The conditions of life and society are so much changed that there can never again be another Holland House. For the first thing which strikes one who considers the history of this place, as well as Gore House, is that, though the poets, wits, dramatists, and novelists go to these houses, their wives do not. In these days a man who respects himself will not go to a house where his wife is not asked. Then, again, London is so much greater in extent, and people are so much scattered, that it would be difficult now to get together a circle consisting of literary people who lived near enough to frequent the house. And another thing: people no longer keep such late hours. They do not sit up talking all night. That is, perhaps, because there are no wits to talk with; but I do not know: I think that towards midnight the _malice_ of Count d’Orsay in drawing out the absurd points in the guests, the rollicking fun of Tom Moore, or his sentimental songs, the repartee of James Smith, and the polished talk of Lytton Bulwer, all collar, cuff, diamond pin, and wavy hair, would have begun to pall upon me, and when nobody was taking any notice of so obscure an individual, I should have stolen down the stairs, and so out into the open air beneath the stars. For the wits were very witty, but they must have been very fatiguing. ‘Quite enough of that, Macaulay’ Lady Holland would say, tapping her fan upon the table. ‘Now tell us about something else.’ [Illustration: Very truly yours Washington Irving -WASHINGTON IRVING-] CHAPTER XIV. JOURNALS AND JOURNALISTS. There was no illustrated paper in 1837: there was no _Punch_. On the other hand, there were as many London papers as there are to-day, and nearly as many magazines and reviews. The _Times_, which is reported to have then had a circulation not exceeding 10,000 a day, was already the leading paper. It defended Queen Caroline, and advocated the Reform Bill, and was reported to be ready to incur any expense for early news. Thus, in 1834, on the occasion of a great dinner given to Lord Durham, the _Times_ spent 200_l._ in having an early report, and that up from the North by special messenger. This is not much in comparison with the enterprise of telegraph and special correspondents, but it was a great step in advance of other journals. The other morning papers were the _Morning Herald_, the _Morning Chronicle_, the _Morning Post_, of which Coleridge was once on the staff, the _Morning Advertiser_, which already represented the interest of which it is still the organ, and the old _Public Ledger_, for which Goldsmith had once written. The evening papers were the _Globe_, which had absorbed six other evening papers; the _Courier_; the _Standard_, once edited by Dr. Maginn; and the _True Sun_.