Had I thought of it sooner, I might have found interesting people enough
to know, even when all London is said to be out of town; but meditating a
stay only of a week or two (on our way to Rome), it did not seem worth
while to seek acquaintances.
I have been out only for one evening; and that was at Dr. ------'s, who
had been attending all the children in the measles. (Their illness was
what detained us.) He is a homoeopathist, and is known in scientific or
general literature; at all events, a sensible and enlightened man, with
an un-English freedom of mind on some points. For example, he is a
Swedenborgian, and a believer in modern spiritualism. He showed me
some drawings that had been made under the spiritual influence by a
miniature-painter who possesses no imaginative power of his own, and is
merely a good mechanical and literal copyist; but these drawings,
representing angels and allegorical people, were done by an influence
which directed the artist's hand, he not knowing what his next touch
would be, nor what the final result. The sketches certainly did show a
high and fine expressiveness, if examined in a trustful mood. Dr. ------
also spoke of Mr. Harris, the American poet of spiritualism, as being the
best poet of the day; and he produced his works in several volumes, and
showed me songs, and paragraphs of longer poems, in support of his
opinion. They seemed to me to have a certain light and splendor, but not
to possess much power, either passionate or intellectual.
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