29 G MEMOIR OF JOHN WILSON. 



"Ellerat, August 24.th, 1826, 

 Thursday Forenoon. 



" My dearest Jane : — I shall give you a sort of precis of our 

 movements. On Tuesday morning, at nine o'clock, Ave left Kendal 

 in an open carriage, and reached Elleray before eleven. The day 

 was goodish, indeed excellent at that time, and the place looked 

 beautiful as of old. A handsome new rail runs along from the junc- 

 tion of the new avenue, all along to front of the new house, and has 

 a parkish appearance — painted of a slate color. The house we found 

 standing furnished and in all respects just as we left it, so that, I 

 suppose, the family have just walked out. Thcplants in the entrance 

 reach near the roof, one and all of them, but have few flowers, and 

 must be pruned, I fear, being enormously lank in proportion to their 

 thickness, but all in good health. The little myrtles are about a 

 yard high, and in high feather. The trees and shrubs have not 

 grown very much — it seems a bad year for them ; but the roses and 

 smaller flowers have flourished, and those sent from Edinburgh were 

 much admired. The walks in the garden are all gravelled neatly ; 

 the bower is as green as the sea, and really looks well. The hedge 

 lately planted round the upper part is most thriving, and straw- 

 berry-beds luxuriant ; in short, the garden looks pretty. The crops 

 in the fields are bad, as all in the country are. 



" In an hour or two after our arrival it began to rain and blow 

 and bluster like Brougham, so I left the house. Dinner was served 

 in good style at six ; fowls, fish, and mutton. In the evening Wil- 

 liam Garnet came up, and was, as you may suppose, in a state of 

 bliss. The boy is well, and I am to be his godfather by proxy. On 

 Wednesday morning, I never doubted but there would be a letter 

 from you, as I made you promise to write every night at six ; but I 

 never make myself understood. It gave me great pain to find there 

 was none ; but this I alluded to before, so say no more now, but 

 will give you a viva voce scold for it. Fleming went with me in the 

 chaise to Kendal, and at half-past three we sat down to dinner: 

 Lord Lowther and Portarlington (pronounced Polington), Colonel 

 Lowther, Henry Lowther, Howard of Levens, Colonel Wilson, Noel 

 of Underlay, Bolton, the little Captain, and fifty-six others. It went 

 off with eclat, and I speechified a little, but not too much, and gave 

 satisfaction. Barber came over on purpose, and is evidently in the 

 clouds about what I said of his cottage, although he made no allusion 



