"WEDNESDAY, Dec 27, (1886) I spent the day with Thomas Metcalfe. We went over his farm, which he rents for $300. One of his fields is 17 acres, another 15 acres, both beside his house and very good land. Then he has a long pasture, woody and rough by the side of the creek. At the foot of which is some bottom land very rich, say 10 acres, through which the creek runs, and on the other side a large pasture rising southward, covered thinley with oak, some of which will be good land when cleared. Altogether there is 120 acres. Wm. Cleminson, the Landlord, kept 24 head of cattle and horses upon it, 3 of them horses, besides hogs, chickens, &c., and he grew sufficient corn to feed with. They sell their butter for 25 cents per lb. in Dubuque all the year round. Mr. & Mrs. Cleminson were invited to dinner. We had roast goose and pies, &c., and tea out of Mrs. M.'s best china. I took my violin, and Mr. Cleminson accompanied me on his bass fiddle. We managed to play "Whi! le Shepherds" and several other tunes very well together. He is somewhat of a believer in Spiritualism and as he broached the subject I could not resist arguing the question with him which I believe I did very successfully. He, unlike many, argued fairly. When he came here 19 years ago he had nothing; now he lets his land for (pound) 60 a year, has timber on a considerable portion of it worth $100 per acre, which he can get grubbed for $10 per acre. It is also mineral ground, with several crevices passing through it, which have proved very rich close to it. His father was Isaiah Cleminson, an Agent at Feetham, his wife a Jackson of Reeth. They have only one son, a bookkeeper in Dubuque. Called on my way home at Mrs. Waller's for Mr. W. who was sitting there. Thomas Metcalfe's beef stands him to only 3 cents per lb., two or three of the neighbors having joined with him at aheifer." "THURSDAY, Dec. 28. Mr W. and I went in the afternoon to Mr. Bonson's; they had been having a party. When we got there they were all gone except Mr. & Mrs. Herod. We had a very good supper, with raw oysters. We played some games with cards on which were printed the names of authors and their works. Mrs. Bonson's eldest son has a fiddle which they got me to try; they seemed very pleased with my playing. He is only trying to learn it. As we came home the thermometer was about 10 (degrees) below zero, yet we did not notice its being extra cold as the air was quite still. We found it very pleasant walking." NOTES : "Feetham and Reeth are in lower Swaledale, down river from Spring End." Mr. W. is Woodward jiminal