| Description | [Diary Transcription]
58
1838
October
L
and came away at 4 20/.. — At home at 5 50/.. — Pierre had soon overtaken us with the
letter from Mr. Parker with plan of intended school, — and application for a piece
of ground 20 or 25 yards deep all along the field against Saint James’s Churchyard — would have bought
ground of Mr. Pollard, but his title not good — read the letter and so did A- [Ann] as we rode along —
Sat reading Messenger of 27th ultimo till dinner at 7 in about 3/4 hour — then sat with A- [Ann]
latterly asleep till after 9 Bowel complaint five times ssince dinner
Tuesday 2
6 3/4
..
V
Packing portmanteau and travelling bag etc. etc. till had Josephine a little before 9 — fine
morning Fahrenheit 53° at 9 40/.. — breakfast at 9 3/4 — Had Madame Gassie from about 10 1/2 to 11 1/2
A- [Ann] and I off at 12 1/4 to Luz — At Mr. Flamant’s house there at 1 25/.. — Mr. Flamant and Mrs.
Latapie waiting to receive us, and Mr. Latapie soon came — with him upstairs (A- [Ann] and I had
him to ourselves) from 1 35/.. to 2 5/.. — he read his letter — evidently he was very nervous — it was
nearly 3 ppages but really very well done — Explanatory — très polie — (Monsieur le
Préfet would understand the hint at his incivility) and hoping that he would Notice the matter
as he thought proper and that I should have no occasion to apply to higher authority and hoping also that he would send me a copy of the Rapport and an answer to my letter directed
to me aux soins de Monsieur Okey Avocat to the British Embassy — asking Monsieur Latapie
what I was indebted to him, he very handsomely said, he was not in his bureau —
he was a stranger here, and hoped I would accept what he had done for me this time —
I had done him great honour in trusting the matter to him — Of course, I thanked
him as well as I could saying I was ashamed of having given him so much trouble
more particularly having asked him for a copy of the letter which I am to have tomorrow morning
he said he had children — sons — who travelled and he hoped if they came in my way,
I should not disown them — No! certainly not — but I added I was 40 postes from London and almost
always en voyage — besides, there were many of my name — However on going downstairs
I offered to give him my address and wrote in his pocket book
Madame Lister }
de Shidben hall }
Yorkshire }
with which
he seemed much pleased — I have no intention of
playing Colonel Caradoc to Mr. Carrère of Gabas —
to whom the honourable Colonel gave his address and offered to be of any service he could — yet
when Mr. Carrère wrote to him some time ago, for some little interest, the letter was never answered!
from Mr. Latapie went to see Charles’s Grange near the hermitage — There at 2 1/4 — little
2 1/2 months old calf worth 12/. — if kept 4 months longer might be worth 40/. — the
grange very nice — little 6 barred gates turning on Swivels top and bottom and with an old
fashioned fastener turning from out of the gate into the gate-post [drawing: gate] the Cèment of the water trough
composed of 1/2 and 1/2 of quick lime and tile very well powdered and mixed together with Quantum Satis,
of water — the milk in copper chaudrons immersed in fresh running water about an inch
[margin text:] water-trough Cement
59
1838
October
LN
high above the bottom of the chaudron — higher said Charles would do harm to the cream setting — off from
the grange at 2 40/.. — called for a moment at the door to wish Charles’ wife goodbye — then rode
terribly slowly home — Charles says (square measure) that
1 pan = 8 pouces
8 pans = 1 canne
24 cannes = 1 latte
24 lattes = 1 journal
planks bought by the canne and one inch thick cost at Pierrefitte
Sapin 3/50 and the Transport from Pierrefitte to Luz = 10 sols
Chataigne 5/. per canne —
Noyer 6/. to 7/.
sols.
mutton per lb. 12
Beef ~ ~ 14 other years 20 sols or 18 sols
veau ~ ~ 14
butter ~ ~ 14 other years 10 or 12 sols. this summer si sêche the cows had nothing to eat
gave little milk, and thus butter became so dear — sometimes 8 sols per lb in the
winter — a great deal comes from the large good ville we saw (right)
coming from Tarbes — from the Vallée d’Ossu —
sols.
good white wool 12 per lb.
a noire ~ 14 to 15.
A good horse worth 200. a good mule worth 400/. — At home at 4 40/.. but went to
see Castets the tailor naturalist (bird-stuffer) just returned from Spain — his head-
quarters at Huescas chez Sanson — would rather go from Huescas than from Ayerbe to
Saragosse [Zaragoza] — because the diligence from the former place not on springs but not uneasy (a sort
of char) and everybody takes an armed man as escort who walks by the side, and there is
no danger — but from the Ayerbe the diligence goes quick and there is no guard — See
at Abbeville le musée de Monsieur Duchesne de Lamotte — Castets going to
Paris immediately with his birds — the correspondent of Mr. Castets, Naturaliste, Barèges, Hautes
Pyrenees, is Monsieur Boissonneau, Rue Neuve des Petits Champs, à Paris. —
Castets very comfortable in Spain — going again the end of next month — means to go to Andalusia —
has got all the birds he has now in Arragon, as well as some very perfect organic shell-
remains — there is an hotel kept by an Englishman at Saragosse — but the hotel des
Quatre Nations kept by an Italian the best — very comfortable at Huescas chez
Sanson — home at 5 5/.. — at accounts till dinner at 7 1/4 to 8 — A [Ann] quite wrong
at being styled my niece she sees that I will not acknowledge her as what
I asked her to be and everybody takes their queue from me however I got
her right after her crying all the way home what a pother A- [Ann] wrote to her aunt
tonight and note to Mr. Pages enclosing 3 Napoléons Fine day. Fahrenheit 54 1/2° now at 2 tonight till which
time had been getting all ready for tomorrow — At 2 write as follows to go tomorrow morning to
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