Fonihill Abbey. 447 



collection of dust which rose into the atmosphere had assembled 

 almost all the inhabitants of the village, and had given the 

 alarm even as far as Wardour Castle. Only one man (who 

 died in 1833) saw it fall. He is said to have described its 

 manner of falling as very beautiful ; it first sank perpendicularly 

 and slowly, and then burst and spread over the roofs of the 

 adjoining wings on every side, but rather more on the south- 

 west than on the others. The cloud of dust which arose was 

 enormous, and such as completely to darken the air for a con- 

 siderable distance around for several minutes. Such was the 

 concussion in the interior of the building, that one man was 

 forced along a passage, as if he had been in an air-gun, to the 

 distance of 30 ft., among dust so thick as to be felt. Another, 

 on the outside, was in the like manner carried to some distance. 

 Fortunately, no one was seriously injured. With all this, it is 

 almost incredible that neither Mr. Farquhar nor the servants in 

 the kitchen should have heard the tower fall, or known that it 

 had fallen, till they saw through the windows the people of the 

 village who had assembled to see the ruins. Still, we were 

 assured by different persons that this was the fact. We can 

 hardly account for it by the lightness of the materials and the 

 distance of the tower from the kitchen, and the room inhabited 

 by Mr. Farquhar, though this was very considerable, since the 

 dust must surely have penetrated everywhere to such an extent as 

 to excite suspicion. We were informed, however, that the dust 

 occasioned by taking out the windows, &c., was so considerable, 

 that, when Mr. Farquhar's table was covered with dust from the 

 falling of the tower, he thought it arose from the same cause. 

 Mr. Farquhar, it is said, could scarcely be convinced that the 

 tower was down ; and when he was so, he said he was glad of it, 

 for that now the house would not be too large for him to live 

 in. Mr. Beckford, when told at Bath, by his servant, that the 

 tower had fallen, merely observed, that it had then made an 

 obeisance to Mr. Fai'quhar, which it had never done to him. 



In confirmation of our idea that Mr. Beckford's enjoyments 

 consisted of a succession of violent impulses, we may mention 

 that, when he wished a new walk to be cut in the woods, or any 

 work of that kind to be done, he used to say nothing about it 

 in the way of preparation, but merely give orders, perhaps late 

 in the afternoon, that it should be cleared out and in a perfect 

 state by the following morning at the time he came out to take 

 his ride. The whole strength of the village was then put in 

 requisition, and employed during the night ; and the next day, 

 when Mr. Beckford came to inspect what was done, if he was 

 pleased with it, he used to give a 5l. or a 10/. note to the men 

 who had been employed to drink, besides, of course, paying 

 their wages, which were always liberal. Even his charities were 



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