Thursday, July 21, 1831

 1831 July

Thursday 21

(Got up at)  8 50/..  /  (Went to bed at) 12 10/..

Near half hour trying in vain to get the cotton wool out of my tooth then quarter hour cutting great toenail.

Down at breakfast at 10 20/..

From 10 55/.. to 11 50/.. with Charles Dalton, seeing him skin and prepare for stuffing a grebe (diver).  Then upstairs in Tib’s with her and Charlotte, and then tête-à-tête with the latter till 1 40/.. talking over our mutually disconcerted plans.

Letter this morning from Mariana, Leamington.  Bad account of Mrs. Milne, so that Charlotte  can have no hope of taking Mrs. Milne anywhere.  The house at Leamington to be given up the 1st of next month, but the John Crewes staying with them till the 26th instante mense, and Mariana must stay till the 29th, then her rate of traveling with Mrs. Milne and William must be uncertain that she cannot possibly fix day or hour for meeting me at Leeds.  Had not got my last letter, so no answer about coming here.  Had been very bilious.  If William travels pretty well, they may be in York on Monday week (the 1st August) ‘if this should be beyond your convenience to stay, should best join you afterwards at Leeds as I am all for the economical mode of traveling.’ 

I shall stop the landaulet business and go home, as I can.  Would have been off next Monday or Tuesday, but the Marshes are expected here on Monday to stay till Wednesday.  I must think about this.

Letter from ‘James and George Burns per David Hutcheson, 9 Buchanan Street, Glasgow’ in answer to my letter of the 15th instante mense of inquiries about steam vessels to Inland to the Giant’s Causeway.  ‘Port Rush at which the Londonderry steam packets call on your way from Glasgow to Derry is the nearest port to the Causeway.  For these vessels, however, we are not the agents but we have sent to Cameron and Company who are, and they inform us that they sail every Tuesday and Friday and will continue to do so throughout the whole of the succeeding month . . . . . . By going by the Derry vessels, you will have a longer sea voyage than by the Belfast packets.  For these we act and have them sailing from Glasgow for Belfast every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday . . . . . 2 fine steamers on the Glasgow and Dublin Station, for which Mr. John Semmel is agent.  These sail every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday . . . . Next to Londonderry or Port Rush, Belfast is the nearest point to the Causeway to which there is a regular conveyance by steam.  We have, moreover, 3 large vessels regularly plying between this and Liverpool’... Very civil letter.

Wrote the above of today till 2 20/.. , having had Charlotte for a few minutes.  Then wrote the following to Myers: ‘Langton Hall, Thursday, 21 July, 1831. Sir, I have this month received unexpected intelligence which must necessarily put an end to my intended excursion, and I am therefore sorry to say, I shall have no need of the landaulet.  The carriage I now have will be good enough for all I shall want till my own is done, which I hope it will be by the day agreed upon, the 2nd of next month.  I am, sir, etc. etc. etc., A Lister.’

Then wrote 3 pages and one end (kind letter – chitchat) to Mrs. James Dalton saying, with thanks for her letter received in York, I had hoped and intended when I wrote again to fix the day and hour for being at the dear old Rectory, but that this morning’s post had obliged me to change all my old plans and I had no heart to make new ones just now.  I had some tiresome concerns which would send me home for a little while and beyond that, I depended upon some rather uncertain people and was just now grumbling about it exceedingly.  But if I could not manage seeing her this time, I should always count upon her remembrance and regard and should remind her every now and then that nothing could satisfy me for the loss of either.  Then said that Charles would have been quite grown out of my knowledge but for his striking likeness to whom she (Mrs. James Dalton) was pleased to call the old gentleman, that he was a very fine young man of whom she might well be proud, that Esther on the piano and Elizabeth on the harp had attained a degree of proficiency I had hardly seen equaled, and were charming girls.  Bell seemed much the same she used to be.

Had just sealed and sent down my 2 letters at 4, when Mrs. Norcliffe came up and said she was sending a parcel to Croft.  Gave her the 2 1/4 lb. pâte de jujubes to enclose for ‘The Reverend James Dalton with Miss Lister’s best regards,’ and, in a hurry, just wrote on the back of my letter, ‘I find there is a parcel going. I have so little hope of getting to the Rectory that I send the jujubes,’ and all went off about 4 1/4, my letter to Mrs. James Dalton, Croft Rectory, Darlington, Durham’ and my letter to Mr. Myers, Coachmaker, Little Stonegate, York.’

Dressed.  Dinner at 5. Charlotte and Charles Dalton not come in from fishing.  Sat down at a little side table about 1/2 hour after.  Coffee.

Instructions for my will from Mr. Lawton (York) came after being 3 days on the road with fish from York, which had become so odoriferous that even after burning the envelope, the instructions are scarcely bearable.  Read them over.  Some alterations and filling up required.

Then came to my room at 7 1/2 and wrote the last 11 1/2 lines.  Till 8 20/.. , making the required alterations and interlineations in the instructions for my will.

Staid downstairs till 10 1/2.  From then to 11 3/4, Charlotte with me in my room.

Finish day till after 2.  From then, a couple of hours a little rain at intervals.  Fine evening – F 65° now at 11 50/.. tonight.

 

WYAS Finding Number SH:7/ML/E/14/0090