We walked from this Mews to the National gallery
& after visiting all the paintings we returned
home, somwhat weary after a long walk in a rainy
day in London distance of the day 10 miles
The state coachman informed me that her Majes[ty]
would be quite familiar & even sociable in
many respects, with some of her subjects but
was kept distant by her Ministry 10 m

December 9, 1840 ~ Wednesday

Dec 9^th We had a long pleasant days walk this
day Elders Young Kimball & myself started from
No 40 Ironmonger Row St Lukes London in the
morning & walked to St Pauls Church & not withs-
tanding I had been over most parts of it before
yet on this occasion we went together through evry
part. We first visited the body of the cathdral
see Aug 24^th I gave a description of this
cathedral, but in some respects it was incorrect
being wrongly informed upon the subject. I
make A few extracts from A printed descrip-
tion of the church, which I purchased while
passing through. [FIGURE] St. Peter's at Rome
was 145 years in building under twelve s
successive architects. But this building
was completed in forty years under the superin-
tendance of one architect, Sir Christopher Wren
under the direction of one principal mason, Mr
Strong &c. The whole expens of erect-
ing this edifice amounted £1,564,874 14 ^S^ 6 ^[P]^
in addition to which the stone and iron enclousrure
(which was cast at Lamberhurst, Kent) which
surrounds the building, cost £11,202 0 ^s^ 6 ^p^
total £1,576,076 15s about $5,880,380 ^5[,] 486,361^
This sum was raised by a small tax on coal
imported into London.

In the South west transept
is a noble staircase, by which the ascent is made to
the top. The number of steps, from the floor to
the whispering Gallery is 280; including those
to the golden gallery, 534; & to the ball, the whole
number is 616.

A communication from this staircase
leads the visitor, first to the Library, whare many
most rare & valuable works are preserved.