"Miss Lind has great anxiety to visit America. She speaks of this country and its institutions in the highest terms of praise. In her engagement with me (which includes Havana), she expressly reserves the right to give charitable concerts whenever she thinks proper. Since her debut in England, she has given to the poor from her own private purse more than the whole amount which I have engaged to pay her, and the proceeds of concerts for charitable purposes in Great Britain, where she has sung gratuitously, have realized more than ten times that amount." And so it came to pass that, before September rolled around, curiosity, interest and enthusiasm over the great singer were at fever heat, and New York thought and dreamed only of her coming. Never, in the history of music or in the history of entertainments in America, has the advent of a foreign artist been hailed with so much enthusiasm. A large share of this public interest was natural and genuine, and would, in any event, have been accorded to Miss Lind. But a considerable portion of it was due to the shrewd and energetic advertising of Mr. Barnum. Under any auspices the great singer's tour in America would have been successful; but under no other management would it have approximated to what it was under Barnum. CHAPTER XVII. ARRIVAL OF JENNY LIND. FIRST MEETING WITH BARNUM--RECEPTION IN NEW YORK--POEMS IN HER HONOR--A FURORE OF PUBLIC INTEREST--SALE OF TICKETS FOR THE FIRST CONCERT--BARNUM'S CHANGE IN TERMS--TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR CHARITY--ENORMOUS SUCCESS OF THE FIRST CONCERT. Jenny Lind sailed for America on Wednesday morning, August 21, 1850. She was accompanied by Messrs. Benedict and Belletti, Mr. Wilton, her two cousins, and three or four servants. She also brought with her a piano for her use. Mr. Barnum had engaged the necessary accommodations for the company on the steamship Atlantic, and their departure from England was an event of great public interest. In America their coming was looked upon much as the visit of a royal personage would have been. It was expected that the steamer would reach New York on Sunday, September 1st. Mr. Barnum, however, determined to be on hand to meet his distinguished guest at no matter what time she reached the port. He, therefore, went on Saturday to Staten Island, and spent the night at the house of his friend, Dr. Doane, the health officer of the port. The steamship was sighted just before noon on Sunday, and soon afterward Mr. Barnum, who went out with the health officer, was standing on the deck where, for the first time, he met the famous singer. After they had shaken hands and uttered a few commonplace words of greeting Miss Lind asked him when and where he had heard her sing. "I never had the pleasure of seeing you before in my life," he replied. "How is it possible that you dared risk so much money on a person whom you never heard sing?" she asked in great surprise.