Diary of a trip on the Nile River, 1874-1875.

ful. Lunch in South Kensington Museum. Noticed the monument of pure gold brought from Ashantee, also state swords +c +c. Noticed enamels which can be well studied here, think our little box "Tho absent not forgot" is Battersea Enamel - saw more champlevé enamel near by were the cloisonné + Limoges enamels. Upstairs in the jewel case is an enormous pearl 2 inches or more long + about 1 in thick it is shaded, there are many other interesting stones. Noticed the Henri II vase called inlaid earthenware - very much valued. Found a courier waiting to see us when we returned. He spoke all languages, + had been every where, + all this for ₤15 a month.

Sept. 16 - Wednesday - Walked around Berkeley Sq., where is Gunter's fashionable place for ices + in afterword during the seasons carriages may be seen in front of this shop with ladies inside enjoying the ices. Earl of Haddington + some others live here houses quite plain, but of extra width. Left my watch in Mount St. + strolled around Grosvenor Sq. where the houses are very much finer - that of the Earl of Crawford + [Baleaues?] especially fine these of the Earl of Percy + of the Earl of Shaftesbury are quite out of repair, Bought some [drugs?] +c, + went to the British Museum Lunched almost opposite in a side of. Looked principally at the

wonders of Greek art, also at some of the stones from Assyria + Egypt. Looked for some of the couriers.

Sept. 17 Thursday. Went out late + shopped - more books for Egypt. Magnesium [?] + colored spectacles also for Egypt bought of a jew - Solomon 22 Red Lion Sqr. He manufactures the lamps for burning the magnesium wire. We were sent here by Johnston + Matheys? 78 Hatton Garden who [?] to be lay manufactures of the magnesium wire, ribbon, powder +c + called them selves assayers - a busy place - the ribbon about to in. wide was 12/ an ounce + made a coil about 3 1/2 in. diameter. All the lamps except the smallest size burn five ribbons at once + all have clock work for [?] it out, + vary in price from 30/ to [6] ₤6.10. Red Lion Sq. is cheapest + best place, [Pillriugt?] + Baccarat are both in Hatton Garden.

Sept. 18 - Friday - Did not go out until nearly two. Bought still another Guide Book. Went into the rooms of the Arundel Society 24 Old Bond St. framed on the walls were many of their beautiful chromos from the works of Rafaelle [Raphael], Fra Bartholomeo [Fra Bartolomeo], Ghirlandajo [Ghirlandaio] +c. Saw photo graphs from the original fresco or oil paintings of the old masters as the case might. Their work is truly artistic.

Sept. 19 Saturday Packed a trunk to go to Paris by Petit [Vitesse?] Again did not go out until about 2 p.m. - bought an [Alb?] went into Soho Bazaar, which seemed to be a collection of small shops for selling often useless articles. They finished paving our street today. It seems to have been [macad??nised] + they dug up the old stones + perhaps added some new, scattered fresh earth + watered it + rolled it down by means of a steam engine with the tires of each of the two wheels about a foot wide + behind a rooler of about [???] the width which would have just fitted in between them. The job is not very good.

Sept. 20 - Sunday. Went for 10 a.m. service to Westminster Abbey. Canon Kinglsey did not preach after, but read the commandments + gospel very badly. The congregation did not assemble until near the hour. Drove to see the church of St. Clements Danes, where Dr. Johnson worsipped for 20 years in a pew in the gallery upon the right in entering the church by the second column fromthe back. The congregation were all singing when we looked in. Looked in St. Mary-Le Strand church it is handsome inside - has been modernized - is of a general greenish tint appeared to be [???]. Stepped into the Quadrangle of Somerset House - an impressing building - two very deep basements below the level of the ground. Lunched in the city - Temple bar still stands though all shored up. Drove around the Bank - the new general P.[C.?]

is close by + looked handsome, passed around the Mansion House, Exchange, Monument, Guild Hall [ec?]. Our driver showed us Bennetts new clock, with bells + great figures shich are in motion when it strikes. Attended service in St. Pauls. Canon Lightfoot, if it were he, gave a fairly good sermon; but manner not very good. A large choir of men + boys (good; but would probably have been better at the Jesuit church + nearly as intelli-gable. Afterwards drove to Regents Park on the East side some beautiful residences along there. The colusseum there is to come down.

Sept. 21 - Monday. Packed trunks, + went in cab to change one pair of colored glasses which had been given to us a wrong color; but it being the day of atonement Solomon's place was closed + I was taken to one of his workmen who chaned it but the whole affair cost twice as much as a new pair would have done. At Charing Cross Station our luggage weighed heavy, would not allow us on both parcels - paid in full on that to Boulogne. The train passage through quite a pretty country to Folkstone. (via Tunbridge) Had left London at 1.25 - left Folkstone imme-diately on arrival of train 3.50 + reached Boulogne about 6 p.m. there having been considerable wind + some sprinkling of rain - many were

sea-sick. I did not disgrace myself. There were four or five French fishermen + a little boy on board who ha[s?] been seen down at sea in their boat. The[y?] excited a good deal of sympathy particularly one man who was injured - the father of the boy. It was curious to see the women hauling the trunks - they looked old; but were very brisk. In short dark woollen dresses with wet worsted stockings + wooden shoes, carefully [fluted?] white caps + long mas-sive looking gold earrings. She looked very clean, + quite happy. We were some time detained at the Douane. After dinner walked a few steps each way in the street, + saw "la retraite," that is the Guarde Eugenie who were about returning to their home after a short visit in Boulogne. There were illuminated chinese lanterns carried in the procession + from various windows brilliant colored lights were displayed for a few moments as they passed.

Sept. 22 - Tuesday - Looked out of the Dining room window on the statue of Jenner (the discoverer of vaccination) + on the busy throng of women [?ifully]. Drove about for an hour - up to the old town which is still surrounded by a high wall, entered under one of its old gateways. The belfrey of the Palais de justice dates back to the 13th century + is quite grass grown. The cathedral is quite a fine building - has a tall dome - the paintings inside are mostly black + white. Went through the part of the town where the fishermen live. Their nets are hung on stout poles out of the upper