188 FIRST JOURNEY IN EUROPE. [1839, 



October, it suffers greatly. The first view of this 

 garden is very striking, but upon a more careful ob- 

 servation I see less to admire. Still I learn some 

 thing from every garden I visit. 



Previously to calling on Lady Bentham I had ac- 

 cepted an invitation to dine this evening with Captain 

 Gordon, a retired officer of the British army residing 

 here, a friend of the Bentham family, who, hearing 

 from Lady Bentham and Delile that I was soon ex- 

 pected here, called par hasard at the Hotel du Midi, 

 to request that they would send him word when I 

 arrived. On finding me he insisted on my dining with 

 him this evening. I have this moment, while I was 

 writing, received a note from Lady Bentham, asking 

 me to call on her this morning, saying she has a col- 

 lection of plants made by herself for her son George 

 at some interesting locality among the mountains, a 

 set of which she is to have ready for me, knowing, as 

 she says, that George would surely offer them to me. 

 Although I had arranged my time a little differently, 

 of course I shall call immediately after breakfast. 

 Lady B., who is now very aged, is evidently a very 

 superior woman ; she is a very good botanist also, 

 therefore, as I do not know the plants of the south of 

 Europe very well, I am a little afraid of her. 



Marseilles, April 25, Thursday evening. — I broke 

 off my narrative on Tuesday morning, two days ago. 

 I must continue my brief account, and then close my 

 letters to send from this port. After breakfast. Cap- 

 tain Gordon called on me, and we went together to 

 Lady Bentham. We found his dinner hour so late 

 that we were obliged to give up the expectation of 

 returning to take tea with the ladies here. Delile 

 joined us, and soon after I went with him to see the 



