| Description | [Diary Transcription]
319
1828
May Monday 26
9
12
Vc
V
§
Incurred a cross just before getting up after she left me ~ having been foolish on Saturday night
made a point of being better last night and hardly touched but she lies close to me always Breakfast
at 10 — Miss Sarah Riddle called — a nice ladylike sort of person — Colonel Thackeray came at 11 10/60 — left
Miss MacLean and went out with him at 11 20/60 — 1st to the jail — about 70 prisoners — all in good health — tolerably
airy — the prisoners allowed a bottle of ale a day, if they could pay for it, but in no case more — then to the
Bridewell, close by — like 5 stories of wild beast-cages round a small court — No air — No place
for exercise — 3 tread mills — only 1 working — women not put put upon it now — men sometimes on
it 9 hours a day — 194 prisoners, 27 sick — obliged to work a certain task — For all done above that, received one
fifth of the gain on going out, and another fifth, or the other 4 fifths if they did not return to Bridwell of
6 months and had a good character from some employer — the cells or bedrooms very clean here and at the jail —
began to rain heavily — went to see some wretchedly bad waxwork figures in Waterloo place — then when fair
walked to Holyrood house — heavy rain while there — nothing worth seeing but for historic associations —
the gallery of the fancied portraits of all the Scottish Kings 150 feet by 24 and 18 feet high — the throne room
when the present King came was 3 rooms — all done in 9 days — 70 workmen worked by turns night
and day — done in such a hurry the crimson cloth against the walls spoilt from the damp of the new
plaster — then as soon as fair, walked up to the castle, but so thick, no view — did not think
of the regalia — returned by Princes Street gardens — very pretty — and got home just as it began to rain again
at 2 3/4 — Sat talking to Miss MacLean at 4 hair dressed — at got to Lady Scaforth's to dinner —
dinner at about 5 1/2 — The party the Misses Charlotte and Augusta MacKenzie, their oldest sister Mrs. Stuart
MacKenzie and a Miss Cadell, who was ward to Dr. Coulthurst’s brother Mr. Matthew Coulthurst — Lady Scaforth did not
appear till after dinner looking like death but a very ladylike old person — the Misses MacKenzie very
pious ones — but tea about 9, all began to talk, and the evening passed pleased — Mrs. Stuart McKenzie was
Lady Hood, and in India with her then husband — a clever pleasant woman — Talked of druids, and
dreams — Miss Augusta thanked me for making them spend such a pleasant evening and all
seemed pleased with me Lady Stuart told Miss Maclean I was very ladylike Miss Augusta told me I had
best take Miss Maclean to Paris and that she was of quite a [illegible] different grade from all her family
I have asked her to spend next winter with us in Paris and though she says she cannot leave her
father I think she will for they do not seem to want her at home. got home at 10 1/2 — fair at
5 and apparently all the rest of the evening —
Tuesday 27
9 1/2
1 3/4
Rather a bowel complaint before and once after breakfast — breakfast at 11 — Colonel Thackeray
came about — Miss MacLean and I went with him to Lady Elizabeth in Princes Street gardens — thence went to see
the (doric) antiquarian museum containing the small insignificant new collection of antiquities — and the great main room of the
building being for a picture exhibition room, but now containing merely a tolerable copy of Raphael's
transfiguration admittance to see which 1/. each — the building with its doric. peristyle handsome
without — disappointed within — Lady Elizabeth evidently tired — Colonel Thackeray went home with her, and Miss MacLean
and I returned home to wait for the Colonel — got home before 2 — waited till after 3 — then the day so thick
(East wind again) useless to go out again, so colonel Thackeray sat a while, and then took his leave — at Miss MacLean
and I went out shopping — bought and ordered to be sent to the baby 20 months old 'Miss Thackeray 35 Melville Street with Miss Lister's love'
a doll, and arm-chair for her to sit in — got home at 5 3/4 — dinner at 6 — tea at 9 — before and afterwards till
320
1828
May
§
Vc
12 3/4 wrote out Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, yesterday, and today — While waiting for Colonel Thackeray talked sentiment before and just after dinner talked more
arrant nonsense than ever and more lightly Miss Maclean said it was nonsense indeed and I promised
to amend 'tis time for I have astonished her enough she thinks me very odd perhaps
I have insinuated too strongly π’s [Mariana] living with me but after all Miss Maclean's old maidishness
bears it all very well — fair and finish day, but thick, and east wind — while we were out
shopping Mrs. Campbell 135 George's Street called on Miss MacLean and myself (aunt to Miss Riddall) — Miss Augusta
MacKenzie said yesterday she had called upon us at Redford, but arrived just after we were gone —
Wednesday 28
9 1/4
1
§
§
§
Very quiet last night breakfast at 10 1/2 — Miss Sarah Riddell called for us at 11 1/2 in a hackney coach — Took up
a friend of hers, a Miss Edmondson, and went to St. Giles church — walked about there for some time till Sir John Hay arrived
through whom we all got admittance into the Lord high commissioner's box — the court galleried all round (an aisle of the church) very full —
at 12 10/60 just after we entered the business of the general assembly of the clergy began by a prayer 10 minutes long —
then were read over the different causes to carry on, all which followed in the order read — the most interesting case that
against Mr. Gregg minister of Delmany church in Linlithgow for contumacy against, and disobedience to the orders of, his
presbetery — he refused the singing of psalms in the church — scandalized some lady and some gentleman very unprovokedly
and when suspended from his cure, refused to submit, and would not allow others to preach in his church so that all religious worship
seemed to be stopt there for near 12 months — he now, however, submitted himself to the court through the advice of
Mr. Cockbourne his counsel (not appearing himself) who merely seemed to appeal to the generosity of the court
insinuating as it seemed that his client was in fact beside himself — the court seemed inclined to be gentle
disapproving his conduct but appointing a committee ordered to examine Mr. Gregg, and report to the court on Saturday after which sentence would be passed —
this was the last cause, and the court broke up at 3 1/4 — Mrs. Stuart Mackenzie and Miss Cadell had come
in with us — both very civil — the latter pointed out Dr. Chalmers, a plain heavyish eyed (they said) looking
man — on getting out of court, went to see the quondam parliament house now courts of justice — very
handsome large room — fine oak gothic drop ceiling — then saw the library of the writers to the Signet handsome
then ditto of the advocates, very handsome corinthian room with handsome corinthian vestibule — then down high
street, and the Canongate and along the low streets and up a wynd to the college church, and thence up the first 'back stair'
to Calton hill, by the new high school — walked round the hill — view would have been magnificent but for the
eastwind and 'east haw' which wraps up all in mist — the new observatory not finished — can on no account
see it without being accompanied there by professor Wallis — the thing to be seen in the other observatory (the old one
to be taken down by and by) is the Camera Obscura, said to be a very fine one, but on no account to be seen
without a written order from some of the gents. gentlemen concerned — walked slowly home — stopt at Davidson's St. Andrew Street
for each of us an ice (at 4 1/2) and it began to rain so heavily we waited got rather wet after all, and did not
get home till after 5 — Colonel and Lady Elizabeth Thackeray and the 'Misses Mackenzie of Seaforth 23 Charlotte
Square' had called — changed my dress — dinner at 6 — sat talking till 8 1/2 — then till 10 reading the Scottish Tourist, and wrote the
whole of the above of today — tea at 10 — fine morning — Rain (heavy shower) at 4 3/4 — and afterwards during almost all of the evening — Easterly wind
all the day — went to my room at 11 — Leaning on the bed telling Miss Maclean the treadmill story seeing the veteri
nary colleges in London and Paris etc. etc. —
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