228 THE KOYAL INSTITUTION. [CHAP. IV. 



Some of his notes at Gordon and Inverary Castles 

 are cabinet pictures. 



It was Lady Georgina's birthday (afterwards Duchess of 

 Bedford) ; the flag was hoisted. Lord Alexander's regiment 

 of little boys was paraded, and employed in racing and 

 dancing on the green, and in the evening a ball was given 

 to the servants ; all the family went downstairs and amused 

 themselves with observing the agility of the lads and lasses. 

 Every person employed about the house, except one man, is 

 married, and most of them are descended from those who 

 have served the family before them. The Duchess proposed, 

 in honour of the day, that Sir George Abercrombie and I 

 should dance a reel with the two younger ladies ; for they 

 danced nothing but reels. Afterwards the Duke danced 

 with one of the upper servants. Some time after our 

 party joined again in the amusement at the same time with 

 two others ; when it was late, and Sir George was tired, 

 we took a girl in his place and resumed the sport. Lady 

 Madeline (Sinclair) sat by, and made the music play till 

 the other sets quitted the field, and left us victorious to 

 reel through the whole room. I have now written as much 

 of dancing in my tour as Johnson has in his, and as much 

 more as a young man may be expected to write of it than 

 an old one. 



At Tnverary [he writes] after breakfast the party were 

 to ride, and the Doctor gravely submitted to my determi- 

 nation whether I would go at a slow pace with him and 

 the Duke to view the country leisurely on the way, or ride 

 with the ladies and be galloped over. I told him that of 

 all things I liked to be galloped over, and therefore should 

 'be of the youthful party. . . . 



After dinner the Duke rode again, and the younger men 

 of the party took a walk. I left them about nine, and 

 joined the ladies at tea. I was showing Lady Charlotte 

 some of my sketches ; she begged to see my notes, and I 

 showed the greatest part of them. All the family are 





