Tuesday, January 14, 1840

 1840

January

Tuesday 14

9

1 55/..

Fine morning. Réaumur not quite 10° at my bed head and rather more than 9 1/2 on the console next the opening window, though the little inside window not open last night (forgot it) and my head aches for it this morning –

Breakfast over at 11 10/.. – Then wrote note to ‘Monsieur A. Marc Esquire’, compliments – Will be obliged to him to cash the enclosed circular – (No. 8590 = £24) in notes of the smallest amount he may happen to have by him –

Then wafered and directed my letter (vide Sunday, written on that day but dated yesterday, vide page 14 bis et seq.) to ‘Lady Vere Cameron, Balkaskie, Pittenween Fife, North Britain Ecosse’ and sent this and my note at 11 3/4 (Gross said it was 12) by Gross to Mr. Marc –

At 12 1/4 sent off Gross with note to ‘Madame La Contesse A. Panin” au désépoir at being always out when Count Panin calls – Can he come today or tomorrow – Should like to see the tarentass – Will she be at home tomorrow evening ? –

Vide Saint James’s Chronicle from 23 to 26 November, page 2, column 1.

Intelligence from Anapa and Tiflis viâ Odessa of the 4th instante mense, therefore letters must go from Odessa to London in 3 weeks or less – Russian cavalry along the whole line of the Sundja and on the plains of Aiazan (or Alazan?).  Lost 3600 men –

Soukom, Kale, Anapa, and other fortified places resorted to –

They say that the Circassian Chief Szambali is advised by several English and Polish officers – General Grabbe (Commander in Chief) of the army of the Caucasus had withdrawn all his Cossacks within fortresses and entrenched camps, and left the open country to the Circassians – Daghestan, except a few strong fortresses, has been evacuated – In Georgia and the 2 Kabasdahs, the autumnal fever has been so severe among the troops that General Golovine has applied for reinforcements – Cannot be spared from the army of the Crimea – Here and all along the Black Sea, military preparations are still making upon the largest scale –

Vide St. James’s Chronicle from 26 to 28 November,. page 3, column 1, Paris 26 November.

‘The Sud of Marseilles’ says that the Egyptian question once settled, the great Powers should attend to the European question and ‘prevent the renewal of the treaty of Unkiar Skelessi which would expire in June next, and to throw open the Black Sea to vessels of all nations’

Vide St. James’s Chronicle from 15 to 17 October, page 3, column 1.

‘Several other officers, implicated in the conspiracy discovered among the troops of General Geismar’s corps, had been arrested in St. Petersburg’ i.e. 3 of the Hussars of the Guard, and 12 of the division of Cuirassiers – The cabinet of St. Petersburg supposed to have some secret views with regard to Persia. A large military force had ‘been of late on the march for the Khanats of Erivan and Shirvan, and orders had been forwarded to Astracan to arm the flotilla of the Caspian Sea, which was lying in the roads of Linkoran and Bakou’ –

The question of mixed marriages likely to give trouble in Russia as well as Prussia – The Roman Catholic bishop of Augustowa in a recent pastoral letter had forbidden them –

Vide page 2 column 3 the Commerce Paris paper gives the following resumé of the objects of each of the 4 Powers

          ‘What does Russia want?         To invade the Ottoman Empire.

          What does England want?        To overthrow the Egyptian power

          What does Austria want?          To prevent the invasion of the Ottoman Empire by                                                                                                Russia and to overthrow the Viceroy §.

          What does France want?           To maintain the Egyptian power, to defend the                                                                                                    Ottoman Empire, and to prevent collision.’

§ That is, of Egypt Mehemet Ali.

Vide from 17 to 19 October, page 1, column 5. Repair of footpaths –

It is hoped the Surveyor would immediately attend to any proper application, but if not, it is provided by 5 and 6 William iv. c. 50, Section 94, that any person may lay an information before a justice if a highway (which includes a footpath) is not ‘in thorough repair.’  The information may be made before any justice, but must be upon oath, and sixpence, and no more, can be demanded for it by the clerk.  This being done, the informant has nothing  further to do. The act requires the justice to issue a summons to the Surveyor to appear at the special sessions for the highways; at which sessions the justices either appoint a person to view the highway complained of, or they view it themselves, and then at the next sessions they adjudicate and must fine the party, and compel the repair. Newcastle-on-Tyne, October 12, 1839’

Page 2. column 6.

