Agreeableizing

1840 February Tuesday 4 8 40/.. Ann came for 1/4 hour – Fine morning; Réaumur 12 3/4° on my table and 12 1/2° on the console now at 9 25/.. Sent off my packet to Princess Radzivill on getting out of bed at 8 40/.. by George, who brought back note note while we were at breakfast at 10 10/.. to 10 40/.. – Sat down to my writing – At 11 55/.. Mr. Camidge called.   Had sent back 2 newspapers this morning before breakfast with compliments and should be glad to see him for 5 minutes to take leave – Staid 35 minutes till 12 1/2 – Lord Londonderry’s book défendre – very favorable to Russia, till, just at the last, he seems to contradict himself and gives his own opinions of such sort as to condemn his book – Had George or Gross – Went down about the Kibitka – It was 5 1/2 before I had done all my 8 letters – Dinner over at 6 55/.. – I had apologized to the Ladies Stuart for not writing from St. Petersburg – and had made several lines mention of Sweden and Finland – on Ann...

1840 February Monday 3 8 20/.. 2 35/.. Fine morning; Réaumur 12 1/2° at my bedhead and the same on the Console now at 8 1/2 a.m. Mr. Alexander Richter here before I was quite ready, and sat with us during breakfast till after 11 – Then had Mrs. Howard and George and gave the Courier 400/. Roubles more in account to get small money – and wrote my note to the Superieure of the Enfans Trouvés for Matriona to take and had just done it now at 12 20/.. –  Had Matriona Ivanovna to take her melancholy leave at one –and at 1 1/4 began my letter to Marian –    Then 3 pages and ends to Marian and rough draft of letter to Messers Hammersley etc. Princess Sherbatoff called to ask us to tea – Very civil – Sat, I should think, 1/2 hour or more – very civil and aimable – Before she went away, Mr. Bachmetieff came   with compliments from his wife – Sorry she was not at home etc. etc.   All very civil – Hoped that on our return we should go and  see them a...

1840 February Sunday 2 8 1/4 2 1/2 : Her cousin came this morning – Ann came to me and lay on my bed twenty-five minutes. Breakfast about 9 3/4 – At church a minute or 2 after 11 just [as the] service had begun (reading the Lord’s prayer).   Mr. Camidge preached, I suppose, 1/2 hour + (but as last Sunday forgot to look at my watch) from Micah VII 18, 19, 20. Home for 1/4 hour.   Had Mrs. Howard – The Russian girl wishing her to ask if we intended to take her afterwards or not – Said we should give the answer to the dame supérieure, – Mrs. Howard to sic try to find out the girl’s feeling on the subject – She had been crying terribly – whether this was from sorrow, mortification, or what sort of feeling – Ann and I out at 1 20/.. – to Princess Tcherkaski – She was dressing, but would   receive us – We waited 5 or 6 minutes and staid about 20 – She very civil – Hoped we should meet again at St. Petersburg or somewhere, repeating her former phrase ‘Comme des b...

1840 February Saturday 1 7 1/2 1 10/.. Breakfast over at 9 – George not come nor Larue either – Partially packed portmanteau, the courier here at (before) 9 – George at 9 3/4 and also Larue – Had had Mrs. Howard to know what to do for someone to go out – Might have her German speaking servant – Then civil note from Madame Apraxin – Had Larue till 11 25/.. In the meantime, had had very civil note from old Countess Panin with 2 letters for Nijeney and short note from Princess Tcherkaski, with her letters for her mother at Nijeney – Had just locked all up at 11 40/.. Then had George – From 1 to 2 with Princess Radzivill – Then had Princess Barbe Orousoff – Wrote notes till J? Apraxin came to apologize for his mother after 4 – Note and packet of letters from Madame Ocouloff before Mr. Apraxin came – Had put word to her as to Countess Panin and Princess Tcherkaski that I would send an answer by and by – with letters from Madame Timiriazeff for Astrakhan – Letter from...

