220 Mary Somerville. 



No house in London was more hospitable and 

 agreeable than that of the late Mr. John Murray, in 

 Albemarle Street. His dinner parties were brilliant, 

 with all the poets and literary characters of the day, 

 and Mr. Murray himself was gentlemanly, full of 

 information, and kept up the conversation with 

 spirit. He generously published the "Mechanism 

 of the Heavens" at his own risk, which, from its 

 analytical character, could only be read by mathe- 

 maticians. 



Besides those I have mentioned we had a numer- 

 ous acquaintance who were neither learned nor 

 scientific ; and at concerts at some of their houses I 

 enjoyed much hearing the great artists of the day, 

 such as Pasta, Malibran, Grisi, Rubini, &c., &c. 

 We knew Lucien Buonaparte, who gave me a copy 

 of his poems, which were a failure. 



I had become acquainted with Madame de 

 Montalembert, who was an Englishwoman, and 

 was mother of the celebrated Comte ; she was 

 very eccentric, and at that time was an Ultra- 

 Protestant. One day she came to ask me to go 

 and drive in the Park with her, and afterwards 

 dine at her house, saying, "We shall all be in 

 high dresses." So I accepted, and on entering the 

 drawing-room, found a bishop and several clergy- 

 men, Lady Olivia Sparrow, and some other ladies, 