Manchester & Leeds Railway ‘open to Rochdale and to Littleborough, at the extremity of that extensive parish, at the foot of Blackstone Edge, ten miles due east from Manchester; from this part it bears north to skirt the mountain parallel with the Rochdale Canal and the river at Todmorden the valley is so narrow as to be wholly taken up by the turnpike-road, canal, and river; consequently the railway is tunnelling under the slope of the hill for 3080 yards, in one place 380 feet below the surface From Sowerby Bridge to Grelland (Greatland?) the viaducts of the railway, the canal, and the river Calder, together with the luxuriant groves and pastures on the sides of the hills which hem in the valley, and the hundred factories interspersed, make up a picture which painting and poetry will never fully ‘portray.’ Entire length of line from Manchester to Leeds terminus is 60 miles. 50 chains while the mean distance is only 35 miles; it is, however, the Manchester and Wakefield rather than the Manchester and Leeds Railway, inasmuch as it falls into the great line from London to Leeds, diverging from the London and Birmingham at Rugby, by Derby, Chesterfield , Sheffield, etc. at Warmfield Heath, 2 miles East of Wakefield and about 10 South Southeast of Leeds.’ Chronicle takes the above from a letter published in the Times

Page 3, column 2.

Accident on the Versailles railroad likely to lead to the ruin of the undertaking.  ‘The banks and road, badly constructed of very improper materials, have given way …. This is not an ordinary accident, the result of a little oversight, but is the consequence of the railroad being badly made …. It is now discovered that the terrassing work had been very badly done throughout the whole line.” !

Had just written so far of today at 1 3/4 – having just before received kind note in answer from Countess Panin.  She will give my message to Count Panin and ‘he will do of his best to be with you at the appointed time” – and Mr. Marc not at home but his partner opened my note – and sent me back the money – 5/. postage of my letter to Lady Vere Cameron, which will go today –

Then busy about 1 thing or other till now 2 5/.. –

Out at 2 20/.. – Ann and I walked one hour (3 turns), small drizzling frozen mist all the while – Then to Sernches for little black books – Had none – Should go chez Bekker, or Junker, or Léon – Went to the 1st – Let the carriage follow and walked – Arrived on foot; therefore, the young man not very polite – Little black books worth 8 pence (dear at Whitley’s) 2 roubles here –

Home at 3 40/.. – Had Mrs. Howard with the carriage man’s bill for 3 months at 450/., I having struck out the 40/. extra charged for our 3 little goings into the country – Mr. Howard sure he knew nothing about the demand of 160/. for Troitsa on our arrival – She said all laquais de place would add a little – The man will now take us in one day for 80/. and in 2 days for 50/., deducting our 2 days or one day of town carriage pay; that is, deducting 15/. or twice that, ⸫ 2 days for 50/. – 30/. = 20/. that we ought to pay extra – This is worth thinking of.

Ann and I walked about the room a little while –

Had just written the last 13 lines now at 5 1/4 p.m. – Wrote out a little of accounts – Dressed – Dinner at 6 1/4 to near 7 – Had Matrona and George to interpret – Read Schnitzler articles Nijni-Novgorod etc. till now 7 40/.. –

Had told Matrona through George that she must help Grotza to wash the small things tomorrow – Asked if she would do all she could – Yes! if she liked the thought of leaving her country – Yes! She had nobody here – All places would be alike to her – The girl said she would do whatever we told her and behaved very well –

At 7 40/.., Wrote the last 5 lines – Then writing out accounts till had Grotza at 11 1/4.  Then till 1 at my accounts.  Finished writing all out up to tonight –

Small snow drizzling day, but yet good walking – Réaumur 10 3/4° on my table and 10 3/4 on the console now at 1 tonight. Réaumur -9° at 8 a.m. out of doors and Réaumur -9 1/2° on the boulevard in the snow while we were walking at 3 p.m.

WYAS Finding Numbers SH:7/ML/E/23/0178 and SH:7/ML/E/23/0179