William Allingham’s diary, 1864

Letter from Mrs. Tennyson, asks me if I know of a house near Lymington that would suit her Father and Sister (Mrs. Weld). I go to the house-agents. Aubrey House…

At Southampton. Arrival of the Poonah P. & O. steam-ship. People returning from India, greetings. Ayah on deck. A single one of these brown slender women with black…

-Wrote to the Papers proposing to name the new bridge at Blackfriars ' Shakespeare Bridge,' — with statues if they Hke. The Blackfriars and the Globe Theatres stood…

To Embley Park, Romsey [the home of Florence Nightingale's parents], invited from Saturday to Monday. Mrs. Clough is there (she is niece of Mrs. N, and cousin of…

Walked over to Brooke, Mr. Seely's, with one of the Camerons, and saw Garibaldi in the drawing-room, who, understanding me to be a poet, called me ' mio caro,' and…

Laurence Bloomfield published, Many letters and notices of it came to me, mostly favour- able. The Irishman newspaper calls me ' a mitigated Whig,' but praises my…

Tennyson praises Z. Bloomfield^ and says it was a very difficult thing to do.

25. — Visiting Rev. W. Barnes at Came, Dorchester.

Mr. Gladstone quoted L. Bloomfield last night in the House of Commons, describing it, according to the Times report, as an ' ex- tremely clever work.' The two lines…

Very fine. Tennyson and the Boys come across the Solent to me and we make an excursion to Beaulieu Abbey. I take them through Walhampton by the Fir-walk.

Lord Palmerston has recom- mended me for a Civil List Pension of ^ 60 a year — ' on account of the merit of his poetical writings,' Serviceable : but do I like it ^…

To London. Parker's Hotel — Surrey St. Georgie Jones and Philip — Lyceum, Hamlet.

To Warwick Crescent ; Pen Browning, then enter the great Robert, who greets me warmly and gives me ' Dramatis Personam.' He com- mended Bloomfield with reservation…

Got down to Chelsea by half- past eight to D. G. R.'s. Breakfasted in a small lofty room on first floor with window looking on the garden. Fanny in white. Then we…

Dine at Bertolini's. Hay- market, pit, Sothern in ' David Garrick ' and ' Dun- dreary Married.'

To Warwick Crescent to lunch with Browning by invitation. Pen plays ' Chopin.' I say to R, B., ' Did you ever play as well as that ? ' to which he replied, ' A…

Breakfast at Lord Houghton's, sixteen guests. He introduces me to Captain Hamilton Aide, who lives at Lyndhurst. Bishop W^ilberforce, Swin- burne, Vambery the…

Lunch with Browning : tell him of the pseudo-Dervish and the English Mohammedan, which amuses him. He wishes he had been at the breakfast ; it seems he had an…

To Gabriel's, where are Madox Brown and Webb.

D. G. Rossetti and 1 dine at Hotel de Provence, Leicester Square, then to Opera, where Taylor has promised us places for ' Mirella.' Gabriel, who detests music,…

E. B. Jones and I to Woolwich by rail, return by river. Evening, Highgate : The Howitts, friendly, walk back.

Dined at Tom Taylor's ; Mr. Story (American Sculptor, who lives in Italy), wife and daughter, Mr. E. M. Ward ; I next Miss Story, who is chatty. Joke about the…

Dine and sleep at Macmillan's, Balham. M. says he and his brother Daniel and his sister used to have better conversations together on literature than he ever heard…

Hot. Browning having written a note about me to Arthur Sullivan the composer, I visited the latter to-day. He lives at 27 Claverton Terrace, Pimlico, and is…

The Red House, y-g- a.m. Rose-trellis. Jenny and May, bright-eyed, curly-pated. We hurry to the train. W, M. brusque, careless, with big shoon. Daldy the Publisher…

To S. Laurence's Studio and up with him to Islington and have tea with his family. To Covent Garden Theatre and behind the scenes to Sullivan, watch him playing the…

Back to Lymington. The country looks delightful, yellow corn, bending orchard boughs.

To Aubrey House, where Mr. and Mrs. Weld are now settled. It is near Keyhaven, on the way to Hurst Castle, and has the cliffs of the Island in full view. Walk back…

Crossed to Yarmouth in the steamer. Mrs. Cameron on board and Anthony TroUope and wife. I sat next Anthony outside the coach to Fresh- water ; he asked a great many…

Farringford. Cricket with the two boys. Mrs. Tennyson's Alma Song : ' French- man, a hand in thine ! ' Poem : ' Dream of a Gate.'

Up at 7 — fog. Drive to Christchurch, the sun breaking through fog. Enter the great Priory Church and look at the Shelley Monument. Call at the gate of Boscombe in…

Boscombe. Sir Percy and Lady Shelley and two sisters of Percy Bysshe Shelley. I sat between them at dinner, having taken in Shelley's favourite sister, whose name…

Wm. Barnes ; he praised my Stratford-on-Avon dialogue, suggested some points of dialect, but does not understand the Warwickshire. I saw him into the train at 1.40.…

To Aubrey House, where is now settled old Mr. Sellwood (father of Mrs. Tennyson, Mrs. Weld, and Mrs. Tennyson-Turner). He is tallish, very thin, with white hair and…

To Forest Bank, to meet Barnes. Aide sends carriage to Brockenhurst. At dinner Mrs. Craufurd, Miss Burrard. Mr. Weld mentioned : I describe him as ' geographically…