07Mar1866, Meeting Lowe and Carlyle

LONDON, March 7th, 1866.
—We dined at Mr. Bob Lowe's, which was very pleasant. He is immensely clever, agreeable, and humorous, but rubbed me up the wrong way with his bitter, low view of people and politics. Afterwards for a little while to Ly. Russell's drum, against my grain ; but it was a necessary civility. Was introduced to Carlyle who launched into a broad Scotch troll on Reform to F. An odd, shrewd, rough, weatherbeaten face, and an astonishing choker ! . . .

We dined at Ly. Cowper's, meeting her sons and daughters, Lord Houghton, Mr. Trevelyan, Mr. Barrett Browning , Mr. Stanhope , and Froude the historian who looks very clever and great, and is young and handsome, which I shouldn't have expected. F. to the perpetual House after dinner : I stayed on into a small party that dropped in, and talked to Mr. Cowper, Froude himself, and a Yankee called Lockwood, of agreeable manners.