rom Birmingham here is quite pretty; the country in a most
exquisite state of leaf and blossom; the crops look extremely well along
this route; and the little cottage gardens, which delight my heart with
their tidy cheerfulness, are so many nosegays of laburnum, honeysuckle,
and lilac.

The stokers on all the engines that I saw or met this morning had
adorned their huge iron dragons with great bunches of hawthorn and
laburnum, which hung their poor blossoms close to the hissing hot breath
of the boilers, and looked wretched enough. But this dressing up the
engines, as formerly the stage-coach horses used to be decked with
bunches of flowers at their ears on Mayday, was touching.

I suppose the railroad men get fond of their particular engine, though
they can't pat and stroke it, as sailors do of their ship. Speculate
upon that form of human love. I take it there is nothing which, being
the object of a man's occupation, may not be made also that of his
affection, pride, and solicitude, too. Were we--people in general, I
mean--_Christians_, forms of government would be matters of quite
secondary importance; in fact, of mere expediency. A republic, such as
the American, being the slightest possible form of government, seems to
me the best adapted to an enlightened, civilized _Christian_ community,
a community who deserve that name; and, you know, the theory of making
people what they should be is to treat them better than they deserve--an
axiom that holds good in all moral questions, of which political
government should be one.

This hotel is charming, clean, comfortable, cheerful, very nice.

Farewell. Give my kind regards to your people, and believe me

Ever yours,
FANNY.

MY DEAR HAL,

_Go to Atkinson's and Co., 31, College Green, Dublin, and Pay L8 13s.
for my sister, and get a receipt for it, and send it to me, and do this
just as fast as ever you love me--that is, this very minute._ I will
repay you when we meet, or as much sooner as you may wish.

I have this morning received a note of eleven lines from Rome from
Adelaide, without one single word of anything in it but a desire that I
will immediately pay this debt for her; not a syllable about her
husband, her children, herself, or any created thing, but Messrs.
Atkinson and Co., and L8 13s. Therefore do what she bids me, and I ask
you "right away," as the Americ