| Description | [Diary Transcription]
162
1827
April
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‘Mary! This annoys me — I cannot possibly understand it — I explained to my father again and again the orders I had given about these things;
‘and he said not a word against them at the time — I cannot make him out — why, if he had changed his opinion, not write and tell me so —
‘He must think he did all for my good — why not explain it to me? we will not quarrel for a few trees; but it is
‘provoking enough to be thus traversed about woods which must be the work of ages, especially in a case like this, where the
‘advancement of my own life leaves no time to spare — I shall think of the thing and consider what it will be best to do —
‘I see more and more, it would never answer for me to be much at Shibden — It would not surprise me (but breathe not a
‘word of it) if I pop over before the year is out’ — the thought that she did not like my going to Switzerland would destroy all my
pleasure — my aunt better — could manage it on her account — at all rates shall not go to England till the end of June —
must go somewhere, for 10 days, by and by — Jane ‘far from well’ — Dr. Tupper will be anxious for her to have change of
air ‘at this moment I know not what we shall all do — But of this be assured I am all you wish’..... ‘scarce know how
I shall be off this Swiss jaunt without going home; my aunt is so much better again’ — when I have got all accounts done up
and my papers looked over, new things (clothes) ordered etc. shall ‘perhaps go to Madame Galvani every morning early, and read and study French
the remainder of the day’ — wrote the last 13 1/2 lines which took me till 2 20/60 — then wrote out the entries up to now
in my Travelling Daybook — read a little of Boileau, all which took me till 4 1/4 — went out at 4 1/2 — staid talking to my aunt
40 minutes — then went to Mrs. Barlow waited for 1/2 hour — then off with her to the rue de la Paix, and thence through the place des Victoires to the
rue Mauconseil to see a woman (respectable tradeswoman) from Guernsey who had brought her some things, and would take some back — her patois both of French
and English amused me — returned by the Halle and thence through the place des Victoires home — Mrs. Barlow walked about with me near our own
house — said I knew not how I should be off going to England but would if I possibly could — had had a letter this morning from my steward — at all rates, began to think,
though my aunt was better, she was not fit to be left for 3 months while we were all away — if I went to England Mrs. Barlow would be
here — said I would go somewhere for 10 days in the mean while — Mrs. Barlow said it was the same to her where — she would go — to
Orleans or where I liked — said if I could not go to Madame Galvani every day, I must get someone else — I must master French — would
rather give up every hour of the day to it than be beaten by it, or than not succeed — Then said Mrs. Barlow you would give up
seeing me! — oh! said I seeing you would be no hindrance — but I would rather go and live in a pension where I never heard a word of
English than not get to speak French — then, said she, I will leave Paris — I see how it is she will be jealous of my studying
I am better not going to Switzerland I should have too much of her let me try her first for ten days
I see she has hope of my going with her next year came in at 7 20/60 — dinner at 7 25/60 — came to my room at 9 1/4 —
put the clock forward quarter hour — wrote the last 12 1/2 lines — settled with George — went to wish my aunt goodnight at
9 55/60 — o.. came to my room at 10 20/60 — ate 3 oranges just before getting into bed —
Saturday 21
6 1/2
11 50/60
Tried twice for a motion only two or three little bits afraid my bowels will get wrong again — at my desk at 7 40/60 —
at my ledger about 3/4 hour — scratching out i.e. improving the scratching out of old scores, and doing a little error or 2 made
this morning — wrote out in my ledger the account with 3 percent consols, — Messrs. Walsh, Hinchcliffe and company — Mr. Samuel Freeman for stone
and ditto for borrowed money, — Mrs. H. M. Firth, and Mr. John Lister of Swansea — then a memorandum reminding me to make out a
Dr. [Debit] and Credit account with woods, set about it, and spent some time looking out the particulars from my Cash book and general Day book —
then from 11 to 11 40/60 read the paper — from 11 40/60 to 12 1/4 breakfast — having no thon à l’huile left, dipped about 1/2 my bread in the oil
the fish had been in — then ate the rest of my bread with 3 chinois (little pressed oranges or citrons?) — at my desk
again at 12 1/4 — on turning again to my wood account and looking over my cash book saw (page 1. Saturday 4 February) how I had
entered 82.18.0 instead of 89.4.0 (vide Cash book bottom of page 7) an error of 6.6.0 — and this said I has caused me so much
trouble! — made me have £5 or 6 too much in balancing my accounts — about 1 feeling sleepy, leaned back in my chair, and
had a 20 minutes nap — Immediately on waking went to my room and had an easy motion sufficient in quantity
but dark coloured a sort of green as if I had eaten spinach? but very comfortable afterwards — my bowels
made comfortable — at my accounts again — set to and corrected all the error arising from the error above named — Took 18/6 from the
money received in exchange for French money 3 April 1825. (I had a right to do this on account of what I paid Mrs. Barlow for housekeeping etc.)
