Monday 18th August 1834

Up at 10 to 6 – awoke dearest at 7.30, breakfasted, walked out, to baths, very nice building with corridors, & bathing apartments of women on one side, men on the other, tasted water very nauseous, & quite hot – salons & suite of apartments above for balls &c – heard that Madame Montaret’s is a second rate house, she, not particularly well conducted – Madame Bonnet’s is the first – walked thro’ promenade & into town, very small but there appeared some nice walks & rides – season for baths from middle of May to middle of September company beginning now to go away – on application for horses, told none to be had, & that we must per force stay till next day, as none could be got in town – dearest went out, & bargained with a man – who was driving a cart to take us to St. Gérand-le-Puy, for 27 francs – off from Vichy (pronounced Vicy) at 20 to 5 – with 3 horses & 2 postilions, arrived at St. Gerand, at 20 to 8 – settled for dinner rooms & breakfast for 20 francs – walked out for 20 minutes – curled hair as soon as we returned, dinner, & went to bed immediately – comfortable bed & slept soundly till 4 o’clock

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale WYC:1525/7/1/5/1/30

[up at] 7 1/2
[to bed at] 10 50/..

long but not good kiss last night very fine morning – Fahrenheit 70 1/2º at 8 1/2 a.m. breakfast at 9 – Adney and I took the servants and out at 10 1/2 and came in again at 12 having seen the bathing establishment and walked about the public walks, all the lions at Vichy – large handsome building built by the aunts of Louis 16 – and close to all the hotels – about 80 baths (baignoirs) 16 of them being in another good building called the hospital, tho’ appropriated to the pay visitants – It is the hospice that is for the poor, who have 7 baths there – poor but rather picturesque little town, at a little distance from the baths, separated by nice public walks and gardens – shaded and cool and pretty – Hotel Bonnet at 9/. a day where the Dauphine went and all the great people – Hotel de Paris at 8/. does not take mere passers-by – Hotel Cornil or la poste also at 8/. and where one can go for only one night – where we are (Hotel Montaret) very 2nd rate – no horses till tomorrow – went out about them myself for above an hour, till 2 – none to be had at the poste, or by the mistress of our hotel – might get them if and where I could, should not be stopt on this account at the next poste – ran after the 1st cart I saw, and by this means got 3 horses for the same I should pay for 4 en poste, after much bargaining for all? seem knowing how to surfaire if they can – the man asked me 40/. then came down to 30/. then took my price 27/. – Changed my dress – from 2 8/.. to 4 1/4 writing out journal (latter 1/2 Thursday and the whole of Friday) – horses at 4 1/4 – 3 and 2 men – and off from Vichy (the people thinking they had me fast) at 4 39/.. – at Cussy /now Cusset/ at 5 – very pretty nice good village or little town – detained there 20 minutes adjusting the harness – the horses did not go very well at 1st – I greased myself against the off hind wheel in telling them how to fasten on the bag of oats, and went into the man’s cabaret to rub the grease off – fine country all the way to St. Gerand /Gérand/ le Puy – nice liveable whitewashed chateau on hill (left) on our entrance – at the Poste at 7 20/.. – 20 minutes settling – to pay 20/. for the night, beds, dinner and breakfast – Adney and I walked out 20 minutes the evening so fine – dinner at 9 – very fine day – Fahrenheit 72º at 10 1/2 p.m. –

[In the margin:]

Eggs hatched by the heat from the spring at the low baths and douches at Vichy –

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale SH:7/ML/E/17/0076 & SH:7/ML/E/17/0077