1820
June 20th
Landed at Portsmouth 8 o-clock in the morning took refreshment at the Inn set off at 9 o’clock in the coach for London arrived there at 7 in the afternoon at the Belle Sauvage Inn, Ludgate Hill, took lodgings there, wrote to Capt Watson my friend to procure me lodgings but through an omission in my letter of not sending my address, he could not find me out therefore was obliged to stay there for 3 nights not liking to go to a strange place. Next morning after I arrived I took hackney coach and went to the office of Bell & Williams having business there after my entre there the first person I saw to my great astonishment was Mr Jones, who I believe was as much amazed as I was to see me in London however we sat down and had a little talk about our country, and in came Mr. Underwood and of course another wonder was pronounced how I came there. I had then delivered my papers to Mr Jones who was kind enough to say he would do anything he could for me and I thought it would be better as he understood the Treasury better than I whom I was going after my departure from NSW office if I had not found him there. Mr Underwood walked back with me to my lodgings and took me and daughters out a little to see the Town, treated us to ice creams and returned with us again