that I take deep interest in the prosperity of
Yale College. Besides the feelings with which I regard
it as one of her sons, (I trust not less strong than they
ought to be,) I consider it one of the lights of the nation,
which under Providence, has mainly contributed to guide
this people in the path of political, moral, and religious
duties. I regret that my contribution must fall so much
short of my inclination. I had the misfortune last year to
lose by fire my cotton crop and gin-house, which for the
present has greatly limited my means. You will place me
among the subscribers, and affix one hundred dollars to my
name, which will be paid by the time mentioned in the
printed address. Should there be any difficulty in making
out the necessary sum to buy the collection, and thereby a
greater effort become necessary on the part of the friends
of Yale, I trust that you will not be backward in informing me, as I would, in that event, very cheerfully increase
my contribution. My best respects to Mr. Day and Mr.
Kingsley.
With sincere regard,
I am, &c., &c.,
J. C. CALHOUN.
B. SILLIMAN, Esq.




326         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
FROM MR. JARED SPARKS.
BOSTON, July 26, 1826.
DEAR SIR, — I fear I can suggest few hints that will be
of service to you on the subject you mention. My experience
in the business of periodicals, it is true, has been considerable, but you know experience is not always the handmaid
of wisdom or profit. In regard to the " North American
Review," nothing has been done from the beginning but to
let it take care of itself. For the first four or five years, it
languished, and its friends aimed at little more than to keep
its head above water, and to prevent the living principle
from becoming quite extinct. Since that time it has been
more successful, and still continues to receive an increased,
substantial support of the public. From the nature of this
work, it must of course be adapted to a greater number of
readers, in this country particularly, than are strictly scientific; yet it cannot be doubted that there are scientific
readers enough among us to afford a most liberal patronage
to such a work as the " American Journal." The character
of this latter is strictly national, and it is' the only vehicle
of communication in which an inquirer may be sure to find
what is most interesting in the wide range of topics, which
its design embraces. It has become, in short, not more
identified with the science than the literature of the country.
In regard to the means of promoting the circulation, I
would remark, in the first place, that I am convinced any
attempt at a forced subscription by sending out runners to
importune people, for this or any other work, will result in
more harm than good. There is no difficulty in procuring
any number of names in this way, but every name increases
the expenses. The greater part will fall off at the end of
one year, and many of the remainder will never pay anything. This system has been the ruin of many of our
periodicals, and came near destroying the "Edinburgh"
and " Quarterly" when first set up in this country.




CORRESPONDENCE.                327
There are two general classes of people who ought to
take the "American Journal of Science," first, - those who
are particularly interested in its subjects; and secondly,
gentlemen not particularly devoted to any branch of study,
but who seek for valuable and popular works to supply their
libraries. In addition to these, every public library in the
country should take a copy. A reasonable patronage from
these sources would give the " Journal" a wide circulation,
and afford it ample support, such as would remunerate the
editors, publisher, and writers. In my mind, there is but
one mode of effecting this with any tolerable chance of
success, and that is for you to send out a circular, directed
to certain individuals by name, stating the present condition
of the " Journal," the importance it has acquired at home
and abroad, the influence it is calculated to exercise on the
progress of physical science in the country, by bringing
together the acquisitions of men of talents, learning, and
ardor; also, the slender patronage it receives in proportion
to the expense and labor of the work; and such other
things as may occur to you. Let this circular be sent only
to such persons as you have good reason to suppose will
feel an interest in the subject, such as contributors to the
work, physicians of eminence, men of skill and practice in
the mechanical arts, and professors of the sciences in the
colleges. Nor should this be done through the publisher,
but as coming directly from you, and with your own name,
accompanied with such suggestions and arguments as you
think will have weight. Let every one be solicited to procure names within the circle of his acquaintance, and let
him be urged to this by motives of patriotism, a love of
science, and the desire of encouraging research and the
diffusion of important knowledge by affording suitable rewards. Whether such a plan would be successful I know
not, but I should think it worthy of a trial, and in every
way consistent with the character and dignity of your work.
Meantime, the publisher must be spurred up to do his part.




328         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
Among those whose appreciation of his labors
was grateful to Mr. Silliman, there were none whose
praise was more valued than that of the author of
the two letters which follow.
FROM HON. JOSIAH QUINCY (SENIOR.)
CAMBRIDGE, November 1, 1829.
DEAR SIR, - I had the pleasure some months since of
receiving a small volume, containing the outline of your
geological lectures, rendered doubly valuable from their
being transmitted to me by the author.  For next in
degree to the satisfaction of being laudatus a laudato viro,
is that of being remembered by him. I ought immediately
to have acknowledged my sense of your kindness. I have,
however, never thought it a compliment, and scarcely justice to an author, to return thanks for a work which one
has not yet read. It happened in this case, that your volume came. to hand while my mind was wholly occupied in
preparing for the duties of a new official relation, unexpectedly devolved upon me; and being myself, in this
respect, in a sort of "transition state," by every rule of
" chemical affinity," and " post-diluvial action," I thought it
my duty to admit nothing into the sphere of operation,
whether it were of " aggregation or crystallization," which
might disturb the desired result. So I fairly laid your work
upon the shelf, until "the activity" of the then "existing
chemical agents" had ceased, and the "crust" of things
here being duly " arranged," and my "transition" state
passed, I should have leisure to attend to matters - speaking with reference to my own then existing necessities -
of a "secondary formation."
That period having recently arrived, I have read your
work, and permit me to add, with unqualified pleasure. Indeed, the interest was so great and intense, that it absolutely excluded every other thought. I did not lay it down
until I had given it a complete perusal. The truth is, it is




CORRESPONDENCE.               329
a work of that general and comprehensive kind, I apprehend, extremely wanted on the subject concerning which it
treats; and it is admirably qualified to excite and direct the
attention to its object. Be assured, sir, I take great delight
in observing the regular and rapid extension of your fame
and usefulness, and particularly am I happy to find that the
public have given you so substantial and encouraging evidence of their sense of your merits by the recent enlarged
subscription to your "Journal of Science."  Wishing you
every success,
I am, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
JOSIAH QUINCY.
BENJAMIN SILLIMAN, LL. D.
FROM HON. JOSIAH QUINCY (SENIOR.)
CAMBRIDGE, March 10, 1831.
DEAR SIR, - I have received your kind favor of the 18th
ult., and your excellent work on chemistry of which your
letter was a precursor.  It will not be, I assure you,
among "the mutes" of my library. Its station is at present
on my parlor-table, where it is seen, examined, and approved by the many intelligent men, who are my occasional
or weekly visitants. When it takes its station in my library,
it will be often resorted to for reference or comparison,
and with the more interest from the deep personal respect
I entertain for its profound and laborious author. From
the cursory survey I have yet been alone able to give it, I
cannot question that the effort has been successful to the
extent of your hopes, and that it will be a most useful textbook, subserving powerfully the cause of instruction in the
branch to which it relates.
Present me respectfully to President Day and the learned
gentlemen in your vicinity to whom you may know I am
not unknown. It gives me great pleasure to find that Dr.
Webster is reaping late in life the harvest, at least of ap



330         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
probation if not of reward, for which he has been so faithfully laboring. His dictionary has certainly great merit.
In my own library it stands by the side of half a dozen
others. It never fails to be by me first consulted, and
almost ever with success. In a manner, it has in point of
fact superseded the use of all others. Again repeating my
thanks for your polite attention,
I am, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
JOSIAH QUINCY.
BENJAMIN SILLIMAN, Esq.
Professor Silliman had met Lafayette during the
progress of the latter through this country, and afterwards received from him several tokens of remembrance.
FROM LAFAYETTE.
PARIS, February 21, 1827.
MY DEAR SIR, - I am requested by Mr. Juillet, who has
been attached to the foreign department, to give him some
letters of introduction to the United States, where he is
making a literary tour, with a view, I suppose, to publish
his observations. The learned traveller cannot but find
everywhere grounds for admiration, but nowhere more
than in his acquaintance with the city of New Haven and
with Doctor Silliman. Happy I am, my dear sir, in this
opportunity, to be affectionately remembered to my friends,
and to tell you once more that I am, with all my heart,
Your grateful friend,
LAFAYETTE.
FROM LAFAYETTE.
PARIS, July 30, 1828.
MY DEAR SIR, — I am happy in every opportunity to
remember myself to you and to our friends at New Haven;
this instance is peculiarly gratifying. General Verveer, a




CORRESPONDENCE.               331
very distinguished gentleman, lately the Dutch Minister
at the Congress of Panama, now returning to that part of
the country, did me the honor of a visit with his amiable
daughter. I also called upon them, and both acquaintances
left me the regret of their sudden departure, as they are to
sail by the next packet. I found Miss Verveer a most
agreeable young lady, and what won my heart, a most decided Connecticut patriot, as she has been educated in New
Haven, and is returning to your so justly beloved city. I
would feel a great pleasure to think I may somewhat contribute to the welcome to which her accomplishments and
American feelings justly entitle her, and I thought the object would be in some measure attained by giving her the
pleasant charge of a letter to you. My dear sir, remember me affectionately to your family and friends, and accept
the affection and regards of
Your most sincere friend,
LAFAYETTE.
Professor Silliman, although opposed to the last
war with Great Britain, which he deemed to be unnecessary, felt a warm interest in the achievements
of our navy in that contest. The following letter is
from the commander of the Constitution, and relates
to the action which resulted in the capture of the
British ship Guerriere.
FROM COMMODORE ISAAC HULL.
NAVY YARD, CHARLESTOWN,
October 29, 1821.
DEAR SIR, — I some days since had the pleasure to
receive your letter of the 15th instant, but my time has
been so constantly taken up on duty since, that I could not
give you the information you asked for; nor can I now, in
writing, in a way that you would be likely to understand
it. I have therefore endeavored to show you the manner




DIAGRAM OF THE ACTION BETWEEN THE U. S. FRIGATE CONSTITUTION,
AND THIE BRITISH FRIGATE GUERRIERE.
Fig. 1. The Constitution, running before the
wind with all sail set,
sees the Guerriere on a
wind under her topsails,
standing to the southt      ward and westward.
/          Fig. 2.  Constitution
hauls to; shortens sail,,'        and prepares for action.
Fig. 3.  Constitution
begins to bear down upon the Guerriere, who
t"~, L!.                 / is laying with her main
topsail aback, and occasionally wearing, as in
the diagram. Guerriere
commences firing on the
Constitution at fig. 12,
being about two miles'
distant.
Figs. 4, 5, 6. Constitu/,                              tion still pressing down
upon the Guerriere and
receiving her fire as she
wears.
Fig. 7.  Constitution
alongside the Guerriere.
First opens her fire and
shoots away her mizzen
mnast.
Fig. 8.  Constitution'~~~~ ~           still alongside the Guerriere, andto windwardclose fighting.
Fig. 9.  Constitution
is endeavoring to lay her
aboard, on the larboardbow, shoots ahead and
crosses her bows; immediately after, her fore and
main masts fall by the
board.
"N 8^,                          Fig. 10. The Guerriere,;  "N.\   /.   "            under double reefs standN.                         ug 1ing on a wind to the
southward  and  westward.
/) rw ~~ an*   />                Fig. 11.  Commences
N                              d /,  \   \Nsfiring on the Constitu%%,,    Re3'I  \tion, then wears and lays
with her main topsail
aback.
Fig. 12.  Fires, and
zr'5             again wears (as  short
round as possible.)
Fig. 13. Bears up before
the wind, to make a running fight.
Fig. 14. Alongside the
Constitution. Loses her
mizzen-mast.
Fig. 15. Constitution attempts to lay her aboard
on the larboard bow, but
shoots ahead and crosses!1               her bows; immediately
after her main and fore;           masts fall.




CORRESPONDENCE.               333
in which the Constitution approached the Guerriere whilst
in chase, by giving you the track of each of the ships, by
which you will see that during the action they were before
the wind. Of course no advantage was lost by me in having taken the larboard side instead of the starboard, for, as
the wind was directly aft, one was as much the weather-side
as the other.
I am proud that my friends are pleased to consider that
I possessed humanity on that occasion; but I should regret
that they should for a moment suppose that any advantage
that might have offered would have been overlooked by
me, as, by doing so, the honor of the nation and my own
reputation would have been put at hazard.
For fear that you may not understand the manner in
which the ships approached each other, by the tracks acconmpanying this letter, I have requested my friend Captain
Macdonough to call and see you on the subject, and explain any part that you may have doubt about.
I do not wish any remarks I have made published, but
leave you to make such corrections as to you may appear
proper, after being assured that no advantage on my part
was given to the enemy. With very great respect and
sincere regard,
I am, Sir,
Your friend and obt. servant,
ISAAC HULL.
BENJ. SILLIMAN, Esq.,
New Haven.
Interesting political observations are found in the
subjoined letter
FROM JUDGE DESAUSSURE.
COLUMBIA, S. C., November 1, 1830...... I HOPE your fine Institution is in the most prosperous state. The cause of literature is a common cause;
and we must rely upon education as the foundation for the




334         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
permanency of our Republic and its liberal institutions. God
grant that we may have the wisdom to preserve them! There
is great and almost universal discontent in this State at
the imposition of enormous duties for protection, greatly
beyond the actual wants of the government for legitimate
purposes, - such as the payment of the debt, the civil list,
the army, navy, and other indispensable objects. It is believed that a tariff for protection is against the spirit of the
Constitution, and that it is oppressive, unequal, and unjust.
It is therefore very generally odious, and is weakening the
attachment of the South to the Union, though the value of
that is felt and appreciated, - for you may be assured that
all charges of a desire to separate from the Union are
fables of a distempered imagination. It may ultimately
come to that, because our people would prefer even that
deplorable measure to having a government of unlimited
powers. At present we are divided into nearly equal parts,
- not at all as to the evil, but as to the remedy, and to the
degree of forbearance. If the tariff of protection and vast
expenditures for internal improvements become the settled
policy of the government, beyond all hope of redress, the
separation of the Union will inevitably follow; which I
pray God I may not live to see......
Among the persons who had the misfortune to fall
under College discipline, but who did not lose their
respect and affection for Professor Silliman, was the
distinguished novelist, Mr. Cooper. In a long letter,
of which a part is here given, he adds to political
speculations on the state of Europe some recollections of Yale.
FROM MR. J. FENIMORE COOPER.
PARIS, June 10, 1831...... iNow France is guilty of the extreme folly of
attempting to imitate a system which is just found out to be




CORRESPONDENCE.                335
intolerable to those who have some relief for its abuses.
France has no countries subsidiary to her prosperity, and
the sentiment of the nation is opposed to aristocracy, and
yet such is the secret object of her present rulers. They
do not see that England has got on in spite of her aristocracy, and not by its means, and that when the true agents
of her wealth and power are beginning to fail her, that she
cannot bear the inflictions of that aristocracy, and is about
to get rid of it, too, along with other evils. But there is
something so seductive in the social distinctions and the
real superiority of the English gentlemen over their neighbors, that it proves too powerful for their patriotism. It is
fashionable to say that France is not good enough for free
institutions. Surely this involves a fallacy. Free institutions mean the responsibility of the rulers to the ruled;
and the worse the former are, the greater is the need of
this responsibility. We trust the word of an honorable
man; we look for bond and mortgage from a knave. If
men were virtuous, government would be unnecessary. A
strong police can exist in a republic; the strongest and
best in Europe is in Switzerland, - and that is all which is
required to suppress ordinary vice; and, as to public corruption, surely the more responsibility the better.
Again, there is no better training for public virtues than
publicity and freedom. You will ask me what I expect
from all this. It is my opinion things cannot stand as they
are. The press is virtually free in France, and five years
have made a great change in its tone. The government
has been guilty of the weakness of offering a premium to
all the revolutionists in Europe to overturn them, since
without France no other country can get on. I have little
respect for the king, though I think he is rather a weak
than a bad man. It is impossible to foretell what course
events will take in this inflammable nation, but the move-.ment cannot be stopped. There will be more or less freedom all over Europe fifty years hence, or even sooner.
Public opinion has already secured it in most countries,