1840 January Friday 31 6 3/4 1 Got up by candlelight to go to Jackson at 7 and ready then, but the carriage not come nor George – Réaumur 12 1/2° at my bedhead and 12 1/3° on the console at 7 a.m., and then beginning to be light and fine morning – Waited for George till 7 1/2 in vain, and off at 7 1/2, taking Gross – Returned to desire George to go and wait for me at the Spaskoi Gate, which delayed me 5 minutes – Chez Jackson at 7 55/.. – Not up – Waited perhaps 10 minutes – then explained what I wanted – all to be done by noon tomorrow – Jackson very civil – Drove to the Spaskoi Gate – No George – Home at 8 3/4 – George had not been here ! – Breakfast (having written the above of today) at 9 – Had the courier at 10 – Russian speaking, nothing but Russian ! Had Mrs. Howard up – The man had a very good countenance.   Said he had travelled for 20 years – Had travelled with George – Said he knew him – He was a man who drank, and was idle, and would take great adv...

1840 January Thursday 30 9 25/.. 12 1/2 Fine morning; Réaumur 11/2° on the Console and 1 3/4° on my table at 9 35/.. a.m.   Breakfast at 9 55/.. to 10 3/4 – Had Mr. Camidge – Hurried him off –  Out at 11 1/2 to 2 40/.. to Jackson’s – Not at home – Walked an hour.   Still not returned to dinner at 2 1/4 – Courier arrived at 2 – Dressed – At Princess Tcherkaski’s at 4 precisely – Dinner – Home at 6 10/.. for 1/4 hour – Then drove off to Madame Temirazoff – Dressing and just going out – Mille excuses – Left our cards – Then to the Ocouloffs’ and (they too dressed and going out) sat 10 minutes or 1/4 hour – Then to the Oroussoffs about 8 or before (i.e. about 7 50/..) and tea, and sat there very comfortably (found the little M.D. there, but Ann did not consult him) till very near 9 – Then to the Princess Olga Dolgorouky – Not at home – Left cards – Then chez la vièlle countess Panin about 9 20/.. or 9 1/4 – Her dame de compagnie there and one ...

1840 January Wednesday 29 9 5/.. 2 Ready in an hour – Very fine, sunny morning; Réaumur 12 1/4° at my bedhead and not quite 12° on the console and Réaumur -2° dehors now at 9 10/.. a.m. Then wrote note to ‘A Marc Esquire ’ to ask him to cash circular £25, No. 8591, and to let me know the exchange of Moscow upon Paris.   Willing to pay 76 francs in Russian money = 38 francs, Grotza’s washing at 2 francs per week since 10 May last – Asked her this morning if she had got a place, No! but Mrs. Kay and Mrs. Howard were inquiring for one for her – I asked how she went on with Gross – Answer “as usual” – I said ‘Well! it is very melancholy – Sometimes things end better than they appear to promise – It is all that can be hoped’ – and I said not one syllable more on the subject – but by and by asked the name of her sister’s husband, Mr. Manning, working jeweller near Oxford Street London – Breakfast at 9 40/.. – And had Mrs. Howard and pothering and waiting – Out at 11 1...

1840 January Tuesday 28 8 50/.. 12 40/.. Réaumur -1° at 8 a.m. out of doors and Réaumur 11 1/2° at 8 50/.. at my bedhead, and 11 1/4° on the Console – Breakfast at 10 1/2 – Had Mrs. Howard till 12 40/.. – In 1812 they (her then husband, Mr. Davis, and herself) had an estate (not far from Arkangelsky? or somewhere at about some such distance from Moscow) of 1000 acres – About 200 acres of wood – 35 peasants who tilled the ground for them and brought the hay here and everything so that their estate which cost 13,000/. paid 10 per cent.   The peasants did all this for the land they had for themselves, which might be perhaps 300 to 400 acres – Mr. Davis had certainly 400 acres in his own hand i.e. farmed on his own account, and he had all the wood (about 200 acres), for the peasants had broussailles brushwood – But Mr. Davis out 17,000/. in building a large good house, one of the best built in the neighbourhood of Moscow, and now inhabited by General –– Yermaloff, who bo...

1840 January Monday 27 9 20/.. 11 55/.. Fine morning; Réaumur 11 2/3° at my bedhead and 11 1/2° on the Console now at 10 1/2  and breakfast and reading the St. James’s Chronicle of from 7 to 10 December till went out at 1 and walked an hour (3 turns) –  Then to the Gastinoi Dvor to buy black book for Ann – and writing paper and home at 2 50/.. – Had seen Countess Alexandra Panin drive past the boulevard – She spoke and said she had been to us to say she would go with me tonight to take a Russian bath at 8 – Then had Mrs. Howard – Gave her our passports to be made out for Tiflis – Had before sent George to buy a kibitka for himself and his wife to go in – Then wrote the last 6 lines till now 3 50/.. – Then sat down to taste (very good) the plat of gelinottes that Countess Alexandra Panin had had prepared for us, and ate more than I intended – More than enough – Still talking over it when notes came from Madame Apraxine to Ann and to myself asking us to her bal...

