Life of Count Rumford. 535 



"LONDON, Royal Institution, March 2, 1801. 



" MY DEAR CHILD, I am still established at the Institu- 

 tion. I have been exceedingly busy, but desire to be thankful 

 that all is now nearly completed, when I shall be at liberty. 

 We have found a nice able man for his place as lecturer, Hum- 

 phry Davy. Lectures are given, frequented by crowds of the 

 first people. Lady Palmerston and her two daughters, Frances 

 and Elizabeth, are pretty constant attendants. 



" They would not receive me as Minister here, but seem 

 disposed now to make it up to me by the respect they show the 

 Institution, originally and chiefly my work. Bernard says 

 they are crazy about it. It was certainly gratifying to me to 

 see the honorable list of Lords, Dukes, &c. as fifty-guinea 

 subscribers. It is a very extensive establishment, and will cost 

 a great deal of money , but I hope it will be an equal advantage 

 to the world, as the expense and labor of forming it have been 

 great. To strive for good things I view as a laudable ambition, 

 as I hope you do, my dear Sally. But I hope, above all, to 

 hear of your being well and happy, not doubting the rest. 



" I hope to be undisturbed by visitors this morning, or work- 

 men, from my being thought to be at Harrowgate, and to be 

 allowed quietly to fill this sheet. You can form no idea of the 

 bustle in which I live since I have taken up my residence in this 

 place. In short, the Royal Institution is not only the fashion, 

 but the rage. I am very busy indeed in striving to turn the 

 disposition of the moment to a good account for the permanent 

 benefit of society. 



" I have the unspeakable satisfaction to find that my labors 

 have not been in vain. In this moment of scarcity and general 

 alarm the measures I have recommended in my writings for 

 relieving the distresses of the poor are very generally adopted, 

 and public kitchens have been erected in all the great towns in 

 England and Scotland. Upwards of sixty thousand persons are 

 fed daily from the different public kitchens in London. 



"The plan has lately been adopted in P'rance, and a very 

 large public kitchen for feeding the poor was opened in Paris 

 three weeks since. A gentleman present tells me that the 



