1846-47 AT THE MANSION HOUSE 285 
bad as ever, and have prevented me from work- 
ing as I could have wished to do. . . . 
‘ I remain in great haste, yours for ever, 
‘ C. L. Pr. Bonaparte.’ 
On July 15, 1846, Owen attended a Mansion 
House dinner, and in writing to his sister Kate an 
account of the ceremony mentions : ‘ I had Pro- 
fessor de Morgan on one side and Dr. Budd on 
the other, Capt. Sir James Ross opposite, and not 
far below him D’ Israeli, Bowring, and Monckton 
Milnes. The chief peculiarities of the feast were 
the grand calling-over of all the 200 guests after 
dinner, to whom my Lord Mayor drinks in a loving 
cup. Then go round said goblets, with the usual 
old ceremony. The toasts followed, with flourish 
of trumpets — all very grand, as our little books 
used to say when I had not dreamt of invitations 
from Lord Mayors.’ 
In August Owen went over to Ireland, and 
Was again a guest at Florence Court (Lord Ennis- 
killen’s). This visit was chiefly for pleasure, but 
much interest was centred in the Florence Court 
collection of London Clay fish remains. He sends 
in one of his letters a message to Agassiz that he 
must not think of completing his great work on 
‘ Pois-sons Fossiles’ without seeing the specimens 
preserved at Florence Court. His musical accom- 
plishments were always much appreciated in this 
house, and he writes to his wife, August 26, 1846 : 
