Friday 15 November 1839

A little snow last night as the night before - incurred a cross last night thinking of the Princess  Fahrenheit 63 on my table now at 9 a.m. and Reaumur +1/2 degree breakfast

Mr. de Richter came before we had quite finished breakfast - about 9 40/60 - asked him several questions therefore had but about 3/4 hour for botany - a mere glance at the 2 families marsalia? and Lycopodium - the latter are something between les fougères, les mousses et les coniferes - he has set a friend to inquire for a la quaid de place at Copp's, i.e. the Hotel du Nord tout près du palais du general gouverneur - the new Russian Hotel is near the English magasin - on the same side the street

The best work on Boukhara is by Meyendorf - Best work on Georgia is by Parrot professeur de physique à Dorpat - and vide also on Georgia the work of Gamba

The post book Leopold bought me is not a livre de post mais de postage, frais du post de lettres - of no use to me

Off to Count Panin's at 11 7/60 and there in 3 minutes at 11 10/60 - staid some while talking - the Countess followed by fly and Ann and I went with the count in his coach, carriage double - a 4 places

To the musée de l'histoire naturelle, which we had seen before, there at 11 3/4 to 1 - Mr. Rouille? the Zoologue shewed us the echantillons les plus remarquables - one of Dioptase vide page 244 about 4 or 5 times as big as mine - natural gold, and silver and platina en poudre - emeraude, beryl, topase white - a magnet weighing as I judged about 14lbs pounds (one stone) English a parallelopiped = about 6 x 4 inches? and a large piece of spath pésant baryte, weighing I should think about the same this latter from Siberia count Panin pointed out the curious little whitish Canard (duck) from Kamtschatka with a bill like a parrot - we saw 2 or 3 drawers of insects, beetles from the Brazils, - but I would not press seeing more knowing little nothing of Entomology

Everybody had headaches, Countess Panin her own two girls and the governess and another governess 1/2 dozen boys and girls, and left Conte Panin and Ann and me to go to the Clinique not far off - a small hospital containing when full 15 patients where the professor of surgery gives clinical lectures one of which was just over - the Etudians all there when we went in - poor in instruments - the best a caisse, 30 to 35 years old, of Savigny, London - a circular saw - complex - ill made at Berlin, for cutting very small pieces of bone - the best maker of instrumens de physique est _ _ _ _ _ _ of Munich - our London people next - i.e. of second rank in this matter - English surgeons and medical men perhaps, said our surgical professor, more solidly good than the French - the French as said Count Panin the machine électrique of Europe which sets all going but others Germans and English work out their ideas - had had 500 patients at this Clinique during last year - the pupils ought to visit other hospitals observed Count Panin yes! but our professor would decline giving lectures, where the hospital was not under his own orders - we were to have seen the Cabinet d'anatomie - but the professor was out - the key was not to be had - then to the Clinical laboratory

Walked in the small snow - not far - but far enough the day being so unfavourable - the laboratory very neat and nice - a German manipulator from Mittau - pour nous faire plaisir, cut in pieces a piece of potassium, kept in a bottle of water, to shew us the Strias of metal? then put it into a plate of water to let us see it run flaming about on the surface of the water till it exploded - then sat down to his bellows blow pipe to shew us the manner of blowing glass bubbles - poor fellow he was nervous - blew too hard and burst the bubble - Charles Howarth would have managed better - but much obliged - the good nature with everybody shews everything is admirable - the laboratory large and handsome - 2 little salles and a neat but small amphitheatre as at Paris - Count Strogonoff the promoter of all these things - the laboratory before his time mesquin - this new one has cost 100,000/- - about 5,000 volumes of library before his time and Count Panin's, Count Panin the person who took the 1st step towards the enlarging &c. the library - the Emperor had before been deceived, and comparatively valueless books had been bought - Count Panin voué aux sciences, and Count Strogonoff uses his wealth in promoting them - (he is the very Mecænas of Russia?)

Returned to Countess Panin and sat with her about 1/2 hour till 2 1/2 - she gave us chocolate, and Count Panin gave me his livre de poste published at St. Petersburg 1829 a very valuable cadeau - talked over our journey - will be glad to see us at their Campagne on our return from the south Astracan &c. - the dangers of a journey to and in Siberia he agrees are more imaginary than real - Countess Panin mentioned Mr. Evans whose acquaintance we must make - in fact, it seemed she would arrange this matter - she would observe my fighting off as well as I could

En sortant left our cards for the old Countess Panin, I having said that, as she was so good as desirer faire notre connaissance j'aurai le plaisir de lui mettre nos cartes

Drove to the Gastinoi Door for Ann to buy fil d'argent 2 skeines = -/40 - the man asked -/60 - home at 3 10/60 - walked about our rooms, Ann with me above 1/2 the time, till 4 5/60 then wrote all but the 1st line and 1/2 of today till now 5 10/60 - then dressed - dinner at 6 to 6 3/4

Reading St James's Chronicle of 3 September last, lent us by Mr. Camidge, till the mother of princess Radzivill Princess Ouroussoff and her English attendant dame de compagnie called at 7 50/60 for 1/4 hour

At 8 10/60 Ann and I went down to tea chez la Princesse Radzivill very agreeable evening and staid till 10 1/2 - I asked to see her handwriting - she shewed me her album - the 5 or 6 first pages written by the Empress some beautiful English lines - long extract French - ditto from some English novel - beautiful - flattering to Princess Radzivill dated 1830 - at the end she herself has written, though the heart would break with more, It could live with less - How beautiful her sentiments! How simple - how natural - how amiable! lovely in mind and person - charmante femme! How beautiful, too, the sentiment of the Empress! How few can know her, and appreciate her as she deserves! je disait à la princesse, - j'ai fait la connaissance intime de l'impératrice et de vous même - the princesse has 2 or 3 beautiful quotations from the Delphine of Madame de Stael - there is one quotation expressive of the sentiment that there are some people that we meet to whom we never feel strangers - we seem as if we had known them before and always - she smiled and said c'est vous she has sort of journal that nobody can understand leave and flowers and dates - sat reading over my little  
married 25 January, Old Style, 1833 Edition of Collins till 12 wish I could
                recollect anything good enough to write in her album

Damp disagreeable between 1 and 2 and even afterwards small snowy day - Reaumur at 0 = Fahrenheit 32 - Fahrenheit 64 1/2 now at midnight on my table.

WYAS: SH:7/ML/E/23/0126 & SH:7/ML/E/23/0127

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