Tuesday, November 30, 1830

1830 November

Tuesday 30

(Got up at) 7 / (Went to bed at) 1 1/4

Above 1/2 hour plastering up back buche of my fire – insufferably tiresome to have nobody who can do this properly.

Out at 8 25/.. Through the Gardens as before, to the rue de Chantre.  The man to send a sample of vin de Narbonne today.  Then to rue d’Anjou Dauphine No. 8, Monsieur Pinard, imprimeur.  Respectable-looking elderly man, but not the one of whom I bought Cuvier’s ossements fossiles.  Found that that was a libraire (near 12 rue de Savoye), but he had the work from Pinard, who remembered its being for a person from rue Godot qui marchandait beaucoup.  I said it was immaterial to me whether I made my arrangements with M. Pinard or the libraire, provided he would come into my terms.  Asked him at what price he could get me the Dictionnaire des Sciences Naturelles published by Levrault.  I had asked Levrault himself, but his terms not good enough.  Asked also to know for what he could get me the Biographie Universelle (published by Michaud, rue de Richelieue).  He shewed me the Histoire de Napoleon par M. de Norvins, 4 volumes quarto, large paper copy (but another copy still handsomer than this), 60 plates on paper de Chine, 2nd Edition, prix fort 100/. (i.e. published at 100/.)  Should have it for 75/. Common paper copy, 3rd edition, prix fort 50/. ; Should have it for 40/. on va faire une artes Education.  Said I did not know the work at all.  It was works of natural history I was wanting, but I would think about de Norvins. Returned by the Gardens and Place Vendôme, and en passant, called at Amyot’s.  History of Napoleon (de Norvin) lying on the comptoir.  What M. Pinard offered me at 75/., might have at 70/. Oh! oh!, thought I, my friend is not to be too much trusted. 

Home at 11 50/.. Breakfast – dressed – at my desk at 1 3/4.  Between 3 and 4, Mr. Henry Edwards, Jr., of Pyenest called and staid about an hour.  Hoped to see him some evening.  Received him very civilly, making no allusion to his having been here all last winter, and to his sister not having called when Mr. and Mrs. Walker passed through Paris to Naples, where Mr. Walker died.  Nor did I make any other comment than, ‘Oh! you are not very far from us’ on learning that Mr. Edwards was at No. 24 Place Vendôme.

He was scarcely gone when Monsieur de Quatrefages called and staid above 1/2 hour, with 2 billets for the chambre des députés, and would gladly have had me go, though then 4/.. and the sitting closes at 6, and it would have been dark, and I said I happened at the moment to be without carriage, mine being at the carrossier’s.  He was for a fiacre, which I, of course, declined, but promised to go another day when he proposed taking Mr. Opie, whose connaissance he said I ought to make.  He thought one carriage would be quite enough for us all.  At any rate, said I, ‘Moi j’aurai ma voiture.’  I begin to think I had better have declined going at all.

Came back to my room at 5.   Wash hands, etc. Had found my cousin came gently on returning from my walk this morning.

In the course of the morning, wrote out last 28 lines of the 19th, and the whole of the 20th instante mense.

Dinner at 6 1/4.  Read the paper.  Came to my room at 8 40/.. from then asleep over the fire (in my bedroom) till 9 50/.. , then coffee and came to my room at 11.  F 41° at 7 1/4 a.m. and fine frosty morning – Fahrenheit 42° at 11 10/.. p.m. and fine moonlight night.  Reading till 12 1/4 Mitford volume 1 account of the author 43 pages and first 18 pages of the history (of Greece) itself.

 

WYAS Finding Number SH:7/ML/E/13/0114