4O A Century of Family Letters [CHAP, ni 



You will be surprised to hear that I have quite a dread 

 of Tuesday, and heartily wish it over. Mackintosh invited 

 all these people to breakfast with us without consulting us, 

 and without considering that we have not room for half of 

 those he has asked. On my return from Letitia [KnoxJ's 

 I found I had to provide room and a breakfast for Mme de 

 Stael, her son and daughter, Campbell and his wife, Mrs 

 Graham, Sharp, Mack and his wife, George Newnham and 

 Baugh, the only two I have invited. We shall be altogether 

 a party of fourteen, our little room only holds eight. I was 

 therefore obliged to borrow Baugh's room at the College. 

 Mackintosh intended us an immense pleasure, and I dare 

 not tell him how very far from one it is to me, or he would 

 accuse me of a brutal disregard of genius. The fact is, T 

 have very little pleasure in their company; after all, they 

 put forth their best in writing. I would much rather read 

 their works; that is surer than their society, which fails in 

 giving one pleasure at least 6 times for once that it succeeds, 

 and then is seldom equal to one's expectation. Oh ! how 

 far preferable a friendly visit would be. If a detachment 

 from Etruria only were coming, with what a far happier, 

 lighter heart I should prepare for them ! I foresee that 

 Talleyrand will not be the only one "si fatigue d'esprit." 

 There are a few already that venture to laugh, one or two 

 that acknowledge she tires them, and some that prophesy 

 that in the long run Mme de Stael would be tiresome; so 

 that I think she will be likely to visit Athens sooner than 

 she intended. 



When I was at Letitia's I went with her to call on 

 Catalani, 1 and was excessively pleased with her. She had 



1 Angelica Catalani (1779 1849) was the greatest singer of her 

 time, and one of the very greatest the world has ever seen. She had 

 a glorious voice, and wonderful powers of execution. She could sing 

 as a " sweet sustained note " the G which is eight notes above the 

 upper treble line. She was a simple, pious, modest, generous woman, 

 and gave away a great part of what she earned. It is mentioned that 

 in one year she made 16,000. She sang in England from 1805 to 

 1813, and again from 1824 to 1828. My husband's mother 

 described the immense effect Catalani produced when singing 

 " God save the King " at a Festival in Hereford. 



