I got early from the Court to-day, and settled myself to work hard.

January 26.—­My rheumatism is almost gone.  I can walk without Major Weir, which is the name Anne gives my cane, because it is so often out of the way that it is suspected, like the staff of that famous wizard,[454] to be capable of locomotion.  Went to Court, and tarried till three o’clock, after which transacted business with Mr. Gibson and Dr. Inglis as one of Miss Hume’s trustees.  Then was introduced to young Mr. Rennie,[455] or he to me, by [Sir] James Hall, a genteel-looking young man, and speaks well.  He was called into public notice by having, many years before, made a draught of a plan of his father’s for London Bridge.  It was sought for when the building was really about to take place, and the assistance which young Mr. Rennie gave to render it useful raised his character so high, that his brother and he are now in first-rate practice as civil engineers.

January 27.—­Read Elizabeth de Bruce; it is very clever, but does not show much originality.  The characters, though very entertaining, are in the manner of other authors, and the finished and filled up portraits of which the sketches are to be found elsewhere.  One is too apt to feel on such occasions the pettish resentment that you might entertain against one who had poached on your manor.  But the case is quite different, and a claim set up on having been the first who betook himself to the illustration of some particular class of characters, or department of life, is no more a right of monopoly than that asserted by the old buccaneers by setting up a wooden cross, and killing an Indian or two on some new discovered island.  If they can make anything of their first discovery, the better luck theirs; if not, let others come, penetrate further into the country, write descriptions, make drawings or settlements at their pleasure.

We were kept in Parliament House till three.  Called to return thanks to Mr. Menzies of Pitfoddels, who lent some pamphlets about the unhappy Duke d’Enghien.  Read in the evening Boutourlin and Segur, to prepare for my Russian campaign.

January 28.—­Continued my reading with the commentary of the D. of W.[456] If his broad shoulders cannot carry me through, the devil must be in the dice.  Longman and Company agree to the eight volumes.  It will make the value of the book more than L12,000.  Wrought indifferent hard.

January 29.—­Mr. Gibson breakfasted with Dr. Marshman,[457] the head of the missionaries at Serampore, a great Oriental scholar.  He is a thin, dark-featured, middle-sized man, about fifty or upwards, his eye acute, his hair just beginning to have a touch of the grey.  He spoke well and sensibly, and seemed liberal in his ideas.  He was clearly of opinion that general information must go hand in hand, or even ought to precede religious instruction.  Thinks the influence of European