the kindest of men this morning, and am
going to see him on Wednesday. Of course I mean the Duke of Devonshire.
Can I take anything to Chatsworth for you?

Very faithfully yours.

[Sidenote: Mr. Frank Stone.]

EXTRACT FROM LETTER TO MR. STONE.

_8th September, 1851._

You never saw such a sight as the sands between this and Margate
presented yesterday. This day fortnight a steamer laden with cattle
going from Rotterdam to the London market, was wrecked on the
Goodwin--on which occasion, by-the-bye, the coming in at night of our
Salvage Luggers laden with dead cattle, which where hoisted up upon the
pier where they lay in heaps, was a most picturesque and striking sight.
The sea since Wednesday has been very rough, blowing in straight upon
the land. Yesterday, the shore was strewn with hundreds of oxen, sheep,
and pigs (and with bushels upon bushels of apples), in every state and
stage of decay--burst open, rent asunder, lying with their stiff hoofs
in the air, or with their great ribs yawning like the wrecks of
ships--tumbled and beaten out of shape, and yet with a horrible sort of
humanity about them. Hovering among these carcases was every kind of
water-side plunderer, pulling the horns out, getting the hides off,
chopping the hoofs with poleaxes, etc. etc., attended by no end of
donkey carts, and spectral horses with scraggy necks, galloping wildly
up and down as if there were something maddening in the stench. I never
beheld such a demoniacal business!

Very faithfully yours.

[Sidenote: Mr. Henry Austin.]

BROADSTAIRS, _Monday, 8th September, 1851._

MY DEAR HENRY,

Your letter, received this morning, has considerably allayed the anguish
of my soul. Our letters crossed, of course, as letters under such
circumstances always do.

I am perpetually wandering (in fancy) up and down the house[51] and
tumbling over the workmen; when I feel that they are gone to dinner I
become low, when I look forward to their total abstinence on Sunday, I
am wretched. The gravy at dinner has a taste of glue in it. I smell
paint in the sea. Phantom lime attends me all the day long. I dream that
I am a carpenter and can't partition off the hall. I frequently dance
(with a distinguished company) in the drawing-room, and fall into the
kit