1840 January Sunday 26 8 40/.. 2 10/.. Fine morning; Réaumur -8° out of doors and Réaumur 11 3/4° at my bedhead and on the console now at 9 55/.. and breakfast – At church at 10 55/.. and waited 1/4 hour Mr. Camidge preached, I suppose, about 1/2 hour from Acts XIII 38 to 41. – From church, drove to Mrs. Fischer’s – Found Mr. Fischer and 2 daughters at luncheon, Madame se faisait la toilette – There at 1 5/.. and sat about 1/2 hour – Mentioned having changed my line of route, and now meaning to go direct to Odessa – Home at 1 20/.. – Had Mrs. Howard and then Ann dressed and I had just changed my stockings when princess Tcherkaski called – Très aimable personne – Delicate health, and having suffered much affliction.   Her daughter (ætatis 19) died of fièvre chaude – Returned here for the winter instead of in summer after having been acclimatée in Germany or France, Suisse, etc. and probably the severity of the Russian Climate was too much for the poor girl – Belle a...

1840 January Saturday 25  9 1 10/.. Fine morning; Réaumur 115/8 at my bedhead and Réaumur 11 3/4 on the writing table at 9 a.m. breakfast at 10 3/4 – Réaumur -14° at 8 a.m. and Réaumur -12° at 10 3/4 a.m. out of doors – Breakfast till 11 1/2 Vide St. James Chronicle from 3 to 5 December, last page 3, column 5 .   ‘The Princess Sophia is said to possess the most splendid and valuable casket of brilliants in England ….valued at £140,000’ Vide page 4, column 6.   See ‘Practical Chemist’s Guide ’ – For safety in a thunderstorm, ‘avoid trees and elevated objects of every kind; and if the flash is instantly followed by the report – which indicates that the cloud is very near – a recumbent posture is considered the safest – Avoid rivers, ponds, and all streams of water ’ . . . . Within doors, the middle of a large carpeted floor will be tolerably safe – Avoid the Chimney (on account of the iron about it, and soot and heated air) – Never sit near an open window ...

1840 January Friday 24 9 3 3/4 Very fine morning; Réaumur 10 3/4° on the console and 11 1/2 ° at my bed head now at 9 55/.. – Breakfast at 10 3/4 in 40 minutes then talking to Ann.   Ann crying and make up after having had had George – his wife will be glad to go with us – My terms 35/. per month wages and 30/. per month board = 65/. per month – Though he observed it was little – Out at 1 20/.. En passant (near here below – had to turn back) :eft cards for Ann and myself chez la princesse Tcherkaski – and at the Orousoffs’ at 1 35/.. – Princess Radzivill waiting for me – Shewed the Casserole, and out before 2 – Went to Sichler’s – Princess Radzivill chose a cap for me – Paid 30/. – and bought black velvet shawl lined with Crimson 180/. but to have it at 170/. – Then to Lebourg’s – Nothing pretty in the cap-way – then to ….. the man who made the Casserole on princess Radzivill’s account as also to Mrs. Kay’s, the staymaker – a Scotch-woman – Princess Radzivill g...

1840 January Thursday 23 8 3/4 1 1/4 Fine morning; Réaumur 11 3/4 on the console and Réaumur 12 1/4° at my bedhead at 9 a.m.   Breakfast at 10 10/.. to 11 – Just sitting down to accounts of yesterday when Countess Alexandra Panin called and brought the Casserole.   Very nice – Talked of their own family affairs and Sophie etc. and never thought of paying her for the Casserole – Very nice – She staid till 12 – To meet us tonight at princess Annette Galitzine’s – Ann still in the tearful way, I suppose at my being so long away yesterday and going to Princess Radzivill today – Countess Alexandra Panin would have helped me to buy tea etc. etc. but understood my having supposed trop grande dame – Her brother ætatis 34 and she years older – Out at 12 40/..George not come – Took Gross – En passant, he told Larue to come at 7 this evening – Ill in bed – To send his man – Then to Princess Radzivill – Not up; had had the rubbing woman so late – sat talking to old Pr...