1860: England

John Bigelow arrived in London, England on Febrary 1, 1860 to travel around England and Scotland with his family. On March 10th, he and Jane dined with Charles Dickens and William Thackeray, thus beginning a long friendship with both writers. On March 24th, Jane and John attended a dinner at Buckingham Palace with Queen Victoria in her drawing-room. A few days after that on March 29th, the Bigelow family traveled to Scotland where they toured Edinburgh and Glasgow for a couple of months.  After returning to England in early May, John and Jane were invited to Buckingham Palace for a ball on May 15th. The Queen remarked that Mr. and Mrs. Bigelow were "very nice Americans." After having spent almost four months in England and Scotland, the Bigelows left via the Arago and arrived back in New York on June 11th.