336         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
despotic or not in name, and public opinion will exact
pledges for its continuance. At present all the efforts of
France are turned towards peace. If this were done with
a good motive, it would be respectable, though it were
weak. But the motive is a narrow selfishness. The powers that be know that a war, in the present state of Europe,
would inevitably throw the people uppermost; and this is
a result they are determined to avoid at any hazard. They
wish to be nobles, and in that vulgar reason you have what
just now forms the whole spring of English and French
policy - self, self, self.
I am sorry I can tell you nothing of the person you name.
I never saw him but on that occasion, and I think I was
told that he was a clerk in the office of the " Revue Encyclopedique." It is nothing unusual for men of very indifferent pretensions in Europe to make a figure in America.
Still, if he has imparted anything as from himself, you will
naturally estimate him by what he has done, rather than
by what he is. The journal to which he was then attached
is of no great reputation itself, nor do I know that there
is a single French literary journal of any reputation. Europe rates our men very differently from what they are
rated at home, and we rate theirs in the same way. If
we understood each other's terms better, we should not
make so many blunders. When I first reached Europe,
I was all wonder at the ignorance of this part of the
world concerning ourselves, and now that I have leisure
to look about me, I am all wonder at the ignorance of
America concerning Europe. I see by the returns that
your little city grows. I could wish you to mention me to
Mr. Day and Mr. Kingsley; I dare say I should say Dr.
Kingsley, but of this I am in the dark. I remember the
latter with affection. He did his duty, and more than his
duty by me; and could I have been reclaimed to study by
kindness, he would have done it. My misfortune was extreme youth. I was not sixteen when you expelled me. I
had been early and highly educated for a boy, - so much




CORRESPONDENCE.                337
so as to be far beyond most of my classmates in Latin; and
this enabled me to play - a boy of thirteen i - all the first
year.  I dare say Mr. Kingsley never suspected me of
knowing too much, but there can be no great danger now
in telling him the truth. So well was I grounded in the
Latin that I scarce ever looked at my Horace or Tully
until I was in his fearful presence; and if he recollects,
although he had a trick of trotting me about the pages in
order to get me mired, he may remember that I generally
came off pretty well. There is one of my college adventures which tickles me, even to this day. I never studied
but one regular lesson in Homer. The poor bell, or a cold,
or some letter had to answer for all the others. Well, when
the class reviewed, I clapped another fifty or sixty lines to
the old lesson, and went to recitation. The fact was notorious, - so notorious that the division used to laugh when
I was called up for a Homeric excuse. Examination came
at length, and Mr. Stuart, between whom and myself I cannot say there were any very strong sympathies, was examining. I had calculated my distance, and by aid of the
Latin translation, which I read as easily as English, I was
endeavoring to find out what Homer meant in a certain
paragraph that I anticipated would fall to my lot. I remember that I sweated.  The examiner was not disposed
to give me the benefit of my recent application, but skipped
me over the whole book. I found the new place amid a
general titter, and lo! it was in the very heart of my two
lessons. As we sailors say, there was plenty of sea-room,
and I had half a mind to ask the examiner to take his
pick. As it was, I got through admirably, and I believe
greatly to the astonishment of the examiner; and I know
it was highly to the amusement of my own tutor, whose
laughing eyes seemed to say, " This is what my boys can do
without study." If I ever write my Memoir, the college
part of it will not be the least amusing. On one occasion,
a tutor of the name of Fowler was scraped in the hall.
VOL. I.         22




338         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
Now I was charged with being one of his assailants, by himself, and was arraigned before you all in conclave. You
presided, and appealed to my honor to know whether I
scraped or not. I told you the truth that I did not, for I
disliked the manner of assailing a man en masse. You
believed me, for we understood each other, and I was dismissed without even a reproof. You told me you believed
me, and I was not a boy to deceive any one who had that
sort of confidence in me. This little court made a pleasant
impression on me which I remember to this day. I hope
to return next summer, and certainly I shall come and take
a look at old Yale. You cannot claim me in public, for the
reason that Dr. Busby wore his hat before King Charles;
but I hope you will not turn your backs on me in private.
I can sit in the gallery at least. Is Mr. Twining living?
I could wish to be recalled to the memory of both himn and
his wife. I trust I have not wearied you with my gossip.
If I can be of any use to you at Paris, where I shall pass
most of the present year, I beg you to command me.
With great respect and regard,
I remain, dear sir,
Yours faithfully,
J. FENIMORE COOPER.
DR. SILLIMAN, Yale College.
In looking over your letter I see I ought to have explained to you that no moment has Paris been in serious
danger of disturbance, except at that when the Ministers
were acquitted.  Lafayette then saved the king, and the
next week he was turned out of his office.  He can dethrone Louis Philippe evenr now, when he shall please, but
he acts on principle. The other affairs were mere riots of
no great moment, though they looked ominous on paper.
You are quite wrong in thinking France in danger of despotism.  Bonaparte himself could not now enslave this
nation, — rely on it. The new generation is too enlightened, and has too much the habit of liberty for that.




CHAPTER XIV.
LECTURES IN HARTFORD; IN  LOWELL; IN  BOSTON; IN
SALEM.
His Lectures outside of College. - Course of Geology in Hartford (1834). -
Lectures in Lowell: Daniel Webster and Jeremiah Smith.- Course on
Geology in Boston (1835). -Hospitable Treatment in Boston. - Party at
Dr. Warren's. - Governor Winthrop. - Party at Mr. Nathan Appleton's.
- Judge Davis. - Dinner at General William Sullivan's.- Judge Story.
- Dr. Gannett. - Interview with Mr. Abbott Lawrence. - Lectures in
Salem: Mr. S. C. Phillips: Dr. Prince: Mr. Silsbee: Judge White.
THIS chapter marks a new epoch in Mr. Silliman's
life.   Hitherto his lectures had been  addressed  to
students within the walls of College. He was now
to step forth upon a broader arena, and to become
the teacher of the people.* Popular lectures were
then comparatively a novel thing. Perhaps he, more
than any other person, was instrumental in bringing
this mode of instruction into vogue in the country.
He had some rare qualifications to act in this capacity.  He  had  been  for many  years  an  assiduous
student of the branches which he taught, and was
fully  possessed  of their principles and  facts.   He
knew how to produce brilliant effects by experiments,
which he so prepared that they almost never failed.
As a public speaker, he was dignified, animated, and
fluent.  At the same time his engaging manners in
private conciliated the favor of all classes, and espe* He had, however, previously (in 1831-32 and 1832-33) given courses
of lectures on chemistry and geology to the mechanics of New Haven, in
the Franklin Institute, an establishment which, under his encouragement,
was founded and supported by a liberal-minded man, himself a mechanic,
James Brewster, Esq.




340          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
cially attracted to his lectures the refined and cultivated. The numerous courses which he gave in all parts
of the land were almost uniformly successful. He
kindled wherever he went a lively interest in the
study of physical science. And he was everywhere
the object of warm personal esteem and admiration.
Especially was this true in Boston. In that city his
lectures were thronged by audiences of the highest
respectability.  Marks of personal regard in the form
of hospitality and social attention were showered
upon him. The six courses of lectures which he delivered in as many years in Boston formed, in his own
view, the brightest period in the history of his scientific labors. We quote from the " Reminiscences."
After April 1, 1834, a new era opened upon me. Public courses of lectures by me were called for in many
places, most of them out of Connecticut, and this call continued actively for twenty-three years,- from  1834 to
18;57,-nor is it quite ended yet, at the close of twenty-five
years. Those lectures were given while I was between
fifty-five and eighty years of age........  I was called
out in the maturity of my powers, experience, and reputation; and while I enjoy the satisfactory assurance that I
have popularized science, these efforts brought important
assistance to my family at a period when my children were
requiring aid in their settlement in life. I conceive that
in no period of my life have my efforts been more useful,
both to my country and my family; and as regards professional labors, there is no part of my career which I
reflect upon with more satisfaction.
The Course of geology in Hartford, in April and May,
1834, was the first that I delivered out of New Haven.
The overture came through the kind attention of Alfred
Smith and Daniel Wadsworth, Esqrs. Their letter, dated




LECTURES IN HARTFORD.             341
April 9, 1834, enclosed an official communication signed
by Daniel Wadsworth, (private citizen,) Thomas S. Williams, (member of Congress and Judge,) Thomas Day,
(Judge,) Joel Hawes, (minister of the First Church.) The
following passages are extracted: "After the interesting
lecture on geology, which you so kindly gave at Hartford
last winter, January 10, 1834, a lively interest was felt to
hear a full course from you on the same subject."  "Our
object in writing is to express the pleasure which we should
receive from hearing a course of lectures on geology, and
to ask whether you will be able and willing to attend here
for that purpose." There was enclosed a subscription of
two hundred dollars, with an assurance that it would in
all probability be largely increased. The actual result was
three hundred and fifty dollars.
This course was attended by from three to four hundred
persons from among the most intelligent and estimable
people of the place.  The lecture-room  of the Centre
Church, - that of Rev. Dr. Hawes, - was conceded to me
without charge, and I of course had a welcome home at
Mir. Daniel Wadsworth's. I had a considerable collection
of drawings, and had selected numerous specimens of minerals and fossils to illustrate my subject; they were stored
in a room in the wing of Mr. Wadsworth's house, and every
morning before breakfast, I devoted an hour in the lectureroom to meet those persons who wished to see the specimens more fully, and to hear additional explanations of
them. The number of individuals who attended this second meeting was not indeed large, but they were attentive
and interested. The number of lectures in a week was
two and three, and the audience manifested decided satisfaction, while by this first experience out of New IHaven,
I was encouraged to listen to the next overture.  I received a warm vote of thanks from the gentlemen who
invited me to Hartford.




342         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
In the autumn of the same year, he accepted an
invitation to give a course of lectures in Lowell.
Among his auditors at one of these lectures was
Daniel Webster.
I ought not to omit that the Hon. Daniel Webster, then
in the very height of his power and fame, attended one of
my lectures on geology. The subject was diluvial action
and the deluge. As he lodged at our hotel I had an interview with him after the lecture. He entered into the
subject with zeal, and discoursed upon it with energy and
eloquence, showing that his great mind had not overlooked
this subject; and many years afterwards our conversation
was renewed.
The Hon. Jeremiah Smith, colleague with the Hon.
Daniel Webster and Jeremiah Mason, in the famous cause
of Dartmouth College and the State of New Hampshire,
came to Lowell and delivered a lecture on the moral principles and character of Washington. It was a beautiful
production, and to a gentleman who asked my opinion of it,
I replied that it went right to my heart. Mr. Smith has
much vivacity, and when my remark was reported to him,
he replied that it could not go to a better place. It was
one of those gay sallies which such men make without inquiring into their truth.
Boston Course on Geology, March and April, 1835. - So
long ago as when the Hon. Josiah Quincy was President
of the Boston Atheneum, I received, through him, an invitation from the truistees of that institution to deliver in
their hall, for the public, a course of lectures on any subject
which I might choose. The proposition interested me deeply
as an unexpected honor. Being much inclined to accept
it, I consulted my colleagues, and they unanimously encouraged me to make the attempt. My course of instruction in Yale College at that time filled the entire season of




LECTURES IN BOSTON.               343
public lectures in the cities, and I was therefore constrained
to decline.
Several years elapsed before the subject of lectures in
Boston was again presented to me, but from a different
source. Mr. William J. Loring, a lawyer in Boston, addressed me on behalf of a Boston society for the promotion of knowledge, desiring me to give a course of lectures in their city. I accepted the invitation, thinking that
it presented a fair opportunity of introduction to the Athens
of New England; I demanded nothing more than an honorable endorsement from the Society. Waiving all pecuniary stipulations, I agreed to take my chance, and to
depend solely upon my own efforts for a favorable verdict
and a competent remuneration.
He gives an account of his stay in Boston on this
occasion, partly availing himself of brief memoranda
written at the time. A portion of this account is
presented below: --
Monday, March 2, (1835). — Dined with Mr. Edmund
Dwight and friends, and the next day with Mr. William
Lawrence, - a beautiful entertainment, and great hospitality. The morning of March 3d was passed with Robert*
in the Temple in arranging the specimens into groups, and
in preparing for the first lecture.
As I had never before appeared publicly in Boston as a
lecturer, I thought it both fair towards my audience, and
prudent as regards myself, to afford the citizens an opportunity to hear me before any of them should have been committed. After consultation with some friends, I decided
upon a lecture which I believed would be interesting, as I
felt assured it would be novel. As it was to be gratuitous,
it would also be an indication, by the attendance, whether
any interest was felt in the stranger now come among them.
I gave the lecture at the instance of the Natural History
* Robert Park, his faithful colored servant. - F.




344         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
Society, and was introduced to the audience by Mr. William J. Loring, the gentleman through whom I had received
the invitation to Boston. I dined once at Mr. Loring's,
who had a lovely wife,- a Thorndike. He died the next
year. A brother survives him, an eminent lawyer, with
whom  I also dined...... I entered the lecture-hall
through a private door leading from my study. A large
and brilliant audience was before me, - much larger than
any one that I had ever addressed. I was awed but not
abashed, and I entered upon the duty with good courage
and entire self-possession. The room was more than full,alleys and all, - the people filled the stairs, and were clustered around the door in crowds. My friend, Dr. Woodbridge Strong, told me that those who went away because
they could not gain admittance, were more than the actual
audience. They were differently estimated, by different
persons, from 1000 to 1400; perhaps 1200 m'night have
been nearer to the truth. Such an audience of intelligent
and attentive persons was sufficiently encouraging. The
subject of the lecture was Meteors. I spoke seventy minutes, - giving first an introductory view of luminous meteors, including lightning and shooting stars, - this being
merely introductory to the meteoric fire-balls. Then followed a historical sketch of the arrival in our atmosphere
of fire-balls, throwing down stones and iron, preceded and
accompanied by violent explosions and cannon-like reports.
The Weston Meteor of December 1807, was fully described,
and a summary of the facts was given from my own investigations at the places and among the people where the
event occurred. Specimens of the meteorites were then
exhibited; their external characters and mechanical and
chemical compositions, were explained. Theoretical views
were then presented.
At the conclusion of the lecture, Mr. William J. Loring
endorsed me, as being invited by the Society for Promloting
Useful Knowledge, and he announced the ensuing course of




LECTURES IN BOSTON.             345
geology; the first lecture in that course to be given on
the next evening, Mtarch 4. The lecture on the meteors,
having been designed merely to make myself known in
Boston as a lecturer, was not properly a part of the intended
course. It answered the object I had in view. The course
of geology that followed, was my first great success, both
as regards reputation and remuneration. The courses in
Hartford and Lowell had gained for me a high reputation
as a lecturer, and a moderate remuneration in money,- say
$500 for both, and with the addition of the Lowell gift,
about $600.
March 4, Wednesday.- After the evening lecture I went
with the Rev. Dr. Channing to Rev. Mr. Parkman's,- both
some years since deceased; Mr. Parkman by a mysterious
suicide, - to meet a literary and social club of sixty years'
standing, -a very agreeable interview.
March 5. -In the morning I was almost entirely at
home; received many calls; gave Robert liberty to go
and amuse himself; wrote to B. S., Jr. Dined with Mr.
Thomas Lamb (he and his lady and family are warm and
constant friends to this day, - 1859). At Mr. Lamb's, met
the Rev. Mr. Gannett,- a small and agreeable family circle. P. I. — Vrote to my English friend, Mr. 5Mantell, to
1M1r. Lyell, and others, to go by M/r. Henry Barnard. Did
not go out in the evening.
FMarch 6, Friday. - Ascertained at Mr. Wm. D. Ticknor's the state of payments for the lectures, - very satisfactory. Went to my private room in the Temple; wrote to
Robert Bakewell and 0. Rich, London, by Mr. Barnard,
and to Agassiz, Neufchatel; to Mrs. S., at home. Made
gases with Robert for the afternoon lecture.  Dined at
home; was at the Temple in the afternoon. Received a
very warm call and reiterated welcome in my Temple study,
from Mir. John Parker and son, persons of high consideration here. Mr. Parker, the father, said that no stranger in
such a character had ever had such a reception in Boston.




