594 TRAVEL IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. [1869, 
in for a piece of very sultry weather in London, 
where we had to stay awhile, our lodgings here not 
being available till about 15th September. So after 
staying to the Harvard boat-race, — which I saw from 
the umpire’s boat, and Mrs. Gray, with good Miss 8., 
from some grounds above Fulham, — we set off on a 
little round of visits, first to the Darwins’, near Brom- 
ley, then to the Churches’ in Somersetshire, a pleasant 
country rectory and a delightful couple. You remem- 
ber the university sermons we had up the Nile were 
his. Next we passed a day with an old bachelor 
botanical acquaintance near Taunton, who makes a 
capital squire; then to Torquay for three days (with 
a daughter of Sir William Hooker, and her husband, 
Dr. Lombe), one of which I devoted to an excursion 
down the river Dart from Totness to Dartmouth 
(which the English think much of, but you dwellers 
on the Hudson would not), and to a view of that 
quaint little town. On our way back we had an hour 
at Exeter to see the cathedral; a night and morning 
at Salisbury, the cathedral as to exterior, site, and all, 
and beautiful spire, one of the most satisfactory in 
England ; took a glance at Wilton, a peep into old 
George Herbert’s little church of Bemerton and into 
his house and garden; stopped over atrain at Romsey 
to see the fine Norman abbey church, and to Win- 
chester, most interesting cathedral as to the interior, 
Winchester school and the old Hospital of St. Cross. 
Then, on returning to London, we settled down here, 
and after a few days were joined by the rest of our 
party from France. 
. . . No one in England recognized me with my 
venerable white beard ! 
Ever, dear Howland, your affectionate 
Asa GRAY. 
