Saturday, August 10, 1839 Travel Journal

1839

August

Saturday 10

8 20/..

11 50/..

Very fine morning.  Sun and Fahrenheit 71 1/2° at 9 1/4 a.m.

Breakfast at 9 1/2 in 1/2 hour – Before and after till now, 10 1/4, inking over pencil memoranda and Smith came immediately –

For Roman history, they (the students) read Niebuhr on the origin of Romans, 3 volumes.

Pour la culture, Rotteck, 3 volumes octavo (in German Stuttgard).

Pour les guerres et la politique, Lassen, Norwegian, 3 volumes, 1 for the ancient, 1 for the moyen age, and 1 for the modern history, but not yet finished – in Norwegian.

On the Literature, 1 volume in German by Ficker.

On the antiquities, une collection des Leçons d’un ? professeurs, laquell collection, est imprimée (af Bekker), now directeur de li École Métropolitaine.

Pour l’histoire des Grecs, les mêmes auteurs, Bekker’s universal history 17 or 18 volumes in German, Beckmann’s technology is translated into Danish, that is, Norwegian printed, Smith supposes, at Copenhagen – The grand ouvrage de Kraft in several volumes, new edition, on Norway

Anshovies in Norsk Anschovis pronounced Anshooser or anshoovĭs

Had Smith till now, 1 1/2 (i.e. from 10 1/4 to 1 1/2 = 3 1/4 hours ) at the pronunciation of the Norsk alphabet and his written notice là dessus (and reading p.1 (work itself of our little Norsk history bought yesterday – and talking over the map of the country etc.  Divided into

5 Stifts bishoprics

17 Amter

44 Fogderie

Christiania Stift called Agershuus Stift from the old castle here mentioned in papers of the 11th or 12th century.  The present Christiania founded by Christian IV. about 1642.

Then, till 3 1/2, studying over what we had read – Smith went to the Landlord to make sundry inquiries and Ann and I read on – I wrote while Ann translated and read aloud till now, 5 35.., and then went out –

Sauntered along the streets, passed Kappellen’s and Dähl’s booksellers shops – and then to Joger’s – Could not get the work on mineralogy for me to look at –

Had seen in Dahl’s window a cookery book.   Smith knows nothing of this – All this left to the femmes-dames, all.  The Countess Vedel de Jarlsberg herself, who is the head, arranges the table – Fait la cuisine – Do the ladies dine at table – can they cook and preside? – Yes! All is arranged before dinnertime, and the servants do the rest –

We passed a nice looking lady – She acknowledged Smith – He coloured.  I inquired if she was de la plus haute société – Yes!  She was in the same house with him last winter – Chez le Storthing man célèbre     .         .         .         .         .         Captain of artillery whose picture we had seen in Dahl’s window – One of the 1st men here – The lady an actrice at the theatre! but very respectable – Not publicly known, but it is said she is fiancée to the Captain’s son – He 24, she 22 – The Captain objects, but not because she is an actrice but because she does not understand cooking!  But is it not easy to learn – Oh! No! Can she not learn in 6 months? Oh! No! Il faut cinq ans – Comment? Est il donc plus difficule d’apprendre fair la cuisine que d’apprendre une langue etrangsèe? On peut apprendre une langue dans 6 mois – Mais oui, mais si il faut parler bien etc. etc. Il faut . . . . toute la vie (said I) – Yes! True for the gents here are très difficile pour la cuisine !  Poor Smith afterwards explained that it was not only Cooking but the whole Science of le menage – The husband provided the meat (earns the living) and the wife prepares it, and if she cannot manage well, nothing, no income can suffice – He spoke of his mother as très savante i.e., dans la science de faire la cuisine – and his fiancée is also, I suppose, savante after the same sort –

Came in at 6 3/4 and dinner immediately – Anchovies, 1st time.  Very good – Highly seared and spiced – 4 marks or more per barrel containing 200 to 300 fish – Dans la société, a little side table with anchovies, herrings, etc. with which one begins the dinner, says our Swiss garçon –

Had just written so far at 8 1/2 – Then walked about the room with Ann and finished writing out, at the other end of this book, Saturday July from the pencil my account book –

Reading over Norske again till 10 40/.. –

Fine day –  Fahrenheit 67 1/4° at 11 20/.. p.m.

Margin:

Roman history

An actrice

No lady can live alone – She must board in some family

Anchovies

WYAS Finding Numbers SH/ML/TR/12/0022 and SH/ML/TR/12/0023