Thursday, May 7, 1840

1840

May

Thursday 7

8 20/..

2 35/..

Fine morning Réaumur 12° at 9 a.m. breakfast over at 9 55/.. Ann had a little bowel complaint last night and has it this morning –Ann writing to her sister in the other  room, occupied by the servants while Nikolai was here –

I sat down to write to Princess Radzivill.  Dissatisfied with what I had written in English, began another letter in French – Interrupted perpetually –

Mr. Chevostoff called about 11 1/2 or after and staid till 12 – Very civilly came about the carriage – Done – Had not heard of any bad news from Vladicavkas – The Russian consul in London or the Secretary of Embassador can put the Seals on baggage for Russia – did not seem to think so highly of Murray’s Geography or to be so anxious to have the work as his wife seemed to insinuate – Could get whatever books he wanted – would not have us bring the work for him – Knows Bremner – a bachelor gentleman living near New York – never thought of his giving himself the trouble to write –

Then came Messers Spaski and another to interpret for him –

He is an employé au service du gouvernement – has a good ___ – me fait cadeau de son petit livre sur son ascension du Mont Ararat – I had offered him 4/. en argent – Would not on any account take anything – Could not leave his employ – therefore could not, even if he wished it, be of our party to Ararat –

Might sleep very well at the monastery –

He wrote his name as above 1st line in Dative case, 2nd line Козьма Спасский-Автономов.  He is, I see, the Autonomoff mentioned by Dubois – He wrote, at my request, my name in his book and that it was given by the author –

He had asked if I understood Latin – If I could speak Latin – No! I feared not – but could understand his Latin if he spoke slowly, on account of the difference of pronunciation, and took up my little Horace – That I could understand tolerably, but when he began at my request to translate a little of his book into Latin, though I began to write after him I soon found that he could not get on well enough – Vide page 45, line 4. "Adhuc nihil aliud me distraheret – Ararat atque” … It would not do – His friend could not translate the sense into French – The French so poor, the Russian so rich, impossible to express the ideas – I said the English was rich enough – Copious enough to every known idea and sentiment – Mentioned the anecdote of Coleman’s clever translation (Terence) of statur à me – (I am on my legs) – What in Russian? Spaski gave it Яacmas (I stand) and could get no farther – I asked his employ and address – Could learn nothing of the former – Nothing of the latter but name and Tiflis – But he is an intelligent sort of man – Inquire at the Orloffs’ tonight –

Then had Hein – The carriage come – Examined it – Mr. Stadler came to us, and helped to interpret – Ordered a leather contrivance for supporting the doors to be 4/1 Silver – Hein examined the servants’ kibitka – Will thoroughly repair and make it fit for travelling to St. Petersburg or farther – New axle tree, wheels repaired and well tired, and all little necessary jobs, and carriage taken care of till our return for 36/. Silver.  Then came up to be paid – Offered the sum in Assignats – No! Would wait to be paid in Silver – Declined writing on his new estimate of servants’ kibitka his price en assignats.  Aware that he made the paper too cheap – Would have taken a new bill made payable in Silver but declined the bills Mr. Marc gave me – 

Then some time afterwards had Madame Scallon – In high spirits – Her husband the General arrived – Would have called this morning, but would not come till he had been presented, and would be so chez les Orloffs tonight – 

Then once more at my letter to Princess Radzivill and finished it as Ann came at 4 and read it to her – To read me her long, crossed, 55 minutes long letter to her sister which she re–read aloud just after dinner, after hers, before I had finished mine – Dinner at 5 – Then till now 7 5/.., wrote all but the 2 first lines of today – Dressed –

The Orloffs’ carriage came about 8 50/.. – Off immediately to their ball – Ann did not go –  a little bowel complaint, but might have gone if she had much wished it.  Madame and Mademoiselle Golovin, Princess Dadian and her sister Madame Griboiedoff, near whom I sat almost all the evening, at least the most agreeable part of it, – Princess Orbelianoff and one dame in Georgian costumer née Orbelianoff (Princess Dadian’s mother was an Orbelianoff) and several other Georgian ladies in European costume, and nearly all ? la société except the Chevastoffs – I came away before supper and home at 12 25/..

Madame Golovin to let us have her carriage at 12 tomorrow to make our take leave calls, and

we are afterwards to dine with her at 3 – Very nice ball – Madame Orloff very pretty and seems great favourite with them all – Well she may be liked, for her house appears to be second only to Madame Golovin’s in point of agréemens – Réaumur 12 1/2 ° at 2 tonight.

WYAS Finding Numbers SH:7/ML/E/24/0098 and SH:7/ML/E/24/0099