160 Life and Letters of Francis Gait on 



Keswick Browtop, 



August [13] 1841. 

 My dear Fathkb, 



You talk of "fear of annoying mo with a formal visit" etc. I can 



assure you that I sliouki enjoy nothing so much as Atwoodizing you over the country. 

 We can give you dinner occasionally at Browtop. Yon will find Eddis and Mathison 

 very agreeable, and I really think tliat the very best thing that you can do is to settle in 

 Keswick for a fortnight or 3 weeks. If you will give me a commission for lodgings, 

 I will make every enquiry. Our boat-racing scheme has been given up for on enquiry 

 we find that the competitors must pull on pins, not in rollocks [sketches]. To pull in 

 that manner we unanimously decreed was below the dignity of a Cambridge " oar " as all 

 the beauty of and skill of rowing consists in correct feathering which of course is 

 impracticable with pins. It is altogether a ridiculous piece of business. There actually 

 is no practising on the lake and consequently the pulling at the race must be 

 wretched 



Poor Chance my old schoolfellow and chum is dead. He was my chief friend at 

 Dr Jeune's and also at King's College, where he read classics. He was one of the best 

 fellows that I have met with; he was expected to have distinguished himself. Poor 

 fellow — he died of consumption 



Yesterday morning I walked up Skiddaw to see the sunrise. I got to the top of 

 the eastern peak which is not 150 feet lower than the highest one in 40 minutes. Of 

 course saw nothing but mist. I shall, however, try it again tonight — We have got some 

 sails to our boat at Keswick, it is curious how frightened all the boatmen here are of 

 tliem, they never use them. Even the attendant " cad " upon the party, a man ready to 

 poach, knock down, do anything on an emergency, refused to go into the boat on the 

 ground of having a " wife and 5 small children'." 



The postscript to sister Bessie propounds on this occasion a problem 



in etiquette. Galton and others had dined with the Russian Count, 



and the Countess had not received them in very friendly fashion. 



Meanwhile " the Count (a very punctilious man) had left the town, 



leaving the Countess behind." Galton had not called since the dinner, 



ought he to do so ? The final story of the " Count " is told in the 



Memories, p. 63. 



Browtop, August 19</t, 1841. 

 My dear Father, 



Thank you for your letter which T have received this evening. I hope that 

 you will not give up your plans as regards the lakes, for if your only fear is about rainy 

 weather, I do not think you will suffer more in travelling through Westmoreland than 

 elsewhere, since on comparing tlie state of the weather here with that which a Cambridge 



' The danger to sailing boats on Derwentwater from sudden gusts of wind coming 

 down between the mountains is well known to the inhabitants : I remember a fatal 

 accident to a sailing boat occurring during a .stay near Keswick. 



