Diary of Annie Adams Fields

Wednesday. Walked over Calton hill with Mabel in the morning. Visited old Edinburgh with Dr. Robert Chambers in the afternoon—a queer old Scotsman of whom more anon if possible, refused an invitation to go to Mr. Douglas’s in the evening where Jamie went & heard Professor Blackie, Dr. John...

Thursday. Went with Dr Chambers to St. Andrews where we saw a little french woman at dinner (no a Scotch woman who had married a Frenchman) who told me a tale about a Canary bird and “Society” which I shall not forget. Saw “The Country Parson” and the marvellous old ruins and returned to...

Friday morning—must not forget the canary bird! a French woman goes to pay a visit to a neighbor who has a pet canary—the lady has always feared she might do mischief to this canary, treading on it or otherwise it being allowed to wander freely about the house—today her worst...

Saturday to Melrose, thence to Abbotsford in the afternoon where by the Tweedside after seeing the house we lingered long among the scenes Scott loved so well.

Sunday. Walked six miles by the river & to Chiefswood in the morning, drove to see Dryburgh through marvellous scenery in the afternoon. All the time we look out upon the old Melrose in the dim moonlight.

Monday, bade farewell to Melrose. I shall never forget how the jackdaws were calling from the tip top of the old ruins as we said good bye. To Edinburgh, Stirling, and thence to the Tros[s]achs was a good day’s journey but the skies were clouded, the atmosphere cool, without being cold and our...

Tuesday June 22d A day of perfect restful enjoyment which looks like an eternity from this distance. When I remember all we did and the numberless hours we seemed to live, the time grows into years. I basked alone on the hillside as if it were Campton and Mabel & I climbed the lonely hill at...

Wednesday. In company with a Russian lady & her daughter & maid (of English destraction) sailed down Loch Katrine (per steamer) & Loch Lomond & on to Glasgow. The scenery was not more beautiful than Lake Winnispisagee [sic, for Winnipesaukee], yet it was impossible to strip it of association. We...

Thursday went to Ayr. It was lovely afternoon when we arrived. Went at once to the Burns’ cottage. Halleck’s verses were hanging there. We could not read them without tears.

Friday. Saw Mossgiel, Mauchline, passing the Castle of Montgomery, the estate of the laird of Ballochmyle, and Gavin Hamilton; the grandson of the latter came out to speak with us. He was proud to recall that Burns was married in his house & to show us the haunts he preferred in the village....

Saturday June 24th [sic] to Lowwood Hotel, Windermere.

Sunday 25 [sic]. We are looking out on the lake and the place is a kind of Paradise. The room is heavy with honeysuckle & wild roses (both wild) which we have gathered ourselves.

Monday. To Bowness & Windermere, up Orrest Head and round Prof. Wilson’s cottage and place.

Tuesday to Furness Abbey.

Wednesday. Esthwaite Water and Hawkshead hill.

Thursday. We have been to lunch today at Miss Harriet Martineau’s. She was too ill to see Mabel and me, but Mr. Fields had an interesting interview. She had just received a long letter from Florence Nightingale from wh. she allowed him to copy this paragraph.

Saturday. Came to Stratford-on-Avon after many twists and turns which took all day—but the weather grew cooler than it had been at the lakes and the country as we approached Warwickshire exquisite in the extreme.

July 4th. Sunday we kept loyally at Stratford with good Mr. Flower’s help. He is a good American but sore against Sumner.

5th Drove to Warwick where two conventional housekeepers show people over the house in the usual conventional style. When the two housekeepers meet with their two parties going in opposing currents through a certain passage it was a sight to see how they regarded each other. We slipped about...

Tuesday 6th Saw every thing in the town almost connected with Shakespeare until my back felt as if everything he had ever beheld in his mortal career had been heaped upon it until it was like to break. Went into an old garden among the rest which was doubtless a garden in his time belonging to a...

Wednesday 7th Eatingllar [sic, for Ettington] Park the Shirley place in the morning. I could not envy Mr. Shirley his Paradise. A little dried up antiquarian who had stifled all feeling for his kind where it interfered with the Shirley interest. The greatest contrast possible to our good...

Thursday. Went up Malvern hill on donkeys. Jamie christened the donkey boys Lycurgus, Solon, Archimedes. The boys, one of them having a taste for fun, told him in return that the name of one of the hills was Mount Sinai. Found a queer old woman on top selling ginger-bread and ginger-beer. It was...

Friday. Wonderful town, waterplace built on cliffs overlooking the Severn wide as a sea. Breezy & cool; drove to Clevedon Church in early morning & Clevedon Court seat of Sir Arthur Elton. A perfectly poetic place and scene of much in In Memoriam.

Saturday. Woke early to find exquisite sunshine, stillness and the same quaint charm undisturbed. Hotel, formerly an old Abbey. Took post again for Lynton—walking up some of the long hills; starting very early we arrived soon after noon. An exquisite place—on the side of a cliff lovely with...

Sunday July 11th We see a nurseryman named Cut Bush and a man from Bleak house advertising in the Times.