Wednesday, January 22, 1840

1840

January

Wednesday 22

8 50/..

2

Fine morning; Réaumur 12 1/4° at bed head and 11 1/2° on the console at 9 a.m., snowing small –

Breakfast at 10 1/4 to 10 55/..  Making out inventory of things to be got, till 11 1/2 –

Off at 12 to Madame Ocouloff – There in 1/4 hour – Her son shewed me a pair of Circassian pistols inlaid with silver – value 300/. and a Circassian Sword, and a short ditto and a knife Persian not steel but that would cut steel –

The Sister Madame _______ agreed that we should see nothing at Astrakhan – Better go 1st to Odessa because could see Kief as well now as afterwards – And should by all means go by Tula – Semovars, all sorts of things in metal made there, as also fire arms – Nothing to see at Kabya –

It was near 1 before Madame Ocouloff and I set off – 1st to the tea shop – tea at 50/. per pound; the man had none of this at the moment – The Ocouloffs’ best is at 12/.  The more white there is in the tea, the better – The white is the flower (more like the early leaf?)  One should rub the tea fortement in the hands to sentir l’odeur, and judge by this – Should carry it about in linen – They always do so – for the least thing spoils the flavor –

Bought 1/2 pound at 12/., 1/2 ditto at 15/., 1/8 ditto at 25/.,and 1/4 pound green at 18/., the green to be kept apart from the other tea – would spoil it – Some times mix green with ordinary tea at 8/. but never with good at 12/. and upwards – They take green tea when they prennent de la médicine parceque le thé vert purge and the black tea is astringent –

Bought a little loaf of sugar 12 1/8 pounds at 1/4 said Madame Ocouloff, but only charged 12/34⸫ therefore I should suppose the sugar was at 1/2 per pound, same as the larger loaf (15 pounds) I chose first, but afterwards thought too large, and changed –

The shop is a little one near the top of our Iverskoi boulevard right going from the square down to the Salle where on tire au pistolet –

Then to the Semovar shop, a good shop for Tula things in the street left and not far down going from our boulevard to the governor general’s, then for ginger pastilles (little barley sugar square cakes) 1 pound = 2/20 chez Luquet, somewhere not far from the rue du Pont des Maréchaux – Then to the Gastinoi Dvor – Went to an excellent shop, No. 137 for mattresses tchemodans at 10/. good one, alias portmanteaus, pillows etc. – bought 2 of the latter duvet (in ticking) for 17/. (good hair pillows covered 1 side with leather the other ticking at 8/. and nice little mattresses at 10/.) –

Then at No. 77, bought 2 silver tablespoons and 2 tea ditto and 2 silver dinner forks (quite plain) = 74 1/2 Zolotniks (vide page 261) at ./90 = 67/5. –

Then to No. 27 M.K. bought good hemp sheeting 3 archines wide at 2/50 and very nice calico 1 1/2 archine wide = one yards wide in England, linen cloth for pillow cases at 1/50, and bought good common huckaback for towels at ./35.

19 archines for 3 pair sheets   }  then close near to the Gastinoi Dvor at good shop

7    “              “ 4 pillow cases }  lantern 2/50 mirror 9/. Hammer and Knife to 

9 1/4  “          “  6 towels          }  break sugar 4/.

 

4 lbs. pounds wax (seal wax) 4 to the pound at 1/80 per pound then at No. 1 close by jean shoes, 1 pair 5/., then metal pot de chambre 4/50 –

It was 5 before we got back to Madame Ocouloff’s – Dinner immediately

good white table wine (Grave) at 2/50 per bottle             }   from the Englishman’s

good muscat de Lunel (in liqueur glasses) at 5/. per bottle}  cellar – Cave Anglaise

                                                                                                near Mrs. Howard’s –

Gentlemen go to dine at Yard’s, but nobody goes there as to an hotel – We had at dinner good ‘soupe de raves’ (carrot-soup?) and curd patés to eat with it (a sort of cheese-cake), then slices of sausage (pork?) done in red cabbage cut as for pickling with us – Then a dish of rôti (hare-well flavored but hardish) – Then a Russian dish that everybody has during carnaval (from the Emperor to the lowest peasant) Flanes a smallish thickish crumpet, good, made of Sarrazin – and eaten with butter melted to oil over it and a cream like Italian cheese cream –

The Ocouloffs are very good and hospitable – He is Chambellan to the Emperor and director of all the schools here – has ten thousand roubles a year – The Emperor had known Ocouloff from his (Ocouloff’s or the Emperor’s) infancy –

We all jumped up the instant we had swallowed dinner and it seemed quite right that I came away – Only the Ocouloffs and the sister and another lady (the elderly one who talked to me much at the play party) and the oldest son, miitaire or would gladly accompany us in our travels), and myself –

Home at 6 10/.. – Found Note from princess Michel Galitzine asking us to tea tomorrow or Thursday – Sat down and wrote and sent by André note in answer – Will go tomorrow (vide page    bis à Madame La princesse A. Galitzine’

Then sat down to dinner with Ann at 7, but could not eat anything –

Afterwards looked over our emplettes – Tea at 8 1/2 – Then wrote all but the last 4 lines – Had Grotza – Reading a little of one of the St. James Chronicles – Then undressed and sat by Ann reading to her till 1 25/.. Newport chartist conspiracy, Examination of the prisoner, Frost the leader – She in the dumps on my return and crying and queer all the evening till tonight she forgot it a little as I read to her while she put cotton in my stays to lace against, the bones hurt me – Found also note from princess Olga Dolgorouky in answer to mine of yesterday

Snowy day till after one – Afterwards fair –

Have just read princess Olga Dolgorouky’s note – Very pretty paper – Very civil pretty note – Not snow enough at present – Hopes there will be by the time I mention (i.e. next Tuesday) –

Réaumur 12 1/4 on the console and 12 3/4 ° on my table now at 1 3/4 tonight –

 

WYAS Finding Number SH:7/ML/E/23/0185