COUNT KUMFORD. 127 



aims. The consideration in which he was held by the 

 Elector is illustrated by the fact that he made Miss 

 Thompson a Countess of the Empire, conferring on her 

 a pension of 2001. a year, with liberty to enjoy it in any 

 country where she might wish to reside. 



The following incident is worth recording. In March 

 1796, .Rumford's daughter, wishing to celebrate his 

 birthday, chose out of his workhouse a dozen of the 

 most industrious little boys and girls, dressed them up 

 in the uniform of that establishment, and robing herself 

 in white, led them into his room and presented them to 

 him. He was so much touched by the incident, that 

 he made her a present of two thousand dollars (400L) 

 on condition that she should, in her will, apply the 

 interest of the sum to the clothing every year for ever, 

 on her own birthday, of twelve meritorious children — 

 six girls and six boys — in the Munich uniform. The 

 poor children were to be chosen from her native town, 

 Concord. Habit must to some extent have blinded 

 Rumford's eyes to the objection which independent New 

 Englanders were likely to make to this fantastic apparel. 

 They bluntly stated their objections, but ' with grateful 

 hearts ' they nevertheless expressed their willingness to 

 accept the donation. Nothing further was done during 

 Eumford's lifetime. 



The New England girl, brought up in Concord, 

 transplanted thence to London, and afterwards to 

 Munich, was subjected to a trying ordeal. After a 

 short period of initiation, she appears to have passed 

 through it creditably. Her writing does not exhibit 

 any marked qualities of intellect. She was bright, 

 gossipy, ' volatile,' and she throws manifold gleams 

 on the details of Rumford's life. He constantly kept 

 a box at the opera, though he hardly ever went there, 

 and hired by the year a doctor named Haubenal. 

 She amusingly describes a quintuple present made to 



