ailed two days later in the "Russia,"
and reached England in the first week of May 1868.

FOOTNOTES:

[276] few days later he described it to his daughter. "I couldn't help
laughing at myself on my birthday at Washington; it was observed so much
as though I were a little boy. Flowers and garlands of the most
exquisite kind, arranged in all manner of green baskets, bloomed over
the room; letters radiant with good wishes poured in; a shirt pin, a
handsome silver travelling bottle, a set of gold shirt studs, and a set
of gold sleeve links, were on the dinner table. Also, by hands unknown,
the hall at night was decorated; and after _Boots at the Holly Tree_,
the whole audience rose and remained, great people and all, standing and
cheering, until I went back to the table and made them a little speech."

[277] Mr. Dolby unconsciously contributed at this time to the same happy
result by sending out some advertisements in these exact words: "The
Reading will be comprised within _two minutes_, and the audience are
earnestly entreated to be seated _ten hours_ before its commencement."
He had transposed the minutes and the hours.

[278] What follows is from the close of the letter. "On my return, I
have arranged with Chappell to take my leave of reading for good and
all, in a hundred autumnal and winter Farewells _for ever_. I return by
the Cunard steam-ship 'Russia.' I had the second officer's cabin on
deck, when I came out; and I am to have the chief steward's going home.
Cunard was so considerate as to remember that it will be on the sunny
side of the vessel."

[279] Here was his account of his mode of living for his last ten weeks
in America. "I cannot eat (to anything like the necessary extent) and
have established this system. At 7 in the morning, in bed, a tumbler of
new cream and two tablespoonsful of rum. At 12, a sherry cobbler and a
biscuit. At 3 (dinner time) a pint of champagne. At five minutes to 8,
an egg beaten up with a glass of sherry. Between the parts, the
strongest beef tea that can be made, drunk hot. At a quarter past 10,
soup, and any little thing to drink that I can fancy. I do not eat more
than half a pound of solid food in the whole four-and-twenty hours, if
so much."

[280] Here is the newspaper account: "At about five o'clock on Saturday
the hosts began to assemble, but at 5.30 news was received that the
expected guest had succumbed to a painful affection of the foot. In a
short time, however, a