1837 38. VISITS GEORGE HARVEY. 109 



" November , 1837. 



" MY DEAR DANIEL, 



" Tis the last sheet of paper 



Left blooming alone, 

 All its foolscap companions 

 Are crumpled and gone, 



and gone to you every one of them, saving and excepting a 

 single sheet which winged its way to the Row, and cost two - 

 pence, and this yepistle you certainly should not have had, had 

 not the kind Mr. L sent up to acquaint us with his pro- 

 posed journey to the capital of Cockneys. I have therefore 

 just arisen from the old piano, whence I have been educing 

 the most melodious strains, again to take plume in hand, and 

 indite a few lines to keep you from quite forgetting, among 

 the ecstasies of 'big works/ that you have got both 'wee' 

 brothers and sisters at home. 



" To begin, as is befitting, with sisters : Jessie has been greatly 

 delighted with your letter, has read it over and over again, and 

 all the favoured entrants of her bedchamber are privileged with 

 a sight of the elegant sketch of the Charity Boy. 



" In addition to what I told you of formerly, I am to get from 

 Dobbie a bas-relief of Arago's head, by David, and perhaps 

 another of Cuvier. You see how covetous I am, and I entertain 

 some hopes of getting a portrait of Fanny Kemble, whose portrait 

 I long ago fell in love with, and used to go a particular road to 

 see. If I get it, old Irvine shall leave his frame and give room 

 to the fair ladye. It was the last work of Sir T. Lawrence, and 

 is, according to my notion, the most beautifully expressive face I 

 ever saw. It shall hang over my mantelpiece as my guardian 

 angel. 



" I called last Wednesday evening on Mr. Harvey ; as it was 

 after daylight had departed, I did not see his picture, but enjoyed 

 the pleasure of a long conversation with him. He begged me to 

 call again, which I certainly shall do at an early opportunity, and 

 think myself proud of an admission to his studio. . . . 



" We have had a very busy month of it, plotting and plan- 

 ning apparatus, and executing analyses, in most of which we 

 have been very fortunate. All our wits were at work to rnanu- 



