gh, {49b} though his Tomb is there--in one of the half-ruined
corners. Another day I went to Trossachs, Katrine, Lomond, etc., which
(as I expected) seemed much better to me in Pictures and Drop-scenes. I
was but three days in Scotland, and was glad to get back to my own dull
flat country, though I did worship the Pentland, Cheviot, and Eildon,
Hills, more for their Associations than themselves. They are not big
enough for that.

I saw little in London: the Academy Pictures even below the average, I
thought: only a Picture by Millais of an old Sea Captain {49c} being read
to by his Daughter which moistened my Eyes. I thought she was reading
him the Bible, which he seemed half listening to, half rambling over his
past Life: but I am told (I had no Catalogue) that she was reading about
the North West Passage. There were three deep of Bonnets before Miss
Thompson's famous Roll Call of the Guards in the Crimea; so I did not
wait till they fell away. {50a}

Yours always

E. F.G.

XX.

LOWESTOFT: _Aug._ 24, [1874.]

DEAR MRS. KEMBLE,

Your letter reached me this morning: and you see I lose no time in
telling you that, as I hear from Pollock, Donne is allowed 350 pounds a
year retiring Pension. So I think neither he nor his friends have any
reason to complain. His successor in the office is named (I think)
'Piggott' {50b}--Pollock thinks a good choice. Lord Hertford brought the
old and the new Examiners together to Dinner: and all went off well.
Perhaps Donne himself may have told you all this before now. He was to
be, about this time, with the Blakesleys at Whitby or Filey. I have not
heard any of these particulars from himself: nothing indeed since I saw
him in London.

Pollock was puzzled by an entry in Macready's Journal--1831 or
1832--'Received Thackeray's Tragedy' with some such name as
'Retribution.' I told Pollock I was sure it was not W. M. T., who
(especially at that time) had more turn to burlesque than real Tragedy:
and sure that he would have told me of it then, whether accepted or
rejected--as rejected it was. Pollock thought for some while that, in
spite of the comic Appearance we keep up, we should each of us rise up
from the Grave with a MS. Tragedy in our hands, etc. However, he has
become assured it was some other Thackeray: I suppose one mentioned by
Planche as a Dramatic _Dilettante_--of the same Family, I think, as W. M.
T.

Spedding has sent me the concluding Volume of h