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Brussels, Hotel de Flandre. Travelling without a companion. Quantities of white poplars - luxuriant vegetation and accurate cultivation. Houses and inhabitants poor and wretched. Entrance into Brussels like that into Paris - narrow, dirty, stinking streets, and shabby and lounging inhabitants. Upper part of town more agreeable. Allee verte - avenue of limes. Country side beautiful and accessible. Provisions good and cheap. Dines at hotel at 3 in the common room ; want of sitting rooms inconvenient to lovers - PE interrupted a tender conversation while in search of a newspaper. Walk to Laken, from which Buonaparte dated the proclamations which he had ready printed for circulation in case of defeating the allies at Waterloo. The chapel given over to various protestant sects in return for payment - PE preached at 2pm. The catholic churches contain little worthy of observation - the modern ones are hideous, but the three gothic ones might be handsome if stripped of their tawdry ornaments. It will be long before PE is reconciled to the Virgin wearing a brocade petticoat.

Utrecht, Le Vieux Chateau d'Anvers. Description of journey to Breda - stayed at Prince Cardinal, and left at 5am, so no time to see the Grote Kerk. 3 ferries between Breda and Gorcum, and 1 between Gorcum and Utrecht, so a slow journey. Countryside flat, wet and spongy, with many frogs and storks. Black and white cows, fastened by the neck in pairs to prevent straying. Gentlemen's villas, built as close as possible to the roads or canals, with the name in large letters over the door - carefully and expensively adorned gardens, but tasteless, with Chinese summer house, gothic castles, flying Mercuries and much topiary. The inn is good but expensive - had intended to go to Le Nouveau Chateau d'Anvers. Cathedral - nave destroyed by a storm a century before, so only chancel and tower (diagram) - church would have been handsome, if entire. Latin distich on Cain and Abel. On 3rd July 7 hours on canal from Utrecht to Amsterdam - on each side an unbroken succession of neat and elegant country houses. Impressed by the buildings of Amsterdam, but not by the smell of the canals. Charitable institutions run well and honestly (unlike the Irish). Remarks on beggars in various European cities. Staying in Doelen Hotel. Visit to service in synagogue (German, not Portuguese) - a cappella singing. Had intended to visit North Holland (purest Dutch manners, especially cleanliness) - idea abandoned, partly because of weather, partly because no one speaks English. Refusal to hire interpreter or guide - prefers to buy guidebook and make his own way. Female headdresses (a substantive farmer's daughter carries on her head the value of several cows in golden trinkets).

Paris, Hotel de Nimes, Rue de Grenelle. Cf. 297. Weather warm, and hotel tolerably quiet, clean and reasonable. If he were to stay long he would need to get introductions to respectable families - but not many of these, since one of the ingredients of respectability is wealth. Remarks on absence of French probity in selling, and on his new cotton stockings. Remarkable that relations can live so happily in the same house. Saw the Comte d'Artois (Charles X) with a carriage drawn by 8 horses, and surrounded by guards - last seen in Edinburgh in 1803, in very different circumstances. Sites in Paris are open every day and all day, and are free. Post-revolution churches are stripped of their ornaments (kept in an old convent), but the painted glass has survived. No pumps or wells in the city, but Seine water is good to drink.

From Mr Phillips (?) in Montreal concerning the establishment of post offices in Kingston and York (now Toronto). Comments on affairs in Europe and Mauritius.

From Mr Phillips (?) concerning cheap and effective means of conveying letters and packages

Thanks PE for letter from Florence dated 10th June. . Expressions of tender feelings from all of them. Mary has had a return of her headaches - would be cured sooner if she were more sedate. Nancy (Ann) is in good health, but not happy at being urged to go into company - sister-in-law is rather happy that she is not charmed by the gaieties which delight other young people. She hears universally good reports of John. PE has talked of a visit to Paris the following year, and Mary is afraid that he might meet a French woman and marry her. Has temporarily started taking a daily paper, because of a scandal involving a lady bidding open defiance to all the accusations against her. News of various friends. Her nephew Ben Hallowell is to leave Charterhouse for Trinity College Cambridge. Her brother is rightly concerned - 7 children, and not one provided for. A friend (Mrs G) is facing two charges - her enemies are perjuring themselves. Has had an accident, and fears she will always have a limp.

London. PE has made funds available - has paid for tenant's repairs, some debts, and has started to crop the ground. Has walked around Marylebone - 50 years ago it was as rural as now Hampstead and Highgate are, but now very built up. Rambling discussion of reasons for this. Criticism of House of Lords. Wry consideration of high society. Sympathy expressed for Caroline of Brunswick, antipathy towards George IV. Wry consideration of high society.

From Madame Marlow (?) at St John's College, enclosing a book and glad to hear that he is better.

G Copleston says he will suggest to Lord Grenville (politician, Chancellor of University)that he be at Dropmore (Park) Thursday to Saturday

H Cotton (Ch Ch theologian) asks PE to let himself into the Delegates' room and extract a ms. of Enoch which he is to take to the Archbishop of Cashel - 3 weeks later he apologises for having removed some of PE's boxes from Tom Tower prior to his Irish trip