Delay in the Work. 155 



scarcely any attention to the numerous court of Eng- 

 lish noblemen and gentlemen present.' I waited a mo- 

 ment, and said that I thought the Duke of Northumber- 

 land would interest himself for me. Again he laughed, 

 and assured me that my attempts there would prove in- 

 effectual. * Think/ continued he; *I have called hun- 

 dreds of times on like men in England, and been assured 

 that his grace, or lordship, or ladyship, was not at home, 

 until I have grown wiser, and stay at home myself, and 

 merely attend to my political business, and God only 

 knows when I will have done with that. It requires 

 written appointments of a month or six weeks before an 

 interview can be obtained.' I then changed the conver- 

 sation to other subjects, but he kindly returned to it 

 again, and said, * Should the king hold a lev^e whilst you 

 are here, I will take you to Court, and present you as an 

 American scientific gentleman, but of course would not 

 mention your work.' I remained with him a full hour ; 

 and, as I was about to leave, he asked me for all the 

 cards I had in my case, and said he would use them 

 well, and find me visitors if possible. 



" June 18. The work on the first number is yet in the 

 hands of Mr. Lizars, in Edinburgh, and this day I re- 

 ceived a letter from him, saying that * the colorers had all 

 struck work, and that my work was, in consequence, at a 

 stand.' He asked me to try to find some persons here 

 who would engage in that part of the business, and said 

 he would exert himself to make all right again as soon as 

 possible. This was quite a shock to my nerves, and for 

 nearly an hour I deliberated whether I should not go at 

 once to Edinburgh, but an engagement at Lord Spencer's, 

 where I expected a subscriber, decided me to remain. 

 I reached his lordship's house about twelve o'clock, and 

 met there Dr. Walterton and the Rt. Hon. William S. 

 Ponsonby engaged in conversation with Lady Spencer, a 



