Tuesday, February 19, 1833

1833

February

Tuesday 19

6 3/4

Finish, tho’ dampish, morning – F 47° at 6 3/4 (fine afterwards) and 36° at 8 a.m. outside my window –

Breakfast with my father at 8 – Charles Howarth wanted me, so out in 25 minutes at 8 25/.. – with Pickels – Then in my walk –

Home at 11, just as Washington came about the names of the fields for the plan – He thought the cart road and ashes partway above John Bottomley's and along Far Bairstow would be done for a guinea a rood – i.e. Digging and forming (there would be 30 yards of stuff to shift) (per rood), 10/. Stoning 9 feet wide and 9 inches thick (would take one 2-horse cartload per square yard) 2/4. Carting 5/. Breaking stones (to be very well done equally well done at bottom as top) 3/6. footway to be left one foot high above the road and what was thus saved in digging would pay for the ashing – Altogether = 20/10 – If walled on the low side, the walling must be a yard broad and would be 12/. per rood a yard high –

Mr. Carter of Giles house sent over note to say he found his son had actually sold the yew tree, and the carpenter demanded his bargain.  ‘I should not wish, and I am sure you would not wish to do anything unhandsome to anyone’ – Said I was surprised at the note and would write an answer –

Then with Charles and James Howarth fitting book cupboard doors in the library –

Out at 2 with John getting up tangle and six good young oaks, and hyacinth roots in the way of the deep cutting in Trough of Bolland wood, and planting out the latter behind the moss house, and the tangle on the walk slope above Calf Croft pit hill, and the oaks in the hedge now at the top of Trough of Bolland wood in Park farm Wellfield till after 6 – Home at 6 1/4 – dinner at 6 1/2 –

From 7 1/4 to 8 3/4 wrote and sent off one 1/2 sheet full and nearly one page of envelope to the ‘Honorable Lady Stuart, Whitehall’ under cover to ‘Captain Stuart, M. P. Grenadier Guards, Whitehall, London.’

In Lady S-’s letter, received yesterday but which I only just now opened and read – she still coughs a good deal – her principal object for writing was to tell me her nephew, James Wortley, had just called – was going the circuit, and should be in this neighborhood before his return and would pay his respects to me – Very sensible of the services I had done him – Lady S- sure I should like him if I knew him – Oh, oh, thought I, There is no being off, so I may as well take it with the best grace I can --  

Wrote in substance as follows:

Very good of her to write to me again – Often thought of her but 1 thing or other perpetually put me off writing – Had been a great deal from home lately – Only just  returned, and only just opened her letter of Friday last –

Herself my first concern – sorry to hear she still coughs a good deal – A great disappointment not to have seen her before this ‘but my aunt’s great desire to keep me a [bit] longer, and tiresome business of 1 sort or other have hitherto detained and, I fear, will detain me some weeks longer, if not absolutely here, at least in Yorkshire –

I am glad to hear Mr. James Wortley is coming into our neighborhood – He cannot do better; as I think his chances improve of coming in for borough on the 1st vacancy – I am quite sure I should like him if I knew him; and I shall have great pleasure in making his acquaintance; but I regret exceedingly that it is at present so out of my power to shew him any useful attention – It would not be easy for him to overrate my good wishes; but he very very much overrates my services – I was annoyed and disappointed to find I could do so little for him; and our friends being so deceived surprised and disgusted me more than I like to acknowledge even to myself – Elections will become more and more mere popular squabbles – He who makes the greatest promises of innovation will be the idol of the day – one thing will be tumbled down after another; and, in short, as to politics, I am just now in despair – When, indeed, did we ever see such a house of commons? Lord Stuart may well be miserable – To say nothing of Ireland, what must he think of Portugal’ –

Letter from Vere – would not surprise me if they staid over her confinement, or if we met in London in May –

My aunt has not been at all well of late; but she is very much better now......

Is Lady Stuart de Rothesay in London?  She wrote me such a kind letter just before our election – I meant to have given her the 1st intelligence of Mr. Wortley’s success – but it was all disappointment; and now I shall not write till my plans are more fixed –

I hope the dear girls are well – I am always anxious to hear how you yourself are going on –

Adieu, dearest Lady Stuart, and believe me very truly and affectionately yours,

A Lister’ –

Then writing out journal of yesterday – Went downstairs at 9 3/4 and came up again at 10 25/.. – Then read the Courier, and wrote out last 30 lines of journal of yesterday and the notes of today till 11 20/.. – Fine day – fire in my room all the day – wild, windy, rainy night now at 11 3/4 p.m.

WYAS Finding Numbers SH:7/ML/E/16/0018 and SH:7/ML/E/16/0019