[margin text:] Fahrenheit 56° at 7 1/2 a.m.
64° at noon
54° at 7 1/4 p.m.
52° at 10 25/60 —
fine morning not clear
thickish in the afternoon —
rain between 5 and 6, and again
smartish rain between 6 and 7
the street gutters full of water
163
1827
April
thus reducing by 18/6 the balance of 1 January 1826, and scratching out the £4 entered 8 June as received from my aunt (‘four
dirty H-x [Halifax] notes they being of no use but at home’) which I fancied I could not have repaid her, but for which I am, and was almost
certain, I had given her at the time 4 sovereigns — thus deducting from my receipts £4.18 0 on one hand and adding £6.6.0 on the
other hand, I have made an entry of ‘Lost or unaccounted for £1.7.6’, and feel sure that I am thus right
at last — the scratching out necessary for all this (very neatly done), and doing a little more at my rough draft
of wood-account, took me till 4 1/2 — But I am better satisfied than I have been before — I shall see what I
can make of a dr. [debit] and credit account with the woods (difficult on account of the impossibility of separating the cost of stones and
labour for the woods from those for other matters), and if I cannot get it exact for last year, I can approximate, and be
more particular in future — I shall by and by have my accounts all arranged beautifully, as clear as noon day —
what trouble they have cost me — But my labour is just done, and I am satisfied my time has not been thrown
away — I have become more famil familiar with my affairs, understand them thoroughly, and can surely go in future
with ease — from 4 1/2 to 5 1/4 wrote all the above of today — then finished dressing — went out at 6 — down the rue Duphot
to the gardens — beautiful — the clouds very dark — took a turn there, and it began to rain — then walked some time under the arcades, and came in at 7 — dinner
at 7 1/4 — came to my room at 9 20/60 — settled with George and my accounts — went into the drawing room at 9 3/4 — came to my room at
10 25/60 ~ ate 3 oranges — o..
Sunday 22
7 20/60
12
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my bowels all wrong — No motion at all ~ Prepared my clothes for the wash — at my desk at 8 1/2 — 1st counted over my
my money — forgetting the napkin for which I had given Miss Gauntlet 4 5 franc pieces at the restaurant on Thursday thought
I had lost 20/. — this set me looking over the whole of my accounts — could not make the weekly summaries tally with the last
sum of the general Day book — did the 2 last weeks but last week all over again — an error of 12 sols had crept into the total of
last week but one — all this gave me infinite trouble — breakfast from 11 1/4 to 11 55/60 (began my orange marmalade — after
having eating about 1/2 my bread dipped in oil) — then finished dressing — from 12 1/2 to 1 20/60 read aloud the prayers leaving out only the
litany, and sermon 3? (on repentance — ‘Remember Lot’s wife’) bishop Sandford — talked 10 minutes to my aunt — came to my room
at 1 1/2 — did last week’s summary — Determined to enter all my expenses at the end of each week in my
foreign cash book — did so for the whole of this year (16 weeks gone) — which, and balancing the account on a separate bit
of paper (have just lost 33/55 — 7/65 of which from the 12th ultimo to the 4th instant lost nothing since), and checking
all the entries (all quite right) and # took me till 6 — I little dreampt of having all this trouble today — in
fact had not made up my mind how to manage my foreign cash book — this fancied loss of 20/. did
good — set me upon a thorough examination, and I shall now go on regularly with everything — nothing to do
but see about this ledger wood account — at 6 my aunt came to say MacDonald wished to drink tea with her friend
Mrs. Dreux cook at the Bosville’s who had the 3me [troisième] in rue Mondovi — to dine earlier — have written
the above of today in a hurry since 6 — Dinner at 6 40/60 — came to my room at 8 20/60 — wrote out the washing bills, and prepared
my bedroom which took me till 8 3/4 — calculating what we have spent on the average since this year began which took me
till 9 20/60 — Including furniture, rent paid in advance — everything — we have spent 454 francs 17 cents per week — deducting
1770.75 for furniture and 1300/. for rent in advance leaves 4196 francs 16 = 262 4/16 — £500 a year would allow us
to spend 240 20/52 francs per week, and £551 5/25 (exchange at 25/.) would allow us to spend 265 francs per week i.e.
13780 francs per annum — I must take care what we are about — wrote the last 5 lines and went into the drawing room at 9 1/2 —
sat talking to my aunt — came to my room at 9 1/4 — o.. Just before getting into bed took 2 teaspoons magnesia in the juice
of 1/2 a lemon —
# Scratching out the dates of the 16 weeks of this year’s general summary, and putting them forwards to the end of each week,
6, 13, 20 January etc. etc. instead of 1, 7, 14 January etc. etc. as before
[margin text:] Fahrenheit 50° at 7 3/4 a.m.
52° at 1 1/2 p.m.
42° at 10 1/4 —
fair but dampish morning
very rainy afternoon (from 2 to 3 p.m.)
and very rainy evening —
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