eerful matters.

On October 8th he writes: "I had the honour of receiving a card of
invitation to dine with Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent on
Tuesday next;" then, true to his motto, which bids him "think and
thank," he adds, "Praised be He from whom all honour and distinction
flows."

_Tuesday, the 11th._ The words of his entry are as follows:--"I
attended Synagogue, and a little before seven went in our chariot to
West Cliff, where I had the honour of dining with their Royal
Highnesses the Duchess of Kent and the Princess Victoria. The other
guests were, Sir John Conroy, the Dean of Chester, Mr Justice Gaselee,
the Rector of St Lawrence, the Hon. Col. Stopford and his wife, the
Ladies Jane and Charlotte Seymour, and one other lady and gentleman. I
took down the Colonel's wife and sat opposite to the Princess. There
were thirteen at table, and it was impossible for it to have been more
agreeable. I never felt myself more at ease at any dinner party within
my recollection. The behaviour of the Duchess was most kind and
condescending, and all the party were extremely amiable and chatty.
The entertainment was truly Royal, and after dinner, when the
gentlemen had joined the ladies in the drawing-room, where tea and
coffee were served, the Duchess again spoke to each of us. The
Princess Sophia Matilda was also present. I returned home quite
enraptured with the very kind and obliging manner in which I had been
distinguished by her Royal Highness."

In the same year Mr and Mrs Montefiore received the congratulations of
their friends on a providential escape from the horrors of shipwreck.
They had left Margate in the _Magnet_ at nine o'clock in the morning
of the 17th October. The weather was foggy, but they thought it would
soon clear up. They had only proceeded a short distance, however, when
they got on to a sandbank, where they were obliged to remain for two
hours, feeling the gravest anxiety all the time. At last the tide
floated them off again, and they endeavoured to grope their way
through the fog, passing several vessels, which were only visible when
quite close upon them. Mr Montefiore was standing near the bow of the
ship, when suddenly a steamer was seen to be quite close to them, and
before it was possible to avoid her, she struck their bow with a
dreadful crash. Mr Montefiore threw himself on deck to escape injury.
The screams of the people on board both boats were terrible. It was
soon seen that the _