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A Memoir of the Reverend Sydney Smith
Letters 1826
Sydney Smith to Catharine Amelia Smith, 23 April 1826
INTRODUCTION & INDEXES
DOCUMENT INFORMATION
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Author's Preface
Contents
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
Chapter VII
Chapter VIII
Chapter IX
Chapter X
Chapter XI
Chapter XII
Index
Editor’s Preface
Letters 1801
Letters 1802
Letters 1803
Letters 1804
Letters 1805
Letters 1806
Letters 1807
Letters 1808
Letters 1809
Letters 1810
Letters 1811
Letters 1812
Letters 1813
Letters 1814
Letters 1815
Letters 1816
Letters 1817
Letters 1818
Letters 1819
Letters 1820
Letters 1821
Letters 1822
Letters 1823
Letters 1824
Letters 1825
Letters 1826
Letters 1827
Letters 1828
Letters 1829
Letters 1830
Letters 1831
Letters 1832
Letters 1833
Letters 1834
Letters 1835
Letters 1836
Letters 1837
Letters 1838
Letters 1839
Letters 1840
Letters 1841
Letters 1842
Letters 1843
Letters 1844
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Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
Produced by CATH
 
Paris, April 23rd, 1826.
Dearest Kate,

I went yesterday, with Dumont, to breakfast with the Duke de Broglie. The company consisted of the Duke, the Duchess, the tutor, young Rocca, M. de Staël, brother to the Duchess, and the children. The Duke seems to be a very amiable, sensible man. He and M. de Staël are going to make a tour, and I think will come to see us in Yorkshire.

After breakfast I went to see the palace of the Duke of Orleans. The pictures are numerous, but principally of the French school, and not good; the rooms in which there are no pictures are most magnificent; in short, magnificence must be scratched out of our dictionary. I then went to a déjeûner à la fourchette at the Ambassador’s, where there was a numerous assembly of French and English; it was a very pretty sight, in a very pretty garden.

I dined with Lord Bath. In the evening we went to see Mdlle. Mars, the great French actress. Her forte is comedy; she seems to excel in such parts as Mrs. Jordan excelled in, and has her sweetness of voice. She is very old and ugly; she excels also in genteel comedy, as Miss Farren did. I certainly think her a very considerable actress.

After the play I went to Lady Holland’s, where
260MEMOIR OF THE REV. SYDNEY SMITH.
was Humboldt, the great traveller,—a lively, pleasant, talkative man.

I like M. Gallois very much; he is a truly benevolent, amiable man. I have not yet had a visit from the hero Sir Sidney Smith; it is his business to call upon me, and I am not anxious to make acquaintance with my countryman.

God bless you! I have written every day, but have received no letters.

S. S.