346         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
At Dr. Bigelow's in the evening, - a soiree. Present:
President Quincy, President Kirkland, Alexander Everett,
and many other eminent men, thirty to forty in number.
All stood in two rooms; a table of refreshments was
spread in one of them; came home at ten P. i. Miet
Dr. Wainwright, who says that the impression concerning
the lectures is favorable.
March 7. - Called on Willard the painter, who wished
to paint my portrait, and I am to sit for him on Monday,
March 9th. At home, looking over my notes. Called at
W. D. Ticknor's about the tickets; on Dr. Bowditch for
missing volumes of the Academy, - very kindly welcomed;
invited to tea. Dined at home.
"The first week of my very important and interesting
probation in Boston is now closed, and very happily. We
have been signally prospered in everything. Nothing has
failed, either in the lecture-room or in the city. The interest excited and the numbers in attendance are far beyond
my expectation. I suppose that in both the courses there
are twelve hundred persons. Surely goodness and mercy
have followed me hitherto, and I will humbly and audibly
acknowledge them in my chamber, and privately in my
thoughts in the house of the Lord."
MIarch 8th, Sabbath.- A storm of snow and rain; and a
cold I had taken kept me at home in the morning. Read
Dick's "' Philosophy of Religion." P. M., attended in the
Stone Chapel, - it was the King's Chapel before the Revolution; sermon by Mr. Greenwood, Unitarian, on the Temptation of our Saviour. After coffee at Dr. WTainwright's,
went with him to the Boylston Hall to hear the Oratorio
of the Handel and Haydn Society.
March 9th, Monday. — I sat one hour for Willard the
artist, and wrote business letters. I dined with Dr. Jackson in his family, one son and four daughters, and two
gentlemen friends, The sitting was rendered agreeable by
rational and animated conversation. Tea at Mr. Edmund




LECTURES IN BOSTON.              347
Dwight's in the family, and at Professor Ticknor's. Showed
the meteoric stones, and stated the case of the "American
Journal." Professor Ticknor says, that I speak loud enough,
but drop my voice near the end of a sentence and some
words are lost. I attended a great Government party at
Lieut.- Governor Armstrong's, - hundreds of gentlemen
without one lady. At nine o'clock, I retired to read and
write at home. Governor Armstrong, formerly a bookseller,
is a man of noble person and mien, and courteous manners.
I am well, and all goes well — charmingly indeed, - cordiality and interest and numbers far beyond my expectations. Robert  is well and does exceedingly well; he is
much admired in his station, and is regarded by the audience as a sub-professor!.
March 11th, Wednesday Evening. - Room very full, seats
all filled. I should think there were from eight hundred
to nine hundred people, - the day-course notwithstanding.
Great interest was manifested by the most profound attention, and I am assured that there was great satisfaction.
In a letter of March 13, 1835, to 1Mrs. Silliman, I say:
"Many people have been denied evening tickets, the
seats being entirely occupied; and we are not willing to
admit a crowd to annoy each other in the alleys and spaces.
In consequence the day-course grows, but I cannot tell to
what extent." " In addition to the remittance of $1022.50,
already made to you, there is enough more paid in to make
$2000; the expenses will be, all told, about $500, and $1500
will remain as my reward. Besides the money, my success
here is really a triumph. The audience is not surpassed
in numbers and intelligence by the assemblies at the Royal
Institution in London. The interest is already intense,
and the moral influence is said to be of the happiest kind.
Clergymen, both Unitarian and Orthodox, thank me warmly
for the manner in which they say that delicate points are
treated. They tell me that the success of the lectures is
* His colored servant. - F.




348         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
without a precedent, even in the case of Dr. Spurzheim, as
to the numbers attending and the interest excited."....
March 12, Thursday Evening. - I did not think that I
spoke as well as on the preceding evening; and have noted
in my observations on this lecture that it is very important
to be cool and deliberate. I had supposed that the subjects
of this lecture might be rather dry, but I was assured that
the audience manifested great interest and great satisfaction, while they gave profound attention and behaved with
perfect decorum. The room was entirely filled, and all the
seats occupied by apparently eight hundred or nine hundred persons. A few stood, and many were excluded at
the door for want of room.
)Day Lectures. - Friday and Saturday. - The two preceding lectures were repeated on the afternoons of Friday
the 13th, and Saturday the 14th, to audiences from four
hundred to five'hundred persons. I began to feel and act
naturally, and thought that I improved in speaking, and it
became more easy. The audience on Saturday afternoon
was larger than ever before, - nearly or quite five hundred.
The audience was very attentive, and appeared to be deeply
interested. In my notes I remark: "Everything goes well;
it must be my endeavor to sustain the interest, and this will
be done by effectual preparation; but my time (the people
are so cordial and kind) is much cut up by calls and engagements,- sometimes fifty or sixty cards on the frame
of the mirror, all reminding me of attentions to be returned.....
March 13. - After tea at home, went to MIrs. Lamb's
party; and then to Dr. Warren's soiree at 81 o'clock, - a
large number of gentlemen without ladies. Dr. Warren's is
a splendid house. He showed us the Psalm-Book that was
in the pocket of his uncle, General Joseph Warren, when
he was slain at Bunker's Hill, June 17, 1775. It was taken
out of his pocket by an English soldier, who carried it to
England, where it was purchased by an English clergyman,




LECTURES IN BOSTON.              349
Dr. Wilton, who gave it to Dr. Gordon, the English historian oJ the Revolution, and he, I believe, sent it out to the
family. It was of the Geneva edition of 1500 and some
years, - a very small volume, and in very good order, containing the Psalms of David....
Saturday, March 14. - I called on the venerable Governor
Winthrop.  Arranged for the afternoon lecture at the
Temple, and dined at home. Then to Dr. Bowditch to tea.
VWe sat down at table in Connecticut style, - a rational and
profitable evening; a charming family, and Dr. Bowditch a
delightfull man. The translator and annotator of the " Mechanique Celeste" is at his fireside a bright and cheerful
man, with buoyant spirits and the kindest manners.....
March 15, Sabbath. - At Dr. Lothrop's - formerly Dr.
Buckminster's and Dr. Kirkland's - church. In the morning, sermon on Hope, - a discourse very well written and
well spoken. Dr. Lothrop ranks as a Unitarian; - is much
esteemed. Mr. Abbott Lawrence attends here. Afternoon
at Dr. Wainwright's church, - Episcopal. A very good
sermon. Evening, - tea at Mr. William Lawrence's; supper at Profess9r Ticknor's......
March 16, Monday. - Forenoon at the Temple. Packing
things that have been exhibited and are not wanted here
again. Arranging for the next lecture. Calls from Hon.
Edward Everett and Warren Dutton, Esq. and Hon. Samuel
Hubbard, - the two latter distinguished sons of Yale; Mr.
Everett, the pride of Harvard. Dinner at three, at Mr.
Charles G. Loring's, -eminent at the bar. Mrs. Loring
was Miss Brace of Litchfield, Connecticut......
March 16, 17, Monday and Tuesday. —At Mr. Loring's
table met General William Sullivan, - a handsome man, of
fine presence, of very polished manners, and very entertaining. He is the author of the " Familiar Letters " describing the manners of the Court of General Washington,
and of the American gentry of that day. I remember him
at a c B K  anniversary dinner at Cambridge, when he




350         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
gave, as a volunteer toast: " Woman, man's social and intellectual companion." The sentiment did him honor, and
was received with enthusiasm. At the dinner at Mr. Loring's, he remarked that the men of the American Revolution have been overrated. I suppose he thought as to
talent, and that veneration for the cause gave them in the
minds of the people an exalted rank. General Sullivan,
sipping with moderation his glass of wine, said he did not
know what wine was good for, except to set " a fellow's
tongue a-running," - meaning that it was a promoter of
sociability. Many years after, being at the public dinner
in Cambridge given in honor of the inauguration of President Everett, water and lemonade were served without
wine, and I did not perceive any want of wit and vivacity,
comparing the occasion with similar ones at Cambridge
when wine was freely used......
March 17.- From the pressure of the subjects, I became a little hurried towards the close of the lecture. The
presence of a great audience, too, and the heat of the room,
contributed to a degree of discomfort, and near the close
of the evening a lady fainted quite away, which created a
little confusion; but the interest excited appeared to be intense; and as this was only the fourth geological lecture, I
hoped that with God's blessing it would be sustained and
increased to the end......
Thursday. — I dined with S3r. Peter C. Brooks, fatherin-law of Mr. Edward Everett. At his table I met Mr.
Edward Everett, Warren Dutton, Esq., Mr. Isaac P.
Davis, who said that in 1817 I had shown him civilities at
New Haven, - forgotten by me; but I did not tell him so.
Also Rev. Dr. Wainwright and Rev. 3Mr. Frothingham.
I retired in season to prepare for the lecture. A violent
snow-storm in the morning, but rain and melting before
noon. The walking at evening being still wet, the audience was not quite so full as the evening before; but the
seats were all occupied, and everything went well....




LECTURES IN BOSTON.             351
After lecture, I attended a splendid party at Mr. Nathan
Appleton's. The drawing-rooms were magnificent, with
princely furniture and appendages. The Scotch lady, Mrs.
Inglis, with her daughter, was there. One of the daughters
was taken sick at the Tontine in New Haven, and we, being informed of it by Dr. Lieber, bestowed some attention
upon them, for which they were very grateful.* They conduct a female academy in Boston.
March 20, Friday. - Made many calls in the morning,
arranged for the next lecture at the Temple, and dined at
home. At three quarters after six o'clock P. M., I went with
Mr. Josiah Quincy, Jr., and a gentleman of the name of
Loring, to Cambridge, in a close carriage. The meeting
at President Quincy's was that of a regular Friday Evening Club, instituted during the last year. Most of the
College gentlemen were present, and many others. I was
treated with great kindness and attention. Mrs. and Miss
Quincy appeared before the meeting was over, and I had
a brief but pleasant interview with them. We returned to
Boston in the same carriage that brought us over. President Quincy and lady hold Oliver Wolcott, Esq., of Connecticut, in high admiration. They knew him when in the
Government of the United States at Philadelphia. Mr.
Josiah Quincy, Jr., kindly took me to Cambridge, and
attended me in the same way back to Boston......
March 22. - In the evening I had not indeed quite
recovered my full physical energy, but I believe that my
audience gained by it, for I was more calm and deliberate
in my manner; and this lecture, chiefly on the early organic remains, appeared to rne to excite more attention
than any preceding one. I took tea at Judge Davis's. At
his family table (I believe a sister presides, as he is a
widower) everything was rational and agreeable.  He is a
very estimable and respectable man, cordial in a high degree, and full of the love of science and of good learning.
* One of these ladies married Don Calderon de La Barca. - F.




302         LTFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
IIis manners are gentle, modest, and winning. Among
many good friends in Boston, I have not one more devoted
than Judge Davis. He holds, by Washington's appointment, the high office of District Judge of the United
States for Boston and the District of Massachusetts.
Mfarch 22. — Colonel Pickman of Salem, Speaker of the
present House of Representatives, fell dead this morning
in an apoplectic fit. His residence was under our roof, in
another tenement in the same block of buildings.' "In
the midst of life we are in death;" let us be always ready,
and then we need not fear the summons. While I remain
in this world, may God grant me both the ability and the
disposition to do good, and perfect willingness to go whenever, and in whatever manner, He may call me! May God
bless my dearest wife and my lovely and beloved children,
and their children also! May we be all saved by the
great and glorious redemption, by a second creation unto
righteousness!  In the afternoon I attended the church
of the Rev. Mr. Winslow, where I heard an excellent sermon by a young man, a stranger. The evening was stormy,
and I remained at home.
Dinner at General William Sullivan's. - When General
Sullivan led me up to introduce me to his wife, he said: " I
present you to the best woman ill the world," and I sportively admitted her claim, making only a single reservation.
In this delightful family I met several eminent men, -
Judge Story, Rev. Dr. Wainwright, Mr. George B. Emerson, Professor Ticknor, Rev. Mr. Greenwood, Mr. Dexter,
and Professor Farrar.
Judge Story having extraordinary colloquial powers,
great resources for conversation, and a most agreeable
voice and manner, with a noble person and fine presence,
had been regarded as the monarch of table-talk. To-day
he seemed conscious that he might be regarded as too engrossing, and when he advanced to pay his respects to




LECTURES IN BOSTON.               353
Mrs. Sullivan, he said: " Now, madam, I am not going to
talk to-day." He took a seat, and kept his promise for a
few minutes, when the gushing torrent broke forth, and
flowed almost without cessation, very pleasing and instructive. There was, however, an interval, which Mr.
made use of to introduce an anecdote. He was, as he
said, one evening in company with Professor Parr at Oxford, when the conversation grew more and more interesting, and they passed the night in high converse on exalted
classical themes; " but," added Mr., addressing Judge
Story, " it was a dialogue, Judge, and not a monologue."
The Judge felt the application, and bowed with a smile. I
had been before somewhat acquainted with this eminent
man, having met him more than once in the New Haven
steamers, passing along upon his judicial journeys. In
the letter to Mrs. Silliman, which I quoted above, I find
the following remarks: -" Everything goes on most agreeably in the lectures; everything is said and done that can
gratify and encourage me; and I believe I have completely
won the confidence and gained the favor of my audience:
there is the most breathless attention at all the lectures."
"' All this, however, although it cheers, gratifies, and encourages me, so far from producing an emotion of vanity,
serves only to increase my sense of responsibility to my
generous audience and to Yale College, that I may not fail
to sustain its elevated character." Again: " I wish I could
tell you all that passes here; if it were in my power, I
would record every dinner and every party, and all that is
said and done; but, as this is impossible, you will be satisfied with selections. I must decline going to great evening routes, where I must stand for hours; dinners fatigue
me much less. I can sit and enjoy conversation without
indulging in wine and luxuries. I am habitually very careful that my health may not be deranged and the activity of
my mind impaired." Referring to personal religion in the
children, it is written in the same letter: "I hope our dear
VOL. I.          23




354         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
boy will put himself in the way of the good influence which
F     writes me is hopefully abroad in the College, and I
wish that the dear little girls may feel it too."
March 24. —Dinner at Dr. Shattuck's; met a very agreeable party of gentlemen; among them were Rev. Dr.
Charles Lowell, Mr. Bowditch, Jr., Rev. Mr. Adams, Dr.
Charles T. Jackson, and Mr. Washington Allston, the distinguished artist in painting. I saw Mr. Allston in New
Haven many years ago, then a bright young man with
black hair, now an old man with snowy locks. Dr. Lowell,
a moderate Unitarian, almost Orthodox, remarked to me
that theology was not always Christianity. Dr. Shattuck
said there were some ideas so established that we could not
go behind them to examine their origin, - e. g., a man's
paternity.
March 26. - Dined at Governor Winthrop's, a noble and
perfect gentleman of the old school, -his person grand,
being large and handsome, and his locks white, - manners dignified, but courteous and encouraging to strangers.
Guests: Edward Everett, Jared Sparks, Alden Bradford,
Judge James Savage, Mr. Williams from Northampton,
Judge Davis, Rev. Dr. Harris, and two sons of Governor
Winthrop. Thus this noble house is continued from the
pilgrim ancestors down to our time.  Dinner and entertainment excellent. I, rather early, retired with French
leave, and, as I afterwards thought, too abruptly, as I sat
on the Governor's right hand. I went home to rest, and
to prepare for the lecture of the evening, which went off
very well.  After lecture, although fatigued, I was prevailed upon, contrary to my resolution, to attend a large
and brilliant party at Mr. Abbott Lawrence's. Mrs. Lawrence kindly provided me a seat, and insisted that I should
occupy it. I made some efforts for the "Americlan Journal
of Science," and wrote a circular which was approved by
Dr. Ticknor and other judicious friends.
dlarch 29, Sabbath. - In the morning I went with Mrs.




