George Ticknor, Life, letters and journals of George Ticknor
George Hillard, Ed.

[145] never saw before, because he was not in London, either in 1819 or 1835, when I was here. It gratified me very much. He is such a man as I should have desired to find him; a little sensitive and nervous, perhaps, but dignified, quiet, and wishing to please. Before he came, he had taken pains to ascertain that there was a vacant place at the Athenaeum Club, where only twelve strangers are permitted at a time, and offered it to me; but though this was quite an agreeable distinction, I declined it, since, being here with my family, I care nothing about the club houses. But this is good English hospitality, and a fair specimen of it.

Mr. Hallam is, I suppose, about sixty years old, gray-headed, hesitates a little in his speech, is lame, and has a shy manner, which makes him blush, frequently, when he expresses as decided an opinion as his temperament constantly leads him to entertain. Except his lameness, he has a fine, dignified person, and talked pleasantly, with that air of kindness which is always so welcome to a stranger.

March 25.—. . . . After we came home [from church] Senior came in,¹ and was as lively, spirited, and active as ever, and full of projects for our convenience and pleasure. Rogers followed him, and talked in his quiet way about all sorts of things and people, showing sometimes a little sub-acid. It has always been said he will leave memoirs behind him. I hope he will, for who can write anything of the sort that would be so amusing? . . . . Before he left us Lord Lansdowne came in, and stayed above an hour . . . . He talked well. He seems to be something worried and annoyed by our bad behavior on the frontiers of Canada, and spoke a little with the air of a minister of state, when he came upon this delicate subject. Of the condition of France, politically considered, he spoke wisely, and was curious to hear what I could tell him, adding that he had known, from 1814, the relations of the two governments, and that, excepting when the Duke de Broglie was Premier, they had never felt, in England, that they could depend implicitly on the representations of the French government; an honorable testimony from one upright minister to another, which was creditable to both.

March 26.—We had visits this morning from Taylor,—Philip Van Artevelde,—Southey,—who is just come to town for a short visit,—Dr. Holland, and the admirable old Professor Smyth, which were all as pleasant as morning visits well could be. We dined again at Kenyon's, who wanted us to meet a Dr. Raymond, one of the high dignitaries of the Church, attached to the Durham Cathedral; a person