196 Mary Somerville. 



so kind to us that we were very sad when we went 

 to express our gratitude and take leave of them. 

 "We only stayed two days at La Grange, and when 

 we returned to Paris, Somerville went home and 

 my son joined us, when we made a rapid tour in 

 Switzerland, the only remarkable event of which 

 was a singular atmospheric phenomenon we saw 

 on the top of the Grimsel. On the clouds of 

 vapour below us we saw our shadows projected, of 

 giant proportions, and each person saw his cwn 

 shadow surrounded by a bright circle of prismatic 

 colours. It is not uncommon in mountain regions. 

 ***** 



[General Lafayette and all his family were extremely 

 kind to my mother. He was her constant visitor, and 

 we twice visited him at his country house, La Grange. 

 He wished to persuade my mother to go there for some 

 days, after our return from Switzerland, which we did not 

 accomplish. The General wrote the following letter to 

 my father : 



FROM LAFAYETTE TO DR. SOMERVILLE. 

 LA. GBANGE, 31 



MY DEAR SIR, 



I waited to answer your kind letter, for the 

 arrival of Mr. Coke's* precious gift, which nobody could 

 higher value, on every account, than the grateful farmer 

 on whom it has been bestowed. The heifers and bull 



Mr. Coke, of Holkham, afterwards Earl of Leicester. 



