Monday, January 27, 1840

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 ball this evening, and wrote a letter to ‘a son excellence Monsieur de Braikef gouverneur militaire à Tiflis’ – Wrote back thanks and sorry we were engaged this evening and could se faire l’honneur etc. etc.

The note came soon after 4 – Till now 4 3/4 – pothered at my stupidity in refusing the ball instead of the bath and feeling that I should have been better without the Casserole plat.  Lay down to digest it before my bath –

Then while Ann dined at 6, got up, and looking over the map of Russia till now 7 1/2 – We shall be too soon, too early, in the Caucasus – I wish we could spend March in the Crimea, and arrive at Tiflis in April –

Off to the bath at 8 – Countess Alexandra Panin gone – Found her in the bath-room under the hands of her maid – My turn from 8 3/4 to 9 20/.. – Dressed as I could, and home before 10 – Tea – and had Grotza drying my hair and curling above 1/2 hour till 11 20/60 – What a scrubbing I did get!

Fine day;  Réaumur - 1° on the boulevard while we walked and at the freezing point at 8 a.m. out of doors and + 12 1/2° on my table and 12 1/4° on the console now at 11 1/2 p.m.

On arriving at the baths, passed through little anteroom into dressing then divanned round – then through another room with an ordinary metal (copper?) warm bath tub, then into the vapour room, long in proportion to the width – A divan along the side opposite the door – left (on entering) is the higher or raised part (tribune one may call it), raised to about 1/2 the height of the not high room, so that one could just stand upright amid the twice greater heat than below. 

In the right corner of the other end the room a stove (white tiles) looking like a large ordinary stove, but with a sort of oven door opening into the room, and in at this door the jentzina (woman) throws a pail full of water (cold?) when the room wants more heat – for this stove is fitted up inside with stones (as in Finland) heated from below and the moment the water is thrown on, it flies off in hot vapour – On the right on entering are 2 taps hot and cold water in abundance

WYAS Finding Number SH:7/ML/E/23/0189