liE Mary Somerville. 



gaged in some pursuit, and had good society. 

 General society was at that time brilliant for 

 wit and talent. The Eev. Sidney Smith, Rogers, 

 Thomas Moore, Campbell, the Hon. William Spencer, 

 Macaulay, Sir James Mackintosh, Lord Melbourne, 

 &c., &c., all made the dinner-parties very agreeable. 

 The men sat longer at table than they do now, and, 

 except in the families where I was intimate, the con- 

 versation of the ladies in the drawing-room, when we 

 came up from dinner, often bored me. I disliked routs 

 exceedingly, and should often have sent an excuse if 

 I had known what to say. After my marriage I did 

 not dance, for in Scotland it was thought highly in- 

 decorous for a married woman to dance. Waltzing, 

 when first introduced, was looked upon with horror, 

 and even in England it was then thought very im- 

 proper. 



One season I subscribed to the Concerts of Ancient 

 Music, established by George the Third. They 

 seemed to be the resort of the aged ; a young face 

 was scarcely to be seen. The music was perfect 

 of its kind, but the whole affair was very dull. 

 The Philharmonic Concerts were excellent for scien- 

 tific musicians, and I sometimes went to them ; 

 but for my part I infinitely preferred hearing 

 Pasta, Malibran, and Grisi, who have left the 

 most vivid impression on my mind, although so 



