My Dear Mac,

I re'cd your little letter 10 days ago in London, the only word I have heard from norm since we left I was coming to hear how much trouble you had about the card plate. I hope it will give you no more trouble just keep the plate and let the thing go. I can get one here just like it for $1.25. I intended to give you some account of our journey through Iceland, England or Scotland but there is so much to tell that I hardly know where to begin. If I remember rightly I wrote you from Cork. From them we went to Killarney Lakes- the most beautiful scene in Ireland- It is indeed a lovely lake a mountain region. We examined her 2 days dividing our time about equally between the mountains, lakes & beggars- The beggar girls of Ireland as a little shard of anything we have seen yet. One (a very pretty girl) followed me a while, through Dublin gap and could run faster than my horse. She said she would follow us to "Amerika" if I did not give her sixpence- From Killarny to Dublin where we spent 3 or 4 days. Do you remember of seeing an account of a [??] in Phoenix parks Dublin about the 5 or [??] of Aug? his work in the park at the time and cans at mass getting over beside Knoxford off as you did in N.Y. on the 12th of July.- Since you we got out of Read in a dead [man??].

From Dublin to Gordensburry- a quaint old place but not much of interest.- we only remained here a few hours and pushed over to the giant caveway that most wonderful and beautiful freak of nature.- I could fill the whole sheet with a description of it-no pictures you have ever seen gives you a true idea of it.- Don't visit Ireland without going to this giant's caveway.- From here we went across the Island to Belfast- an active strong, [lovely/lonely/large??] city.- More like an American city than my place we had seen in Ireland.-This completed out tour of Ireland and in a few words I will try to give you my idea of it.- It's natural fertility and ?? surpasses either of the other British Islands.- It might be a feel of Gargen of Eden.-The north of Ireland is such and the people are thrifty and prosperous but the south although the most fertile region we have yet seen as a poor Prilsknidden, god forsaken poverty-stricken country and always will be with catholic preist; will the poor mothers in their power I never saw such a difference in a people in so short a distance so there's is between the south & north of Ireland.- So much for Ireland and my impassion of it. From Belfast we crossed the Irish Channel and up the beautiful river Clyde to Glasgow in Scotland. I thought I knew something of the geography of Scotland but I was not prepared for what I saw here. Did you suppose Glasgow was a city twice as large as Boston? It has nearly 600000 population and builds more ships than all the United States together. It would astonish you to see the armies of iron ships an the banks of the Clyde.- Then is not much of interest in this City.- Except to see its "[word crossed out] activity" and think as in Belfast of an America twice these two Cities are the only ones that have recalled home since I landed. We only remained one day in Glasgow and then pushed up around the Scottish Lakes.- We reached the foot of Loch Lomond just before sunset and crossed this beautiful sheet of water among the [crossed out] highlands of Scotland in one of those miniature heavens that we have met for the first time. You will remember that in the rainily Loch Lomound was laid the novel of Scott's Rob-Roy and we spent the Sabbath on the shores of this lake, right at the foot of Ben tommond with the whole scenes of the life of that wild chieftain Rob-Roy McGregor right before us.- The house his fierce wife was said to have been born in was pointed out to us.- Monday morning we rode for 13 miles over the mountains in a stage and came to Loch Katrine to me the most beautiful of the [scated??] Lochs although Loch Lomond is Scotland's boast- we crossed Loch Katrine in another minute steamer passing so near that we could almost touch it, "Ellen's [Dale??]" where the fair Ellen first met James File-James in & [??] [??] of the Lake.- We passed through the Rossoch's yesterday Loch Torchery over the Bridge of Tark all so fully described by Scott in the chase in his Lady of the Lake.- I think it is [cents 2 2/4??] and I wish you would mail it over again for I assure you the whole thing lay before us like a picture.- The place still strain their names and so account is salt [dissipation??] that we would easily pick them out. A few hours ride by rail brought us to Sterling Castle. No place in Scotland had been more connected with Scottish history ever since it has had a history and no place can be of more interest in many [ourfeast??]. Here the Earl of Douglass was foully murdered by King James himself. We visited the room in which the murder took place and looked from the same window from which the King threw his victim's body into the court below. Then to the beautiful and unfortunate.- "Mary Queen of the Scots" was for "long time imprisoned. From its walls we could see 5 or 6 of the great battle fields when the destines of Scotland had been decided among them is the battle field of [Baumendbrun??] From here we [headed??] on to Edinburgh a quiet staid, beautiful old city.-where we spent 7 or 8 days.- we found much to interest us here and in its vicinity. Holyrood Palace the home of Mary still contains her apartments just as she left them. The bed and all her furniture still in the rooms- were it not for their great age it would appear as though she had just left for a summer in the highlands.- in her room is quite plainly seen the blood stains on the floor when Riccio was murdered before her face.- we visited John Knox's house just as the old reformers left it and the old Edinburgh Castle and many other places I have ran down to speak of on your time to med. From Edinburgh we visited Abbotsford then beautiful house of Sir Walter Scott. The great beauty of all theis places is that we see them all just as their [destiny washed??] reached left them (con't page 1). Scott's study, literary and curiously- [??] [??] all just as they were when he lived and wrote them. His hat and coat and cane still there. His room of curiousities was very interesting. I do not see how any one man could have collected so much. Among the firearms was Rob Roy's gun The same day we visited Dryburgh Abby, where Scott is buried. It is a quite old ruin with marks of great age- just such a place as I should suppose Scott would choose in which to be gathered to his father. I must have many places of interest- and hasten on to the English Lakes. A most lovely region in Lancster & west moreland counties where we spent 2 days visiting lake & mountains- the home of Wordsworth and Southey and for a time [Mrs Hamans??] & then by trains across the Island to old York to see its beautiful cathedral and attend an English Horse race- we spent a day most pleasantly here.- The York Cathedral I think is finer than St. Pauls in London.- We spent an afternoon at the York races and then started for Matlock baths to wet ourselves at an English watering place- one night here we started clean and sweet for Chatsworth the seat of the Duke of Devonshire and the finest estate in England. I could fill a whole letter with a description of this wonderful estate. The park consists of 2000 acres walled in with solid masonry and contains [6000 deer??]. Large lands of which we saw as we rode through the park.

