| Description | He hopes that their letters crossing has not prevented her from getting laths and nails and he will get tiles from Flints of Ashford if Piper's cannot be ready in time and he has written for prices. He paid a visit to 'poor Montresor' who has had a series of deaths in the family. Miss Montresor is seriously ill with a spinal disease and will be taken to see Dr [James] Paget. Montresor spoke of the difficulty about the repairs to the roof and William thinks he may think of leaving. He wrote to Nelson to say his mother would be sorry to lose Montresor as a tenant. They had a pleasant visit to Dr [Joseph Dalton] Hooker at Kew. 'I've come to the conclusion that men of science are not handsome, externally. Their wives I wld not say more than compensate'. They dined at Lord Lawrence's on Saturday, with Lawrence angry at being summoned by the Shah of Persia. 'It was said and believed that the Shah had quietly advised the P[rince] of Wales to remove the head of the D[uke] of Sutherland from his shoulders'. William is surprised that so little is thought of the settlement of the Chinese question, people not believing that the Emperor can come between the trade of the two peoples. He must come down to Collingwood and feels stronger after some London life, noting an excellent sermon from the Archbishop of York. He has heard Dean Stanley several times, liking him better, but he does not think he will ever understand him. He concludes with some family movements. |