Tuesday 12 May 1840
Very fine morning Reaumur 12 1/2 at 7 1/2 a.m. breakfast at 9 - I had put on my pelisse - took it off again - starved in it without the white upper petticoat underneath it is at home put on my merinos - breakfast soon over
At accounts &c. till now 11 25/60 George not come in with the passports - till now 3 25/60 wrote my letter (6 line) to Mr. Parker at top of page 3 of Ann's letter to Mr. Adam and copied it - and wrote out accounts and long settling long talk with the master of the house to prove 30 days (from Sunday 12 April) not including today - count by nights - and to prove that 30 days at 2 1/2 = 75/- silver and that 24 wax lights at 1 abasse or 20 silver Kopecs + 1 abasse over = 5/- silver and that having paid 100/- assignat in account and in giving 5/- assignat now = 30/- + 50/- = 80/- silver he wanted 32 days - then said the agreement was made in assignats = 10/- per day - no! he came into my reckoning at last and agreed to take charge of all we left behind - he said all the English came to his house - I smiled - that they wanted great dinners and a many things - I smiled and said I knew all about it - I can imagine his fleecing them
Then settling with George writing out his bills - and paid Domna 3 months wages and nourriture wages 40/- nourriture 30/- = 70/- or 20/ silver per month - paid George for her 60/- in silver (one ruble pieces) - pother about leaving her behind - must authorize someone to take care of her - at last I understood, that having a foreign passport, we might get off and leave her and George too in the lurch! - this is the plain English of it - potheration - said I would write nothing - I would arrange in another manner - compliments and begged to see Mr. Braïko as to know at what hour he could see me - George returned before 3 - Il se reposait après diner - therefore no answer - the passports would be ready in 1 1/2 hour! (I think to leave the Persian passport with Mr. Braïko - it will be ready when we come back) - what a pother - en a de quoi mourir de formalités en Russie - If Mr. Braïko instead of promising the Persian passport sans difficulté - sans mot dire, except that if I did not use it must give it back to him - had explained the matter or if Mr. Besoc, or anyone had explained the thing, this pother (useless) might have been avoided
The master of the house too says we cannot send letters today, and that foreign letters do not go by the extra post - go by the heavy post! nonsense - and quite contrary to the reasonable thing Mr. Tolstoy told me, that strangers had a right to send and pay for their letters on any day - what useless pother even about our letters
'tis now 3 40/60 - now talk with Ann crying all wrong if I would but give her back her promise and care not what became of her she would I treat her as if she was under my care I said if she would but cheer up and try to enjoy herself now it was all I asked I would do nothing now when we got home then let all be talked over - she says it is well for me to talk for I can leave her whenever I like and get out of the way but said I quietly when do I or hav[e] I left her I have never a moment she is always there at my elbow terri[b]le
Dinner now at 4 20/60 then did up the few books to be left taking with me only Dubois's Caucasus and the Russian grammar and 2 volumes of dictionary and the 3 maps of Russian Caucasus and Asia
'tis now 5 40/60 time to decide to stay here all night - I should have done so 2 hours ago knowing or supposing how it would be but Ann thought if I ordered the carriage to be packed we should get off - packing does not bring passports - Mr. Braïko came about 6 or after - very civil - the podorojna not being made for returning as well as going to Baku might be detained there - they could not grant podorojnas there - this should be arranged - Mr. Braïko only could only grant podorojnas for military men and couriers - Mr. Besoc the man to whom we must apply - sent George with compliments and to ask him to come
wrote and gave him as under 'En partant pour quelques semaines, je vous
according to his dictation prie, monsieur, de vouloir bien dire au chef
offered to leave the passports de la police qu'il ne
with him - no! quite right - s'inquiète pas par raport au passeport de ma
said best mention to the chef femme de chambre que je laisse ici jusqu'
de police what I left here à mon retour - Tiflis. mardi 30 avril/12 mai 1840
for them and not otherwise the
master of the house, the Jew Salomon, would be answerable for them - might say, they were stolen &c. &c. could not answer for anybody in that way - said Mr. Chevostoff had offered to take care of them - but far off
No proper carriage horses to be had to take them - Mr. Braïko very civilly offered to take them saying he was quite near and would send a little chariot for them in 1/2 hour - the podorojna charge is 1/2 silver kopec per horse per verst - George brought word that Mr. Besoc was not at home - to write to him for podorojna and Mr. Braiko would send it to the Commandant of Baku - but should probably or obliged to have a new one and pay again second time for going and also for returning - but right to go with post horses - the Germans horriblement chers; and we should have to go petite journées - the heat commencing and we should find it very disagreeable - here in Georgia can only grant podorojnas here; for, in fact, the horses only for couriers and military men - but in Russia in every town could have a podorojna
He went to the poste aux lettres (close to here) and inquired if my letters could go - yes! send them in 1 1/2 hour - very busy just now - extra post arrived from Moscow - could be paid from here to England - very much obliged to Mr. Braïko
Talked Ann right again tis well for the moment
Mr. Braïko's man came for the things had put the books all but the little English dictionary (now to be taken) in in our largest little basket with inventory of them written on whity brown paper outside - wrote also and stuck on the basket list of the 4 items sent - e.g. 1 portmanteau my large Russian portmanteau, 1 caisse (the deal capbox) 1 casserole 1 panier - it was 1 of Mr de Braiko's servants (his valet said George) therefore gave him 3/50
Then Ann warmed up tea - sat over it till uneasy about the letters - George gone out, called the master of the house, and gave him the 6 letters mine to Mrs. Lawton Lawton Hall &c. &c. vide page 10 bis twice and to 'Mr. MacKean Yorkshire District Bank Halifax Yorkshire England' and to la Princesse Radziwill, Grand and my letter to Mr. Parker in Ann's to Mr. Adam Marskoi Street Maison Miller à St. Petersbourg, and Ann's 3 letters to her sister and aunt and Mr. Adam
Then at 9 35/60 had written all but the first 3 1/2 lines of last page and so far of this - while Mr. Braïko was here sent off the Cossack to order the post horses to be at 5 a.m. tomorrow and gave him the money to pay for the 25 versts 5 horses at 2 silver kopecs per horse per verst = 2/50 silver - Ils arriverent à 7 heures du matin - very fine day - very fine, beautiful evening - longed for a walk but have not had time.
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