ring from your
Lordship; and may I beg that you would not omit to mention our
Westmoreland politics? The diet of Switzerland is now sitting in this
place. Yesterday I had a long conversation with the Bavarian envoy,
whose views of the state of Europe appear to me very just. This letter
must unavoidably prove dull to your Lordship, but when I have the
pleasure of seeing you, I hope to make some little amends, though I feel
this is a very superficial way of viewing a country, even with reference
merely to the beauties of Nature. We have not met with many English;
there is scarcely a third part as many in the country as there was last
year. A brother of Lord Grey is in the house where we now are, and Lord
Ashburton left yesterday. I must conclude abruptly, with kindest
remembrances to Lady Lonsdale and Lady Mary. Believe me, my Lord, most
faithfully

Your Lordship's
WM. WORDSWORTH.

Paris, Oct. 7 [1820], 45 Rue Charlot,
Boulevards du Temple.

MY LORD,

I had the honour of writing to your Lordship from Lucerne, 19th of
August, giving an account of our movements. We have visited, since,
those parts of Switzerland usually deemed most worthy of notice, and the
Italian lakes, having stopped four days at Milan, and as many at Geneva.
With the exception of a couple of days on the Lake of Geneva, the
weather has been most favourable, though frequently during the last
fortnight extremely cold. We have had no detention from illness, nor any
bad accident, for which we feel more grateful, on account of some of our
fellow travellers, who accidentally joined us for a few days. Of these,
one, an American gentleman, was drowned in the Lake of Zurich, by the
upsetting of a boat in a storm, two or three days after he parted with
us; and two others, near the summit of Mount Jura, and in the middle of
a tempestuous night, were precipitated, they scarcely knew how far,
along with one of those frightful and ponderous vehicles, a continental
diligence. We have been in Paris since Sunday last, and think of staying
about a fortnight longer, as scarcely less will suffice for even a hasty
view of the town and neighbourhood. We took Fontainebleau in our way,
and intend giving a day to Versailles. The day we entered Paris we
passed a well-drest young man and woman, dragging a harrow through a
field, like cattle; nevertheless, working in the fields on the sabbath