Friday, October 11, 1833

1833

October

Friday 11

7 1/4

11 20/..

Very fine morning. F 46° at 7 1/4 –

Downstairs at 8 1/4 – Madame and Mademoiselle (her niece) de Rosenkrantz and the 1/2 and 1/2 Danish and Italian all assembled and had evidently been waiting some time – Breakfast immediately – tea – coffee offered – Lady Harriet did not come of some time – Notable cloth.  The things on a small table under one of the windows at which I went and sat or the tea would have been handed – To have this 2nd breakfast at 10 1/2 –

Changed my dress and out at 9 40/.., Lady Harriet and the 2 young ladies and I, to see park woods and to see the pretty points of view on the fiord -- Nice beech and oak woods thro’ which walks, the sod just taken off, the light sandy soil doing very well without gravel – Pretty views over the fiord – the fishermen’s cottages, the little knolls, and gentle undulations and little woods and village steeples, (10 or 12 taking in the utmost distance) very pretty – but the land a poor sandy soil, generally pasture –

The fermier close to Madame de R- [Rosenkrantz] (who had the stewards house, Comte Shale, Monsieur de R-’s heir, being in the Chateau) took the farm with 200 cows, so he must return it so, but he had now only 180 having more land under tillage –

The village of Ryegaard (pronounced Riggōre or Reegōr) consists of a few scattered cottages – and the chateau, tho there is the remain of a moat looking now like a nice clean little fish pond, is built en Charpente – We passed by a small brick-kiln belonging to the estate – The Compte had this estate and another good one in Jutland, but Lady Harriet thinks he had not £1500 a year –

Home at 11 – 2nd breakfast – lamb steaks, cold suckling pig, anchovies, fruit – a good dinner but all on the table, no soup, and no servants waiting – 

Madame de R- going to Petersburg in May – née princess     .    .    .

Tho Lady H  spoke of my going, Mrs. de R- never hoped to see me there.  She shook hands with difficulty last night.  Like a goose, I offered my hand this morning which she positively declined, and on my hoping to see her often this winter, she said as little as possible.  What is the matter with the woman? I fancied it might be reserve and shyness as she is so good and poor, nothing but a pension from the king, but I think now it must be pride?  

She is a stately dame and Lady H- says is cold about shaking hands; she did not try her I think, this morning.  At least I did not see it, nor did she see me refused (Miss de R did, and observed it.  I like her very well.). She had a cold enough shake herself last night.  In fact, I see she is not the person to introduce anyone here.  How is it? She took a stoutish wine glass of rum and water yesterday at Roskilde.  This morning she said she would have the tumbler glass.  I mixed it full half and I would not have taken it for a good deal.  She made little ado on my saying the spirit was half water.  I said it merely to excuse her to herself and me and Eugénie, who was by. My lady will drink by and by, if she does not already.  

I praised Madame de Rosenkrantz and all I saw, but I conclude she did not admire me much.  I did not like her, and was glad to be off tho nobody shall ever find this out. She only takes a maid to Petersburg and Lady Harriet thinks will pay her sister or friends for her board.  Then would she not like me to see her there?

Off from Ryegaard at 12 10/... Madame de Rosenkrantz (her husband then living) entertained the duke of Wellington there – He sent to ask if he might dine with him – Said the woods and walks reminded him of England –

Plain, poor land, flat relieved by several green hillocks (tumuli) but little ground under tillage, goodish crossroad because little used and the weather fine, and at the Chateau of Ledreborg (Compte Holstein’s – Unmarried – Not in good society – Rather mauvais sujet) at 1 35/.. – The regular man who shews the place not there as the summer is over – A country man shewed us to an unmeaning sort of summer house, wood built moss-house in the wood – Then to the little mound where the Holsteins bury  (nine Counts lie buried there – a single obelisk erected to the memory by the late Compte) and then, unable to find the Runic antiques I had expected, just walked thro’ the nice garden in front of the house and off at 2 37/..  –

Saw the vegetable-preserving house by accident – A long low narrow room about 3 feet sunk into the ground, with servants rooms above – A double flue or stovepipe goes thro’ the middle holes like pigeon holes in the brickwork between the top and bottom flue, the highest about as high as 1/2 the height of the room – The stove like a covered up little lime kiln or oven at one end, and the flues opening out at the other – The other end of the room full of potatoes – Corner of carrots at the side of the room and in the recesses of the windows to be blocked up in winter – cauliflowers, parsley, etc. etc. all with good roots set close packed in sand – The carrots to be covered with sand or sandy mould –

At Roykilde thro’ a long avenue of pollarded limes at 3 35/.. – Nice little clean town tho’ Madame de Rosenkrantz seemed astonished at my thinking it so – Off from Roykilde at 4 40/.. Lady Harriet cold – Had the calêche shut – Sent Eugénie inside – Went outside myself to the 1/2 way house – Stopt to bait the horses at 6 5/.. – I walked forward 20 minutes and then got inside – too dark by that time to see anything – 

Alighted at my hotel (Copenhagen) at 7 50/.. and sent Thomas with the carriage with Lady Harriet home – Found my sitting room carpeted – only just done – Moved my bed to a better place in my bedroom – Dinner at 9 – Had a little nap afterwards and went to my room at 10 1/2 –

Very fine day – F 56° at 10 50/.. p.m.

Glad enough to be back.  Lady H- very good, but too chilly and rum drinking –

 

WYAS Finding Numbers SH:7/ML/E/16/0121 and SH:7/ML/E/16/0122