Thursday, January 30, 1840

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 gentleman, who said there was now plenty of snow au midi – We should travel 400 versts on the ice of the Volga – There soon came a 2nd gentleman, then the Countess dowager herself – Very civil – We had done right to go – Asked for a letter to the Governor General No! military governor is the head of Nijeney – She will give us a letter to someone who will be useful to us, if we have need of changing equipage or etc. etc.

She sent for Countess Alexandra Panin – Tea – Gave us a square of a long loaf of gingerbread made on her Estate near Nijeney – Took our leave about 9 50/.. – Asked Countess Alexandra Panin if too late to go chez the Countess Goudovitch – No! Went – ‘Gone to bed – Left our cards – Home at 10 – Countess Panin invited us again to her Campagne on our return and begged us to write to announce our arrival – To tell Mrs. Howard to let her know – Said I would write myself –

Princess Radzivill dictated three notes for me to Princess Olga Dolgorouky and Madame Temirazoff and Madame Apraxine – Princess Tcherkasky told me to ask Countess Panin for a letter to the Governor of Nijeney and to go to her this evening – she was right –

Princess Tcherkaski regretted that I had not made the acquaintance of her aunt, the old princess Volkonsky the day we dined chez le gouverneur general – Princess Volkonsky aunt to the prince Volkonsky, so much about the Emperor – He is her heir, and will do anything for her – She would have been very useful to me at St. Petersburg, would have presented me at Court etc. etc. –

Princess Tcherkaski herself will be here (be back from Ems or from near Carlsbad) in September – Is going to St. Petersburg in a month – Will give us a letter to her father and mother at Nijeney, and ask them to send their carriage for us – When presented by Prince Galitzine, gouverneur general, the day we dined there, it was our place to call on the people we chose –

A large society in Moscow – 200 – All knew each other, but did not all visit each other because afraid of having their years too full – Nobody but ourselves dined chez Princesse Tcherkaski – Asked princess Olga for a letter to Count Woronzoff, her cousin – Yes! But she hardly knew him – therefore, could not give a letter – If I saw him, to give her complimens – Pas même des amities, because that too familiar !

Princess Radzivill having an opportunity which, however, she herself rather made then was obliged to make use, complimented me on my note to herself announcing our going to Troitza – Said I should not write to her (though asked and got her St. Petersburg address) but should write to Princess Olga, and on my return, go the first thing to see her –

George went to Jackson’s while we were at Princess Tcherkaski’s – Not at home – Determined to go myself at 7 a.m. tomorrow –

Fine day till between 2 and 3 p.m., then a little snow fall – Réaumur -5° at 8 a.m.  Réaumur 13 1/4° on my table and 12 1/2° on the console now at 11 1/4 p.m.

Princess Tcherkaski said if I gave the courier 2/. per day or 3/. per day he would be handsomely paid – Princess Radzivill said she (when she had 2 couriers given them 5/. a day between them) gave 2/50 per day for board and lodging – Or I should give him 3/. (a day) and say he should have a present at the end if he had satisfied me, if I had him for so long a journey as Tiflis, give him 100/. or 200/. –

Princess Tcherkaski said old Countess Panin was une grande dame, did not go to court because would not be well received because her husband was one of the seven or eight who murdered Paul –

Mr. Fischer called this morning while we were out – Left his cards, and 2 letters, one for Monsieur le professeur d’Eversmann à Casan, and one for Monsieur le conseiller d’Etat et Chevalier de Steven à Sympherapol –

WYAS Finding Numbers SH:7/ML/E/23/0191 and SH:7/ML/E/23/0192