Friday, January 31, 1840

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 advantages – This added to my disappointment at his not arriving at the hour this morning and his inexactness yesterday in not being ready to go to Princess Tcherkaski’s yesterday and not calling us in the morning at Troitsa.  Made me instantly resolve not to take him or his wife, but to trust the courier, to trust him entirely, and to take Gross – What a bouleversement of plans!

At 1st meant the courier to provide for Ann and me and himself, and I would make him a present at the end – Then on this upset of plans, said I would give him 2/. a day for nouriture, and a present at the end, and he must do the best he could for Ann and me and the Russian girl – What a pother !

Then to go for the podarojna – but 350/. wanted and said I must go to the bank –

Had had Gross in, before Mrs. Howard, and after a short explanation of my displeasure and that it was from the necessity of the case that I took him, it was settled that he should go with us – To let him have what money he wanted in account, and then settle on my return here – Valuing the roubles, and making up the equivalent of 4 francs a day –

Then came George.  Had him in before Mrs. Howard – Said his inexactitude so frightened me, that I did not dare take him – Nothing else – All at an end for himself and his wife – The man astonished – Apparently almost in tears – But said it was all right – He thought he could do better – I said Count Panin had made the arrangement but I was quite satisfied – All I wished was for him to do better – Would he stay with us today and tomorrow or the 2 or 3 days we were here – No objection made – So went out with us –

Out at11 1/2 to Larue’s – Out –

Then to Mr. Marc’s – The head clerk speaking English very well, but long and tiresome enough as to his explanations de trop – However, if I draw upon them, they will pay the draft, and will take care of, and forward letters according to my directions – Had best be sent from Hamburg to Odessa or from Hamburg to here and thence to Tiflis – 12 days from here to Hamburg – From Hamburg by here to Tiflis a month – But the post (extra post-quick post) only goes once a week from here to Tiflis (Friday or Saturday), therefore if the letter arrived the day after the departure, would be detained here – But a month would be enough dans tous les cas –

I observed it would be better to draw upon Laffitte than Hammersleys – No! If I drew upon Paris, I should have to pay now 117 francs per 100 Rubles, though he had calculated that in paying a small sum in Paris from here I ought to calculate 113 francs per 100 Rubles on account of postages etc. – The exchange worse against England last year – Was 20/35 and 20/30 per £1 last September –

It was one before I had received my 5th draw on letter of Credit = £350 at 21/. = 7350/. – 80/. Expense = 7270 net.

Had left him once and gone to Ann in the carriage for 10 minutes – She was reading in the St. James’s Chronicle from 10 to 12 December the death of the King of Denmark on the 3rd December –

On leaving Mr. Marc’s, drove up to the house and left cards for Mrs. Thal.

Then returned chez Larue – Mr. Frederic speaks not much Russian except for common things – I hardly think he will be of much use to us – Larue to come at 9 a.m. tomorrow to give the Russian girl a lesson –

Then home – Changed my dress (from my merinos to my black silk that I have lately worn) for making calls – Nobody at home – Left cards for Baroness Rosen, Princesses Sherbatoff, Arbalinksky, and Annette Galitzin – Madames Apraxin, Bachmetieff, her sister, and before these Madame Perfilieff –

Then to the Gastinoi Dvor for 1/2 archine more cloth – Then aux Enfans Trouvés about an hour.  The Superieure would offer no opinion or advice – Quite free to do as I liked –to take the girl or not – If I took her, and she did not suit us, to leave her on our return.  To give her while in Russia 10/. per month – She is of age, quite free now and always to do as she likes – and go where she likes – and settle where she likes – Her papers all in en règle – Ready to be off any time –

Home at 5 1/4 – Had the girl to do my hair – and Ann had Gross to do hers – Sorry work –

Just before dressed, Countess Alexandra Panin came – Had her in my room – Told her what had passed respecting George and his wife, and paid her 85/. for the Casserole (pan) bronze, silver plated inside – Had told Larue about George’s inexactitude, but did not hint at anything else – Led Countess Alexandra Panin to say that she was told he drank, but not so as to get intoxicated  She evidently and expressly wondered how we should get on – Thinks the girl will be of no use, Then ended with la bonne volonté valait beaucoup – Sat with us a while at dinner – (perhaps near 1/2 hour here) and left us at 7 –

Then talking a while – Ann really takes it all better than I expected – She says she always had fears of George –

Had Mrs. Howard about provisions – Ordered 6 gelinottes – ditto rolls, and 2 pounds best portable soup at 4/1 –

Tea at about near 9 – Then wrote all but the first 8 lines of today – Then putting away (and taking inventory of) books in boot imperial and looking over linen and turning out bag till now 12 20/.., at which hour, Réaumur 13 1/2° on console and 14 1/3° on my table – Fine day – and Réaumur -4° outside on dining room window –

  

WYAS Finding Numbers SH:7/ML/E/23/0192 and SH:7/ML/E/23/0193