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Diary of Charles Francis Adams, 1862

Wednesday 4th

4 June 1862

Friday 6th

6 May 1862
5 June 1862
117
Thursday 5th
London
CFA AM

Mr Holmes, of the Exhibition, a day or two since called to invite me to attend the wedding of an American by the name of Lee who proposed to be married this day at eleven o’clock, in St Clement Dane’s Church in the Strand. It seemed an odd thing that the gentleman had not made the invitation himself, but as Americans are seldom familiar with forms and as there was no good reason for my declining, I agreed to go, I got to the church at five minutes before the hour, but found nobody there excepting the berger who in reply to my inquiry said that he believed an American was about to be married there at half past eleven, though the notice had come only118 a short time before, and it was by pure accident that a clergyman was on the spot to perform the ceremony. As nobody appeared I spent my interval in examining the church which has nothing of much interest about it. At last Mr Holmes and his party came in and then the bridal party consisting of seven persons, the bridegroom and bride, two couples of attendants and one man to give her away. Mr and Mrs Cropsey also came in which completed the number. Another long delay before the Clergyman appeared— The service followed in the most mechanical manner, after which the bridal party went off into the vestry. Then for the first time the party seemed to become aware of my existence. Mr Holmes presented me to Mrs Peter, the sister of the groom. I found that the name of the bride was Gray, that all the party had lately come from America; the man for the purpose of establishing himself as a maker of fire engines. He had succeeded in this wand was about to settle down in London. I then congratulated both parties— They invited me to breakfast with them at No 17 Norfolk Street, which I declined. They departed in the rain, and I made my way as well as I could to the Auctioneer’s to attend the second day’s sale of Huber’s coins. The prices were on the whole high, though the specimens are numerous and very fine. I did not get away until five. Mrs Adams and I went to dine at Mrs Bensten’s. A small company consisting of Mrs Goldsmid, the well known Jeremy Lind, two Messr Lehman brothers of Mrs Bentsen, and the Wife of the younger, Mr Wilkie Collins, and Mr and Mrs Story, at a late hour. The entertainment elegant as usual. From here we went to the Marquess of Salisbury’s. A great crowd, and mostly from the tory side with which I am least acquainted. We spent about twenty minutes in the drawing rooms, but we were an hour waiting to get the carriage.

Cite web page as:

Charles Francis Adams, Sr., [date of entry], diary, in Charles Francis Adams, Sr.: The Civil War Diaries (Unverified Transcriptions). Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 2015. http://www.masshist.org/publications/cfa-civil-war/view?id=DCA62d156