extravagant.—­I furnished Col.  Colby with a plan of a new Sector, still used in the British Survey.—­I appealed to Colby about the injury to the cistern on the Great Gable in Cumberland, by the pile raised for the Survey Signal.—­On Jan. 3rd occurred a most remarkable tidal disturbance:  the tide in the Thames was 5 feet too low.  I endeavoured to trace it on the coasts, and had a vast amount of correspondence:  but it elicited little.

“Of private history:  I was a short time in Suffolk in March.—­On Mar. 31st I started with my wife (whose health had suffered much) for a trip to Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Swansea, &c.  While at Swansea we received news on Apr. 24th of the deadly illness of my dear mother.  We travelled by Neath and Cardiff to Bath, where I solicited a rest for my wife from my kind friend Miss Sutcliffe, and returned alone to Greenwich.  My dear mother had died on the morning of the 24th.  The funeral took place at Little Whelnetham (near Bury) on May 1st, where my mother was buried by the side of my father.  We went to Cambridge, where my wife consulted Dr Haviland to her great advantage, and returned to Greenwich on May 7th.—­On May 14th to 16th I was at Sanderstead (Rev. J. Courtney) with Whewell as one sponsor, at the christening of my daughter Hilda.—­In September I went for a trip with my sister to Yorkshire and Cumberland, in the course of which we visited Dent (Sedgwick’s birthplace), and paid visits to Mr Wordsworth, Miss Southey, and Miss Bristow, returning to Greenwich on the 30th Sept.—­From June 15th to 19th I visited my brother at Keysoe.”

The following extracts are from letters written to his wife while on the above trip in Yorkshire and Cumberland: 

RED LION INN, REDCAR,
1841, Sept. 11.

We stopped at York:  went to the Tavern Hotel.  In the morning (Friday) went into the Cathedral.  I think that it improves on acquaintance.  The nave is now almost filled with scaffolding for the repair of the roof, so that it has not the bare unfinished appearance that it had when I was there last year.  The tower in which the fire began seems to be a good deal repaired:  there are new mullions in its windows, &c.  We stopped to hear part of the service, which was not very effective.

* * * * *

Here are notes of his visit to Dentdale in Yorkshire, the birthplace of his friend Sedgwick: 

KING’S HEAD, KENDAL,
1841, Sept. 15.

The day was quite fine, and the hills quite clear.  The ascent out of Hawes is dull; the little branch dale is simple and monotonous, and so are the hills about the great dale which are in sight.  The only thing which interested us was the sort of bird’s-eye view of Hardraw dell, which appeared a most petty and insignificant opening in the great hill side.  But when we got to the top of the pass there was a magnificent view of Ingleborough.  The dale which was most nearly in front of us is that which goes