LECTURES IN BOSTON.             355
John Tappan to the church of Mr. Adams, - in the afternoon to Dr. Channing's, but did not hear him. In the
evening, I heard his colleague, the Rev. Dr. Gannett, at
the Temple, where he gave an excellent Sabbath-school
address; the subject was the Temptation of Christ. His
thoughts were excellent, his manner fervent, and his style
eloquent. He reminded me of his venerable grandfather,
Rev. Dr. Stiles, President of Yale College. They say that
he is one of the most engaged and warm of the Unitarian
clergy; and if I may judge from this instance, he approaches very near to orthodoxy, nor could I discover anything in his very interesting discourse to which any reasonable Christian could object.
Monday, March 30.- Good news from home: seriousness prevails in College, and, I thank God, my dear boy is
a subject of it, and many more with him. May God carry
it through the Institution! Letters from Mrs. Silliman and
Professors Goodrich and Kingsley.
The arrangements for the lecture of this evening occupied a very snowy day and evening; but this did not hinder
ladies from coming to the lecture in the usual numbers. I
took tea at Mr. Louis Dwight's, the celebrated inspector of
prison discipline. I declined attending the lawyers' club
at Mr. Mason's. Invitations are numerous. I have just
written six notes of acceptance or refusal......
April 1st, Wednesday. - In the morning with Willard the
artist. As far as I can judge, he is succeeding well with the
second picture, which is spirited; the first was too mild, even
tame.  After arranging the preparations for the evening
lecture, I went with Robert in a gig to Cambridge, — the
weather being very fine, - and made calls on Dr. Palfrey,
Dr. Beck, Dr. Webster, President Quincy, and George
Gibbs, returning to town in time to call on Rev. Dr. Channing, and on Gen. William Sullivan, - he not at home, -
but with Dr. Channing and lady I had a very pleasant
interview. I have already mentioned that I had, in 1807




356         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
and 1808, a very agreeable acquaintance with Mrs. Channing in her native city of Newport, when she was Miss
Ruth Gibbs. I dined at Judge Prescott's, the distinguished
son of a distinguished man, the Revolutionary Col. Prescott, of Bunker-Hill memory. Mr. Loammi Baldwin, the
celebrated engineer, was of the party; also Dr. Bigelow,
late Rumford Professor of the Useful Arts at Cambridge;
Mr. Isaac P. Davis, always joyous and cordial; Judge James
Savage, the genealogist; the Rev. Dr. Kirkland, always
sparkling; Rev. Mr. Young, Unitarian; and MSr. Codman
and others. We had a very agreeable time, and I retired
early to review my lecture for the evening, when there was
a very full house. Although I spoke eighty minutes, the
audience was exceedingly attentive, and appeared deeply
interested in the history of the saurian and iguanodon age.
I spoke to-night more satisfactorily to myself than at any
other time since I have been in Boston. I was cool, selfpossessed, deliberate, and I believe easy and natural. This
manner I must endeavor to retain and improve. The partiality and special kindness with which I am treated gives
me confidence, and places me at ease.
April 2. - I dined with a small and agreeable party at
Mr. Dunn's, a merchant living in Mount Vernon Street.
Mr. Dunn has taken so much interest in the "Journal of
Science" as to purchase an entire set. At Mr. Dunn's I
was introduced to Rufus Choate, Esq., a young advocate
then beginning to figure at the Boston Bar, and giving
more than indications that he would reach the eminence
which he afterwards attained.  On this occasion he was
very silent and reserved, while the keen glance of his
brilliant and piercing black eye seemed to scan me as I
yielded to the efforts of the company to draw me out upon
professional subjects, which in mixed society I aim to avoid.
That chilling impression remained until an accidental interview at the Court Room in Boston, where I came as a witness in a case managed by Mr. Choate. He then cheered




LECTURES IN BOSTON.             357
me by the warming influence of his manners, so cordial,
courteous, and winning, that I could hardly believe him to
be the same gentleman whonl I had met twenty years before. The evening lecture was very fully attended. The
weather was very warnm, but people go an hour beforehand
in order to secure good seats, and appear very attentive
during lectures of seventy-five and eighty minutes. Not to
lose time while they are waiting, individuals often bring
their work, - knitting, sewing, reading, and proof-reading,
not to mention newspapers. After lecture I went for a little while to a party at Mr. Cary's, and was to have gone to
Mr. Abbott Lawrence's, but I was too much fatigued. Good
letters came this evening from my dear wife, from Prof.
Olmsted, and other friends. The interest in the course
appears unabated and indeed increasing, and on all sides
they assure me that I am doing a great deal of good. I
bless God for all the mercies that have attended me in this
anxious undertaking.  Everything has gone delightfully,
and the pecuniary result is very important to the interests
of my family..
Friday, April 3. - At Mr. Amos Lawrence's, by appointment, I met Rev. Mr. Taylor, the noble and warm-hearted
chaplain of the seamen. He, with much interest, is an
attendant upon the course; wished to hear me on the
relation of Geology to the Mosaic History. The family
and a circle of friends gathered around, eager listeners to
the statement of his difficulties by Mr. Taylor, and to my
efforts to remove them, in which I was generally successful; and when we were through, the honest and honorable man and fearless minister caught my hand, and said
warmly, "My dear friend, I am satisfied, — may you live
a thousand years."
Saturday, April 4. —At half-past. six I went to Mr.
Abbott Lawrence's in Somerset Street, to family tea, —
myself the only guest. All the Lawrences were my friends,
and Mr. and Mrs. Abbott Lawrence had shown a particular




358         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
interest in my labors. On the present occasion Mlr. Lawrence brought on a free, frank, and confidential conversation respecting the lectures. With warmth, he said that
no man before me had ever drawn together in Boston such
audiences, both for numbers and character; and that he
had heard animated expressions of delight and of surprise
at the wonderfill developments of geology, quite novel in
Boston. He added, "You must come again next winter,
and give us a course of chemistry." I replied that there
would be difficulties.
These difficulties Mr. Lawrence labored to remove, and strenuously urged Mlr. Silliman to return
to Boston.
April 10. -I took tea at Mr. Dutton's, who expressed
great satisfaction in the lectures. He was a college contemporary, and always a friend. My last call was at Professor
Ticknor's. I have already mentioned that at the concluding lecture I discussed the question of time, and the coincidence of the Mosaic History, and I concluded with a
moral and religious application to the young men. There
was a crowded audience who showed the most fixed attention and, I thought, satisfaction, - but I may have erred.
Dr. Channing heard the same subject, - Geology and the
Scriptures, — discussed in the day-course; but as he candidly told me, he was not well satisfied; he did not explain
in what particulars, but he added, - "We do not trouble
ourselves much about the Old Testament." I presume he
may have referred to its relation to questions of science,
for example, Astronomy, between which and the literal
reading there is an entire disagreement.
April 10.-I had received many manifestations of approbation of my labors during the whole progress of the
course, which had occupied six weeks. The narrative
which I have given proves, also, that proffers of hospitality




LECTURES IN BOSTON.             359
were more numerous than I could comfortably accept. I
concluded the courses, therefore, with a mind not elated
and vain, but soberly satisfied with what I had faithfully
and laboriously done for the people, and with what they
had done for me. But there was a concluding act which
touched my feelings, and the effect of which remains to this
day. When I had made my bow, and the crowded audience were beginning slowly to retire, a committee of ladies,
five or six in number, came upon the stage, and their leader
requested me to linger a moment. She then expressed for
herself and her companions, their satisfaction and grateful
estimation of my efforts for their instruction and entertainment, and on behalf of the ladies who had attended the
course, they earnestly requested that I would return the
next season and give them  a course of chemistry.  I
thanked them, of course, and engaged to take their request into respectful consideration, but did not allude to the
overture of Mr. Lawrence.  One of the ladies, the leader,
a matron, gave me a little book on Christian Union, on
a blank leaf of which was inscribed by her, - "I thank
my God upon every remembrance of you.".....
Saturday, April 11. —At six o'clock A. M., in company
with my faithful Robert, I left Boston for Providence. As
objections might be made to the admission of a colored man
into the passenger cars of the first class, and being unwilling to disturb the feelings of one who had served me so
well, and contributed materially to my success, I went with
him into one of the unoccupied cars of the second class.
I was the more willing to do this, as my mind having been
for many weeks under great tension and excitement, repose
and quiet were very grateful to me, and I gladly avoided
the necessity of conversing with strangers or of reviving
the accidental acquaintances which I had formed. I had
just concluded successfully an arduous and responsible
enterprise. I had been permitted to sustain the honor of
my College, and to justify the favorable opinion of my




360         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMIAN.
sponsors. Everything had been entirely prosperous; nothing of all my undertakings had failed, and I was not without a pensive religious impression, deeply seated in my
mind, that goodness and mercy had followed mle all the
time, and in our solitary car, it was pleasant to me to indulge in silent gratitude.
In May 1835, he was called to deliver a course of
geology in Salem.  Here he was received with the
same cordial hospitality. The next passage relates
to the introductory lecture.
Rev. Mr. Williams, Professor Park, of Amherst, Rev.
Mr. Worcester, and Ex-Senator Phillips, walked with me
to Crombie-Street Church, which was almost full when we
arrived, and soon was crowded. Mr. Phillips, in a very
handsome manner, introduced me to the audience, and I
addressed them during one and a half hours. I was assured on all hands that the lecture gave great satisfaction,
and such was the appearance of the audience. After the
lecture, ladies came up to the table to see the meteoric
stones and meteoric iron. The evening was warm, and the
effort of speaking so long to a crowded audience, was somewhat fatiguing...... Theodore D. Prince, at seventyfour years of age, was still performing his duties as a Unitarian clergyman, and had been established there between
forty and fifty years. He said to us that when, after his
probationary preaching was finished, and the question was
raised in the meeting of the society, whether, in New England phrase, they should give a call, that is, invite him to
become their minister, - at this moment a venerable man
rose in his place and said, " That he had but one objection to
the young gentleman; his health was so delicate that they
would probably be called to bury him within the first year."
"But," said Dr. Prince, " I have lived to bury every individual of the assembly that voted on that occasion." Dr.




LECTURES IN SALEMi.             361
Prince was a venerable man; he had a commanding person, and dressed in the costume of the gentlemen of the
old school,- with small clothes and stockings, and a white
wig. He made us at home among his instruments and
in his extensive library, so closely arranged in his apartments that we walked among the books through narrow
alleys.. Dr. Prince was distinguished by an extensive
knowledge of natural philosophy, and by great skill in
the construction and use of philosophical instruments.
He manifested much pleasure in showing us experiments
with his fine instruments. As a compliment to myself
as a geologist, I suppose, he showed us a mimic volcano, - an artificial Vesuvius, in fiery eruption, - in a
darkened room; an exhibition resembling that of Dr.
Bourg's cork models, which I witnessed in  London...... HIon. Mr. Silsbee and Hon. Leverett Saltonstall,
both eminent in Congress, were among those whom we
knew in Salem. MIr. Senator Silsbee, being intimately acquainted with maritime affairs, was always Chairman of the
Navy Board, and rendered important service in that arduous and responsible station. We experienced much kindness from the Silsbee families; and Miss Silsbee — now
Mrs. President Sparks - was one of the most intelligent
and interesting of my female auditors. Hon. Leverett
Saltonstall was absent at Washington, as a member of the
House of Representatives, until near the end of our course,
but he returned in season to enable us to form his acquaintance; and in 1839, he visited New Haven with his two
daughters, when we had the pleasure to show them particular civilities, and to conduct them to the old Saltonstall
House, by the lake of the same name, once the residence
of Governor Saltonstall, a distinguished member of their
family..... Among the eminent men in Salem who
honored us by their kindness and friendship, no one is entitled to stand before Judge White,-a person of distinguished literary attainments, a finished scholar, with a




362         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
beautiful refinement of thought and style, simplicity and
purity of language united with force, in manners a refined
gentleman, with a modest gentleness, creating assurance
and ease in the stranger, and inviting confidence in one
whom you would fain make your friend. He has a large
and select library, chiefly literary, for although he appreciates science, his taste has not led him so much in that
direction as into the fields of literature. He did me the
honor to attend my course of lectures, and after they were
finished, he in conversation reminded me of an. opinion
which I had early and strongly expressed in the lectureroom, namely, that after astronomy there was no branch
of natural science which possessed such grandeur as geology, and none which was sustained by so many and such
interesting facts. He was so candid as to add: "I could
not at the time admit the correctness of your opinion,
but now that I have heard the entire course, I am ready to
say that you have sustained your statement, and as I judge
I should give the case in your favor." I am happy to say
(November 28, 1859,) that this venerable gentleman, some
years over fourscore, is still living in the full possession of
his powers, intellectual and moral.
We returned to New Haven in the last week of May.
All our geological establishment was transported back to
Yale College, and was ready for use there in the regular
academic course. I had little respite from my foreign
labors, when I opened the College course of geology in the
first week in June. Much enthusiasm existed respecting
geology, and there was a great pressure from without to
attend on the lectures. Ladies attended in crowds, and the
students were induced from politeness to relinquish their
seats, greatly to their inconvenience. I was, therefore, induced by request to give a distinct course of geology to an
audience of about seventy persons of both sexes. I gave
this second course parallel with the College course,- allowing one hour between the lectures to afford time for rear



LECTURES IN SALEM.               363
rangement of specimens, &c., and for a little rest. It was,
however, a fatiguing service. Both lectures were in the
forenoon, and after the second lecture I often found an
hour's repose at home quite necessary.
The extra course given to ladies and strangers was satisfactory, and was continued several years, but I did not
attempt again to lecture twice in the same morning, but
took a different hour, or gave the extra course after the
July examination.
After a few years, however, I relinquished the extra
course and transferred it to my son, who gave it for several
years more, on his own account.




CHAPTER XV.
LECTURES IN NANTUCKET AND BOSTON: INVESTIGATION
UPON THE CULTURE OF SUGAR.
Lectures in Nantucket. - Intercourse with John Quincy Adams. - Arduous
Labors. - Chemical Course in Boston (1836).- Dr. Channing. - Miss
Martineau. - His Success in Boston - His Investigation of the Culture
and Manufacture of Sugar.- Interviews with General Jackson and Mr.
McLean.- Visit to the Gold Mines of Virginia. -Slavery.
THE favorable impresfion resulting from the four public
courses of geology, which I had given during the last year
(1834), three of them in Massachusetts, in and near Boston,
was extended to Nantucket. Mr. James M1. Bunker, a graduate of Yale College in the class of 1832, and his brother,
on behalf of the citizens, made overtures to me for a course
of lectures in their maritime city, and the correspondence
resulted in an engagement.
In this course, as previously at Salem, he was
assisted by his son, Mr. Benjamin Silliman, Jr.
In a letter to Mrs. Silliman of September 8, are the following remarks: —' I have lectured one hour and a half,
and have not felt the worse for it. Our son is a great comfort and an important aid to me; he has had no recreation
except one excursion with his gun, in company with an
older friend. We have both been so completely occupied
that we have had no time for study. Our chemical experiments have given us much employment, and all of them,
especially those with the calorimotor and compound blowpipe, have been very successful. The people are astonished




LECTURES IN NANTUCKET.             365
to see intense ignition coming out of cold fluids, and the
rocks themselves melting under a stream of burning gases.
Such experiments demonstrate to the observers that the
mighty power of heat is inherent in the earth as well as in
the sun. There is, as far as we can learn, universal satisfaction with the lecturesj and great surprise is expressed at
seeing experiments - even the most difficult - always successful. I have now no doubt of the entire success of the
course, life and power being continued. We are both well,
and have become accustomed to bad water."  The following is an extract from a letter to Mrs. Silliman, dated September 18, 1835: "I must not postpone a reply to your
letter until next week, as there is much work on hand for
another lecture this evening. In addition to a great and
increasing audience from the town, we had last evening at
the lecture, the H-on. John Quincy Adams and son, the last
a son-in-law of Hon. Peter C. Brooks; Isaac P. Davis, Esq.,
who does a great part of the honors of Boston; and Mr.
Paine, the astronomer. These gentlemen are on a visit of
curiosity and observation to this Island, which I believe
most of them have never visited before."  " Postscript,
Saturday, A. 3i., September 19, 1835. The four lectures
of the week are safely through. The great folks having
passed the day at Siasconsit, nine miles from town, on the
other side of the island, returned in season for the lecture,
- the second which they have attended. President Adams
sat on the platform near me, and was very attentive; but
how much interested, I do not know. For a week past we
have had daily invitations to tea, to dinner, to rides, &c.
Wre find the society very friendly and agreeable, and the
people universally kind. A very high degree of interest is
manifested in the course, and they are feeling my pulse
for a course of chemistry another year. Everything here
promises to wind up with great and mutual satisfaction."
Again: " The great folks are here in the Hotel with us, and
are very agreeable. Mr. Adams especially is very patient




