[Boston—Tuesday, 10 October 1865]
Tuesday Oct. 10. Prof. Nichol of Edinburgh dined with us also Longfellow, C.T. Brooks, Prof. Rogers of Glasgow and Charles Sumner. George Thompson and the Marquis of Chambrun came in the evening also Miss Foley from Rome & Mr Ordway our Boston artist and Wm. Neill from London.
The dinner was pleasant. Mr Brooks & Prof. Nichol were to sail the next day for Europe. “Ah!” said Longfellow to Brooks you are tired of translating so now you are going to be translated. He said, they were at dinner in his house the day before when the conversation turned upon “Spiritualism” and the question had just been passed around the circle “did you ever see anything?” when the door opened and cards were brought in announcing Mr & Mrs____ & Miss Katy Fox. Longfellow went out to receive them and asked Miss Fox if she still retained her old power whereupon she laid her hand upon the door and the raps came. Prof. Rogers thought the sounds were produced by the knuckles of the toes but L. evidently thought not—and so do we who have ever heard them.
Sumner thinks Andy Johnson “has launched the country on the high road to ruin” nevertheless he ate his dinner gayly as if he had not given out the dreadful sentiment. He thought Prof. Nichol made a mistake to return without having seen a prairie &c.
Prof. Nichol is a vigorous friend to America. A man who looks neither to the right or left but seeing what he believes to be the truth rushes fearlessly uncompromisingly after it. Such men are glorious and shine like stars in unconscious brilliancy.
Longfellow told us he had left his little girls at home soaking the feet of a robin in warm water hoping to restore him to consciousness. It was a young bird they had found in the grounds and they were unsparing in their devotions to make him open his eyes.
