THE EUROPEAN JOURNALS 115 



amtmnt by begging, or perhaps even stealing; failing to 

 obtain this they are cruelly punished on their return home, 

 and the tricks they resort to, to gain their ends, are num- 

 berless and curious. The newspapers abound with such 

 accounts, and are besides rilled with histories of murders, 

 thefts, hangings, and other abominable acts ; I can scarce 



^4ook_at them. 



August 19. Dined with Mr. A. Melly in Grenville St. ' 

 The dinner was quite a la frangaise, all gayety, witticism, 

 and good cheer. The game, however, was what I call 

 highly tainted, the true flavor for the lords of England v _ - ^_ 

 August 21. I painted many hours this day, finished my 

 Otter ; it was viewed by many and admired. I was again 

 invited to remove to Green Bank, but declined until I have 



' painted the Wild Turkey cock for the Royal Institution, 

 say three days more. 



September 4- Having been too busy to write for many 

 days, I can only relate the principal facts that have taken 

 place. I have been to two very notable suppers, one at Dr. 

 Traill's in company with the French consul and two other 



1 French gentlemen ; I was much encouraged, and urged to 

 visit France at once. The other at the house of Mr. Mpli- 

 neux ; there indeed my ears were feasted ; such entertaining 

 conversation, such delightful music; Mr. Clem enti 1 and 

 Mr. Tomlinson from London were present Many~persons 

 came to my painting room, they wonder at the rapidity of 

 my work and that I can paint fourteen hours without 

 fatigue. My Turkeys are now framed, and hung at the 

 Institution which is open daily, and paying well. I have 

 made many small drawings for different friends. All my 

 Sundays are alike, — breakfast with Mr. Melly, church with 

 the blind, dinner with Mr. Roscoe. Every one is surprised 

 at my habits of early rising, and at my rarely touching 

 meat, except game, 

 l MuTm ri fi T^ptiti. composer and pianist, born in Rome, 1752, died in Lon- 



•Muzio Clemen ti (1752-1832) was born in Italy but lived in England during the larger 

 part of his Ions career. Born to the harpsichord style of Scarlatti, he matched his powers 

 as virtuoso with those of Mozart before the Emperor of Austria in 1781, survived to 

 develop the pianoforte into the brilliant instrument which the romantics of the next cen- 

 tury inherited. Clementi's sonatas and his abilities as technician were frankly admired by 

 Beethoven. Retiring from his activities as virtuoso, dementi gave increased attention to 

 composition. He wrote innumerable sonatas, symphonies which showed the influence of 

 Beethoven, and enjoyed a great vogue in their day. He also went into partnership with 

 five others in what came to be known as "dementi and Co." in London, manufacturing 

 pianos and publishing music, dementi was principally remembered, after his death, by 

 his piano studies of progressive difficulty, the "Gradus ad Farnassum." His symphonies 

 disappeared altogether, except for a few fragments. Almost a century later (1917), several 

 of these were found in London. Two of them were edited and performed by Alfredo 

 Casella. The second of them was given its initial American performance at the Boston 

 Symphony Concerts, December 4, 1936, and repeated April 30, 1937. 



