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Diary of Charles Francis Adams, 1861

Monday 23d.

23 September 1861

Wednesday 25th

25 September 1861
24 September 1861
240
Tuesday 24th
Abergeldie Castle
CFA

1861-09-24

AM

At one time I waked to see great furnaces glowing all around me out of the midst of the darkness, the evidence of the great manufacturing turns which enrich without beautifying the country. Soon after day break I found myself at Carlisle on the boundary of Scotland, thence through Carstairs and Perth and Dunheld to Aberdeen which we reached at a little before one o’ clock in the day. With the exception of Perthshire241 all the aspect of Scotland is hard and forbidding, and reminds me much of New England. The stone walls with the bleak hills seem nevertheless to have in both cases the same results of creating an industrious and hardy population. As there was a break in the railway connection at Aberdeen I went to the Hotel, and dressed myself and breakfasted. Having an hour to spare I took a look round the town, which Contains about seventy thousand inhabitants. It rained so hard that I could not see so much of it as I might but what I did traverse gave me the idea of a very substantial, comfortable place. At half past four I recurred my travels by what is called the Deeside railway. This runs along the bank of a pretty little mountain stream, with more than its usual quantity of water in consequence of late heavy rains. The wheat crop is not yet gathered and much of it already cut is soaking in water. The sky cleared with a brilliant sunset, and a cod air. that again reminds me of New England. At about forty miles we came to Aboyne where the railway stops. We then mounted a stage and down ten miles further to Ballater. The small ins on the way seemed full of people carousing when I took to be belonging to the Queen’s household. At Ballater I was obliged to take a port chaise and drive seven miles farther to Abergeldie Castle, the residence of Earl Russell. I found him and his Wife expecting me which excused my coming in at so late an hour as ten o’ clock. They had some supper after which we soon retired, putting off the object of my visit until morning.

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=DCA61d267