The Royal Institution: Its Founder and First ProfessorsJones, Bence
History
The Royal Institution: Its Founder and First Professors
Jones, Bence
Davy, Humphry, Sir, 1778-1829; Royal Institution of Great Britain; Rumford, Benjamin, Graf von, 1753-1814; Young, Thomas, 1773-1829
At Inverary [he writes] after breakfast the party were to ride, and
the Doctor gravely submitted to my determination whether I would go
at a slow pace with him and the Duke to view the country leisurely
on the way, or ride with the ladies and be galloped over. I told
him that of all things I liked to be galloped over, and therefore
should be of the youthful party....
After dinner the Duke rode again, and the younger men of the party
took a walk. I left them about nine, and joined the ladies at
tea. I was showing Lady Charlotte some of my sketches; she begged
to see my notes, and I showed the greatest part of them. All the
family are musical; the ladies sing admirably. Cards and a fine
piano occupied the evening. After supper, besides other songs, I
heard a most beautiful canzonet by Jackson, beginning ‘Love in thy
eyes.’ It was twelve o’clock when we retired. After breakfast I
took my leave, not without regretting that I had so little time to
observe the beauties of Inverary. Lady Charlotte is handsomer than
Lady Augusta: she sings better, but she has less good sense and
less sweetness. An innocent girlishness sometimes gives her the
appearance of a little affectation. She is to Lady Augusta what
Venus is to Minerva. I suppose she wishes for no more. Both are
goddesses.
On October 7 he left London to graduate at Göttingen; he went by
Hamburg.
On December 14 he wrote to Dr. Bostock:
You will be pleased, as a lover of the fine arts, to hear that I am
taking lessons in drawing. You will not be surprised that I receive
in this study, as well as in music and dancing, full approbation
from my masters for application and accuracy. At the same time they
honestly tell me that ease is wanting, and you will also readily
believe that I have the assurance not to be discouraged with this
character, while they all assert that I may confidently expect
sufficient advancement in due time....
I have not exhibited myself at a public dance. My master, who is a
very sensible fellow, advising me against it, as he observed that a
person seldom loses the character which he obtains from the first
impressions; but we have agreed that I may venture at the next
_pique nique_.
On the alternate Sundays we have a dance: either a tea dance or
a supper dance; one from four to eight, and the other from five
to one. This is called a _pique nique_, and in its constitution
resembles a Scotch oyster dance.
Soon after, to his uncle, he says:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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