366         LIFE OF BEFNJAMIN SILLIMAN.
of inquiries, and quite ready to impart information." I had
seen him on several occasions before, and was first introduced to him by the Hon. Rufus King, in his office, in
January 1804, in New York, when I was preparing to visit
Europe. lMr. Brooks I had seen in New Haven, with Mr.
Everett, when he came on as our orator. Mr. Paine I had
long known. Mr. Isaac P. Davis was an old and warmhearted friend, with a great disposition and equal power to
be useful to me. The interlude of the visit of these gentlemen was therefore very agreeable, and broke up a little
the monotony of my life in Nantucket.
The Nantucket gentlemen being desirous to honor these
eminent visitors arranged a walk about the town and its
environs, for Saturday morning, September 19. A companion was assigned to each for the proposed walk, and I
had the honor to walk with lMr. Adams. The lions were
few in a town so much better acquainted with whales, and
our excursions therefore, did not lead us far, and were
limited by the hour of the departure of the boat.
A principal object in our excursion was a garden and
grapery belonging to a MIr. Mitchell. I was more interested
in my distinguished companion than in the horticulture,
and I took the liberty to make some inquiries respecting
his early life, particularly at what age he began his career.
He replied, that he was fifteen years old when he acted as
private secretary to his father, then Minister at the Hague.
The reason why he was employed at so early an age was
that he both wrote and spoke the French language fluently,
and therefore could be very useful to his father. At that
time very few persons in our country were acquainted with
the French language. This was his beginning; and he had
been, more or less through his whole life, occupied with
public affairs. I had seen Mr. Adams at Washington in
his office when he was Secretary of State, during the Monroe
administration, and again in his chair as a member of the
House of Representatives, and again at the table of the




LECTURES IN NANTUCKET.            367
IIon. R. S. Baldwin, in New Haven, at which the gentlemen of the College were invited to meet him. It was a few
years before the death of Colonel Trumbull, November 22,
1843, who then resided in my family; and I invited Mr.
Adams to ride home with me and call on his old friend,
the venerable Artist. To this he readily assented, and he
passed about two hours with us in very cheerful and animated conversation. He sat at the tea-table with us, - Colonel
Trumbull, Mrs. Silliman, myself, and, I believe, several
of our children. I had never seen him before so easy and
communicative. There was nothing of the stateliness of
the public man, but perfect affability and a mellow renewal,
with Colonel Trumbull, of the scenes of earlier years in
Europe. IHe declined to eat or drink, saying that this was
his habit when about to speak in public, as he was engaged
to pronounce a lecture that evening before our citizens.
We sat long at the table, and I took the liberty to remark
to himn that I honored him much, as the fearless advocate
of freedom in the right of petition which he had fully vindicated; and no other man could have done it against the
powerful assaults of the united South. HIe had stood firm
like a rock in the sea, over which the billows broke and
moved it not. I thought he was not displeased with my
frankness. This led to conversation regarding his Presidential career. when he said without reserve that the presidency
of the second term, which he was by precedent entitled to
expect, was lost to him by the strenuous, bitter, and persevering opposition of John C. Calhoun, who of course carried
the entire South with him, and such others as he could
influence.  His own eye was doubtless fixed upon the
Presidency. There was still an hour or two before the
time for the lecture, and as Mr. Adams expressed a wish
to call on the family of Vice-President Gerry, I drove with
him to their house, then, I believe, as now, in Temple Street,
and the call appeared highly gratifying to Mrs. Gerry and
her estimable daughters. I believe I left MIr. Adams at the




368          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
Tontine Hotel for a little quiet before lecture. His appearance before the audience was very impressive. Although,
I believe, then in his seventy-tlhird year, his appearance was
almost youthful. Ile wore a blue coat with yellow buttons:
he had a slight tint of red upon his cheeks, and as he
kindled with his subject, he forgot his years, rose on his
feet with energetic and graceful action, and spoke eloquently
and beautifully upon the progress of human society from
barbarism to Christian civilization.  He spoke emphatically
of what woman had gained by passing from the condition
of a mere chattel, liable to be bought and sold, to the condition of the rational and cherished companion of man, and
the wise guardian and instructor of his children.
There was little time for repose after our return from
Nantucket, September 28, 1835. The past year had been
one of incessant labor.  In addition to all the College
courses, which were given in full, I had given four extra
popular courses of geology with filll illustrations, both pictorial and chemical, in Lowell, Boston, Salem, and Nantucket. Now, with scarcely a breathing-spell, we returned
to the chemical course in Yale College, occupying the
months of October, November, and December, and a few
days in January.  This course is always arduous, and examinations were held weekly with both the Senior class of
the College, and the Medical class. Still, there was to be
no rest. I was called to New York in the January vacation,
1836, the College recess of two weeks, to give a brief course
of geology..... The lectures were generally two hours
long, or nearly so, and the last exceeded two hours, so great
was the pressure of the subject; but no restlessness was
manifested. At the concluding lecture there were, as was
supposed, thirteen hundred people.  I might fairly infer
the approbation of the public from the increasing numbers, and from the zeal and enthusiasm which they manifested.




LECTURES IN BOSTON.             369
I refer back for a notice of an important overture made
to me in Boston, by Mr. Abbott Lawrence, regarding a proposed chemical course to be given in Boston by me in the
spring of 1836. Not many weeks after my return home
from the geological course of 1835, I received, in affirmance of the proposition of Mr. Lawrence, a written overture inviting me to return in the ensuing season, and then
to deliver a course of lectures on chemistry. The communication was signed by fifty of the principal citizens of Boston, among whom were President Quincy, Dr. Nathaniel
Bowditch, Hon. Judge Davis, all the Lawrence brothers,
Col. Thomas H. Perkins, W. W. Stone, &c.' The invitation was full and cordial in its terms, and placed me in a
proper position.
Mr. Silliman made an auspicious beginning of his
second course in Boston.
I wrote to Mrs. Silliman (March 9): "You will to-morrow morning receive mine of yesterday, informing you of
the splendid success of the course. Hitherto the higherpriced ticket has sold more rapidly than that of last year,
of a lower price, and the receipts up to last evening were
$1000 more than the entire receipts of last year. I have
just now received a call from the Rev. Dr. Channing, who
said he was very glad to see me again in Boston. I am to
go to his house this evening with Mr. Hubbard to meet Miss
Martineau. There is also a visit to be made at Prof. Andrews's. Great admiration is expressed at the experimenting on Monday evening; they remark to me:' We were
delighted to see how everything went just like clock-work,
- no confusion, no hurry, and everything beautifully successful.' A few words regarding Miss Martineau. Knowing that she was deaf, I asked Dr. Channing how loud I
must speak. He replied,' Speak in your usual voice; only
speak slowly, and articulate distinctly.' I was no sooner
VOL. 1.        24




370         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
seated by her on the sofa, than she handed me her eartrumpet, which I held, and she placed the other end of the
flexible tube in her own ear. But there was little occasion
to prompt her.  She was very communicative, and discoursed freely about this country, -not always in laudatory
terms, - and I thought her to be bold and opinionated, but
very intelligent and extremely fluent."
Last year a repeated course in the day was found to be
very useful, and in the present course, also, it was early
resolved upon, after due consultation. In a letter to Mrs.
Silliman, dated March 8th, the day after my first lecture, is
the following passage: "Our battle is won; the course
opened charmingly last evening, with an attendance of at
least a thousand persons. We were obliged to refuse selling any more evening tickets, and we now turn over all
applicants to the day-course, - to begin on Wednesday,
March 9, at four o'clock, P. M. Our new galvanic instrument, an immense deflagrator, was put into operation yesterday, and its performance was splendid, far beyond anything I ever saw, or anything known here."
On Monday night, after my successful opening lecture, I
was too much excited, and too agreeably, to permit me to
sleep much. My mind had been overwrought, and in the
morning I indulged in the relaxation of writing letters. In
the journal I remark: "Invitations to dinner are coming
in, but I decline them all, on the score of my urgent engagements. I intend to reserve the day for our experimental labors, and for some little relaxation in excursions,
and in seeing interesting things." We finished the preparations for the first day's lecture by eleven o'clock, A. M.,
which enabled me to come home and rest, so as to be prepared for my duty........... In a letter to Mrs. Silliman, dated March 17,
after all the three lectures had been given and repeated, I
find the following passage. In reference to the severe
labor of the double course it is said: "I assure you that I




LECTURES IN BOSTON.               371
am in perfect health, and am quite equal to all my labors,
although I think I never encountered so severe a trial; but
a liberal flow of money, - always acceptable when honestly
earned, - and the delight expressed on all hands at the
style of successful experimenting and the course of statement and reasoning, gives me full assurance that I am now
as firmly established here chemically, as I was last year
geologically."
"In the fifth lecture, I made a very liberal use of potassium and sodium, which are not only splendid subjects of
experiment but are highly illustrative of chemical principles.
Everything went beautifully. After the sixth lecture, at a
large party at Deacon Walley's, great satisfaction was expressed to me regarding the lectures.  The Mayor, Mr.
Armstrong, said that he thought the subject very interesting and instructive, and was pleased that a moral and religious aspect was given to the science; and similar views were
expressed by others. I communicated to-day, at the lecture,
the discovery that cast-steel of the first quality is formed
directly from the ore, and that malleable iron is manufactured from cast-iron without melting it again; specimens
furnished to me by the manufacturers were also exhibited,
and I was assured that the subject excited great interest,
and gave much satisfaction. My mind is working like a
steam-engine in perpetual motion, but the night succeeding the last lecture gave me refreshing sleep, and I awoke
the next morning in remarkable strength."
I make some remarks upon the important crisis which
brought me before the public as a popular lecturer. I was
called out, as I have said, in the maturity of my powers, experience, and reputation, at fifty-five or fifty-six years of age;
and the results of the years 1834-35-36, in Hartford, Lowell, Salem, Nantucket, and Boston, were of the greatest importance to me and my family. The two Boston courses




372         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
were peculiarly important, and I have, therefore, given a
particular account of them.  I have given also, without
reserve, the impressions which they produced upon the audience and the public. The entire success by which they
were attended I can truly say never produced in my mind
any feelings of vanity and self-exaltation. I was too sensible of the responsibility of my position, and of the difficulty of presenting those great subjects clearly and attractively to such large and intelligent audiences, -too sensible
of this to permit any other feeling than that of the most
earnest sincerity, attended by the most strenuous efforts to
perform my duty well. I was also most ably assisted; and
never, in the two seasons, and in the forty-nine or fifty lectures which I delivered in the two double courses, was there
any failure in an experiment or in an illustration.
I had, moreover, the happiness to obtain the good-will of
the people of Boston. The Orthodox and Unitarian influence was united in my favor. I had many warm friends
among both classes, and was equally cherished by both.
The moral and religious bearing of the lectures was decided in illustration of the wisdom, power, and benevolence manifested equally in the mechanical and chemical
constitution of our world. These deductions of natural theology were out of the bounds of politics, and were equally
acceptable to the wise and good of all religious denominations. The language of the press was entirely friendly,
and even laudatory; nor have I ever seen or heard of an
unfriendly paragraph. I was deeply gratified and deeply
grateful to God, and to a community which had thus generously adopted me, and entertain no doubt that the successful issue of these Boston courses produced the still
more important engagement which four years later brought
me back to the metropolis of New England, the account of
which I hope to give in due time. It was, indeed, a bright
era in my life, a brilliant and remunerative success which
diffused the benefits of science, honored the Creator, cheered




LECTURES IN NEW YORK.             373
my excellent wife, and drew in its train beneficial consequences which are felt to this day.
In February, 1836, Mr. Silliman received an invitation from many of the leading citizens of New
York, to give a geological course in that city. This
he complied with, and the lectures were given in the
ensuing April and May.  Of this course he says:The course was quite successful, both as to the number
of hearers and the interest excited. Among the audience
were many of the first people of the city; there were many
ladies, and, I suppose, a solid mass of intelligence from the
middle classes of society. The excitement was almost as
great as in Boston.
Mr. Silliman introduces here some account of
other labors which were partly contemporaneous
with the delivery of his public courses of lectures,
but which extend back, also, to an earlier date. He
first notices a visit of exploration, made in 1830, to
the valley of Wyoming, and to its coal formations
in the State of Pennsylvania.
Of the labor of the investigation, in a letter to Mrs. Silliman of May 25., 1830, it is remarked: —" We have finished
the investigation. We have examined, I suppose, one hundred mines and localities of coal extending through forty
miles in length, and as we have explored both sides of the
valley with many crossings and doublings back and forward, we have investigated one hundred and twenty to one
hundred and thirty miles of mountains, forests, swamps, and
excavations. We have travelled occasionally in wagons,
principally on horseback, but much of our movements have
been on foot, especially in regions incessible to wheels or
horses. I have never in my life gone through a week of




374         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
such arduous exertion, not even in the mountains and
mines of Derbyshire, in the centre of England, nor in
those of Cornwall, at the Land's End in the same country.
If I was able to perform those early labors at the age of
twenty-six, I have not shrunk from similar efforts at the
double age of fifty-one, and I have not succumbed under
them, although I have, from exposure, become as brown
as a Cherokee. My report was finished between ten and
eleven o'clock last night, when I read it aloud to the gentlemen assembled at the hotel to hear it, and it appeared
to give good satisfaction." It was, after my return, printed, and I presented two hundred copies to the people of
the valley.
In 1832-3, by the appointment of the General Government, he engaged in a scientific examination of
the subject of the culture and manufacture of sugar.
It was a part of the aid which he rendered in the
development of the physical resources of the country.  The " Reminiscences " contain an account of
this investigation.
A resolution of the House of Representatives of the
United States was passed, January 25, 1830, requiring the
Secretary of the Treasury " to cause to be prepared a welldigested manual, containing the best practical information
concerning the culture of the sugar-cane, and the fabrication and refinement of sugar, including the most modern
improvements." Being at Angelica, N. Y., on a visit to
my daughter, Maria T. Church and family, in September
1832, I received from home a letter from the Hon. Louis
McLean, Secretary of the Treasury, dated August 31,
1832, in which he desired me to take charge of the proposed investigation. I replied that, as it was impossible to
visit all parts of the United States, where sugar was grown
or refined, I would undertake the proposed duty, provided




REPORT ON THE CULTURE OF SUGAR.    375
I might depute competent persons to the remote parts of
the field, while I would myself examine the central portions. In a letter of October 19, the Secretary assented to
my proposal. To Professor O. P. Hubbard, I committed
the Eastern States, especially Boston; to Mr. Charles U.
Shepard, the Southern States, particularly Louisiana and
Georgia. In the course of the ensuing winter, we resorted
to our respective fields of labor. The gentlemen associated
with me in the enterprise were active and zealous in their
efforts, and they received kind and generous aid on the
part of the proprietors and manufacturers in the several
places which they visited. I also experienced similar treatment in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York; and in
the last-named city, I was aided by my brother, Gold Selleck Silliman. I omit the details of our investigation, as
the results were embodied in a report to the Hon. Louis
McLean, Secretary of the Treasury, in which we blended
and assimilated our information into a harmonious whole.
I finished the report at Washington, May 27, 1833, and
communicated it to the Secretary on the following day, May
28. It was approved by him, and was printed in a pamphlet of 121 pages, with all necessary wood-cuts and copperplate engravings.  After reading my introductory letter
addressed' to himself, the Secretary said that he reposed
entire confidence in me, and should at once accept my report. He then directed Mr. Dickens, the Secretary of the
Senate, to pass the document through the forms of office
half a dozen offices in number —which occupied three
hours; but it was all accomplished before dinner, and to
my entire satisfaction. My intercourse with Mr. McLean,
who was an honorable and very intelligent man, was entirely agreeable. He introduced me to President Jackson,
who received me with the courtesy and dignity for which
he was distinguished. He did not appear to have been informed of the duty in which I had been engaged, and when
it was mentioned to him by the Secretary, he said he was




