| Description | [Diary Transcription]
219 [220]
1834
November
at Booth Ferry would not expedite us — it being a mile round about and we should have to wait for
horses from the other side of the water — just 2 hours in reaching Lofthouse bridge — and at Selby
(George Inn) at 9 1/2 i.e. by York for my watch (as entered in travelling account 9 3/4) is 1/4 hour too
soon — very bad Tea — ate and enjoyed our score of nice smelts brought from Hull — too early
for them here by 2 months — sat talking till 11 1/2 — we had had in the master of the house (Hawdon) —
the Selby people not for the railroad being continued to Hull — everything would then pass through Selby
without stopping — the Selby line estimated at £160000 — has cost above £300,000 — they
have borrowed of government £90,000? Walker of London the engineer — Had Mackintosh contracted
for the job (he did the last Hull dock and has just taken the new dock to do at Goole) it would
have been done long ago; but he was a few thousands too high § and they have expended far more
than that — the Line from Selby to Hull estimated at £300,000 but it will cost at least
twice that sum — (§ Mackintoshe’s estimate of the Selby line £7,000 above Walker’s estimate
which Hawdon said was £160,000 or £150,000) — fine day — A smartish shower at Lofthouse
bridge at 8 5/.. but tolerably fair again in about 1/2 — Fahrenheit 51° at 12 1/4 tonight in my dressing
room (no fire) —
Saturday 29
7 25/..
11 3/4
@
u
A tolerable kiss last night very fine morning Fahrenheit 50° at 8 10/.. a.m. — hurried over breakfast
left Eugenie and George to follow in the carriage by the high road to Leeds (to the hotel) and A- [Ann] and
I and Charles Howarth walked (5 or 10 minutes from the Inn) to the rail road office — and at 9 20/.. A- [Ann] and I in the yellow
carriage, the large best one (only this one in the train) at 3/. per place, covered in like a
stage coach with door and windows at each side — and Charles Howarth in the green carriage just before us
open at the sides — top supported on 4 uprights, 2/. per place — the carriages best and 2nd
best like those on the Manchester and Liverpool road — the carriages drawn up ready
for starting under a large good shed — our carriage called the Venus — sat waiting
18 minutes and off at 9 38/.. (my watch 1/4 hour too soon by York — 20 minutes ditto by Hull
and 25 minutes ditto by Selby) — at Milford (8 miles from Selby) in 44 minutes our
train having gone slow for the last 1/4 hour — this slow pace (the men got out and
walked by the side of us, some throwing small stones upon the sleepers) continued for 25 minutes
to 1/2 hour — it had rained almost from the moment of our starting — the sleepers were wet and slippery
and the wheels of the carriages would not bite — they only bite by their weight — only one person
(some sort of tradesman) in the carriage (holds 6) with us — and not a man of much intelligence —
said there was to be a meeting of the Aire and Calder committee this afternoon to take into consideration
what should be done in the present emergency — the Railway charges 6/8 per ton from Leeds
to Selby — and the dues of the Aire and Calder from Leeds to Goole are 7/. let alone freightage
which will average 2/6 per ton more — The navigation by the river from Selby to Hull being free
gives a great advantage — At Leeds at 11 17/.. having done the distance from Seacroft in 6 minutes —
220 [221]
1834
November
+
+
the 800 yards tunnel into Leeds being quite dark took A- [Ann] and me by surprise and she did not like it at
all — distance from Selby to Leeds 19 miles — rained all the way more or less though not heavily — a nice commodious
waiting room with water closet adjoining for the ladies — good landing place and buildings for offices etc. in
Leeds — Saw and spoke to the general superintendent Mr. William Williams — asked him for a tariff of the
charges on goods, etc. — a gentlemans carriage to be 15/. — found Mr. Williams civil and intelligent — there was a
tariff printed for the use of the persons of the establishment but not allowed to be given to the public — on giving
my name and address — saying I was interested in the Calder and Hebble navigation, and anxious for information,
he very civilly gave me one of the printed tariffs on my promise not to shew it, but leaving me
at liberty to make and shew any extract from it I chose — recommended me to Baines’s in Briggate for
Wood’s work on rail roads — while talking had left A- [Ann] in the ladies room and let all the flies and
cabs go away, so walked in the rain (not heavy) to Wilkinsons about the pendule to Kendell’s — took Charles Howarth ordered chimney piece for north dining room and to Baines’s
the bookseller’s — very civil — shewed me a nice, new, clean copy of Nicolls’s plan the canals and
rail roads very nicely done up in a case opening in the middle and looking like a book — map 3 1/2 guineas
mounting and case 1 guinea and book of text 8vo. [octavo] 1 guinea = 5 1/2 guineas — they had Wood’s work
but it was the 1st edition printed in 1832 I think, so I declined taking it — bought a plan of the Leeds
and Selby rail road, a 4d. almanac etc. at the hotel at 12 55/.. — having just sent off Charles Howarth to go by
coach from the Rose and Crown at one — A- [Ann] tired — ordered her a mutton chop and the servants to dine — bought
the Leeds Intelligencer and Leeds Mercury of this morning and sat reading — It seems Sir John Beckett will
come in with Baines, Mr. Marshall retires on account of bad health — off from the hotel about 2 — above
an hour at Nelson’s choosing fender and fire irons for the blue room Papin’s digester — and a new sort of grille
to do beefsteaks etc. in front of the fire — took up the pendule at Wilkinson’s — left the umbrella
at Kendell’s we had borrowed there in the morning and off from there at 3 10/.. and at Shibden at 5 52/.. —
some time with my father and Marian — then with my aunt — she had 2 letters for A- [Ann] from her sister (Udale) and
1 franked by Lord Hotham at Denton park from Mrs. George Fenton — and a note for me from the
H-x [Halifax] philosophical society and a kind letter from Lady Stuart dated Whitehall
and a letter dated Langton 24th ultimo 3 ppages and ends from Norcliffe! given an account (rigmarole)
of his tour in America — tea at 7 — A- [Ann] and I sat talking till after 8 — one of Mrs. Sutherland’s
letters to announce that Miss Rogerrs was to live with Miss Walker of Cliff hill, and the other to announce
Captain Sutherland’s having written to Mr. Rawson about the administration account money in the bank on
behalf of A- [Ann] and her sister — while A- [Ann] wrote copy of letter to her sister I read from page 41. to 71. Phillipps’s little
Elementary work on geology bought at York — fine morning till about 9 1/2 a.m. afterwards windy, boisterous,
wettish day and evening — went upstairs at 10 1/4 at which hour rainy night — Fahrenheit 48° at 11 p.m.
[margin text:] A’s [Ann] cousin came this morning —
Sunday 30
8 3/4
11 1/4
No kiss A [Ann] had her cousin breakfast at 9 3/4 — sat reading the newspaper — at 12 1/4 A- [Ann] and I read prayers to my aunt in 1/2 hour and sat
talking 1/2 hour longer — At Lightcliffe church at 2 1/2 — Mr. Wilkinson did all the duty and preached 22 1/2 minutes from Matthew xv. 28 —
Miss (to be Mrs.) Rogers at church came and spoke to A- [Ann] arrived at Millhouse on Wednesday and Cliff hill on Friday — called and sat 32 minutes at Cliff hill —
Miss Walker in quite good humour — seemed pleased at our calling — with my father and Marian and A- [Ann] afterwards with my aunt — dinner at 6 — idled
away the evening in talk — 10 minutes with my aunt till 10 — very fine day —
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