Rowfant June 13th 1859.
My dear Fanny,
On Friday night I atten-
ded the House of Commons on the great
debate which at a late hour resulted
in the overthrow of the Ministry – leaving
it only for dinner, I had already heard
Lord Palmerston, Mr D’Israeli and others
and now I heard Mr Bright >a great
leader of the Radical party – I dined
at the Marquis of Westminsters, where
I met a very distinguished party, and
regretted but that I was obliged
to leave the Drawing room just as a
evening party was assembling; The kindness
and sympathy of the few intelligent
classes of England are exceedingly grateful
to me – Lady Westminster is one of the
gentlest and most tasteful lovable
women in the world.
Saturday was the Queens drawing

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room.
How shall I
make you under-
stand this great
ceremony? It came off
at two o, clock. Here called
the early morning. All the great
officers of state, all the Diplomatic
corps, and all the nobility and gentry
who ever have been presented, as well as all
strangers who have been before recognized at court
attend uninvited and as a matter of courtesy
and respect. On this occasion also new presenta-
tions are made, and all public officers retiring
from official trusts are received and recognized
Imagine a long suite of great State chambers
filled with two thousand gentlemen and ladies in
their costumes distinguishing their public employments
rank &c Beyond all this – is an immense
Salon, on a dais raised at the upper end
stands in the Queen. and her Cou attended by
the Court. The ministry and the Diplomatic
Corps advance from the antechamber
enter the salon and pass
in review before her
Majesty in long
single files
Each

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one bows and receives a royal saluta-
tion – In this procession I passed, receiving
a cordial shaking of the hand and a
kind word from the Prince Consort and
the Duke of Cambridge with the usual
recognition of the Queen. After this
the Ladies, each with a long flowing
train – made of material and form to
suit her tastes, passed in a similar pro-
cession. Pages seize the train as the
lady enters the door and spreads
it out wide and graceful upon the
carpeted floor – the lady advances to
the throne drawing her train behind her –
she receives the recognition of her majesty
and passes on – Pages gather up her
train and put its ends into her
hands and she passes out through outer
doors into the antechamber – Presentations
are made by the Gentlemen and Ladies

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while
passing on their
way before the
Queen – When this
whole two thousand have thus
passed those who first entered
leaving the palace first, all is over
the drawing room is ended – and the
Court Journal next day announces every name
that was worn by the visitors –
And now where and what is
Rowfant? and what am I doing here –
Rowfant is an estate midway between London
and Brighton. It formerly belonged to the Rector
of the Parish. But two or three of the late
incumbents were what are called fast
clergyman – they became involved in debts
and ten years ago the estate was bought by
Mr Lampson an American fur merchant
who now enjoys it, There is a house six
hundred years old. a est a
lawn of half a mile in
diameter with trees
shrubbery, lake
statuary
&c

5
Avenues of linden trees, an old
beech filled with rooks, a grove
from which I heard last night the song
of the nightingale – a swan attends
me in my walks along the lake shore
waiting for me to feed her – I came
out here on Saturday night, attended
a dinner party – went to the parish
church yesterday morning, strolled around
the apparently limitless fields in the
afternoon – and slept here again last
night. One hundred and eighty
acres are surrendered to the rabbits
which have burrowed swards thrown
up in all directions – They gambol
there all the day long three or
four thousand of them in undisturbed
security – Five hundred acres chiefly
wooded land are given up to

the
pheasants
which are raised
from eggs found in
the woods and hatched
out by the common barnyard
hens in little coops – These
rabbits warrens and pheasant preserves
are the hunting fields of the Gentlemen of
England in the autumn – And this description im-
perfect as it is will give you some idea of
mode of rural life by the rich and the prosperous
in England – I return to London this evening –