Dined with Royal Marines. Cheery mess. [Sidenote: Dec. 4.] Dined with Stephenson at Beef Steak Club. Kind Rajah gave wife handsome bracelets of Borneo gold. [Sidenote: Sheerness, Dec. 7.] Snug and comfortable quarters on board _Hussar_, hulk. Ship removed from dock to alongside hulk. [Sidenote: Chatham, Dec. 10.] Dined with Royal Marines’ Barracks mess with Colonel Whylock. [Sidenote: Dec. 16.] Met two young Egertons at Nine Elms Station. Accompanied them to shoot at Lord Ellesmere’s near Weybridge. Prettiest grounds and wild shooting. Back by return ticket. Had a capital dinner at Hastie’s--Stephenson, Brooke and others. [Sidenote: Dec. 18.] We left London for Woburn Abbey. Harvey and Brooke with us. A large house; nice and agreeable party. [Sidenote: Dec. 20.] Brooke and I put four horses to a stage coach, and with wife, and servants, posted across country to Cambridge, by rail to Dereham, coach to Wells, and in Leicester’s carriage to Holkham, making a tedious journey of fifteen hours. Late for dinner. [Sidenote: Holkham, Dec. 21.] Some nice people here: Edward Digby, Archie MacDonald, Porter, 9th Lancers, Henry Coke, and others. [Sidenote: Dec. 22.] A good day’s shooting, my bag 87 head. Margaret Coke drove me over to Creake. Decided on taking Tom’s little fellow Leicester with me. Servants’ ball in evening. Great fun. [Sidenote: Dec. 23.] Shot the Wareham side: not so much game as I have seen. I killed 57 head. Brooke not shooting, but making himself particularly agreeable. [Sidenote: Dec. 24.] To shoot fourteen miles off. Wet, dirty day. Leicester not well enough to dine downstairs; the youngsters got rather by the head and a little noisy. [Sidenote: Christmas Day, Dec. 25.] To Lexham, Brooke, wife and I, Fred Keppel and his brother Edward receiving us. Nice, quiet, and comfortable house and party. [Sidenote: Lexham to Hockham, Dec. 27.] Put posters to Fred Keppel’s carriage, sending servants and luggage by fly to Hockham. Found large party to meet the Rajah. [Sidenote: Hockham, Dec. 28.] Brooke returned in Fred Keppel’s carriage to Lexham. Breretons, Dover, C. Partridge, Reynardson, and self to shoot. [Sidenote: Dec. 29.] Snow. Regular winter’s day. [Sidenote: Quidenham, Dec. 30.] Partridge, sending us to Quidenham; Brooke arriving in time for dinner. Kindly welcomed by all. George and his son Willie, Edward and Maria, Eustace Hill, Sir Robert Adair, Miss Hunloke and selves, a party of twelve. [Sidenote: Dec. 31.] Brooke took his departure for Norwich to visit the Bishop. Family party to dinner. My dear father in great force. Knowing his dislike to saying good-bye, took advantage of his going out of the room to walk off to bed. I trust I may find him as well, should I live to return. He is in his seventy-sixth year, and I am going to India on peculiar service. Four years is a long time to look forward to. Our meeting again doubtful!