Before many minutes the door was thrown open, and Sir Francis Beaufort, head of the Hydrographical Department, attended by his staff, addressed me--“Captain Keppel, before I hold out the hand of welcome, I come in the name of myself and Board to thank you for the manner in which you upheld the dignity of this branch of the service on the Australian station.” After shaking hands they withdrew. Being alone with my friend Admiral Deans Dundas, I ventured on a little chaff, asking him where their Lordships’ reprimand was. He told me that they had given the reprimand stronger to Erskine, on whose report they had acted. This amused me. The Admiral then led me into the presence of Sir Francis Baring, the First Lord, saying, “Here’s this fellow Keppel. I can do nothing with him,” and withdrew. A more straightforward, upright man than Sir Francis there could not be. He invited me to go into the business, which ended in his asking if there was anything that I wanted at the Admiralty. I replied that if he would kindly promote my First Lieutenant I should not care a straw about the reprimands! He then said that if my Lieutenant was in every way eligible he should be promoted. (Bowyear shortly afterwards served as Commander in the _Vengeance_, 84, with Captain Lord Edward Russell. He is now an Admiral, living in Guernsey, and often comes across in the summer, when we talk over old times.) My invalid wife and self moved into the pretty lodge in Hyde Park, lent us by my brother-in-law, Harry Stephenson, Deputy Ranger. The First Exhibition was in full force, in Hyde Park, the idea having been originated by the Prince Consort. Weeks passed before I was tired of the novel scene. Everything was there, except ships. What seemed to astonish our foreign neighbours most were the size of our bath-tubs, jugs, and basins. I found that great and good Rajah, Sir James Brooke, still under the persecution of his former agent, Mr. Wise, who was assisted by what we called “The Revenue Cutter,” Mr. Hume! Sir James was a wreck of his former self. Among our Norfolk friends and relations I had plenty of shooting. [Sidenote: Sept.] Near Quidenham was Edward Eyre, Rector of Larling. His was a charming family, consisting of wife, four daughters, and a young son. Eyre kindly offered to help me in a book I was perpetrating, with a view to vindicate the character of Rajah Brooke. Norfolk is a genial county; in spite of politics they all work together. My father on his deathbed had said to his wife that she would be the first lady who ever won the Derby. He had at the time a promising bay colt, “Bolingbroke,” who had won the “Hopeful” stakes at Newmarket in 1849, also the “Prendergast” at the second October meeting of that year. Edwards was his trainer. In 1850 Bolingbroke ran sixth in the Derby stakes in Edwards’s name. Report was strong that he had been got at. He won the Don stakes at Doncaster.