[Edinburgh—Sunday, 10 June 1860]
Sunday 10th Went to Dr Guthrie’s church. Heard Dr Hannay preach about the literal fire which would surely bye and bye devour the world just as a spiritual fire devoured the souls of the wicked. Without being in the least conscious thereof the poor man launched himself into a sea of the dullest metaphysics at the very moment he was blaming his society severely for meddling in such baleful matters. On the whole it seemed to me a profoundly useless discourse and in despite of all we have heard said in derision of Spurgeon the sermon we heard from him last Spring is certainly the most able discourse we have heard since we have been in Europe.
In the evening took tea with Dr Brown the author of “Rab and his friends.” His wife was away but his two children son and daughter, his brother and his wife’s sister composed the family not forgetting his lovely doggie, Dick. We did have such a nice time chatting away most cheerily for two or three hours on books and pleasant mutual friends in London &c &c. Afterward Mr Douglas came in, a publisher in E. and an intelligent man and the talk turned on Scottish life and character, and the Dr told some capital stories. He is a most loveable man, as we came away he loaded us with kindness and gave us many interesting things as keepsakes.
