The widow. Love of the English for horrors. More agreeable travelling companion. Examinations, and learned examiners. Stonehenge. Sinister meeting and accident. Salisbury Cathedral. Monuments. The spire. Frightful ascent. The hawk on the cross, and the bishop's pigeons. His Lordship's functions. Pious wish for my Country. Mirror of the past and future. Wilton castle. The Chatelaine antiques. Pictures. Temple built by Holbein. Talent and taste of English ladies. Entrance by stratagem. Langford park. Fine pictures. Egmont. Alba. Orange. Emperor Rudolph's throne. Boxing-match, the betting coachman. Modern English aristocratic morality. March of intellect. Military school. Fox-chace. National duty. The new year. London. Canterbury cathedral. The Black Prince. Splendour of colouring. The archbishop. The damaged boiler. Dover fortress. Short passage. The air of France. The jetty. English children. Unequal contest between a French bonne and a resolute little English girl. The chief and father of dandies. Anecdotes......469 LETTER XLVII. French diligence. The conducteur. An old soldier of Napoleon's garde. German Plinzen. La 'mechanique.' Value of freedom. Paris. Revision of the old acquaintance. Bad new one. Theatre de Madame Leontine Fay. Virtuous Uncle Martin. 'La charte pour les cafes.' Rosini the tamer of wild beasts. Cheapness of Paris. Burlesque exhibition of the death of Prince Poniatowski. Praiseworthy 'ensemble' of French acting. Gleanings in the Louvre. The sphinx out of place. The Mephistophiles Waltz. Heaven and Hell......479 LETTER XLVIII. Ascetic walk. Anecdotes of the Buonaparte family. Spanish courtesy. Theatre Français. Omnibus. Thoughts in a Dame Blanche. Il Diavolo. Singers. _Agrémens_ of Paris. La Morne. Polar bear. Desaix's monument. Disappointed hope. The _Amas_. Departure......490 LETTERS ON ENGLAND, IRELAND, AND FRANCE. LETTER I. _Dresden, Sept. 8th, 1826._ MY DEAR FRIEND, The love you showed me at our parting in B---- made me so happy and so miserable, that I cannot yet recover from it. Your sad image is ever before me; I still read deep sorrow in your looks and in your tears, and my own heart tells me too well what yours suffered. May God grant us a meeting as joyful as our parting was sorrowful! I can now only repeat what I have so often told you: that if I felt myself without you, my dearest friend, in the world, I could enjoy none of its pleasures without an alloy of sadness; that if you love me, you will therefore above all things watch over your health, and amuse yourself as much as you can by varied occupation.