hesterfield to London by your name (paying for the whole, namely,
coach fare, omnibus fare _-/6_, and railway fare _L1. 15s. 0d._ first
class). Then you will only have to step out of the coach into the
omnibus, and to scream out once or twice to the guard to make sure
that you are entered in the way-bill and that your luggage is put on
the omnibus.

* * * * *

FLAMSTEED HOUSE, GREENWICH,
_1840, April 15_.

I forgot to tell you that at Lord Northampton's I saw some specimens
of the Daguerrotype, pictures made by the Camera Obscura, and they
surpass in beauty of execution anything that I could have
imagined. Baily who has two or three has promised to lend them for
your inspection when you return. Also I saw some post-office stamps
and stamped envelopes: I do not much admire the latter.

* * * * *

The following relates to the fire on his Eye farm, referred to above:

PLAYFORD,
_1840, April 23_.

On Wednesday (yesterday) went with my uncle to the Eye Estate, to see
the effects of the fire. The farming buildings of every kind are as
completely cleared away as if they had been mown down: not a bit of
anything but one or two short brick walls and the brick foundations of
the barns and stacks. The aspect of the place is much changed, because
in approaching the house you do not see it upon a back-ground of
barns, &c., but standing alone. The house is in particularly neat and
good order. I did not think it at all worth while to make troublesome
enquiries of the people who reside there, but took Mr Case's
account. There seems no doubt that the fire was caused by the
maid-servant throwing cinders into a sort of muck-place into which
they had been commonly thrown. I suppose there was after all this dry
weather straw or muck drier than usual, and the cinders were hotter
than usual. The whole was on fire in an exceedingly short time; and
everything was down in less than an hour. Two engines came from Eye,
and all the population of the town (as the fire began shortly after
two o'clock in the afternoon). It is entirely owing to these that my
house, and the farm (Sewell's) on the opposite side of the road, were
not burned down. At the beginning of the fire the wind