Wednesday, January 15, 1840
1840
January
Wednesday 15
9 25/..
12 25/..
Fine morning. 5 minutes with Ann. Réaumur 9 3/4° at my bedhead and 9 1/2° on the console – Réaumur -3° at 8 a.m. Breakfast at 10 55/..
Had Mr. Alexandre Richter
and before he went away le Comte Panin till 2 20/.., both of them
all the while in the salle à manger at the breakfast table – I had rather more
than 1/2 done when Mr. Richter arrived and finished in 2 or 3 minutes after Count
Panin went –
Out at 3 20/.. To the boulevard – Walked about 1 20/.. hour (4 turns) and home at 4 50/.. – So fine and mild out of doors even with wind (Réaumur 3 3/4 or near 4° in the snow and Réaumur -1° out of doors here, said Mrs. Howard) that we fixed to go to Troitza tomorrow – Horses ordered at 10 – To go in our covered kibitka –
Partly dressed – Then wrote
the last 4 lines – Dinner now at 6 5/.. Finished dressing after having looked,
skimmed over, one of the 4 papers sent us today by Mr. Camidge –
Off to the Panins at 7 40/.. – La jeune countess – La vielle malade – Tea
– Talked of our journey – Going to Troitza tomorrow – To send for the
archimandrite on our arrival – Said I had a headache from sitting so long at
the breakfast table this morning near the stove, and there this afternoon, had
determined to go tomorrow – For the benediction of the waters of the Moskwa (on
Saturday morning). Countess Panin will
come en traineau for me, and Ann to go in the carriage – Mentioned the
Russian girl from the Enfans Trouvés – Should have a man of business to draw up
a contract – But General Strik, the Chef, and the German lady, Inpérieure,
are not, it seems, on good terms ! In fact, I inferred some
difficulties might arise ? And on my mentioning the girl’s going to the our
protestant church and probably becoming eventually an English subject, the surprised
manner of the countess struck me –
At 1st on our talking of their
journey to England, I had advised their not travelling per diligence, but hiring
a carriage – and had observed upon their making 2 journies, one to see the country
and one for Society – Difficult to take a great toilette about – I had learnt how one ought to come here for Society – Not tomber des
nues, but send heavy baggage beforehand – A jolie toilette de Paris just made
in the very last fashion, and bring a bale of letters and give nice little
soirées chez soi – Yes! it seemed that was what one should do preparatory to
spending a winter in society in Russia –
A gentleman then a lady came
just before we came away at 9 20/.. – Home at 9 1/2 –
The old lady is well enough to receive every night. The Russian dinner is still talked of. I have no wish for an opportunity to eat it
somehow. Spite of all their civility,
there is an indignity about it. I like
it not. If we had been bedecked with
titles, it would have been different –
Had Grotza and sat reading
till 11 1/2 Kupffer’s Voyage dans l’Oural –
Réaumur 11 1/4 ° on my table
and Réaumur 10 1/4° on the console now at 11 35/.. p.m. Fine, mild day – A cold of Réaumur 4° seems
like nothing – I was quite hot (in a perspiration) in walking this afternoon.
WYAS Finding Numbers
SH:7/ML/E/23/0179 and SH:7/ML/E/23/0180
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