376         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
glad I had undertaken, it. My charge of $1200 for the
investigation, was readily allowed by the Secretary, and
the necessary papers, as already stated, were furnished me
for passing through the different offices of the Treasury.
The expenses of my coadjutors were also paid, I do not
remember whether on this or on a subsequent occasion.
Altogether, I presume the investigation cost the government $2000.  I never heard that the government took
any action upon the report, nor do I know what was
thought of it by any one at Washington, except the Secretary. However this may have been, I had some evidence that the report was favorably appreciated by those
interested in the subject, because I was very often called
upon to furnish copies of it. I was liberally supplied from
the Washington government press with, I believe, one
hundred copies, and only one is left, the others having
been given away, and even that is, at this late day, occasionally borrowed...... I have already mentioned that
Mr. McLean introduced me to the President. In a letter
to Mrs. Silliman, dated Washington, May 27, 1833, I find
the following more particular notice:- -" At the palace I
met not only the President, but Mr. Edward Livingston
and General Cass, Secretaries of departments. The President received me with great kindness, and much as I have
heard of his dignified and courteous manners, I was more
agreeably impressed than I expected to be. He is not only
a dignified but a winning gentleman of the old school of
manners, which brought up to my mind your father, the
late Governor Trumbull. He informed me that he was
soon to visit the Eastern States, and should stop in New
Haven. I tendered him the civility of showing him the
Colleges, which he said he should be very happy to see. He
said he should leave Washington in a week or more, and
that he wished to pass quietly along." General Jackson
was strongly marked by time, but there appeared to be no
abatement of physical or mental vigor.  A Connecticut




EXPLORATION OF VIRGINIA GOLD MINES.   377
man whom I had long known - Commodore Hull - kindly
found me out, and was earnest that I should remain through
the next day to dine with Mr. Vaughan, the British Minister, as it would be the King's birthday; and he would
hardly let me off from a strawberry party of Mrs. Hull's,
on Wednesday evening.
In August, 1836, at the request of proprietors in New
York, Mr. Silliman, in company with his son and
Mr. Eli Whitney, made a professional tour among
the gold mines of Virginia. Extracts from his narrative of this visit follow.
The morning of August 27th found us at the landing-place
in Virginia, and a train of stage-coaches was in attendance to
convey the passengers of the steamer on their way. Heavy
rains had made the road muddy and deep, and we consumed
two or three hours in going ten miles to Fredericksburg.
In that city there resided a highly respectable Scotch merchant, James Vass, whose sons having been placed under
my care in Yale College, an extended correspondence had
been maintained between us for several years.  I had
not informed him of my intended visit to Virginia; but,
one of his. sons having met us at Washington, and having
returned home by an earlier boat, had informed his father,
who was already at the station waiting the arrival of the
stages. They had hardly come to a stand, when I observed
a gentleman stranger passing rapidly from carriage to carriage, apparently looking for some one. I had never seen
him before; but, as he approached our carriage, I heard
him inquiring for me, and, as he came up, I responded,
when he announced Mr. Vass. Of course he gave me a
cordial greeting, and at once invited me to his house, when
the following dialogue ensued: -" I thank you, sir; but
as I visit Virginia on a professional visit among the gold
mines, I may be very irregular in my movements, and




378         LIFE OF BENJAMINI SILLIMAN.
ought not to tax your hospitality."  "No matter for that,"
was the reply; "go and come as you please, making my
house your head-quarters." " But, sir, I may be a month
in this region." " So much the better," was the answer.
"Nor is that all. I have two young friends with me,my own son and an only son of a friend, -a widowed
mother, - and I cannot part from them." " So much the
better," was the generous reply; "you will be more than
welcome at my house, and my wife and children will be
most happy to entertain you with Virginian hospitality during your sojourn." As there was neither time nor occasion
for more debate, I therefore accepted the hospitable offer
of my friend Mr. Vass, and we received a cordial welcome
from his good lady and their household, and our home was
now established in their house. Never was a home made
more comfortable and agreeable to those who came as
strangers, but were now adopted as friends.
In our travels, and in the prosecution of our researches
among the mines, we had of course met with slaves everywhere, and in general they were, as far as we observed,
treated kindly.
Slaves were employed about the mines, and the strong
arms of athletic black mnen were employed to crush the
quartz for us in heavy iron mortars, preparatory to the
washing for gold; they also broke thde quartz from the
veins; and we had always as many of these men at command as we desired for the accomplishment of our labors.
As we were quietly reading in our apartment at a tavern,
on the Sabbath, the landlord entered, with an apology for
the intrusion, and, opening a glass case in the corner of the
room, took down a large riding coach-whip, which we supposed was wanted for some excursion. Within a few minutes, however, we heard through our open windows the
sharp reverberations of the lash rapidly repeated, and accompanied by loud cries of distress. We found, by the vol



EXPLORATION OF VIRGINIA GOLD MINES.   379
untary reports of the servants, that the sufferer was a negro
man whom we had seen about the barn where our horses
were stabled. His offence was being seen near the jail,
where two negroes were imprisoned for an assault on their
master. It did not appear that he held any communication
with them, and it would appear very improbable that he
should attempt it in broad daylight, and in full view of all
passers-by. Slavery, begun in wrong, is sustained by a
cruel despotism.




CHAPTER XVI.
FOUR COURSES OF LOWELL LECTURES IN BOSTON.
Double Course of Chemistry in New York (1838). - Accident. - The
Lowell Lectures: Plan of the Several Courses. - First Course (1840).His Introduction to the Audience by Mr. Everett. -Popularity of the
Lectures. - Dinner at Mr. Tuckerman's. - Mr. John Lowell. - Mr.
Jeremiah Mason.- Courtesies Received. - Second Course in Boston
(1841). - Interest Manifested in the Lectures. - Presides over the Geological Society in Philadelphia. - Third Course in Boston (1842). - Dr.
Walker's Lecture. - His Opening Lecture. - Social Civilities. - Fourth
Course in Boston (1843). - His Concluding Reflections. — Correspondence with Professor Kingsley, Chancellor Kent, &c.
RESUMING the narrative of his efforts as a popular
lecturer, Mr. Silliman makes mention of the double
course on chemistry, which he delivered in January,
1838, in Clinton Hall, in the City of New York.
He had given, a year before, a brief course on geology, by invitation of the Lyceum of Natural History.
During the former course, - of which he preserved
no detailed memoranda, although it was fully successful, - an accident befell him, which gave room
for the exertion of remarkable self-control.
Although there was no failure of an experiment, I met
with an injury, which, however, I was able to conceal from
the audience and from my assistants. I was exhibiting the
elements of water, and the generating of heat by the combustion of oxygen and hydrogen gases, in the compound
blow-pipe of Dr. Hare. A suspended gasometer was used
for each of the gases, and weights were placed upon each




FOUR COURSES OF LOWELL LECTURES.    381
of them to create a pressure for the expulsion of the gases,
-the rate of efflux being regulated by stop-cocks. The
platform on which I stood with the apparatus was of limited dimensions; and, while passing by the gasometers, I
hit a six-pound iron weight which lay on the top of one of
the gasometers, when it fell from the height of four to four
and a half feet upon my right foot, the great toe of which
received a severe blow, causing me to draw a long breath;
and, before I could recover my natural breathing, I became
satisfied that I should not faint, although the pain was intense. The sensation of the foot was as if standing in a
fluid, which, in this case, was blood, as appeared on drawing off my boot at the hotel, - the stocking being soaked
with blood. The nail of the large toe was torn up at the
root, and merely hung like a loose shingle on a roof. I
went on half an hour or more, and finished the lecture.
Blood continued to issue from the wound during ten days,the bloody dressings being removed every morning; and
bleeding kept the inflammation down. The nail grew out
again very slowly. At the end of eight months it had not
entirely covered the original surface. In my childhood I
had split this toe With an axe, and the nail grew out after
that accident, carrying the mark of the axe along with it.
This marking was still preserved in the recent restoration,
but the parts of the nail were not united, or only at the
root, and grew out separately, but side by side, and are not
perfectly united now (1861), twenty-two years after the
injury.-In connection with the subject in hand, I exhibited
the formation of water from its two elements, - oxygen
and hydrogen, — and adverted to its three physical conditions of vapor, fluid, or water and ice. In speaking
of the permanence of ice in very cold climates, I quoted
memoriter Cowper's graphic description of the palace constructed of ice, in 1740 or 1745, on the river Neva,
near St. Petersburg, to celebrate the marriage of Prince
Galitzin.




382         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
"Silently as a dream the fabric rose;
No sound of hammer or of saw was there;
But, ice on ice, the well-adjusted parts
Were soon conjoined, nor other cement asked
Than water, interfused, to make them one." - &c.
My brother, from Brooklyn, was present, and hearing in
the morning that I had received an injury during the lecture, said to his family that it could not be so, as he heard
me lecture to the end, and that it was concluded by poetry.
The injury made me lame, but no lecture was omitted. I
finished the courses both of the evening and the day, and
there was no occasion to mention the occurrence to the
audience.
Mr. Silliman was called upon to open the Lowell
Institute, which had been established by the munificence of a citizen of Boston, as a means of public
instruction. For four successive years he had the
pleasure of presenting the truths of science to large
and approving audiences. These courses of lectures
he regarded as the crowning success of his professional life. In all of them he had the assistance
of his son. Mr. Silliman had been consulted by Mr.
John A. Lowell, the trustee of the Lowell fund, as
to the best mode of organizing the Institution.
In consequence of previous correspondence, Mr. Lowell
came in the month of June, 1838, to my house; an interview took place in the library, and we occupied the greater
part of the forenoon in presenting views of what such an
institution ought to be, and in suggestions as to the lectures.
From the experience of thirty years in the departments of
science which had been committed to my care, I was able
to give Mr. Lowell exact information as to the necessary
apparatus, materials, and illustrations, with estimates of the
probable expense, or approximations to it. As I supposed




FOUR COURSES OF LOWELL LECTURES.    383
it probable that an overture for my services would be made,
I was desirous to impress upon the mind of Mr. Lowell
that to give effect to lectures and demonstrations in science
a liberal expenditure would be required.
The invitation followed, and a plan was adopted
for the lectures which were to be given.
Mr. Lowell at first suggested an arrangement for three
years, but yielded to my view that the work would be more
thoroughly done upon a basis of four years; the first year,
or rather the first winter, to be for geology, and chemistry
to be given in the three succeeding seasons; the nonmetallic ponderables for the second year; the metals for
the third; the dynamics of chemistry, namely, the powers
that effect the changes of matter, for the fourth.
In due time Mr. Silliman presented himself in
Boston to fulfil his engagement.
By the request of Mr. Lowell, the trustee of the Institute,
His Excellency Governor Edward Everett pronounced an
historical eulogy upon the Founder of the Institute, —
Mr. John Lowell. On December 31st, 1839, this address
was delivered in the Odeon, as an introduction to the lectures, and it was repeated in the Marlborough Chapel on
the evening of January 2. On the latter occasion, I was
present with my son, and we listened with great satisfaction
to this beautiful eulogy, which has been published in the
collection of " Orations and Speeches on Various Occasions,
by Edward Everett," Vol. II. p. 379 (Edition of 1856).
Mr. Everett remarked that, with the exception of the bequest of the late Mr. Stephen Girard of Philadelphia, the
sum appropriated by Mr. Lowell was the largest ever given
by any private individual in this country, and he was not
aware that there is in Europe anything of this description
on so large a scale. His will was written before he left
this country, and was finished on the ruins of Thebes, and




384         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
a codicil added at the Arabic village of Luxor, the whole
of which is situated on the remains of an ancient palace.
In this codicil he gives his kinsman, Mr. John A. Lowell,
detailed directions for the administration of his trust.
Governor Everett announced to the audience the name
of the individual who would have the honor of opening the
Institution, by giving the first course of lectures. He remarked thus:-" The first course of lectures is now about
to commence on the subject of Geology, to be delivered by
a gentleman - Professor Silliman of Yale College - whose
reputation is too well established in this department of
science, both in Europe and America, and is too well known
to the citizens of Boston to need an attestation on my part.
It would be arrogant in me to speak farther of his qualifications as a lecturer on this foundation. The great crowd
assembled this evening, consisting as it does of a moiety
only of those who have received tickets of admission to the
course, sufficiently evinces the desire which is felt by the
citizens of Boston, again to enjoy the advantages of his
instruction, while it affords a new proof, if further proof
were wanting, that our liberal founder did not mistake the
disposition of the community to avail themselves of the
benefit of an institution of this character." - (p. 383.) The
Orator added: —" The few sentences, penned with a tired
hand by our fellow-citizen on the top of a palace of the
Pharaohs, will do more for human improvement than, for
aught that appears, was done by all of that gloomy dynasty
that ever reigned."...... I thought it was proper, in
opening the course, to acknowledge, in guarded language,
Governor Everett's generous announcement of myself; and
I therefore pronounced the following exordium: —
"Ladies and Gentlemen, —By invitation of the trustee
and director of the Lowell Institute, I have the honor to
stand before you this evening, charged with the fulfilment
of an important duty.  We have all listened with delighted attention to the history of the origin of this Insti



FOUR COURSES OF LOWELL LECTURES.    385
tution, and to the biographical sketch of its noble founder.
The simple narrative of the facts was clothed with a deep
and touching pathos, and the distinguished orator imparted
to them an intellectual and moral beauty, alike honorable
to the dead and useful to the living. His generous confidence, bestowed on me in advance, while it enhances to
an almost painful degree my sense of obligation, created by
my present position, at the same time checks the expression of those more than reciprocal sentiments which glow
in my mind. His pure and elevated fame office cannot
enhance nor retirement eclipse.*
"In commencing our appropriate duties in this place,
and in opening the course of instruction to be given in
this Institution, we are happy to recognize in the views of
its lamented founder a moral purpose, elevated far above
merely physical or even intellectual advantages. While
aiming to secure these highly important results, his mind
was devoutly directed to his Maker. The investigation and
exhibition of physical laws, while they are to be applied,
by his direction, to the illustration of the attributes of the
infinite God, are to be summoned also to prove the harmony
of his revealed word with the visible creation, and of both
with his holy character. With such a design, worthy of the
noble and virtuous mind of Mr. Lowell, - a design cherished
from youth to middle life, from his quiet walks in this
city through all the vicissitudes of his eventful travels,
renewed ill sickness and sustained in death, - may we not
hope that the blessing of God will descend upon this Institution, and that those to whom its important trusts are
committed may be guided by wisdom from above in the
fulfilment of their high and responsible functions. With
feelings then in perfect harmony with the testamentary
injunctions of our founder we turn to our more immediate
duties."......
* A single vote, in a then recent election, had superseded Governor
Everett, and made Mr. Morton his successor.
VOL. I.      25




386          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
Although geology had been, five years before, discussed
by me successfully in the presence of a Boston audience,
the present occasion presented some advantages.  The
subject had been more thoroughly studied by me, and I
was still an anxious and faithful student, having with me
a collection of the best books on the subject. The liberal
views of the trustee, Mr. Lowell, had enabled me to obtain
many new and excellent illustrations, so that the lectureroom could be beautifully decorated, and the lectures made
both intelligible and attractive, by drawings, diagrams, and
pictures, which through the eye informed the mind and
sustained the positions that were to be assumed......
I have already copied the exordium of the introductory
lecture of the course. I now approached this public duty
with intense anxiety, and the more so as my voice was
not perfectly clear. I spoke, however, in the first lecture
apparently with good effect during an hour and a half.
Owing to my hoarseness, I was not perfectly heard by every
one, and I ran into my old fault of being too rapid; but
still I was assured that the lecture was successful.
The second lecture (Saturday, January 4) gave me confidence. My voice served me well; I was deliberate and
animated, and was heard in every part of the house. From
the aspect of a very large and attentive audience I felt assured - as I was informed was the fact - that the lecture
gave great satisfaction. I spoke two hours on the foundation-rocks of the globe, allowing an interval of five minutes
at the end of an hour. It gave the audience a brief season
for conversation, for changing position, and for retiring,
should they wish so to do; but I believe few or none of
them withdrew. I wrote home, January 10: "My second
lecture was warmly commended. Mrs. John A. Lowell, wife
of the trustee, said to my son, at the end of the two hours,
that she should be willing to sit two hours more. The elder
Mr. John Lowell, father of the trustee, heard the lecture,
and is very warm and cordial. He is a very eminent man.




