| Description | [Diary Transcription]
191
1827
May Wednesday 30
7 25/60
12 50/60
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A nice little motion this put me in spirits I was afraid I could do nothing or should have been up earlier
finished dressing – about 9 kind civil note from Madame Droz to say ‘extremely grateful for your kind invitation, but her
husband had been at St. Cloud since Thursday last, was coming over today to see her, and ‘therefore I hope you
will excuse me if I do not accept your amiable proposal’... immediately wrote and sent a line or 2 to
Mrs. Barlow to ask her or Jane to go with us – Jane to go – breakfast and reading part of the paper from 9 1/2 to
10 35/60 at which hour (the carriage horses ordered at 9 3/4 [illegible] did not come till 10 1/4) having sent the carriage for Jane
all off to Montmorenci [Montmorency] – Jane and I got out to see the abbey at St. Denis at 11 50/60 – the crypt
contains an historical series of monuments of all the Kings of France except the 7 or 9 last not yet
done, but to be placed there by and by, – according to the design of Lenoir (saver of the ancient
monuments and founder of the musée des monumens Français) and began by Napoleon – this crypt
is very well worth seeing – In the carriage again and off from St. Denis at 12 1/4 – Through Passed by la Briche (leaving
it on our left) through Villetaneuse, Montmagny, and Deuil, and got out at the Cheval Blanc at Montmorenci [Montmorency]
at 1 20/60 – took a guide (who agreed to go for a franc to the Hermitage etc. for 2 hours) and off to the Hermitage at 1 3/4 –
2 commodes and a small writing table used by Rousseau, and his bois de lit in pieces reared up against the wall of the room opening into the garden –
great piece of work about removing the heart of Gretry to Liège or leaving it where it is – the bust of the duchesse
de Berri stuck up because she espouses the party who are for letting the poor man’s heart rest undisturbed –
a drawing of this bosquet de Madame la duchesse de Berri quite a landscape-puff if one may so express one’s self, as of
2 or 3 other drawings of spots in this little garden – 2 majestic swans on a duck-pond! Monsieur Flamand having
married the niece of Gretry has the place and lives there – rich – drawings of plans of a handsome chapel he means
to build over the heart of Gretry if it be permitted to remain – a long legal procès [illegible] about it, not yet determined!
a work in 3 8vo. [octavo] volumes to be published at 27/. to subscribers, 30/. to others – (a book open for subscribers names), containing
the account of this procès, and of the value of Montmorenci [Montomorency] – to have several views – if such as those of the bust of the
bosquet and bust Madame la duchesse, and of the duck pond, they are not worth much – from the hermitage along the woods – very pretty to the old chesnut
tree (Spanish chesnut) called chataignier brulé because once, (long ago) struck by lightning – 500 years old – in full
verdure – bears well – 18 French feet in circumference breast high from the ground – takes 3 1/2 men to span it – a great hole
where a large branch has been cut off – the tree probably all hollow – the man had lived 49 years at Montmorency but had
never heard say to whom this tree belonged – walk round the bottom of the tree 37 of my own feet – the wood hereabouts all
Spanish chesnut – cut every 7 years – belongs au commun – to the community – used for making cask-
hoops for the wine grown in abundance in this neighbourhood – walked to see the noted view from Belair the hill
just above au dessus d’Andilly (the village of) – See Montmorency, St. Denis, Le but, or bu de Chaumont according
to the man’s pronunciation (on the top of the hill beyond behind just above St. Denis) Montmartre, Paris and the gilded dome of the Invalides,
Enghien les Bains, the lake, St. Gratien and the chateau of Monsieur (General?) Catinat, Sannois, [illegible] Aubonne, etc. really
a fine view – the man said, not a finer or so fine within 30 lieus – After staying a few minutes to enjoy it,
descended – left – Belair at 3 25/60 – varied our route a little in returning – went higher up along the woods – stopt at
3 50/60 to admire the view of the chateau of Choissy sous – just under Montmorenci [Montmorency] – handsome looking park-woods – Monsieur
Derigny (owner of the chateau) very rich, but il a perdre la tête, and walks no where but about the grounds and then with a servant for fear he should
drown himself in the ponds – got home after a hot but delightful walk at 4 1/4 – ordered dinner to be put back 20 minutes
left Jane tired, and went to see the church – walked round it – fine view towards the lake and vale of Montmorenci [Montmorency] – sent the
man to get someone to let us into the church – went to 3 people – all out – the church would be open at 7 for a service – but
must be off home before then – returned to the Inn – passed part of the old wall of the town – some vaults under close to it – a man
there making cask-hoops – In Paris in winter – works in the country in summer where he can gain more – is a carter
or wine bottler or what not in winter – when wine cask hoop making over goes to Normandy to make cider cask hoops –
got back to the Inn at 4 3/4 – dinner at 5 – off home at 6 33/60 – from St. Denis straight into the avenue de Clichy – through the barrière
de Clichy and at last down the rue de la Madeleine to rue des Champs Elysées, and set Jane down at home – she had been very ill this
[margin text:] Fahrenheit 67° at 8 1/2 a.m.
