LONDON,December 19,1846
My dear Sons:...Yesterday we dined at Macready's and met quite a new,and to us,a most agreeable circle.There was Carlyle,who talked all dinner-time in his broad Scotch,in the most inimitable way.He is full of wit,and happened to get upon James I.,upon which topic he was superb.Then there was Babbage,the great mathematician,Fonblanc,the editor of the EXAMINER,etc.,etc.The day before we dined at Mr.Frederick Elliott's with a small party of eight,of which Lady Morgan was one,and also a brother of Lord Normanby's,whom I liked very much.Lady Morgan,who had not hitherto much pleased me,came out in this small circle with all her Irish wit and humor,and gave me quite new notions of her talent.
She made me laugh till I cried.On Saturday we dined at Sir Roderick Murchison's,the President of the Geological Society,very great in the scientific way.
We have struck up a great friendship with Miss Murray,the Queen's Maid of Honor,who paid me a visit of three hours to-day,in the midst of which came in Colonel Estcourt,whom I was delighted to see,as you may suppose.Miss Murray is to me a very interesting person,though a great talker;a convenient fault to a stranger.
She is connected with half the noble families in England,is the grand-daughter of the Duchess of Athol,who governed the Isle of Man as a queen,and the descendant of Scott's Countess of Derby.Though sprung of such Tory blood,and a maid of honor,she thinks freely upon all subjects.Religion,politics,and persons,she decides upon for herself,and has as many benevolent schemes as old Madam Jackson.
I returned the visit of Mr.and Mrs.Leslie,the painter,this week,and saw the picture he is now painting for the Vice-Chancellor.It is a sketch of children,a boy driving his two little sisters as horses.One of the little girls is very like Susie,her size,hair,and complexion.How I longed to be rich enough to order a copy,but his pictures cost a fortune.I paid also a visit this week to the Duchess of Inverness,whom I found in the prettiest,cosiest morning boudoir looking onto the gardens of the Palace.In short,I do,or see,every hour,something that if I were a traveller only,I could make quite a story of.
