Saturday, January 25, 1840
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 because a draught of moist air is a good conductor; therefore
close the windows – In bed we are comparatively safe, feathers and blankets
being bad conductors –
Had just written so far now
at 1 p.m. – Then reading another St. James’s Chronicle from – to 7 December
till now 1 40/.. –
Out at 2 25/.. Called and sat
20 minutes with Princess A. (Annette) Galitzine and paid her my card-debt of
last night – A fat, oldish Count there just arrived from not far from
Kief – So much snow there , travelling difficult – The snow in mountains – up
and downs – like a stormy snow-sea –
Princess Annette Galatzine
très aimable – Hoped to see me again etc. etc. Will give us a letter, her aunt at Kief, who would
be very kind to us and shew us everything –
Then to our boulevard – walked
an hour, 3 turns (the people here call it a verst from 1 end to the other
and back) –
Home at 3 50/..Looked over
another St. James’s Chronicle and then another, both for November last, and then
sent back 5 to Mr. Camidge with compliments and thanks by Gross, and Mr. Camidge
sent us back 2 more papers for last month –
Dressed – Dinner at 6 10/..
in 40 minutes –
At the Panins’ at 7 1/2 – soon
enough – La jeune Countess – Nobody there but ourselves and a physician’s wife
– Tea – Sat laughing and talking till 9 1/2, when it was time for the Countess Alexandra Panin to go to her belle mère – The
former will demander des renseignements de la femme de notre courier, George
Tchaikin, and fixed to go with us to Vosskrecensk (nouveau Jérusalem) on Monday at 7 a.m. and provide provisions for
the journey and return at 6 p.m. same day and to go with me to take a Russian
bath on Tuesday evening –
Home at 9 3/4 – Tea – Had Mrs.
Howard (a long while) about horses for Monday – and she is to inquire of her landlord’s
wife (a native Greek, rich) of Odessa, when the debâcle of the rivers commences
–
Had just written the last 20
lines now at 11 p.m. and Réaumur 13 1/3° (little London thermometer) and St. Petersburg
thermometer something less, both lying on the console – Very fine day
Had Grotza and sat reading
Schnitzler till 12 10/.. Vosskrecensk 46 versts from Moscow, etc. etc. Stood talking to Ann
WYAS Finding Number SH:7/ML/E/23/0188
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