Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: 1834. Out with the hounds?Engaged in writing?Dinner at Gore House ?Focus of Durham party?Fears of a dissolution?Interviews with three remarkable men?Society?Meets Lyndhurst?Political agitation?Water party?Portrait taken by D'Orsay? Issues address to electors of High Wycombe. Southend: February 15, 1834. I Hunted the other day with Sir Henry Smythe’s hounds, and although not in pink, was the best mounted man in the field, riding an Arabian mare, which I nearly killed; a run of thirty miles and I stopped at nothing. The only Londoner I met was Henry Manners Sutton, who had come over from Mistley Hall. He asked me to return with him; but as Lady Manners was not there, I saw no fun and refused. Write and tell me what you are doing. As for myself, I pass my days in constant composition. I live solely on snipes, and ride a good deal. You could not have a softer climate or sunnier skies than this much abused Southend. Here there are myrtles in the open air in profusion. May ? 1834. I am so busy with my poem,1 which I hope tj’ have out in a fortnight, if things are quiet. Dm the Ministry at present are quite broken up; there is no Government, and perhaps there will be a dissolution. I hope not. On Monday I dined with Lady Blessington, the Prince of Moskova, Charles Lafitte, Lords Castlereagh, Elphinstone, and Allen, Mr. Talbot, myself, and Lord Wilton was the absent guest, having to dine with the king; but he came in the evening. He is very handsome. Hope’s ball on Monday was the finest thing this year?supped off gold and danced in the sculpture gallery. To-day is the Drawing- room; but nobody thinks of anything but politics. I dine with O'Connell on Saturday. I breakfasted with Castlereagh a few days back. He has a fine collection of Turquoise Stores. June 4, 1834. …