190 Mary Somerville. 



England, at that time. The Royal Family used to 

 walk about in the streets of Paris witnout any 

 attendants. 



Sir Sydney Smith was still in Paris trying to 

 renew the order of the Knights Templars. Somer- 

 ville and I went with him one evening to a recep- 

 tion at the Duchesse d'Abrantes, widow of Junot. 

 She was short, thick, and not in the least dis- 

 tinguished-looking, nor in any way remarkable. I 

 had met her at the Duchesse de Broglie's, where she 

 talked of Junot as if he had been in the next room. 

 Sir Sydney was quite covered with stars and crosses, 

 and I was amused with the way he threw his 

 cloak back to display them as he handed me to the 

 carriage. 



I met with Prince Kosloffsky everywhere ; he 

 was the fattest man I ever saw, a perfect Fal- 

 staff. However, his intellect was not smothered, 

 for he would sit an hour with me talking 

 about mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, and 

 what not. He was banished from Russia, and as 

 he had been speaking imprudently about politics in 

 Paris, he was ordered to go elsewhere ; still, he 

 lingered on, and was with me one morning when 

 Pozzo di Borgo, the Russian Ambassador called. 

 Pozzo di Borgo said to me, " Are you aware that 

 Prince Kosloffsky has left Paris ? " " Oh yes," I 



