Page:Diary of ten years.djvu/207

 189 23rd.—I came to Guildford to attend a meeting of agriculturists, to take into consideration the state of the circulating medium; went thence to Mr. Tanner's to luncheon, and immediately after, suffered such pain in my head that I was obliged to set out for home, and have had a succession of hot poultices to my poor caput ever since. I am almost afraid to go to bed, for there I suffer exquisite pain, without obtaining even a little sleep.

24th.—Oh! what an interval! I scarce know myself—torture unceasing and no sleep. I have been brought through so far; but I fear this attack will be succeeded by others. My public duties require me to visit Perth on Monday week, and I fear my inability to leave home, for I am literally as weak as a child, and have no appetite. I missed my dear father's advice sadly, for never having been ill before, I do not know how to treat myself.

I have got my old chimney snugged up for the winter. My new room will be 18 feet by 15 feet, with two recesses on either side of the fire-place for book-shelves, side-board, or whatever you please: it will be lighted by two French windows, opening into a verandah six feet wide, which runs round the house; and the lawn immediately in front will be green, I hope, all the year round, with lucerne, which I have sown in drills. The other seeds, which came in the chest by Van Diemen's Land, are all dead.

25th.—My men have unanimously declared against cocoa, which I lately bought for them during the present high price of tea: there is still, however, room for negotiation on the disputed point. What a plague servants are!

My shepherd, as I have often said, is a queer fellow: only think of his having given £3 for a set of sheep-bells; they are enchantingly musical, however, and the tinkling, as the sheep come home at night, is one of the most cheerful sounds I have ever heard. This man feels great pride in having his flock look well, and is very jealous of my being inquisitive about