Bakkehussamlingen

                                                      21 Upper Bedford Place
                                                                                                                                             30 September 1878
My dear M.^m Jerichau
            I have much pleasure in informing you, that your dear & talented son’s picture has been found & restored to M^r Smith, & I have instructed him to send it here to be taken care of & awaiting your further instructions, as to its future destination, & that of the other ones now housed at 21 U.B.P. 4 in all.
            My sisters, my son & self with a Lady Cousin have been a trip ap the Rhine, passing through Brussells, Cologne, Coblentz, Frankfurt, Homberg-Heidelberg & Baden Baden on to Strasbourg. Hence we turned our faces homewards & came to England via Metz Rheims, Amiens & Boulogne. It was a charming excursion of // 5 weeks, and as we floated up the noble River our memories were filled with the incidents of ancient & recent times, & our fancies delighted with the Castles, towers, villages & towns on its banks. Frankfurt is rich in old Buildings, now however fast disappearing, as the Jews’ Quarter where the Rothchilds of the last generation were content to dwell. The Botanic Garden is beautifully laid out, & the suburbs adorned with handsome villas.
Homberg in like manner has a noble Park and fine assembly House, and the old Ducal Palace with spacious grounds & wood & lake a very enjoyable place for a week or so. But Heidelberg with its noble Castle and commanding view impressed us much, & we were glad to get there some very perfect photographs done there of the Castle; & at Frankfurt of the public Buildings executed in a most masterly way at Mayence. – // Strasbourg has also its old quaint Buildings, but the Façade of the Cathedral is not much to my taste. I prefer an old house near it. We went over the Battle field near Metz for a 2^nd time, & were deeply interested in the signs & memorials of the bloody struggles on the heighes & in the woods. We admired specially the Cathedrals of Rheims & Amiens so colossal in size, graceful in proportions, & rich in decoration. I made many rude sketches & […lle…ed?] several photographs. We returned in good health & spirit, though the foreign “cuisine” affected some of our party. But I was not affected by the difference for every thing agrees with me & I agree with every thing. The Germans appear to me to have made considerable advance in garden arrangements, & erase great taste, at Frankfurt, Homburg and Baden Baden. I had no opportunity of judging of their school of modern art of which you must be a more competent judge. // My Sisters & myself cordially sympathiced with you in the betrothal of your dear daughter Sophy, whose prospects for the future seem in God’s providence seem to be so propition. May the unit be a happy one founded upon mutual devoted affection! & what is better, submission to the Divine Will! May their [mercy?] be blessed in every respect! Their marriage must now be approaching, & may it be accompanied by the blessing of their Savior & Redeemer! Not a mere fairy dream but Christian reality; and to the joy & comfort of all connected with them, & to you, dear Friend, above all others. I wrote to you ae[as] we started on our Rhine trip; & I trust you will have indulgently pardoned the perhaps too great freedom of an old friend & admirer of all your admirable qualities & perfections. My Sisters desire their kindest regards, & believe me dear M^m Jerichau.
            Y^r. attached friend
                        Tho. L: Donaldson

Please let me know about your Persian Soldier & his wife. Has he prospered well? Have they any family?