FOUR COURSES OF LOWELL LECTURES.    387
The battle is now won, but I shall have an anxious and
laborious task through the entire course." On the next
Sabbath, with our excellent friends, the Rev. G. W. Blagden and lady, we attended worship in the Old South, of
which he is pastor; we listened to an interesting New
Year's sermon, and participated in the solemnity of the sacrament, which was administered after the morning service.
The following passages having respect to his stay
in Boston on this occasion, and partly drawn from
notes made at the time, are extracted from  the
"Reminiscences" ":
Mr. Webster, having recently returned from a visit to
England, was invited by the Whig members of the legislature to speak in the State House, on Monday evening, January 7. He was introduced with much ceremony, and
addressed by Mr. King, chairman of the senate. His address on the national currency and the reigning policy was
very powerful. He had returned from his travels in fine
health.  His manner was exceedingly energetic and impressive, with much action, great deliberation, good pauses,
and perfect self-possession. He was highly excited, and it
was considered as one of his happiest efforts. I had seen
him in private, and had only once before * heard him in
public. His manner now exceeded my expectations. I went
with others, after he had finished, to congratulate him on
his happy return, and we were courteously received.
Friday, January 10.- Except calls at Mr. Bancroft's
and Mr. Lamb's in the morning, I was engrossed by my
studies with reference to the great subjects of the evening
lecture.  The tertiary contains amazing revelations, and
the Mosaic deluge, with all the phenomena of floods and
moving waters, powerfully arrests the attention of all listeners. The audience was all that the house could contain:
* At the laying of the foundation of the Bunker Hill Monument, June
17, 1825.




388         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
the alleys were full, and the third gallery as well as the
second was occupied.  I had, in two preceding lectures,
given a recess of five minutes at the end of the first hour,
and I now informed the audience that, as my subjects were
very extensive, and would take me into the second hour, I
should, as a regular thing give them that relief of five minutes, and to this notice they gave a warm response. This
suspension was doubtless felt to be a relief to them, and it
was most acceptable to myself. I then retired at once into
a private room near at hand, threw myself upon the sofa,
closed my eyes, and neither spoke nor was spoken to, until
the five minutes were past; in the mean time the excited
respiration and pulsation subsided to their natural condition, and a glass of water enabled me to return quite fresh
to the audience, and to resume the speaking with renewed
energy.  The impression of the lecture appeared to be
strong and vivid. I concluded that I had won the audience, and that with great exertions I might hope to go
through successfully.
I record again that the assistance of my son was invaluable to me in these labors, and a great consolation by his
amiable conduct and filial devotion. In our apartment we
daily commended ourselves and our friends to the Giver of
all good, and invoked a blessing upon our public efforts.
Thursday.- Dinner at Mr. Edward Tuckerman's, Beacon
Street. A very delightful occasion in a refined and polished family; conversation of a high moral tone. Among
the guests were the Rev. Dr. Stone, of St. Paul's Church,
and Prof. Greenleaf, of the Cambridge Law School. Geology was introduced, but not by me, as I never obtrude professional subjects upon mixed circles, or upon any uninitiated individuals. Dr. Stone has no difficulties as between
geology and the Scriptures, and we agreed entirely in our
views. The other gentlemen and Dr. Stone will accept a
copy of my printed remarks on this subject......




FOUR COURSES OF LOWELL LECTURES:    389
January 17th, Friday. - The interest appears to increase.
Some people come at six o'clock, at the opening of the
door, and therefore remain three hours; and curious individuals remain half an hour longer after the lecture to examine the specimens, which are explained by my son and
Dr. Wyman, as I always retire at once to my room. After
half an hour's rest, I resume my reading for an hour or two.
My voice served me well at the last lecture. I have already
mentioned my deep sense of responsibility in introducing
to the public a splendid institution. It is the greatest honor
I ever received, to be selected for such a service, when
there are so many able men of their own here and in this
vicinity. I am therefore very anxious to discharge my duty
with decided ability, that the institution may not fail in my
hands; and I need not say that a failure would be most
unhappy, and to me calamitous.
January 19, Sabbath. - In the morning, at the Marlboro'
Chapel to hear President Mahan preach on perfectionism. In the afternoon, with Mr. and Mrs. Lamb, we attended their place of worship,- Dr. Channing's an{d Mr.
Gannett's. The latter gentleman's subject was, "A doubleminded man is unstable in all his ways." He urged fervently the duty of immediate repentance, and exposed
very forcibly the sin and misery of being half in earnest.
These ministers are fervent and devout men; in doctrine
they are Unitarian, in spirit, Christian......
January 31.- In a morning which was -bright after the
rain, Mr. John Lowell, father of Mr. John A. Lowell, the
trustee, called in his carriage, and took us both to his country-seat iir Roxbury, where he kindly entertained us for
more than an hour, by explaining to us in his beautiful
green-house some of the more rare plants, among which
were the Pandanus or screw pine, the Auracaria pine, the
Dracena or dragon-plant, many palms, the Ficus elastica
or elastic gum-plant, some of the Orchidice, and many more.
Most of these, in relation to their fossil analogues, possessed for me a high degree of interest.




390         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
My first knowledge of this eminent man was at the mineral springs at Ballston, in 1796, when he appeared with
an equipage and servants; and although a young man, he
arrested the attention of all by his high conversational
powers. I met him next in London, in 1805, where he
displayed the same superiority, only intensified; next in
Boston, at the table of his brother, Francis Cabot Lowell.
During my present engagement, we passed an evening at
his house in Boston, when he told me that he had read
every article of the "American Journal of Science," including the mathematical papers, which I considered as a strong
mark of his approbation. He had been recently in Cuba,
for his health, and there he learned that the Caribs prefer
to inter their dead on the sea-shore, next to the tidal wave,
and he thought that practice might account for the famous
fossil skeleton of Guadaloupe, which has figured so much
in geology. I thought the suggestion valuable. It is supposed that the Charibs thought that their friends might pass
by water to another world. Mr. Lowell met in Cuba a
distinguished English botanist who had visited the island
on purpose to see tropical plants in their native climates,
but was deterred from exploring rural scenes from fear of
yellow fever.
Saturday, February 1. - In the morning a walk to Mr.
Alger's foundry, where we saw the boring of large cannon
for the United States. We then rode to Cambridge in a
close-covered sleigh, as it snowed rapidly. Made calls at
President Quincy's, Prof. Lovering's, Mr. Sparks's, Mr.
King's, Mr. Worcester's, &c. Mr. Worcester occupied the
Dr. Craige house, which was General Washington's headquarters in 1775 and 1776. Tea at Mr. Jeremiah Mason's,
sitting around the table with his lovely family, —Mrs. Mason
and daughters, with the noble head, a magnificent man,
both physically and mentally, and, withal, most kind and
gentle in manners and disposition; his conversation enlightened and instructive.




FOUR COURSES OF LOWELL LECTURES.    391
Sabbath, February 2.- Morning at the Old South, and
partook of the sacrament. In the afternoon at the BrattleStreet Church, - preacher, Mr. Frothingham. The regular incumbent is Rev. Dr. Lothrop, a moderate Unitarian, and an excellent man. Mr. Abbott Lawrence and
family attend here. Mr. Lawrence said to me that he
could not go along with Dr. Channing.
February 4.- A very agreeable dinner-party at Mr.
William Lawrence's. Among the guests were LieutenantGovernor Hull and Dr. Charles T. Jackson. We inspected,
on our return, Wightman's chemical apparatus, which he is
constructing for our next course, and found satisfactory
progress and skilful construction. There were five invitations for the evening, of which we accepted three and declined two. We called at Mr. Winslow's, then at Mr. Edward Tuckerman's, and finished at Mr. Armstrong's, where
there was an elegant party assembled in superb rooms.
Having been much fatigued during the day, I found it inconvenient to remain standing during so many hours as the
party might last. But the retreat which I had contemplated was prevented by an unexpected honor. Mr. Armstrong committed his lady to my care to lead the company
to the supper-table, and to do its honors, at least as an auxiliary., Of course I braced myself up to the requirements
of the occasion, and literally stood it out. I was at home
by eleven o'clock, and found time and strength for reading
Darwin's delightful work on the " Natural History and
Geology of South America." Darwin was the naturalist
of the exploring expedition of the British ships Adventure
and Beagle, between 1826-1836; making a voyage around
the world. The reading of this work has been a recreation
at night, after the labors of the day and evening.
After the lapse of a year, Mr. Silliman was again
in Boston, to commence the first of his three courses
on Chemistry.




392         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
February 19. -The course of lectures on Natural Religion, in the Odeon, by the Rev. Dr. Walker of Harvard
College, on the Lowell foundation, was to be finished the
evening of our arrival, and we availed ourselves of the opportunity to hear that eminent man. His lecture was able,
instructive, and interesting, and his manner was dignified
and impressive.  One year and one week had elapsed
since I finished the course of geology in the Odeon; and,
as we entered this evening by the private door facing the
audience, there was a quiet movement of welcome, which
showed that we were not forgotten. It was significant,
although not boisterous, and was returned by me with a
bow of acknowledgment.  Rev. Dr. Walker did not partake of any narrow feelings towards me; but, on the contrary, when I afterwards saw him at Cambridge, he expressed much satisfaction that I was a fellow-laborer with
him in the Lowell Institute.
February 22, Monday. - This being the day for the beginning of the course, I passed the time in revising, correcting, and reading my introductory. It was written with
great care, and contained a comprehensive generalization
of all science, with a portraiture of physical science in all
its departments, divided and mapped out, so as to show the
distinctive features and boundaries and connections of
each, coming down finally to the one science - chemistry
- which was to engage our immediate attention.  This
lecture was read, quite audibly, I believe, to an audience
estimated to amount to fifteen hundred persons or more.
They were very attentive, and perfectly quiet during the
hour and a quarter which the discourse occupied.  I
was glad to have got well through this lecture, - the
only one in the course which I expected to read, - which
I very much dislike to do, as in reading my manner is
artificial, and lacks the genial tone and expression which
an earnest speaker, full of his subject, and looking his
audience in the face, naturally assumes.  I had, how



FOUR COURSES OF LOWELL LECTURES.    393
ever, no reason to be dissatisfied with this first effort of the
course.
fiarch 8. - My health is good. and my voice clear, so
that I fill the house without difficulty; my son is very
efficient; and at both lectures the theatre is quite full.
Good news from home; and the best news is, that my two
younger daughters, H ~   and J —-, have become
deeply interested in religion, and I wrote to them to bid
them God-speed on their way to the celestial city.
Sabbath, March 14. - Yesterday I received from them a
very gratifying answer, in entire sympathy with my parental
counsels; and their response shows that their young minds
-their ages are seventeen and fourteen —have already taken
the right direction in deciding to embrace the offered Salvation. I was so happy as to receive sinilar intelligence
respecting my only son, Benjamin, when I was engaged in
my first course of lectures in Boston, in March, 1835; and
now, in the same city, during a similar engagement, I am
again favored in the same way. I have been permitted here
to unfold to an excited and interested community some
views of the secrets of God's material world, as displayed
in its structure and constitution; and thus, I trust, I have
been enabled to contribute not only to the mental illumination of the people, but to the increase of their reverence for
God. But I am much more favored in hearing, on this beloved spot, that my two younger children are determined
to walk in the truth, so that thus all my dear family are
hopefully enrolled in the Book of Life. Not unto us, O
God! but unto Thy great and holy Name be all the honor
and glory!
Immediately after his return home, at the completion of this course, he went on an important scientific errand to Philadelphia.
It would appear strange, even to myself, that, after so




394         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
long an absence, I should pass only one day at home before leaving it again; but the reason was one that I could
not resist: it was an official call to Philadelphia. As the
object was geological, it falls in naturally after a course of
professional duty in Boston.
In the spring of 1840, a meeting was held in Philadelphia of those gentlemen who had been professionally engaged in geological surveys under public authority. This
meeting was preliminary to the formation of an association
of geologists for the purpose of promoting the progress of
the science and its applications in this country. A constitution was formed, and officers appointed, preparatory to
the first meeting during the present week. They saw fit
to name me as the first President; and this was the call
that took me to Philadelphia at this time. I proceeded,
on the 5th of April, to that city, arriving with my friend
Mr. Wm. C. Redfield at midnight. We found a shelter at
the Washington Hotel, and in the morning I resorted to my
old home at Mr. Charles Chauncey's, where, as usual, I was
affectionately received. On the morning of the 6th of
April, I found my way to the hall of the Academy of the
Natural Sciences, and took my place as presiding officer.
The week was most busily employed in geological meetings. Many gentlemen were present from different States,
and many interesting discussions took place,. which were
ably sustained.
The society formed in Philadelphia, was after a
time succeeded by the "American Association of
Geologists and Naturalists," and later by the "American Association for the Advancement of Science."
It was the starting-point of those annual meetings
of scientific men, which continued, with happy results, until the civil war broke out, in 1861.
In the middle of February, 1842, Mr. Silliman




FOUR COURSES OF LOWELL LECTURES.    395
opened the third of his courses before the Lowell
Institute.
Dr. Walker's lecture, as happened on our arrival last
year, was to be delivered on the ensuing evening; and as
we found our friend, the Rev. George Jones, a fellow-lodger
with us in our hotel, we took him along with us to hear the
lecture - which was excellent, and delivered with dignity and force - on the question, "Whether man can live
and improve without religious education?"  The house
was entirely full, stage and all, and a breathless silence
prevailed. We were received into the box df Mr. John A.
Lowell, our patron, with warm greetings from him and
his family; also, from President Quincy, who advanced
promptly to meet us with his usual cordiality and kind inquiries. To Mr. Lowell, I remarked: " I am very glad, sir,
to see that the Institute does not fall off." " Oh no," said
he, "the interest keeps up, and there have been as many
applicants for your lectures as last year, which you will
remember was about ten thousand, and each ticket drawn
is entitled to two or three seats."
I was told that on the day of applying for tickets, Federal
Street, leading to the Odeon, was entirely filled for a long
distance with a dense mass of people, waiting for hours for
a chance, and content to advance slowly as the front melted
away. The tickets at once commanded two or three or
more dollars, and they are often drawn by servants and
others for the purpose of selling again for money.
February 21.- On entering the hall I was saluted by,
I think, the largest audience which I have at any time seen
there. Every nook and corner was filled, and all the galleries, even the uppermost, and all the alleys.
I gave a concise notice of the course last year, and introduced this course with an exordium which I thought was
intelligible and apposite, and, what was still better, it was
brief. I gave a classification of the metals, and enumer



396         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
ated their leading properties,- the chemical first, and the
physical last. This gave me an opportunity to close the
lecture with those fine mechanical experiments, which are
at the same time beautifill and instructive. I allude to
the evolution of heat by percussion of metals. The experiments were performed on lead and copper; they were
entirely successful, and appeared to give satisfaction to
the audience.  Although I was diffident as to the success of this lecture, I spoke deliberately, and, I believe,
clearly.
February 22. - I had two full audiences, exceedingly attentive, and the repeated lecture went off very well. I am
told, indeed, that the audience are much interested in the
organic chemistry; and I am now persuaded that what I
feared might be dull, will make only a pleasant transition
to the splendors of heat and light, of electricity and galvanism, whose history will be given near the conclusion of the
course.
The fourth year of the Lowell lectures brought
a repetition of the social attentions with which IMr.
Silliman had been honored in Boston, and witnessed
no diminution of the popular interest in his instructions.
February 27, Monday. - Tea at M3r. R. H. Dana's, Sen.
Met there Mr. R. H. D., Jr. (author of "Two Years before
the AMast ") and lady, and passed an hour and a half most
agreeably, - Professor Brown, of Dartmouth, being in the
circle.
February 28, Tuesday.- Evening at MIr. Andrews', Mount
Vernon Street, with a large circle. A Mir. Ford and his
wife, professional mesmerizers, exhibited for the entertainment of the company. She was said to be magnetized by
her husband, and in the early part of the evening made, as
was reported, some successful hits, but after we came in she




