_Saturday_.--Remained in bed till four o'clock to-day, and then got up to tea, Mrs. Pruyn's sister, Mrs. Corney, such a nice cheerful woman, with a face something like Lisa's, and Mrs. Evans, with a handsome niece, came to lunch yesterday, Miss Pruyn drove Hedley in a nice pony carriage. At dinner we had General and Mrs. Mirvan, another sister, and Dr. Holms, Librarian in the Capitol. This afternoon two presents of flowers came for me; they all went to church in the morning, being All Saints' day. The Evans asked us all to dine, but Mrs. Pruyn had company at home. Mr. Palmer, son of the man who sculptured "Faith," so often photographed, and the clergyman of St. Peter's, Dr. Battershall, who was very pleasant, and talked nicely of Mr. Rainsford, son of Mr. Rainsford of Halkin street, who has done wonders in New York, at St. George's. The American religious people are far less narrow minded and censorious than _we_ are; one sect or party _can_ see that a great deal of good and successful work is done by another! Mrs. Pruyn is decidedly ritualistic, but she is quite sorry I shall not be here next week, to hear Moody and Sankey, who are to hold meetings. A Miss Lansing dined here, and seems a very touchy American-loving person, and snubbed the boys if they hinted anything here was not perfection. _Sunday, 2nd_.--Heard a good sermon from Dr. Battershall, at St. Peter's, on "Seeing _Him_ who is invisible,"--the Apostle's definition of _faith_. We remained to Holy Communion. He is evidently fond of ritual, but there was nothing really objectionable. In the evening we all went to Judge Parker's, and Mrs. Parker, who had not left her room for some weeks, came down to see me, and is a very nice old lady; all the daughters and their husbands, and the widower son, came to heavy tea, a regular custom in the family--then Dick played, and we sung hymns. _Monday, 3rd_.--Had a delightful drive with Mrs. Pruyn in the morning, violet mountains (the Caltgills) in the distance, with brilliant foreground of autumn tinted trees, and golden fields, and a bright sun shining on all, made a pretty picture; the streets and roads here are very bad, as generally in America; really one drives over _boulders_ of stone in some of the streets here, and they say, "it can't be helped, the municipal corporation have it in their own hands." Our kind hostess has given me a pretty dusting brush and a book, &c., and is going to send me a box of biscuits I liked, for the voyage home. Mrs. Pickering has sent me a pretty little case, with my initials on it. We left Albany at twenty minutes to three, and much enjoyed the scenery on the banks of the Hudson _en route_ to New York, but it got dark before we came to the prettiest part, and we did not get settled in this Hotel Brunswick till past eight o'clock.