HISTOEY OF THE ATOMIC THBOBY. 61 



attacked with sore throat. I sweated it well in the night 

 with cloathing, but it was bad on Saturday, and I was 

 obliged to beg a little indulgence of my auditors on the score 

 of exertion. However, I got through better than I expected. 

 I kept in on Sunday and Monday and got pretty well re- 

 cruited. On Tuesday I had my third lecture, after which I 

 went to dine at a tavern to meet the chemical club. There 

 were five of us, two of whom were Wollaston and Davy, 

 secretaries of the Royal Society; we had much discussion 

 on chemicals. Wollaston is one of the cleverest men I have 

 yet seen here. To-day, that is Thursday (for I have had 

 this letter two or three days in hand), I had my fourth lec- 

 ture. I find several ingenious and inquisitive people of the 

 audience. I held a long conversation to-day with a lady on 

 the subject of rain-gauges. Several have been wonderfully 

 struck with Mr. Ewart's doctrine of mechanical force. I 

 believe it will soon become a prevalent doctrine. 1 should 

 tell Mrs. J. something of the fashions here, but it is so much 

 out of my province, that I feel rather awkward. I see the 

 belles of New Bond-street every day, but I am more taken 

 up with their faces than their dresses. 1 think blue and red 

 are the favourite colours. Some of the ladies seem to have 

 their dresses as tight round them as a drum, others throw 

 them round them like a blanket. I do not know how it 

 happens, but I fancy pretty women look well any how. 



I am very regular with my breakfast, but other meals are 

 so uncertain that I never know when or what. Hitherto I 

 have dined at from two to seven o'clock; as for tea I generally 

 have a cup between nine and ten, and, of course, no supper. 

 I am not very fond of this way of proceeding. They say 

 things naturally find their level, but I do not think it is the 

 case in London. I sent for a basin of soup the other day 

 before I went to lecture, thinking I should have a good three- 

 penny worth, but I found they charged me one shilling and 

 ninepence for a pint, which was not better than some of our 



