Wednesday 13 November 1839
Dullish morning Fahrenheit 61 1/2 on my table = Reaumur +13 - at 10 5/60 breakfast and over at 11 - then at Russian grammar till professor Fischer came about 12 1/4 and staid till 1 10/60
Gave me 5 little mineralogical specimens - 2 mellite - zircon - dioptase - and grenat - I have now de sa part
{Dioptase Hauy. des steppes des Kirguises entre Orenbourg et Boukhara, très rare.
{ Kupfersmaragd Werner ascherite des Russes, vide Braed page 382,
{ gisement dans la craie.
{Zircon de l'oural.
{Mellithe, mellilithe, de Hedra à Mansfeld
{ de arsem in Franken
{Olyntholithe de Fischer, grossularia, werner aplome, Laugier d'Ochotsk.
{ ολυνθος grossus from a fancied resemblance of the shape of the crystal to a
{ gooseberry. -
Fischer wrote my name in the 4 brochures - will try to get me copy of his oryctogrrosie Oryctographie a large work - printed at his own expence and given to his friends - also a copy of his music adapted to the Odes of Horace particularly liber ii odes 10 and 14 - has no copies of them himself - they are in his head - no copies of ode 22 liber 1. - singularly clever agreeable man - proposed our dining chez lui next Sunday after seeing the Electro- galvanic experiments - and proposed presenting Mr. Evans - I declined the latter as civilly as I could - saying as well as I could that really our connaissances were now so numerous and we had so little time for study and it was so little in our power to shew any attention to anyone, that we really begun se retrecir - but that Mr. Evans was chez les Orloffs and we might perhaps see him - that if it was in our power to make any tour worthy of a botanist we should wish Mr. Alexandre Fischer to accompany if that were possible - all this was awkward but Mr. Fischer was very considerate et poli &c. and said no more on the subject - Poor Mr. Evans! Mr. Camidge, too, mentioned him as an Oxford man and very clever - one of the cleverest men here - but we can shew him no useful civility - we have no time for deep study - and it does not quite enter into to seek the acquaintance of Anglo Russian private tutors - Fischer said the great cold is the end of December and beginning of January - will give us a letter to the head of the university? Monsieur Erdmann? at Kazan who has been at Boukhara, and can give us all the necessary renseignemens - all steppe from Orenbourg to Boukhara not much for botany or mineralogy
Had just written so far now at 2 23/60 - dark day but fair must go out - out at 3 10/60 - walked 40 minutes and home before 4 - but so dark, it must have been later - in fact, my Perrelet watch is beginning to go wrong again - not worth much nowadays - walked about the salon and salle à manger 1/2 hour - dressed - dinner at 6 1/4 to 7 - therefore it must have been 5 instead of 4 when we returned from our walk only 2 turns on the boulevard
At Russian grammar till 8 5/60 then tea chez la Princesse - and staid till 10 1/2 when she had finished her supper - Princess Dalgorousky there æt about 26 - très spirituelle - charmante personne - fine eyes - at Baden Baden last summer and at Rome last winter - a crowd of English nobility - Duke of Devonshire - Shrewsburys &c. &c. the Shrewsbury daughters Ladies Talbot, one fair, the other dark (beauty) have married the 2 best matches in Italy - Prince Doria very rich - and Prince Borghese also very but not so rich - hardly a lodging to be had in Rome this winter again all taken by the English - Princess Dalgorousky very civil - glad to make my acquaintance - we shall each exchange calls, and then Princess Radzivill you will find their house very agreeable - do not give large parties - but very agreeable
Princess Radzivill asked us to dinner tomorrow at 4 - and I think we shall change our hour - nobody there tonight but ourselves Princess Dalgorousky, bad health - went away soon after 9 - smoked a cigar therefore so did I, and the old English Ouroussoff lady - very agreeable evening
Esclavager a benefit to the people a loss rather than gain to the Nobility - the peasants belong to the land rather to the landlord - cannot be sold in detail - against the law - it was done 20 or 30 years ago; but it was then done arbitrarily - and now the government would interfere - it could not be done - this not understood by foreigners, who know little of Russia - even the Emperor of Austria asked whether Sarskoe Selo and Pavlosk were near Moscow or Petersburg! - Princess Radzivill animated and eloquent and belle ce soir, après la départ de la Princesse Dalgorousky, en parlant sur ces sujèts - Quelle belle femme! all right again tonight my pother at I on last night and today was all from mere vain imagining but I will be circumspect in future
Stood talking to Ann 25 minutes till 10 55/60 then wrote the last 20 lines till now 11 20/60 at which hour Fahrenheit 55 on my table, and Reaumur +2 1/2 = Fahrenheit 39.
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