132 



foreign land ; but we escaped with whole bones ; — 

 the journey altogether a tragi-comedy. Having set 

 down my English girl at a friend's house, I pro- 

 ceeded further. You shall be spared an exact re- 

 cital of all the varieties : I shall only mention, I 

 was obliged to get out of the chaise at half-past 

 seven at night, on the top of a mountain, and walk 

 five miles to the house to which I was bound ; the 

 chaise, meanwhile, left amongst the wild natives to 

 be dragged on till horses could be sent to meet them, 

 the hacks positively refusing to stir a step, — I be- 

 lieve, indeed, perfectly unable. The natives little 

 dreamed two thousand guineas were shut up in 

 the seat of the chaise. Had they known the se- 

 cret, such is their simplicity, I am not sure but the 

 shiners might have been as safe as near the police 

 of your great metropolis. I thought it, however, 

 as well not to put the moral sense unnecessarily to 

 the test. The night was fair, and a little moon 

 out, but such a storm of wind, and in my face, that 

 it retarded my march excessively. It was the night, 

 I believe, that did so much damage in England. I 

 often involuntarily recollected my late travelling 

 companion, — not that I wished him to share the 

 distress, but if by chance he had been there, his 

 presence would have cheered me. 



I presume you did not forget the engaging bird 

 at Exeter 'Change, whether or not it be the Turdus 

 nitens. 



Dr. Wade last summer had the ardour to make a 

 stolen visit to the Giant's Causeway, to search for 

 the Scilla verna, having met in a manuscript note 



