William Allingham’s diary, 1866

Ride to Brockenhurst — sudden snow- storm, careering between the trees and across the road like a charge of wild cavalry ; wraps us in winter, clears ofF. Froude…

Death of dear good George Petrie (in Dublin, on the i8th).

Fine and spring-like, but I not well — thinking of George Petrie all day — sad and sweet recollections. In the mild sunshine of his company I never had a vexed…

To Brockenhurst by train, where Aide meets me and we walk to Lyndhurst. Forest Bank, dinner — Aide and his sweet courtly old Lady Mother, ' Gussy ' Gore (son of…

Forest Bank. A. and Paul Graham to church. I at home, look at A.'s sketch- books (1847, etc.), chiefly of foreign scenes. Find Vol. of my own poems, marked here and…

To Buckland Road, six elms and a fir tree uprooted, top of fir carried across road and plunged into the ground. Fiddle — try songs. Lonelyish — supper, milk. Whence…

Showery, chilly. De Musset, essentially trash .^ Meditations : what is life worth without love, without faith .?

Farringford. Walked with Tennyson among the trees and lawns. T. said, ' White lilac used to be my favourite flower.' A. — ' It is something like a white peacock.'…

A little excursion from Friday till Monday. Wimbourne, Blandford, Salisbury, Fording- bridge, Ringwood, etc.

Breakfast at Farringford. Letter from an Irishman, Belfast, addressed — ' To the Laureate of England ' — asking the meaning of something in In Memoriam. T. in the…

Very fine. Train to Lyndhurst Road and walk into Forest — beeches cut down — warm — pretty country towards Dibden and Southampton. Tents, with folk like Gypsies…

Returning to lodgings from office find that a telegram has come and the servant has gone out with it to find me, taking wrong way. Frightened — my Father? Turns out…

'The Crown.' Breakfast — rough waitress, poorly managed Inn. I pack up and go down the Brockenhurst Road, A. T. having started before me. At Fox Leas corner find…

Considering about T. and Ireland. Brockenhurst. Walk to Lyndhurst by Holland's Wood and Pondhead. Inquire at two places for lodgings, — 'taken.' Crown, all out,…

Lyndhurst, fine. Walk with T., Fox Leas, Whitley Wood, Queen's Bower, brook dry ; a heron rises. Another brook, brisk and clear, which pleases T. ' I should like to…

Have got ten days' leave.

To London by 10.20 train.

Note from Browning, just off to Bretagne : on mourning paper ; his father dead.

Dine at Tom Taylor's, Lavender Sweep. In with them to Opera.

Kensington Square. Studio. Psyche drawings. Book planned, Morris, and ' lots of stories and pictures.' To D. G. R., Cheyne Walk. My old regard for D. G. R. stirs…

Kensington Square. Rainy. ' Reform Meeting. Couldn't hear the speeches.' Studio, N. painting ; imitates old Connoisseur talking of ' Greek Art,' etc. I in cab to D.…

Waterloo, 5.10 train. Lord Cardigan (for Portsmouth), bustJe in station, hats touched ; a thin old upright man with an air of command ; face cold, but not exactly…

Look at Miss Knight's rooms for the Joneses, think they will do. Write.

Lodgings far from ready, bring books. Meet Aubrey De Vere in Ashly Lane, coming to call on me. Chat, ' going to Ireland, then back to Bournemouth — Laurence…

Ned and I crossed to the Island and visited Tennyson, who received us very friendlily and took us up to his den.

Very fine. South wind. Ned, Georgie and I to Brockenhurst. Field-path, stiles, Ober Green, heather : Queen's Bower. Sit by the little bridge. Oakenshaw, big oak,…

Fine. Rail 4.5 to Brockenhurst. The old Church. Service over, we peep in and encounter the Vicar, Rev. ' Paddy ' Falls. I apologise, introduce my friends. ' Come…

N. and G. sup with me. Heywood's Woman Killed with Kindness^ and Heine's honest Lottery Office Keeper (which delights N.), After they go I read in Swinburne's…

Southampton Exhibition. Pictures — 'Sir Joshua,' Hunt's ' Awakening Conscience,' Lear's ' Florence,' Lee's ' Caprera,' etc. Antiquities — Indian and Chinese things,…

Walk — the old pathway to Brocken- hurst Church, through Mr. Morant's park, obstructed by an oak lying across it, so that the rain has formed a small morass. The…

Milder weather, mind dull and muddy. History of Ireland — lawlessness and turbu- lency, robbery and oppression, hatred and revenge, blind selfishness everywhere —…

Meet G. St. Barbe. He applied viva voce, to oblige me, to the Parson of EUing- ham, whom he knows, for leave for me to look over the Parish Register. I want to see…

Out after midnight to look for meteors, see many streaming like fiery arrows, mostly from east to west.

Farringford. After break- fast T. reads a number of Songs of his under the general title of The Window^ or, The Loves of the Wrens^ pre- facing it by the remark, '…

Letter from John. Irish Annals. Walk, Shirley Holmes, — heavy shower ; shelter under ivied porch of gatehouse, man looks out, I ask leave he replies ' I doesn't…

To Tom Taylor's, Lavender Sweep, for Christmas. Clapham Junction, all trains late. Reach the hospitable house about 7, in good time for dinner. Then T. T. hurries…

Lavender Sweep. After City, a steak at the Cock, in honour of Will Waterproof — but where is now the ' plump head-waiter ' } Rail from Blackfriars ; in the train a…

Lavender Sweep. Goodbye. Bright spring-like day. To Kensington Square. Ned. Studio. He with me to Kensington Station and sees me off.