Monday, June 4, 1838 (Partial Entry)

1838

June

Monday 4

8 10/..

11 3/4

Rain in the night – Fine morning – Fahrenheit 67° at 9 1/4 and breakfast –

Read over Ann’s letter to her aunt – Sent George to Laffitte’s – No letters –

Had the man from Meurice’s and paid up his bill, I myself adding 22/. to it = 26/30 to pay in addition to the 200/. in account paid on Saturday –

Then had the girl from Madame Figarol’s and pothering over 1 thing or other till 11 1/2 – No letters at Laffitte’s –

Then added a few lines dated this morning to my note to Lady Stuart de Rothesay, 4 pages of 1/2 sheet written and dated Friday, merely to say the little entresol at Meurice’s was so terrible I had hunted about for another apartment on Saturday and come here at 10 that night, troisième looking into the gardens, and we were recovering –

Sure Lady S. de R. would send my note to Lady Stuart and should be obliged to my Lord to frank my note to Vere – Had merely written before that ‘we were only just arrived having been touring in Belgium, and lastly spending a few days at Spa . . . . . . the Hotel Voltaire rue de Lille was full, ditto a host of other hotels’ –

Had just read in Galignani ‘the whole history of the arrangements with Count Strogonoff, price, etc. etc. . . . . . I wonder whose clever idea it was , to make an opening between the 2 houses’ (i.e. Lord Stuart’s and Lord Caledon’s) –

Conclude the Stuart de Rothesays will all be with Lady Stuart at the Lodge –

Mention having just had Dr. Double, who sends us ‘off to the Pyrenees for 2 months for a necessary rétablissement; and St. Sauveur is the panacœa proposed – Perhaps its associations may do more good than its waters – We ought to be off in ten days – I shall see whether it be possible at that time, or at all, and shall write again before leaving here –

If there be anything I can do for you now or on my return, you know I shall do it with great pleasure –

There is an amusing article in Galignani (from the Spectator) on Tory influence in small towns, regretting that the Tory gentry are fasting themselves in the old fashion’ . . . . ‘and will be enabled to set the masses at defiance, through the quiet but irresistible influence of property’

‘I hope you will be quite strong and well for the coronation, and Louisa in all her bloom of beauty – You will be proud of both your daughters –

Believe me, my dear Lady Stuart, very truly yours,

‘A Lister’

My note to Lady Stuart, 4 pages of 1/2 sheet, the 1st page and 1 1/2 lines of 2nd page written and dated Friday 1 June – The rest written and dated yesterday –

‘You will have guessed, dearest Lady Stuart, from my not writing, that I was still en route somewhere, and certainly not arrived in Paris – We had a rather boisterous passage of 24 hours, 17 of which, during the ‘stiff breeze’ I was as you can imagine – I thought of you very often in retracing our old route from Brussels to Spa …..

Great improvement in the face of the country – Went to the bottom of one of the deepest coal pits at Liège – Regretted not being able to go to Aix-la-Chapelle – Returned by Nannes, Dinant, Megières, Reims, and Epernay–

‘Our troubles begin here’ – Mention our ‘little back entresol over the rez de Chausée at Meurice’s, which was so intolerable from closeness and bad air, that I could not finish my letters or do anything, and after much trouble yesterday, I took a troisième here (hotel de la Terrasse) and got in between 10 and 11 last night’ –

Paris very hot and full of English – ‘If I come again in this way, I seriously think of putting up at my little pied-à-terre near the Jardin des Plantes’ –

Mention having had Dr. Double yesterday – To be off to St. Sauveur in 10 days – ‘If we really go there, I shall think every day of the happy 3 weeks I spent there in 1830.’

Mention Galignani’s telling the whole history of Lord Stuart de Rothesay’s house letting – ‘The length of time and all things considered fairly, I really do not think the rent too great – I hope you are enjoying your pretty garden at the Lodge – If you are at home, and alone when all the bustle of the coronation is over, I shall count upon spending a little while with you –

Perhaps I shall feel differently by and by – I hardly think of or own to myself that I feel much otherwise than well – and yet there is a something – but it matters not – I know it is a trouble to you to write much – but I shall be delighted to hear of you, and shall not leave here without writing again – Perhaps you may think of something that I can do for you –

Half the most useful tradespeople that I was accustomed to here, are dead or gone, that I feel as if I was in a new place – The rich daughter of our house in the Place de la Madeleine, is just married to Monsieur de Grouchy and gone to Turin as Secretary of legation –

Ever, dearest Lady Stuart, very truly and affectionately yours,

A Lister’ –

My note to Lady Vere Cameron, 3 pages of 1/2 sheet, written and dated and all copied yesterday – Very small and close – Account of our tour etc. etc. as much as would fill 2 common sheets of letter paper written à l’ordinaire –

Had just written so far of today at 12 25/.. Then wrote as follows to Mr. Okey – ‘Mrs. Lister will be much obliged to Mr. Okey to forward her packet, by the bag, to Lord Stuart de Rothesay, and will be glad to see Mr. Okey if he can call upon her any time from eight to nine this evening Hotel de la Terrasse. Monday morning’ –

WYAS Finding Number SH:7/ML/E/21/0115