VMI Archives www.vmi.edu/archives I spent a very pleasant evening with Mr. Mason last evening, and was accompanied by __________ Grandy, Cocke and Frank. We met there two of the sisters of Lord Elgin,293 the British Ambassador at China, Lady Augusta and Lady Charlotte Bruce, lineal descendents of Robert Bruce. They are very clever and agreeable persons and was well pleased to have met with them. Their Mother294 is now here on account of her health and are near neighbors of Mr. Mason, and are living upon terms of great intimacy with them. Mr Mason has kindly given me without solicitation a letter of recommendation to the chief military establishments of France, in which he specifies the character of our school and the nature of the mission intrusted to me. This adds another to the many marks of kindness I have received from him, and which I ever shall remember with gratitude. I have __________ found some difficulty in ascertaining any reliable particulars with regard to the meeting at Geneva, altho’ I sought an introduction from Mr. Mason to Mr. Seely295 this morning, for the purpose. He has kindly referred me to a French clergyman who will probably give me the information, and I am going to see him as soon as I get my dinner. I have been greatly divided in my mind, in my desire not to miss that meeting and at the same time unite in honoring our distinguished Country man, Mr. Morse; a decision which is made the more painful to me because if I decide to remain I shall be for a week separated from our party, who will leave tomorrow for their trip on the Rhine. Monday Aug 16th 1858 After a tedious hunt last night for the French clergyman I at last found his residence at 4 rue d’Oratoire – Rev Mr. Monod296 a brother of Rev Fred Monod. He was just going __________ to his place of worship in L’Oratoire297 opposite to his residence, and I had not time to make all of the inquiries of him which I wish before his service commenced. I very cheerfully accepted his invitation to attend his service. He preached in the upper room of the Temple d’Oratoire, which I found very plainly fitted up for a small congregation, not more than 30 or 40 persons being in attendance at this time. The place of worship being directly upon the Rue d’Rivoli, it was difficult 293 James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin, 12th Earl of Kincardine (1811-1863), was a colonial administrator, Governor General of Canada, High Commissioner in China and Japan for trade, and viceroy of India. See “Earl of Elgin” and “James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin,” at “Wikikpedia.” 294 Second wife of 7th Lord Elgin, of Elgin Marbles fame, Lady Mary Lambton, daughter of the 1st Earl of Durham and niece of the Colonial Secretary the 3rd Earl Grey. See “Lord Elgin,” date posted unknown, Indianetzone, History of India, date accessed 6/20/09, electronic address: <http://www.indianetzone.com/39/lord_elgin.htm>. 295 Rev. R. H. Seeley 296 Smith appears to have the names reversed. He would have found Frédéric Monod (1794-1863), the French Protestant (Calvinist) minister of L’Oratoire. Frédéric’s brother was Adolphe Monod, also a French Protestant minister who served at the L’Oratoire, but Adolphe died in April 1856. See The New Schaff Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge (NY: Funk & Wagnall Co., 1910, digitized by Google), 8: 473. 297 The Temple protestant de l’Oratoire du Louvre was a Protestant church in Paris, rue de Rivoli. Francis H. Smith in Europe, 1858. Letterbook #2 Page 107 .