. . . On Saturday we set off for Nuneham, the
magnificent seat of the late Archbishop of York, now in possession
of his eldest son, Mr. Granville Harcourt. . . . The guests besides
ourselves were Sir Robert and Lady Peel, Lord and Lady Villiers,
Lord and Lady Norreys, Lord Harry Vane, etc. We considered it a
great privilege to be staying in the same house with Sir Robert
Peel, and I had also the pleasure of sitting by him at dinner all
the three days we were there. He was full of conversation of the
best kind. Mr. Denison and Lady Charlotte, his wife, were also of
our party. She was the daughter of the Duke of Portland and sister
of Lord George Bentinck, Sir Robert's great antagonist in the House.
On Sunday morning we attended the pretty little church on the estate
which with its parsonage is a pleasing object on the grounds. The
next day the whole party were taken to Blenheim, the seat of the
famous Duke of Marlborough, built at the expense of the country.
The grounds are exquisite, but I was most charmed by the collection
of pictures. Here were the finest Vandykes, Rubens, and Sir Joshua
Reynolds which I have seen. Sir Robert Peel is a great connoisseur
in art and seemed highly to enjoy them. Altogether it was a truly
delightful day: the drive of fifteen miles in open carriages, and
through Oxford, being of itself a high pleasure. Yesterday we
returned to London, and on Thursday we set out for Scotland.
LETTER: To Mr. and Mrs. I.P.D.
EDINBURGH, August 16, 1848
My dear Uncle and Aunt: . . . Of Edinburgh I cannot say enough to
express my admiration. The Castle Rock, Arthur's Seat, Salisbury
Craigs and Calton Hill are all separate and fine mountains and, with
the Frith of Forth, the ocean and the old picturesque town, make an
assemblage of fine objects that I have seen nowhere else. Mr.
Rutherford, the Lord Advocate, who is of the Ministry, had written
to his friends that we were coming, and several gentlemen came by
breakfast time the next morning. Mr. Gordon, his nephew, married
the daughter of Prof. Wilson, and invited us to dine that day to
meet the professor, etc. . . . We drove out after breakfast into the
country to Hawthornden, formerly the residence of Drummond the poet,
and to Lord Roslin's grounds, where are the ruins of Roslin Castle
and above all, of the Roslin Chapel. . . . After lingering and
admiring long we returned to Edinburgh just in season for dinner at
Mr. Gordon's, where we found Prof. Wilson, and another daughter and
son, Mrs. Rutherford, wife of the Lord Advocate, and Capt.
Rutherford, his brother, with his wife. We had a very agreeable
evening and engaged to dine there again quite EN FAMILLE, with only
the professor, whose conversation is delightful.
The next morning we went out to Craigcrook, Lord Jeffrey's country
seat, to see and lunch with him.
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