jee Pi 
By the Rev. Canon J. EB. Jackson, P.8.A. 199 
company with Cumming, the Quaker, a character at that time well 
known as the projector of the Conquest of Senegal. They arrived 
about dinner-time, and were received with such respect and good 
breeding that the Doctor joined in the conversation with much 
pleasantry and good humour. He told several stories of his 
acquaintance with literary characters, and in particular repeated the 
last part of his celebrated letter to Lord Chesterfield, desiring to be 
dismissed from all further patronage. Whilst “the feast of reason 
and the flow of soul” was thus enjoying, a gentleman of Lord 
Shelburne’s acquaintance from London happened to arrive: but 
being too late for dinner his Lordship was making his apologies, 
and added, “ But you have lost a better thing than dinner, in not 
being here time enough to hear Dr. Johnson repeat his charming 
letter to Lord Chesterfield, though I dare say the Doctor will be 
kind enough to give it us again.” “Indeed, my Lord,” says the 
Doctor (who began to growl the moment the subject was mentioned), 
“T will not: I told the story just now for my own amusement, but 
I will not be dragged in as story-teller to a company.” 
Another visitor at Bowood—who, however, became really a settled 
member of the household as librarian and superintendent of education 
in the school-room—was the celebrated Dr. Priestley,of Birmingham, 
At first he came to Calne as pastor of some congregation : and Mrs. 
Mary Anne Schimmelpenninck, who was much in this part of the 
country, gives us the following account of the Doctor and his arrival 
here. Priestley, we all know, was a great philosopher, well skilled 
in chemistry and kindred pursuits. She says :—“ Dr. Priestley was 
a man of much child-like simplicity. His wife used to relate that 
when he removed to Calne she had packed everything for the removal 
_ with her own hands. The Doctor proposed to help her by superin- 
tending the fastening and cording of the boxes. What was her 
_ dismay, on arriving at Calne, and opening them, to find that, under 
_ the cover of each box were lodged specimens of minerals of all sorts, 
and a number of chemical mixtures! The Doctor begged her not 
to distress herself if the clothes were a little injured, for the mintrals 
had come perfectly well.” 
The Earl of Shelburne was created in 1784 Merquis of Lansdowne. 
