“After having crawled to one of a row of neat low houses, we found the party previously arrived from the ship devouring their breakfast; several clean-dressed women employed in cutting bread and butter (from fine wheaten loaves) as fast as ever they could. One of them went upstairs with me to help me to put on my clothes, and after taking some tea we mounted some sort of a cart to bring us to the next place where diligences going to London would pass. But we had hardly gone a quarter of an English mile when the horse, which was not used to go in what they called the shafts, ran away with us, overturning the cart with trunk and passengers. My brother, another person, and myself all throwing themselves out, I flying into a dry ditch. We all came off however, with only the fright, owing to the assistance of a gentleman who, with his servant, was accompanying us on horseback. These persons had come in the packet with us, and it was settled not to part till in London, where we arrived at noon on the 26th at an inn in the City. Here we remained till the evening of the 27th. My brother having business at the West-end of the town, left me under the care of our fellow travellers; but after his return, in the evening when the shops were lighted up, we went to see all that was to be seen in that part of London, of which I only remember the opticians’ shops, for I do not think we stopped at any other. “The next day the mistress of the inn lent me a hat of her daughter’s—mine was blown into one of the canals of Holland, for we had storms by land as well as at sea—and we went to see St. Paul’s, the Bank, &c., &c. Mem: only the outside, except of St. Paul’s and the Bank, and we were never off our legs, except at meals in our inn. Towards evening we went to the West of the town, where, after having called on Despatch Secretary Wiese and his lady (Mr. Wiese conducted our correspondence with Hanover) we went to the inn, from whence we at ten o’clock in the evening started by the night coach for Bath on the 28th of August.... After taking some tea I went immediately to bed, and I did not awake till the next day in the afternoon, when I found my brother had but just left his room. I for my part was, from the privation of sleep for eleven or twelve days (not having above twice been in what they called a bed) almost annihilated.” --------------------- END OF RECOLLECTIONS, VOL. I. The only allusion to this journey in Sir W. Herschel’s Journal is the brief entry:—“August 16, 1772. Set off on my return to England in company with my sister.” [Illustration: SIR WILLIAM HERSCHEL’S FORTY-FOOT TELESCOPE AT SLOUGH. [_To face page 29._] CHAPTER II. LIFE OF THE BROTHER AND SISTER IN BATH.