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

[361] to the grand reading-room, establish myself there, and send for them to examine their contents and make such memoranda about them as I may find expedient. And so I shall go on till I have gone through all the old Spanish books, a collection inferior to my own, but, of course, containing odd and curious things that I do not possess. Thus far, however, I have found nothing of any considerable value, nor indeed anything of extreme rarity . . . .

At home, . . . . I had a long visit from William Greg, and an excellent talk with him . . . .

July 5.—I breakfasted with Greg, having desired him to ask nobody else, as I wanted to have a thorough talk with him. I had it, and enjoyed it very much for two hours. Tell Hillard that he agrees with us exactly about the present position of affairs in America, and understands them better than anybody I have seen since I came from home.

After I came home, we had a visit from Tocqueville, as agreeable as ever. Then I drove out to Macaulay's, who seemed uncommonly glad to see me, and talked after his fashion for half an hour, with great richness and knowledge, chiefly on female beauty, which, by the most curious citations from Lady Mary Wortley Montagu's Letters, from Sir Charles Grandison, Congreve's Plays, and such out of-the-way places, he proved had greatly increased in England since the disappearance of small-pox. It was very amusing, but the first rush, as he comes down upon you, is like a shower-bath, or rather like a waterspout. But you will remember. Only, I think, his manner grows a little more declamatory.

On my way back I stopped at Holland House, and again met Tocqueville, and two or three agreeable people. But I could not stop long. The old house is much altered, and made very luxurious, but I missed things I should have been glad to see in the library, the dining-room, and the drawing-room. Some of it, too, was a little fine, though on the whole it is much improved and better kept. From Holland House I drove to Hallam's. He is little altered since last year, dines out sometimes, he told me, with old friends, and talks as fast as ever. . . . . He asked me to dine for Tuesday, but I am engaged, and as he goes out of town in a few days, I may not see him again. He said that he is just upon eighty years old . . . .

I dined with Mr. Wilson, a member of Parliament, Financial Secretary of the Treasury, owner, and formerly editor, of the ‘Economist,’ and the person on whom the government depends in questions of banking and finance. He never reads a book; he gets all his