𝝅’s cousin came last night just as we were getting into bed so that we had no kiss Mariana down about 9 ½ I down to breakfast at 9 ¾ - Dr Macbride came at 10 10/60 - Mariana and I off with him to see sights at 10 20/60 - went direct to Magdalen college saw the chapel handsome and over the alter the best painting in Oxford our saviour in the habit of a Franciscan monk, bearing his cross - given to the college as a [Guido] but now discovered to be by the Spanish painter Morales - Taken from a convent or friary at Vigo - very fine - the blood gently rising from beneath the crown of thorns, and trickling down the throat and a tear on the right cheek - very admirable - the man held a candle close to the face to shew it - otherwise there was not light enough - then went to the library - handsome gothic vaulted rooms, newly done up, 140 feet long - the books on shelves projecting into the room and forming [xxxx] recesses on each - a good model for a library at Shibden? then looked into the park thro’ the park gate - pretty little park, with deer - the only thing of the kind in Oxford - from Magdalen college went to Merton the oldest here - merely went into the court and viewed the exterior - one part very old very steep roof and very steep-roofed tower - roofed with stone 3 inches thick? surprising how they are put on - no [?] - no appearance of having [been put] on by pins - are they merely laid in line? and the tower of St. Peter’s church the oldest building in Oxford -
From Merton went to Oriel - just walked round the inner court - the porter very fond of the plants - had completely decorated on each the side of steps with them and sown mignonette at the foot of the walls which was very fragrant -
From Oriel went to Christchurch - saw the picture gallery - the pictures given by General Guise used to be overvalued - are now perhaps under valued - considered merely copies from the great masters - from the picture gallery mounted the stairs to the library -a very large handsome [Grecian] room - from there went into the dining hall - very handsome - then to the chapel, or rather, Cathedral, where is a fine statue by Chantry (price 2,000 pounds or guineas) lately erected in the place he himself chose for it, to the memory of Cyril Jackson the celebrated dean of Christ’s - and excellent likeness - the pupils of the eyes being marked out as [excavated] - gives a strange expression to the countenance - handsome church -
From here (a very few drops of small rain for 2 or 3 minutes) went to the Radcliffe library - a very handsome rotunda - some good models of the most famous antique statues - ascended by a winding staircase to the leads - whence a fine view of the city and surrounding country - the view ought not to be missed -
From here to the Bodleian library - first to its picture gallery - perhaps the most interesting picture a copy of the school of Athens (designed and executed by Raphael) - some good copies of Raphael’s cartoons - the originals at Hampton Court - ought to be seen some fine plaster of Paris models of the celebrated Grecian temples - 300 pounds worth - from the picture gallery went to the Bodleian library its occupying a suite of rooms - from Paris - inquired there about the artist who did them - the same floor all round the quadrangle court - the library very comfortable - the book-shelves forming recessed on each side shut up by [xxxx] trellis-work, and forming very long reading closets - shewed us queen Elizabeth’s Latin exercise book, and some beautifully illuminated missals - a thousand a year spent on books besides the priv[?] granted by parliament of claiming one copy of every work published - they do claim a copy of every work worth claiming -
From the Bodleian went to the declaiming theatre - just newly painted - the workmen still in it - the most beautiful rooms we ever saw - an amphitheatre - will hold 3,000 persons - 3 fine pictures of his first Majesty the Emperor Alexander of Russia, and King Frederic of Prussia who all visited the theatre together, were presented with the degree of Dr. and gave the pictures - the theatre painted in the foreign style by 1st rate London painter - in imitation of oak and sienna and other marble and a deep skirting board of red porphyry - very handsome - very beautiful -
From here went to the museum - introduced to Mr. Duncan there - very civil and obliging - the Duncan who had done so much good in Bath and hereby forwarded all sorts of works of charity and benevolence - the museum not large or rich - a fine magnet of 120 or 130 lbs. power - a good model of the serpent temple at Abury - Professor Buckland now abroad - asked Dr. McBride what he thought of Granvill Pen’s work (on Geology) he had not read it - but Buckland said it was an absurdity - it is much against Buckland’s theories -
From the museum Dr. McBride saw us home and left us at 4 10/60 - went immediately upstairs and washed our hands but made no change in our dress - 𝝅 wanted change of linen on account of her cousin - Talked a few minutes to my aunt and got to the Macbrides to dine at 5 - Dinner almost immediately of which Mariana observed very good to eat but in bad taste - boiled salmon at the top removed by a couple of roast ducks - 2 man servants apparently hired for the time - good port and I think Vidonia - got up from table about a little after 6, and Dr and Mrs McBride and their only child, a girl of perhaps 16 or 17 lamentably deaf from her birth (a wonder she speaks ever so well as she does)
Walked with us after showing us his own Magdalen hall, and library to New college chapel very pretty small but neat and comfortable and the dining hall handsome, in which a bust of Chichele by Roubillac more admired by Chantry than anything of the kind in Oxford from New college went to the large and handsome library of All Souls -
Then to St. John’s where we just peeped into the gardens and then walked a little farther along St.Giles’s (so like a Parisian boulevard) and then returned to the Macbrides’ to tea - tea and coffee almost immediately - Sat a while very sociably -
Dr. McBride walked home with us, and we came in at 9 - Miss. McBride the Doctor’s sister staying with them - Mariana thought she must have been handsome once - not so now - none of the party very neatly dressed - Mrs. McBride singular - odd - not like a gentlewoman - Dr. McBride very civil and attentive, may be very learned, but I heard nothing fall from him from which one should per force have guessed - Mariana thought him heavy - Professor of Arabic but few peoples study it - says he does not know enough of it to be a judge of its beauties - Persian not a difficult language - not like an Eastern language - originally of Europe - of Tartar origin with many Arabic words engrafted as we have engrafted Latin words on English - but knows not much of it - has not read it these 20 years - Has 35 rooms for students in his hall - 10 guineas a year paid for rooms and 10 guineas for the tutor and 10 guineas more will pay all expenses of college servants - a student may live very cheaply if he chooses Christchurch the largest and most expensive college but £500 a year quite enough for a gentleman commoner there - 19 colleges 5 halls in Oxford - difference between them is a college is chartered is a corporate body can use and be used in a court of law, and hold property itself - a hall is not chartered - not a corporate body - property must be held in trust for it - all the colleges and halls will not hold more than 2,000 - about 1,5000 students here - the rest fellows, canons, &c - no student allowed to lodge out of college or halls as at Cambridge - if there were accommodations perhaps there might be 300 or 400 more students here, but not more - tho’ allowed to lodge out, not more students now at Cambridge than here - a few instances of men of 30 and married studying here, and in this case they are allowed to lodge out of college - very fine day - pleasant - not much rain - the moonlight on the buildings as we returned home tonight beautiful - the Mcbrides go to Windsor tomorrow at 9 a.m. - take the coach - the whole inside - to be back on Friday to see Miss. Pickford - I dont know what to make of it it does not look very haut ton - O. - wrote all the above of today I had just done it at 11 - went up to bed at 11 20/60
(Diary reference: SH:7/ML/E/9/0141-0142)
