THE EUROPEAN JOURNALS 21? 



a gratifying reply at eight of the evening. At one Dr. 

 Spence came with Miss Neville, the delightful singer at 

 the theatre, her mother, and Miss Hamilton. They sat 

 with me some time, and I was glad to see near-by the 

 same Miss Neville whom I admire so much at the play. I 

 found her possessed of good sense and modesty, and like 

 her much; her mother asked me to spend the evening of 

 next Saturday with them, and said her daughter would 

 sing for me with pleasure. Had a note from Sydney 

 Smith; the man should study economy; he would destroy 

 more paper in a day than Franklin in a week ; but all great 

 men are more or less eccentric. Walter Scott writes a 

 diminutive hand, very difficult to read, Napoleon a large, 

 scrawling one, still more difficult, and Sydney Smith goes 

 up-hill all the way with large strides. 



March 9. My first work this day was to send as a 

 present to Miss Anne Scott a copy of my first number. 

 Professor Wilson called and promised to come again on 

 Monday. 



March 10. I visited Mr. James B. Fraser, 1 a great 

 traveller in Asia and Africa, and saw there a large col- 

 lection of drawings and views in water-colors of the 

 scenery of these countries. The lecture at the Wernerian 

 Society was very interesting ; it was on the uses of cotton 

 in Egypt, and the origin of the name in the English lan- 

 guage. I dined at Mr. Neill's ; among the guests was a Mr. 

 Blair, the superintendent of the Botanical Gardens here ; 

 he has been in different parts of America frequently. There 

 were several other gentlemen present interested in like 

 subjects, and we talked of little else than trees and exotic 

 plants, birds and beasts ; in fact it was a naturalists' dinner, 

 but a much better one than naturalists generally have who 

 study in the woods. I was obliged to leave early, as I had 

 an engagement at Miss Neville's. Tea was served, after 

 which Miss Neville rose, and said she would open the 

 1 James Baillie Fraser, 1783-1856, Scottish writer of travels. 



