Letters from England, 1846-1849Bancroft, Elizabeth Davis
History
Letters from England, 1846-1849
Bancroft, Elizabeth Davis
England -- Description and travel
The next morning we went out to Craigcrook, Lord Jeffrey’s country seat,
to see and lunch with him. He was confined to his couch. . . . He is
seventy-three or seventy-four, but looks not a minute older than fifty.
He has a fine head and forehead, and most agreeable and courteous
manners, rather of the old school. As he could not rise to receive me he
kissed my hand. Mrs. Jeffrey is an intelligent and agreeable woman but
has been much out of health the last year. She was Miss Wilkes of New
York, you know. The house was an old castellated and fortified house,
and with modern additions is a most beautiful residence. Capt.
Rutherford told me that when he received the Lord Advocate’s letter
announcing that we were coming, he went to see Lord Jeffrey to know if he
would be well enough to see us, and he expressed the strongest admiration
for Mr. Bancroft’s work.
This may have disposed them to receive us with the cordiality which made
our visit so agreeable. Mr. Empson, his son-in-law and the president
editor of the Edinburgh Review, was staying there, and after talking two
hours with Lord and Mrs. Jeffrey we took with him a walk in the grounds
from which are delightful and commanding views of the whole environs, and
never were environs so beautiful.
_To W. D. B._
TARBET ON LOCH LOMOND, August 28, 1848.
DEAR W. . . . Being detained here by rain this morning I devote it to you
and to my journal. . . . The next day was Sunday but the weather being
fine we concluded to continue our journey, and followed the Tay seeing
Birnam Wood and Dunsinane on our way up to Dunkeld, near to which is the
fine seat of the Duke of Athol. We took a delightful walk in the
beautiful grounds, and went on to Blair Athol to sleep. This is the
chief residence of the Duke of Athol and he has here another house and
grounds very pretty though not as extensive as those at Dunkeld. . . .
When the innkeeper found who we were he insisted on sending a message to
the Duke who sent down an order to us to drive up Glen Tilt and met us
there himself. We entered through the Park and followed up the Tilt.
Nothing could be more wild than this narrow winding pass which we
followed for eight miles till we came to the Duke’s forest lodge. Here
were waiting for us a most picturesque group in full Highland dress: the
head stalker, the head shepherd, the kennel keepers with their dogs in
leashes, the piper, etc., etc. They told us that the Duke had sent up
word that we were coming and he would soon be there himself.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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