The grounds about the residence (which may well be called a palace) exceed anything I have ever seen in beauty & lavish expenditure. The hot house alone cover [2 acre??] in which are every plant and [mix/tree??] of tropical climiates as luxurious as in their native climate- oranges, lemons, bananas , filled with fruit. The gardiner told me they raised some single bunches of bananas weighing 90 lbs and more delicious in flavour than any that could be imported. Cinnamon, India rubber & all kinds of Palm trees and indeed everything that a tropical eliminate can grow.- His head gardiner was the late Sir Joseph Paxdore of Crystal Palace notoriety and received a salary larger than the resident of the United States. The house is magnificent. The picture gallery contains pictures by the best old artists and you can form some idea of the statues when I tell you that the poorest bust I saw in it was one of Edward Everett by Powers. A day was not enough to spend at this beautiful spot but we were compelled to hurry on to [Wainwright??] Stratford on Avon (Shakespeare's House) then to Kenilworth Castle (the spot of Scotts fine novel Kenilworth). Then to Oxford to spend an afternoon among the classic shades of England's greatest seat of learning and then to London. I shall not attempt to describe London. It would be not only useless but foolish. If you should see the finger only of a giant you would know that it is must belong to a giant and so it seems to me if one is dropped down anywhere in London he must know that what he sees about him must be a part of a great city. It is great even in its decay. We spent 8 days visiting from of the many objects of interest and could have spent as many weeks. The British museum, the zoologist gardens (the best in the world), the old tower St. Pauls cathedral & the house of Parliament are a few of the places of interest we saw but the most interesting to me was Westminster Abbey. I visited it twice and spent 3 hours wandering among and [blotted out] the graves of England's Kings, Queens and distinguished dead. Dickens, Hines, Goldsmith, Cambell, Cowper and a hundred others whose writings you & I have read since the days of our boy home. Then at last we found the visiting place of poor beautiful unfortunate Mary Queen of Scots, traces of where unhappy life we had seen at almost every step since we left Sterling Castle and in the next room (as though their ashes could not rest in peace together) is the remains of her relentless enemy Queen Elizabeth. I spent one day at Mrs. Victoria's home Windsor Castle-went through all the rooms of State-spent an hour examining her stables & horses and rode out 2 miles to see her model [farm??]-looked over her cows, sheep, and some of the finest bulls I ever saw.- The Queen is badly on the bull question.- Tuesday night one started from London for Dover- 80 miles in 100 minutes- how is that for speed? Next morning we crossed the English channel to Ostend in Belgium. Here it seemed as though we were away from home and had lost our mother tongue. Customhouse officials rushed at us with their inutterable jargon some dutch & some French & one would suppose that the towels of our trunks over to botten out which we did not much relish as what had come of the contraband filthy weed in his, but a frank [supped??] into their hand as we unlocked our trunks guided their eager search for [baskets??] of his Majesty's laws, like magic and they mildly said ("allow"(go on) which we did without delay. one night at Brussels a quiet old city- a few hours & one night at Cologne when we visited their beautiful cathedral and bought a bottle of [??] Cologne (who even visited Cologne and didn't ?) and then up the Rhine to Heidel being where we spent no time for we had heard of friends in Switzerland and were in hot persuit of a familiar face. We have been here a week-have been over one of the first passes of the alps- have walked over a real glacier and tomorrow start for a 3 or 4 days journey to Mount Blanc and its great "mer de glace". It is wild, grand, beautiful. I long to tell you what I have seen and am to see and if this letter does not take you all out tell me so as soon as you get it & I will gladly write you again of things you & I have dreamed of but that I never expected to see. Direct your letters as before J.H. Whitemon Benny's Brother London. Both of us think of you and speak of you often & wish you with us.

Ever yours Parson [George Moody]