Saturday, September 26, 1835

1833

March

Saturday 2

7

11 50/..

Fine, soft morning. F 47° at 7 inside and 38° at 8 outside my window –

Had Pickels – Set him to hole the Conery wood holes, 1 1/2 to 2 feet square, for acorns – To begin this afternoon – Thinks 6 men will do it in a week –

Turning to Chapter 2 of Ure’s Geology – not much, tho’ a little clearer about it this morning than last night –

Breakfast at 9 – Came upstairs at 10 –

Letter 1 1/3 p. page from Dr. Belcombe, York, with thanks for Miss Walker’s handsome enclosure – And hopes she will benefit from the fine fresh air of the mountains and Dr. Abercrombie’s prescriptions – ‘Clever as the latter is, l’autre vaut mieux and if officially employed will tend much to restore the tone of the newer system – Will you ever take another patient in hand?’......They depend upon seeing me –

From 10 to 1, studying over Ure, On Light, not to much purpose, and read from page 54 to 113 of his work (on Geology) and made 2 or 3 little notes –

Washed etc. and Out of my room at 1 40/..

Charles and James Howarth came about 10 1/4 or soon after – With him a little while. 

Skimmed the Courier of yesterday that came this morning – the Duchesse de Berri en famille! – Says to the French government she was secretly married in Italy to an Italian prince! –

20 minutes with my aunt and Marian in the drawing room and out at 2 –

Went to Pickels in the conery wood – he and his 4 men had begun paring off the soil from the tree roots – Stopped them at this and set them at the top of the brow to get off the fern and brambles and then trench 2 foot squares for acorns –

Then with John, planting large holly (from Trough of Bolland wood new road) on the top of the slope near and just above the young lime trees – Then planted or set the 1/2 gallon chestnuts from Leamington in the top corner of the paddock and came in at 5 1/4 –

Wrote the last 7 1/2 lines and the following note to ‘Mrs. Bagnold, Post office’, for John to take tonight, he having told me that Mrs. Bagnold wished to know if I would take a number, i.e. have a separate letter box and send a bag for which I should pay, I suppose, a guinea a year –

‘Miss Lister begs to inform Mrs. Bagnold that, if she had had any idea of being at home so long, ‘she would have taken  a number on her 1st coming; but her stay is now so uncertain, she refers going ‘on as she has already done, and, on her going away, will be happy to make Mrs. Bagnold a recompense for the trouble she has given her – Shibden hall – Saturday evening 2 March 1833–

Out again at 5 3/4 till 6 25/.. – To the bottom of my walk and back –

Dinner at 6 35/.. – Afterwards planning about turning the stairs and then asleep till 9 – Then read a little from p. 112 to 124, Ure’s Geology –

Letter 1 1/2 pages dated Inverness, 27th ultimo (Wednesday) from Captain Sutherland – did not write from Edinburgh for ‘Miss Walker continued so well from the hour of our departure that I could only intimate that the anticipations I entertained were happily realized’ – 4 days in Edinburgh out of doors the whole time during daylight – Declined having medical advice and Captain S. thought it best not to urge it and more judicious to persuade her she wanted nothing but air and exercise – Traveled from Drunkeld to Inverness on the 26th and she suffered no inconvenience – So much for nervousness!

Will she continue better? Or will she tire of Scotland, and want to be back again? I shall be off, as soon as I can.   I don’t want to be in her way soon again. I have had enough of it, and ’tis likely enough she means me not to escape without her, tho who knows, an amoroso fit may come on and she may marry and very luckily think no more of me –

Went into the other room at 9 40/.. and came upstairs at 10 40/.. – 20 minutes looking about in the hall chamber etc., seeing what alterations could be made –

Fine day – F 49 1/2° now at 11 p.m.

WYAS Finding Numbers SH:7/ML/E/16/0024