My 19th-century blogger, Miss Frances Williams Wynn, is enjoying a bit of vicarious adventure today, transcribing the account of a German baron’s escape from the jaws of a lion. It sounds, from the editor’s note, that he dined out on it for years afterwards.

Lying quickly and invisibly …

My 19th-century blogger Miss Frances Williams Wynn is today reporting on Jerome, King of Westphalia, who receives a letter of rebuke from his older brother, Napoleon, about the state of his army, but reads it out as though it is praise.

Miss Frances Williams Wynn is today hearing more stories of the exotic east from the mysterious Mr Davidson.

Davidson has a theory of his own on the subject of the Pyramids. He considers them as signs or monuments in commemoration of the Deluge, deriving the present name from Py (the) Aram (ancient).

The most startling fact which he told us was, that in Mexico and on the coast of Coromandel there exist to this day pyramids of still greater magnitude than the Egyptian, but not as high.”

I can identify the Wilkinson who entered into a debate with Davidson – his papers are in the Bodleian. He was a distinguished Egyptologist and he married a very interesting-sounding woman, Caroline Catherine Lucas (1822-81), described as an antiquarian, botanist and actress! I haven’t been able to find any independent info about her. Anyone know her?

(By the way: should you want to see all of the Williams Wynn posts together just click on “Lady of Quality” below.)

My 19th-century “blogger” Miss Frances Williams Wynn is today hearing stories from an eastern traveller, most notably about Lady Hester Stanhope, although sadly mainly in the days of her decline.

I haven’t been able to identify the “Mr Davidson” from whom she is hearing the tale – anyone know who he is?

She’s been distracted by the Green Party, but should from now on be back in full flow. So my 19th-century “blogger” today has two posts.

First, she’s writing about seeing Mr Coesvelt’s pictures, a collection that she describes as finer than that of the royal family. It was broken up in 1836, and a web search reveals they are scattered around. There’s Raphael’s The Alba Madonna in Washington and a Rape of Proserpine by Schwarz in the Fitzwilliam.

And the prolific Mrs Jameson catalogued the pictures.

Secondly, Miss Frances Williams Wynn is viewing (in 1835) “the aerial ship, as they call the new balloon”. She’s not convinced of its utility, pointing out that without a method of propulsion, it is entirely at the mercy of the winds. Were “the power of steam undiscovered” it might be more use, she suggests.

There’s a satirical image from that year that seems to match what Miss Williams Wynn is describing.

My 19th-century blogger Miss Frances Williams Wynn is today indulging in a good old gossip about French royalty – particularly the Duke of Orleans, Louis Phillipe, later the the last French king.

I found that Sir Coutts, like myself, believed what they said to be true, that Louis Philippe had not sought the painful pre-eminence in which he finds himself.

Her informant is one Sir Coutts Trotter. As his name suggests he was involved with the famous bank (being principal partner and it seems from this reference very much a working one) – making his dinner with Miss Williams Wynn an interesting example of “trade” and aristocracy intermixing. (OK, I suppose it was a superior form of “trade”.) I also found a detailed account of his burial place (in Hendon).