| Description | [Diary Transcription]
6
1816
August
but still, after the routine of excursions has been made, or the weather compels you
to be contented with pacing up and down the piazzas, I can conceive no place more stupid –
As for the town itself, it being considered vulgar, we only just peeped into it. It seems to
consist principally of a long wide street of lime-stone houses, many of them of but
mean appearance – There are 3 or 4 very large Inns to which the coaches go, and which
appear much frequented- They were filled with genteeler company before the Crescent was built
which now together with the private lodgings in its immediate neighbourhood, entirely engrosses
all the higher orders of society – The Hall, an Hotel adjoining to the Crescent, used to be the 1st house –
Owing to its happy vicinity, it has been able to keep up its respectability, and is still,
tho’ by no means considered on a par with the Crescent supported by some genteel people-
They say, the Crescent and buildings connected with it cost upwards of £200,000 – The Duke lets the
Crescent itself for about £4000 a year – Muirhead pays £1200 for the great Hotel – this
like all other public places in England very thin of company owing to the Emigrations abroad-
from which the Great Hotel seems to suffer more particularly – Only 9 sat down yesterday at
the public table, and only 2 or 3 private parties in the house, among the number
ourselves – St. Anne’s full – The Centre about half full – the Hall pretty full – Still
the tradespeople say, they never remembered such a bad season, and if times don’t mend
half of them will be ruined- The Great Hotel is a good house and I would certainly go to it
again – They are very nice civil people There is good cooking – and everything very comfortable,
tho’ to our surprise now they are so common, no silver forks – I recognised Mr Gibb
walking about the Piazzas yesterday and today also, more spruce and smart than formerly – he did
not appear to know me, and, of course, I took no notice of him – Anne came into my
room at night and stayed perhaps an hour – I contradicted all I said last night
argued upon the absurdity and impossibility of it and wondered how she could be such a gull
as to believe it she said she had really been very sorry for me and said she thought I hardly
behaved well to make such a fool of her I begged pardon etc etc --
Saturday 17
L had a kiss Wet morning took a turn or two under the Piazzas – they brought us in
the subscription book to the Buxton bath Charity and the school of Industry – we all, as is
I believe universally done by everybody, put down our names, and gave a Shilling a piece
to each – the bath Charity is, as its name imports, in behalf of those who could not otherwise
afford to have the benefit of the waters - Every subscriber of one shilling / observe he must have
been at Buxton in the Course of, or within the year, as there is no putting down names
by proxy / may recommend and send one poor person whom the governors of the Charity
will provide with board and lodging, medical attendance, medicines, bathing, and the waters gratis,
35
1816
October
went to Northgate – my uncle Joseph had had a bad night – was in low spirits and very poorly –
after tea read aloud from page 267 to 346 – i.e. finished the 2nd volume of Beauchamp’s Invasion of France –
the work give an interesting, and, apparently, very fair and correct account of the Campaigns
of the Allies against the French in 1814 – of the entrance of the allies into Paris 31 March – of the abdication of Buonaparte April 5.1 – his leaving
Fontainbleau for Elba on the 20th - the restoration of Louis 18th on the 12th2 and his entrance
into his Capital 4 May – Beauchamp is a decided loyalist, but never forgets to do ample
justice to the valour of the French Marshals and soldiery – Some flying showers of rain
in the morning – the day, otherwise, pretty fine –
1 ‘This public act, which was officially published in the London Gazette Extraordinary on the 9th of April
‘was not known at Paris till the 12th’ ‘Beauchamp Volume .2. p.260
2 The day H.R.H. Monsieur – the Count D’Artoir made his public entry into Paris, and was
acknowledged Lieutenant General of the Kingdom, in the name of his brother the King, Louis the 18th
‘It was only on the 2nd of April that the senate, by its decree, which was made public on the 3rd,
‘declared the Emporer Napoleon, to have forfeited the throne and released the people, as well as the
‘army from the oath of fidelity.’ Volume 2. p228.
Saturday 19
7 3/4
12
L
Construed from the 28th sentence of the 1st, to the end of the 2nd Chapter of Neilson – Read from page 360 to
374 of the Itineraire de Geneve i.e. got thro’ to the end of it – from 9 to 11 of volume 1 of Livy – Had
a letter from M – [Mariana] /Lawton/ C – [Charles] in very bad humour – ill in bed, and his leg much inflamed
I find he broke ‘his shin’ / to use M-s [Mariana] words / at Manchester – He worked himself into
such a passion on Wednesday night, he was in a high fever and delirious on Thursday morning -
π [Mariana] seems to have some hope of his taking his final leave this I fear is too
good to be true - Surely, he is a madman at times – after dinner read the 8th and 9th chapters
of the acts of the apostles Greek Testament My uncle Joseph much the same as he was yesterday – after tea
read aloud 70 ppages of ‘The Congress of Vienna…By M. De Pradt, author of ‘The
HCL
8/11
Wednesday 23 October 1816
‘Antidote to the Congress of Rastadt’ and The history of the Embassy
‘ to Warsaw’ etc. Translated from the French. Complete in 1 Volume
‘London printed for Samuel Leigh, 18, Strand; and Messieurs Bossange and
‘Masson, Great Marlborough Street, 1816’/ Volume 8vo ppage 224.
A rainy day – very windy and stormy in the evening more particularly towards bedtime.
Sunday 20
8 1/4
11 55/60
Went to morning Church – called at Northgate – my uncle Joseph much better. He had had a
good night – In the afternoon wrote 2 pages and a half of a letter to M – [Mariana] – After tea read aloud
the 2 last of Bishop Horsely’s sermons – some rain last night, and a very high wind
which has continued all to day – |