[Manchester—Friday, 8 September 1871]
Friday 8. Mrs Agassiz and Miss North came to pass the day with us—carried them to the umbrella tree and afterward Mrs Towne received us to dine with her in the woods. It was a sylvan scene of the loveliest description when we came upon the feast spread under the pine trees and the weather was glorious in its beauty beyond human power to recall. The talk was much upon Brazil where Mrs A. described her ingenuities to procure comfort, the compensation of her journey, the beauty of foliage, the ennui of travel, her desire to sketch, her coming departure for T[i]erra del Fuego, and the marriage of her young friend Bertha de Pourtales. We found her a noble interesting woman, a fine example of New England energy and accomplishment—a grand blossom from our own soil. She is good for walking fifteen miles a day!