FOUR COURSES OF LOWELL LECTURES.    397
was not fortunate in every instance, although she brought
out some things very well. But the phrenological exhibition was ridiculous, and it appeared to me mere acting.
Tuesday, A. M., February 28. - On board the Emma Isidora, a small ship bound for Smyrna; and were present at
the parting scene with Mr. D. B. Stoddard, late Tutor in
Yale College. We saw the Rev. Mr. Perkins and lady,
now returning with the worthy bishop, Mar Yohannan, and
with them several young missionaries. A solemn religious
service was performed, a large crowd of people being assembled in and around the ship. The scene was touching,
and the impression solemn and happy......
Saturday Morning, March 26. - Another week of labors
and cares is finished, and our public exertions have been
crowned with entire success. Civilities and various engagements have multiplied upon us, until all our fragments of
time are taken from us. A cluster of social interviews,
especially in the evening, almost used us up, and it was a
real relief to sit at Mr. Mason's table, with him and his
most agreeable family; and we had quiet interviews at Mr.
Pliny Cutler's, and a delightful family sitting at Mr. R. H.
Dana's, Jr., with themselves alone, in their quiet, elegant
parlor.....
Last evening we finished our labors in the Lowell Institute, with entire success in the whole series of four years
(besides the two years before the Lowell courses began).
God be praised! There has been no failure of health, or
of punctuality, or of any experiment, during the popular
course of geology, 1835, and of chemistry in 1836, and of
the Lowell courses, -six years in all. The last lecture on
galvanism gave great delight to both audiences. I have
been very ably assisted by my affectionate son, and by our
devoted artist, Mr. Wightman.
The following paragraph is from the " Boston
Transcript" of March 30, 1843: —




398          LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
"'Professor Silliman, whom all the Bostonians love as a
Christian, and honor as a man of science, concluded his
series of valuable and instructive lectures to one of his audiences, and will complete this evening, before another audience, his engagements in the Lowell Institute, which, as is
well known, have been continued for four years, and have
diffused among our people much useful knowledge, exciting,
as we do not doubt, many a dormant intellect, and compelling the awakened mind to renewed activity and investigation. Admiring as we do the perfection of science exhibited continually by the lecturer in all that he has undertaken
to explain, we have yet a higher love and reverence for that
beautiful exhibition of divine truth to which Mr. Silliman
constantly alludes, as seen in the wonderful works which
he has successfully presented as designed by the Almighty
power, and made known to man by human intelligence.
This is the source of our respect for this accomplished Professor, in comparison with which our admiration for his
scientific attainments sinks into insignificance. In the conclusion of last evening's lecture, Mr. Silliman paid a just
encomium to the progress of art and science in Boston,
and ended with a heartfelt tribute to the city itself and its
excellent citizens.'This noble city,' he said,'for which
his prayer was, that peace might be within her walls, and
prosperity within her palaces. "
He thus finishes the record of his work in Boston  -
In concluding my labors in Boston during the six anxious
years,- the most arduous scientific engagements of my life,
- I did not indulge, and have never felt any sentiment of
pride or vanity. Deeply impressed with my responsibility
for the honor of Yale College, and with still higher moral
obligations, and being ably assisted by my excellent son
and a devoted artist,* I labored earnestly to fulfil every
* Mr. Wightman, philosophical instrument-maker in Boston.




LETTERS FROM PROFESSOR KINGSLEY.    399
duty. By God's blessing, to whom be all the honor, our
efforts were crowned with glorious success, and I was
satisfied.
The following are letters interchanged between
him and Professor Kingsley, in the period covered
by the preceding chapter. The first gives an account
of the ceremonies at the commemoration of the first
settlement of New Haven.
FROM PROFESSOR KINGSLEY.
NEW HAVEN, Mray 2, 1838....... THE anniversary of the 25th of April is past,
and you will readily believe me when I say that I feel
relieved from a heavy burden. You have seen, from the
newspapers, the printed accounts which contain the chief
particulars, but with some circumstantial errors. I advised
Benjamin * to send you the "Palladium " and " Register"
of this town, as well as the " Herald."  You will see from
the statements in all these that the affair has upon the
whole gone off very well, and without the intervention of
any disturbing political or sectarian feeling. The exercises
in George Street were very impressive. Mr. Hotchkiss, as
you know, has a stentorian voice, and the thousands on the
fences, houses, and trees, as well as in the streets, must have
heard him with perfect distirfctness. The tunes from Sternhold and Hopkins, selected by Mr. Bacon, were sung with
great effect. The house was crowded to overflowing; and
I was at first doubtful whether I should be able to make
myself heard by so great a multitude. By the time, however, I had uttered a few sentences, I was satisfied that
there was no cause of fear on this account. This new conviction gave me of course confidence and strength; and I
spoke about an hour and a half, without much difficulty.
* Mr. Silliman, Jr. - F.




400         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
When I found my voice failing, I called to my aid M3r
Goodrich, who had read over, the evening before, a part of
the manuscript, so as to be ready for such an emergency.
My friends have expressed quite as much satisfaction in
the performance, as I could wish; and more than, in my
own conviction, the piece will give when read apart from
the excitement of the occasion. In reply to some of your
questions, I amn able to state, that the ode first sung in the
Ilouse was written by young Mr. Bacon, who graduated last
Commencement; the hymn at the conclusion was written
by Rev. Mr. Bacon, who selected likewise the words of the
Anthem, which were set to music by Mr. Fitch.
Mr. Croswell was invited to read the Scriptures, but for
some reason declined; and this service was performed by
Mr. Bennett. You must excuse my saying so much of
what relates more or less directly to myself. I know the
interest you took in this anniversary; and have supposed
that these details would not be unacceptable. The historical discourse is about going to press.
FROM PROFESSOR KINGSLEY.
NEW HAVEN, March 24, 1841.
DEAR SIR, - Your letter of Monday was quite refreshing. Not that I have felt any apprehensions about the success of your lectures, especially after your former experience
in Boston; yet it is gratifying to have it under your own
hand, that you have reason to believe that "Mr. Lowell
and the public are satisfied." The attentions you have received must have made your time pass more pleasantly,
and perhaps may be considered as evidence not only of
personal regard, but of kind feeling, or at least of the
absence of all unkind feelings, towards our College. I am
sure that there is here no hostility to Cambridge; indeed,
I have always considered the prosperity of that institution
as highly favorable to the prosperity of ours. I have obtained a copy of Mr. Quincy's history, and of course do not




LETTERS FROM PROFESSOR KINGSLEY.        401
wish you to purchase one for me, as I told you I possibly
might. On reading the work more attentively, my first
impressions are confirmed. Not that I suppose that it
contains any designed misrepresentation, but for some reason or other, there are in it demonstrable errors in point
of fact, particularly as respects Yale College; and I think
likewise that there are in the book very manifest errors in
point of opinion. The latter, of course, it would be more
difficult to prove to the satisfaction of the public; yet even
here I should not despair of some success. The work as
a literary performance has certainly great merit; and the
body of the information in it is without doubt correctly
given. Whether I shall make any remarks on this work
publicly, is still uncertain. If I should determine on it,
I shall find it necessary, perhaps, to visit Boston to consult a few books, which I cannot procure here; or I have
thought of trying to borrow several volumes through my
friend Mr. Worcester........ College is very quiet.
There are some things in the present religious movements
which I can hardly approve of; but I hope for the best.
One evidence of the " genuineness of the work," is, that our
Faculty meetings pass off with little or no business.....
I have received from Dr. Beck a copy of the pamphlet on
the proposed changes in the studies at Cambridge. This
is a much more radical proceeding than I anticipated. I
am a little curious to see the operation of the new system.
I am not bigoted in my attachment to old plans of study;
nor am I disposed to be caught with every novelty. Let
them at Cambridge try experiments, and we will try to
profit by them. They are better able to experiment than
we are......
VOL. I.     26




402         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMIAN.
TO PROFESSOR KINGSLEY.
BOSTON, March 22, 1841....... WE have received many kind attentions, and
they have been much increased by Susan's * residence with
us, which has brought in a great wave of ladies, - some of
the most noble and famed being on the top of the billow.
The Quincy family have been particularly attentive and
kind; nearly every member of the family has called, - the
President very early......   I suppose Mrs. S. told you
that Mr. Q. presented two copies of his history, - one for our
library, and another to myself, - with a friendly letter. Probably Mrs. S. read to you his rejoinder to my thanks for his
civility..... Dr. Walker is a very interesting man. I
have made no allusion to your criticisms on the history,
except in conversation with Mr. Jeremiah Mason, who did
not appear to be aware of the facts, and I much doubt
whether there is any purpose to do injustice. Mr. Q. is a
very ardent man. Mr. Gannett is laboring very hard to
illustrate his views of the doctrines of grace. I heard him
last evening for two hours and twenty minutes on Regeneration. Ie was very able and impressive and eloquent,
and said many excellent things. I cannot pretend to enter
on his peculiarities. I can tell you something about them
when we meet. One thing, however, I will add. His allusions to the views of the Orthodox were candid and decorous,
and such as become a Christian gentleman. His house is
every Sunday evening crowded to the utmost, aisles and all,
to hear these lectures. From what I hear of the religious
influence in College, I trust you have had quiet times, and
will have. May God prosper every genuine religious influence upon the hearts of those young men, so interesting
to their friends and their country.
* Mrs. Silliman, Jr. —F.




LETTER TO PROFESSOR KINGSLEY.           403
TO PROFESSOR KINGSLEY.
BOSTON. M3arch 20, 1842...... I HAVE been particularly gratified to learn from
Mr. Larned, that you had a half' hour Faculty meeting, and
that everything is quiet at College: I trust it will continue
so, as examination is impending. Mrs. Silliman, I suppose,
informed you that President Quincy was almost the first
gentleman to salute me, and with much cordiality of courtesy,
on the stage, at the conclusion of Dr. Walker's lecture, the
evening of our arrival. He called at our lodgings the next
day, and left his card, as we were not in. Yesterday week
I dined at his son's, Mr. Josiah Quincy, with a considerable
party of the aristoi and the plousioi, where he and the
President were very polite, and yesterday we made our
calls in Cambridge, - at Dr. Beck's; at the new library,
and on Dr. Harris, the Librarian; and last, at the President's.
There was no abatement of kindness on the part of the
family, - and ladies are more sensitive, and not always as
well disciplined in suppressing riled feelings as men. I
have not heard a word from any Unitarian or college man
or college friend, which would enable me to infer that they
had or had not read certain criticisms.*.... Dr. Taylor
regretted that the articles had not been struck off separately
for extensive distribution, and we concluded that the author
ought to pursue his investigations, and publish a complete
history of Yale College, to which these criticisms and all
others that are, or may be, digested may be appended. I
hope you will not neglect this subject, for there neither
is, nor ever will be, any one who can do the work well but
yourself......
While Professor Silliman was gaining his great
success in Boston, he had the satisfaction of know* Professor Kingsley's articles on President Quincy's History of Harvard
College. - F.




404         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
ing that his labors were appreciated in foreign countries.
FROM 1REV. R. R. GURLEY.
WASHINGTON, November 25, 1841.
Too long have I neglected to express my obligations for
the letters with which you were pleased to honor me when
about to embark for England, and my regret that I saw so
little, while there, of your excellent friends, Dr. Daubeny
and Professor Buckland.  I enjoyed, however, repeated
interviews with both, and had the happiness to hear from
them sentiments of the highest respect and regard for yourself. From both I was requested to'bear to you the assurances of their warm esteem and friendship. Dr. Buckland
I first met at the British Association, in Glasgow, when at
a public dinner in the theatre, to about one thousand
gentlemen, I was favored with an opportunity of publicly
expressing my admiration of your character, and my regret that you were not present to represent, better than
any other American could do, the cause of science in
our country. And you may be assured, that among the
purest pleasures experienced by me while abroad, was
that arising from the applause which your name excited
throughout that great and learned assembly. Dr. Daubeny
kindly invited me to Oxford, but it was not in my power to
visit that place. I subsequently dined with Dr. Buckland,
Lord Northampton, the sculptor Chantrey, Professor Whewell, and other gentlemen of science, at the Geological
Club, and attended the meeting of the Society in the evening. I cannot but hope, my dear sir, that having by arduous efforts in the cause of science and humanity, won so
bright a fame in Europe, as well as America, you will yet
revisit England to renew your personal intercourse with
those who love and admire you there, thus receiving and
imparting happiness, which you never fail to do in every
intelligent and refined society.




LETTER FROM CHANCELLOR KENT.         405
In 1842, Professor Silliman gave the Address to
the Alumni of Yale College, the reception of a copy
of which was thus acknowledged in a letter
FROM CHANCELLOR KENT.
NEW YORK, October 30, 1842.
My DEAR Sin, -I thank you for your address before the
Alumni of Yale College. Though I heard it delivered, I
have read it with renewed, and indeed increased, interest.
I delight in the visions of ancient reminiscences, and, when
I was at New Haven I saw, with a pang, the desolate ground
where the President's old house stood.
Your pamphlet affords me an apology for writing to you,
for you must know that I was deeply attracted by your earliest publication, and the charm of your style, taste, ability,
learning, and moral character, has been ever since growing
with my years and strengthening with my judgment. You
are aware, I presume, that I take your " Journal of Science,"
and have it ab initio. The address in the October number before the geologists at Boston, interested me exceedingly, and I have much to regret that I am so ignorant of
the sciences, except, perhaps, that I may be permitted to
claim some skill in the science of law. Of the physical
sciences, I am much attracted and delighted by astronomy
and geology. I ran over lately, by way of a refresher, Mrs.
Somerville's delightful sketch of the " Connection of the
Physical Sciences," and some of the earliest of the English
Quarterlies first drew my attention to the sublime science
of geology. I spent an evening with a party in this city,
where Mr. and Mrs. Lyell were present. I had not much
conversation with him, for everybody was about him, and I
was occupied very much with the attractive conversation of
his wife. He told me he was the author of one of the early
reviews on the geology of Central France. I own, and
have read and studied, his two volumes on the " Elements,"
and his four volumes on the " Principles of Geology'," and




406         LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
yet I feel humble at the reflection how little I know of the
sciences in which you are so great a master. But you must
pardon my intrusion. I ventured lately, for the first time
in my life, to address an English judge, and I stated in a
letter to Lord Denman, (Lord Chief Justice of the King's
Bench,) that "though I had never the honor of a personal acquaintance with any judicial character in England, yet, that my familiarity with the English law, and
with the decisions of the English courts for the last half
century, made me feel as if I was in some degree addressing a companion."  He replied more liberally, and said,"He adopted the expression, and desired to add to it " (in
its application to me) " a Guide and a Friend." Now, after
that, I need not be afraid of addressing you as familiarly
as I do. I have long since made up my mind that the
discoveries in geology are not unfavorable to the Christian
faith in the Bible. The argument is conclusive, that the
Holy Scriptures were intended for man as a moral and accountable being, and not to teach him physical philosophy.
The boundless antiquity of the elements of geology, and
the recent creation of man, are indisputable facts. No fossil evidences of the existence of man, prior to the Mosaic
date, are to be found, and that fact discloses awful and sublime results, and shows that man might have been created
perfect in his mind and body, by extraordinary and omnipotent agency, as told in Genesis. The fact gives vast energy
to the doctrine of the immaterial soul and immortal destiny
of man, as disclosed in the Scriptures.
Wishing you every success and every happiness, I am,
with my best respects to Mrs. Silliman,
Your obedient servant,
PROFESSOR SILLIMAN.                 JAMIES KENT.
English travellers, not unfrequently, brought to him
letters of introduction. His kindness and hospitality
never failed to leave upon them agreeable impressions.




LETTER FROM CAPTAIN BASIL HALL.        407
FROM CAPTAIN BASIL HALL.
EDINBURGH, February 22, 1837...... IT affords me much pleasure to have an opportunity of sending you Mrs. Hall's compliments and my own,
and of assuring you that we remember, and ever shall remember, your very kind attentions to us, and those of IMrs.
Silliman and your two daughters. Our little girl, also, to
whom you were so kind, though she has forgotten all about
her transatlantic travels, is kept in the full knowledge of
the hospitality with which she, as well as her papa and
mamma, were received in America. We have been great
wanderers since we had the pleasure of seeing you; but
we always look back to America with the warmest feelings
of gratitude, not merely to those friends to whom we were
personally known, but to the country generally, and if I
had not become old and stiff and lazy, I might venture
again across the Atlantic; for I should suppose, from all I
hear, that in the few years which have elapsed since I visited
the United States, the circumstances have changed so as to
make it a different country. I wish you joy, with all my
heart, of your railway sort of speed, and hope that your
happiness and success, in all respects, may keep pace with
your speed in national progress.
Ever, very dear sir,
MIost sincerely yours,
BASIL HALL.
END OF VOL. L