no fears, but when at length a violent wind began to blow, rising
every minute, and I saw the boisterous high waves running on, I was
seized with a little alarm and a little indisposition likewise."
Thus delicately does he allude to a painful episode.

Arrives in London

Haydn reached London in the opening days of 1791. He passed his
first night at the house of Bland, the music-publisher, at 45
High Holborn, which now, rebuilt, forms part of the First Avenue
Hotel. Bland, it should have been mentioned before, had been sent
over to Vienna by Salomon to coax Haydn into an engagement in
1787. When he was admitted on that occasion to Haydn's room, he
found the composer in the act of shaving, complaining the while
of the bluntness of his razor. "I would give my best quartet for
a good razor," he exclaimed testily. The hint was enough for
Bland, who immediately hurried off to his lodgings and fetched a
more serviceable tool. Haydn was as good as his word: he
presented Bland with his latest quartet, and the work is still
familiarly known as the "Rasirmesser" (razor) Quartet. The
incident was, no doubt, recalled when Haydn renewed his
acquaintance with the music-publisher.

But Haydn did not remain the guest of Bland. Next day he went to
live with Salomon, at 18 Great Pulteney Street, Golden Square,
which--also rebuilt--is now the warehouse of Messrs Chatto &
Windus, the publishers. [See Musical Haunts in London, by F.G.
Edwards, London, 1895] He described it in one of his letters as
"a neat, comfortable lodging," and extolled the cooking of his
Italian landlord, "who gives us four excellent dishes." But his