Tuesday, May 5, 1840

1840

May

Tuesday 5

8 5/..

1 20/..

Have slept in my stays and chemise and drawers etc. and night shift over for cannot wash or do anything.  Obliged to wear one same chemise all the time of my cousin, and have the same mess as on leaving Moscow and at Ekiterinograd I think it was, etc. Ann might be glued to me  for I can neither at any time stir nor be without.  It is a miracle if I can escape even for a few minutes walk without her, and then she is in the dumps.

Fine morning; Réaumur 12 1/4° now at 8 55/.. a.m.  Breakfast over at 10 25/.. – Then stood till 11 1/2 rubbing out pencil writing in my last little rough book – Several of the first pages rubbed out 2nd time – Dawdling over 1 thing or other till 12 –

Out with Ann about 12 1/4 – Called and left our cards chez les Braïko – Then admitted, and sat about 1/4 hour with Madame and Mademoiselle Kotzebue – Then sat perhaps near 1/2 hour with Madame and Mademoiselle Golovin – Then Ann tired, and came home with her at least to the door.  She has monsieur.

Told Mademoiselle Kotzebue that if I could arrange to attempt Ararat I would write to her – But if I did not write, she must take it that I had given up the thought –

At Madame Orloff’s at 1 1/3 – The General there – Both very civil – He begged me to send him a 200/. bill to see if he could not get it changed for me at a cheaper rate than Mr. Besoc’s Cuisinier – Will send the Cossack to speak to General Kotzebue about the route across the country from Baku to Nachitshevan, a plain and not safe without a considerable Tartar escort, for there are no Cossacks there – The post was attacked 5 days or 5 weeks ago by 10 brigands – The people not against the Russians, but are brigands when a good opportunity offers – Orloff himself would return to Elizabethpol which would be quite as cheap as the other way, and would not take more time – I must certainly have a good Tartar escort –

Before I came away, Madame Griboiedoff and Princess Dadian and Princess Orbelianoff came in – they had been calling chez moi – Sorry I was not at home – Left them chez les Orloffs – and went to Madame Chevostoff and sat with her 1/2 hour or more – Walked back in 1/4 hour and came in at 3 25/.., bringing 2 London Times newspapers of Saturday 14 and Monday 16 March, 1840 – How quickly arrived here !

Dinner at 4 10/.., boiled eggs, barley cake and butter, and Isinglass jelly that Ann made with our little boiler last night, 1st time.  Very good, but rather too stiff –

Before and after dinner reading the Times of Saturday 14th March –

Vide page 7. column 5. ‘A man would do well to carry a pencil in his pocket, and write down the thoughts of the moment.  Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable, and should be secured, because they seldom return’ Lord Bacon.

Page 5. column 6.  The death at Rome of the Honourable Miss Frances Mackenzie, 24th February 1840.

Page 5. column 6.  Some interesting subterranean Cyclopean constructions lately discovered 6 miles from Valetta (Malta).  Bones of animals – fragments of pottery, and some rudely formed figures – Galignani’s Messenger

Have just written so far now at 7 p.m. – Then put (sealed) under cover a 200/. note to ‘à Monsieur Monsieur le Général d’Orloff de la part de Mrs. Lister’ and sent it by George about 7 and desired him to go to Mr. Dementieff, Inspecteur des Postes (as recommended by General Kotzebue) for permission for one of his clerks to write out and seal officially marche route with sums to be paid for 5 horses respectively at each station – I would give the man 3 Silver Rubles for his trouble –

Tea about 8 1/2 – Before and after, read the 2 newspapers, London Times of 14 and 16 March last –

It seems that the Armenian patriarch, Archbishop of Etchmiadzin, head of all the Armenian churches in India, arrived (by a Tartar brig, Captain P. Rough from Singapore) 27 October last at the Dutch Settlement of Batavia – 1st time a prelate of the Armenian church had been near that colony; and the Armenians consider his visit a great favour – Vide page 5. column 3.

And same page and column, vide Leipsic book-trade.  300 foreign booksellers there at the Easter-fair – (2 fairs a year) – Wherever a book is printed (in Germany) it must be sold at Leipsic – Every bookseller of any eminence throughout the confederation has an agent there – the number of booksellers and music sellers at Leipsic = 119 – Number of sheets annually printed = about 40,000,000, and weight of bales of books brought there every year = about 30,000 hundredweight –

Had just written the last 14 lines and written out accounts of yesterday now at 11 5/.. – Very fine day – Then till 1, writing to Mariana – 2 1/2 pages except a few lines written yesterday morning of page 1.

WYAS Finding Numbers SH:7/ML/E/24/0096 and SH:7/ML/E/24/0097