| Description | [Diary Transcription]
213
1830
November
at the moment particularly glad at his coming (I do not want acquaintances in this line) which I rather reproached myself for after
wards though in fact I had no business to rise? Lady Stuart rarely does it for gentlemen on entering and never on
going away however he brought me his book and I was very civil and said I hoped to see him
again ~ Asked Monsieur Tanchou after Madame de Rosny — he has not seen her for long — is rather out
of patience with her — he moved his hand oscillatingly to say she was like that — had no fixed opinions —
She is now royalist, — for the Bourbons — the national guard will not support a verdict for the
Ministers — The heads of Polignac and Peyronnet are due to the people — After Monsieur Tanchou went talked
to my aunt of my father and Marian and going to Shibden — what to pay and to do — Two shillings a day for
herself and the rest up to sixty pounds a year for wine and beer and coals and twenty five pounds
per annum for her maid that is in all eighty annually — Fine day — Fahrenheit 42°. at 7 1/4 a.m.
and 46°. at midnight —
Monday 22
6 1/2
12 3/4
X
L
L
Incurred a cross last night thinking of π [Mariana] out at 9 25/.. — walked to Boulogne and back, by La
Muette, and home at 10 35/.. — an hour in the bois — Letter, 3 full half sheets, from Lady Gordon
(34 Hertford Street London) — speaking of the Duke of Wellington's resignation and all the ministers going out,
‘I rejoice at their downfall — if it was not that my brother-in-law, Mr. Frankland Lewis and of
‘course Lord Stuart falls with them, it would be without alloy — But those 2 cases grieve me
‘sorely — and they are both too good and too useful in very different ways to fall with
‘such a sett! The Duke has many redeeming merits — But as he truly said of himself, ‘it
‘was madness his attempting to be prime minister of this country’ But a cleaner handed
‘more unjobbing minister never Existed — He has done his possible to lower the expences of the
‘of the country’ — says she has had a great loss in the death of her managing man of business — She saw
my letters to Lady Stuart about Spain, and says she was delighted with them ‘we must go to Spain together —
‘I see in you I should find a real honest enthusiast, and when once you’ve been there you will
‘feel as I do — a Spanish corner in your heart that no other country ever takes possession of ’
She read parts of the letters to her son Sir Alexander And he was sso charmed he is dying to know you and go with you
and thinks perhaps for the love of Cosmo you would let him be your preux chevalier
he wants to go there either in the spring or autumn nous verrons ~ ‘One of the Fitzclarences
has laid a wager that England has no king in five years!’ She mentions the fries [fires] as being like those in
Normandy that water will not quench — says they are beginning slightly in Wiltshire and the
north — read and mused over Lady Gordon’s letter — on the going to Spain or not — breakfast over at 11 1/4 — dressed —
at my desk at 11 3/4 — Letter 4 ppages of common sized letter paper from Miss Hobart with particulars of poor
Miss MacLean’s death and enclosing nearly 2 ppages of letter (the last she ever wrote me) that Miss MacLean had begun
to me on the 27th and wrote partly on the 28th of August having desired Vere or Breadalbane to finish it — the
former very properly sent it as it was saying ‘I know no way of finishing it; I feel it too sacred to add anything
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in my handwriting, so I send it as it is — my poor friend dated ‘Bridge House’ (I know it was in St. John’s
wood) and the last thing she wrote of was her perpetually thinking of my aunt and myself and our going to England in consequence of
the revolution here, and that till our plans were arranged we could no where be so comfortable as where she
was — ‘the charge is 3 guineas a week which includes everything but wine — an excellent table is kept —
‘napkins, finger-glasses, etc. etc. etc. the Miss Taylors are most amiable accomplished women, and there are
‘always 2 or 3 cheerful old ladies who would amuse your aunt — one guinea a week for her maid — Lady Stuart,
‘the 1st day she called, said ‘you have got into Paradise’ and with these words ends what was thus unexpectedly
the last letter my poor dear friend was ever to write me — She is now no more — She is gone — It seems
to me like a fearful dream — ‘She slept soundly (Vere's letter page 1) ‘for a couple of hours, a thing
‘she had not done for many days or nights, she then roused and asked Jessy for some gruel, but when
‘she tried to taste it, her head fell back on Jessy’s shoulder then there was a struggle for
‘about ten minutes, and all was over — she had insisted on Albane’s leaving her at 11 o’clock, but she
‘was with her at the last moment, as well as Sir Hector * * * * the funeral is to be on Tuesday, and at
‘Marylebone soon after which Albane will return to Scotland . . . . . It is very unaccountable
‘that she should only a very few months (perhaps weeks) ago have destroyed her will, always intending to
‘make another, but time was denied her — The only record of her intentions was a slip of paper, in
‘a very unsteady hand, with a memorandum of her ‘watch and my picture to you, and only two
‘other persons mentioned’ — Vere says she has the watch — the picture is to be sent up with ‘a heap of your
letters which she desired might be returned to you’ — Another page on indifferent subjects and she conclud
es with ever affectionately yours Vere Hobart — wrote 4 ppages (common sized broad black edged English letter paper)
in answer to Miss Hobart of which the following is a copy of the material part — after my thanks for the last of my
poor dear Sibbella’s writing I can ever receive — ‘that she was latterly so comfortable and that you had made her so,
‘gives me great comfort — In fact, as I gradually recover the shock of the 1st moment, which was greater than I expected,
‘and caught me too unprepared, — I am more and more thankful to heaven for the mercy of sparing her a
‘longer period of suffering — She is happy — and, whatever we may be at this moment, she has preceded us
‘but as it were by a span long, and yet a little while, and all the sorrows that beset us now will be
‘no more — To you, in all the duties and affections that a mother could have felt or been called upon to
‘fulfil, she was Exemplary — to me, she was the kindest and best of friends, whose loss I have neither hope
‘nor thought can be repaired — She has left me the 2 things I valued most — the one you have; and I should like the
‘other to be sent to you, begging you to keep them till you see me, or hear from me further about them —
‘I need not say that I am now more than ever anxious to call upon you for your promise, to let me have a
‘copy of the picture — Perhaps you will get it done for me? I should have a great but melancholy pleasure
‘in receiving all three at once — tell me, dearest Vere, will you undertake all this for me?’ Mention having
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