THE EUROPEAN JOURNALS 



109 



the young lady's special property. After she left me my 

 head was full of Lord Stanley. I am a very poor fool, to 

 be sure, to be troubled at the idea of meeting an English 

 gentleman, when those I have met have been in kindness, 

 manners, talents, all I could desire, far more than I ex- 

 pected. The Misses Roscoe were at the Institution, where 

 they have been every day since my pictures were ex- 

 hibited. Mrs. Wm. Rathbone, with her daughter — her 

 younger self — at her side, was also there, and gave me 

 a packet of letters from her husband. On opening this 

 packet later I found the letters were c^ stained in a hand- 

 some case, suitable for my pocket, and a card from Mr. 

 Rathbone asking me to use it as a token of his affectionate 

 regard. In the afternoon I drove with Mr. Hodgsun to 

 his cottage, and while chatting with his amiable wife the 

 door opened to admit Lord Stanley.^ I have not the least 

 doubt that if my head had been looked at, it would have 

 been thought to be the body, globularly closed, of one of 

 our largest porcupines; all my hair — and I have enough 

 — stood straight on end, I am sure. He is tall, well 

 formed, made for activity, simply but well dr:.'ssed ; he 

 came to me at once, bowing to Mrs. Hodgson as he did 

 so, and taking my hand in his, said : " Sir, I am glad to 

 see you." Not the words only, but his manner put me at 

 once at my ease. My drawings were soon brought out. 

 Lord Stanley is a great naturalist, and in an instant he was 

 exclaiming over my work, " Fine ! " " Beautiful ! " and 

 when I saw him on his knees, having spread my drawings 

 on the floor, the better to compare them, I forgot he was 

 Lord Stanley, I knew only he too loved Nature. At 

 dinner I looked at him closely ; his manner reminded me 

 of Thomas Sully, his forehead would have suited Dr. 



1 Edward, fourteenth Earl of Derby, 1 799-1869. Member of Parliament, 

 Chief Secretary for Ireland, Secretary for the Colonies, First Lord of the 

 Treasury, and Prime Minister. Translated Homer's Iliad into blank verse. 

 His was a life of many interests : literature, art, society, public affairs, sport- 

 manship, and above all " the most perfect orator of his day." 



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