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 yesterday, which have flooded the whole park; and though they have prevented our going out, yet they make the temperature very nice and cool.

Sunday, 25th. A good sermon from Mr., and in the afternoon a remarkably pleasant surprise. George got a despatch from the India House while I was sitting in his room with one newspaper of the 14th of March. The despatch, as usual, contained comments on the King of Oude, and the Ameers, and the Putiallah Rajah, and the salt duties. The most interesting sentence was an intimation that we should have a new dinner service in due time. But this professed to be the sole result of the steamer whose progress we have been watching with intense interest. Then came on another thundering storm, and our Sunday afternoon was assuming a gloomy appearance, when one of the excellent guards came galloping through the rain with a second packet, sent express—the repentance and after-thought of the steamer—and I received your long letter of March 4, with several others; so this gave quite another