72° at 10 1/2 ––
73° at 8 50/60 p.m.
very fine morning very fine day –
no dust in consequence of the great deal
of rain lately – fine cool air – and not
much incommoded by sun – though it
was very hot in walking – beautiful evening
the sun set beautifully behind the hills on on our right –
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1827
May
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before setting off, but the drive seemed to cured her – got home at 8 20/60 – my [aunt] seeming very well, but complained a little of weight
and pain in her lower stomach, so ordered tea – the driver having been so careful, and civil, bringing my aunt up and down stairs
said (he had asked me at the Inn) I would on that account pay for his dinner – otherwise he knew it was not customary –
In helping George with the carriage into the coachhouse he unluckily hurt 1 of his fingers very much – tore it open – settled with
George – tea at 9 20/60 – came to my room at 10 5/60 – my aunt and I had talked comparatively of this climate and that of England – she
seems more reconciled to think as everyone else does she could not so well bear to return – she would suffer much
more than here – may go to a better climate Geneva, etc, – lighter drier air, but not to the contrary – from 10 5/60 to In returning by
the barrière de Clichy, the man said he had saved 3/4 of a lieue – In going we got to St. Denis in 1 1/4 hour and thence to Montmorency
in 1 5/60 hour = 2 20/60 hour – In returning from 6 33/60 to 8 20/60 = 1 47/60 hour – St.t Leu 1 1/2 bonne lieues de Montomorenci [Montmorency] –
and Chantilly 6 lieues – only 12? persons buried at St. Denis but the royal family, till the last prince de Condé who is
the 13th? great honour to be buried there – peeped through the grille of the door [illegible] the coffin, coffin covered with velvet and bound with silver lace, and standing
on a frame, as do all the coffins of the Kings from the time of Henry iv. – the body in lead – then this oak coffin covered
with velvet – the tomb of Francis I and his wife said to be the finest tomb in France – the steps to the chancel Italian
marble the man said the only Italian marble steps to an altar in France – no! vide the vale de Grace – the
verd antique high altar given by Napoleon (that at which he was married to Marie Louise in the Louvre gallery)
magnificent – from 10 5/60 to 11 10/60 wrote the whole of this journal of today – had warm wine and water and biscuits – felt very giddy
on getting into bed – o. –
Thursday 31
5 1/2 p.m.
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Got up at 7 20/60 but so giddy obliged to go to bed again – lay down on the bed and fell asleep till 10 1/2 – Having had a pretty good little motion another more dark colo
ured and loose bit of motion on getting up again – up again at 10 1/2 but still very giddy – ate 3 little prince of Wales’s
biscuits went into my sitting room – [illegible] just spoke to my aunt and went to bed again i.e. lay down on the bed at 11 (very hot) as before – got up and went to my sitting room for a little while again at one for fresh air – threw up the biscuits I had taken at 10 1/2 – so giddy and ill, got into bed and dozed till Mrs. Barlow came – [illegible] my aunt sent for
Mrs. Barlow she came about 2 and sat by me. No lay by me and about five right middle finger up and gave her
two good ones almost at once
Got up at 7 20/60 but so giddy, obliged could not dress – lay down in my dressing gown on the bed (very hot) and fell asleep till 10 1/2 – Prett
y good little motion at seven and twenty minutes and another bit of one darker coloured and looser at ten and a ha
lf ~ Still very giddy – went into my sitting room for a little fresh air – not feeling at all inclined for my usual breakfast
ate 3 prince of Wales’s biscuits – could not dress – lay down again on my bed at 11 – dozed about 1 1/2 hour – then went again
to my room – lay a little on my sofa – giddy, yet skimmed a little of this morning’s paper and gave it to my aunt – she asked
if she might send for Mrs. Barlow to which I made no objection – soon felt very sick – threw up the biscuits – then
got into bed at 1, and slept till Mrs. Barlow came about 2 and staid dinner and tea – Bade her lie down by be very quiet till near five then
she nothing loth right middle finger up and scarce a minute or twos intermission between giving
her two excitements finding I had not done quite enough at first having had my dressing gown on
was in a profuse perspiration lay quiet and got tolerably cool ~ Got up at 5 1/2 – very sick – brought green
yellow bile – this relieved me much – Dinner at 5 40/60 – mutton barley broth and 3 little pork sausages! and mashed
potatoes with them – relished these – washed and dressed – Dr. Tupper and Miss Barlow came at 8 to tea – went into the drawing
room at 8 10/60 – tea at 9 – they staid till 10 40/60 – I had talked away to Dr. Tupper or rather made him talk about his travels in Sweden, Selesia, and
Bohemia – he said the cathedral at Prague was very fine – they had paid at 1 1/2 d. English per English mile for posting in
Sweden – staid talking to my aunt 20 minutes and came to my room at 11 – 35 minutes reading Galignani’s guide through
France and looking at the map of France – o. – Sorry to have missed Monsieur Tremery’s 6th lecture this morning –
[margin text:] Fahrenheit 72° at 1 p.m.
63° at 11 ––
very fine day –
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