very
kind & attentive to us. Her house is thronged with visitors, the
great, the fashionable, & the _literati_ all pay their court to her.
She is a great admirer of Willis's, & thinks his writings _superior
to Irving's_!--On Wednesday we visited the National Gallery, the
finest collection of old paintings in the city. We saw while we were
there, the Queen pass into the city, attended by the horse-guards in
their beautiful uniforms. Five or six carriages passed with a
coachman & two footmen to each, lost almost in the quantity of gold
lace which covered them. Last of all came her Majesty's carriage
with two coachmen & four footmen in the same magnificent livery.
Thursday was the king's birth day. The drawing room was the most
splendid one that had ever been seen--so Willis says. In the eve'g
there was a grand illumination. About ten Henry and Mr. Frazer went
out to see it. The crowd was so immense, that it was with the
greatest difficulty they made their way home. Four women from St.
Giles's armed with large clubs pointed with iron, passed through the
crowd striking in all directions. We took a carriage & drove to see
the illuminations. It was after eleven & the crowd had nearly
dispersed. There were brilliant crowns & a variety of pretty devices
formed with coloured lamps & some very fine gas ones. I suspect
however there was very little true rejoicing in all this show &
splendour. The Queen is very unpopular among the people. Friday
morn'g--Willis called. He had been to breakfast with the beautiful
Mrs. Wadsworth, & was on his way, to breakfast at 3 in the aft. with
the Duchess of St. Albans. Mrs. Wadsworth, from Genesseo, was a
Philadelphia lady & has been greatly admired on the continent &
here. She returns in a few days to America. Yesterday morning Mr.
Barnard a young lawyer from Connecticut called upon me. He arrived
but a month before us, & takes much the same route as we do, though
a more extensive one. He will be in Stockholm in the course of the
summer. Mr. Carlyle of Craigenputtock was soon after announced, &
passed an half hour with us much to our delight. He has very
unpolished manners, & broad Scottish accent, but such fine language
& beautiful thoughts that it is truly delightful to listen to him.
Perhaps you have read some of his articles in the Edinburgh Review.