March 17 Saturday – Sam wrote from Hartford to George W. Cable, at the time in Baltimore for a reading, confirming details on the planned “trial lecture” for Cable.

You are to lecture here the 3d of April, on “Creole Women,” in Unity Hall. So that’s all arranged. Formal invitation, duly signed by prominent citizens, [See Mar. 10 entry] will be presently sent you. Advertising will shortly begin. Preliminary “paragraphing” will begin now. Stir up Roswell Smith, [See Mar. 8 entry] please, & have him gather his clan & make preparation [MTP].

Sam also mentioned that an idea struck him while getting out of bed; he asked Cable not to make any more lecture dates until they’d spoken. The “idea” may very well have been the joint lecture tour which took off later in the year.

Samuel E. Wells wrote from Albany to ask permission to use three of Sam’s sketches in his new book on elocutions: “How I Edited an Agricultural paper,” “Jim Wolf and the Cats” and the “Speech at the Scottish Banquet in London” [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “Gave him my consent to use the 3 sketches named / SLC”