Sunday 17th August 1834

Awoke about 2 o’clock quite frightened, fancying some one in room who had opened window, dearest lighted candle for me – awoke & got up 10 to 7 – dearest slept til 8 – & I then went to her – at 9.15 we got up, explained to me all words I had written down that I could not find in Dictionary – breakfasted at 10.20 looked at minerals – & altered expression in letter to Mrs. Lister – dearest payed Madame – long conversation with her about Religion &c – Louis Philippe went there with Duke of Orleans & 12 people en suite last year & paid 2,000 francs for 2 days – off at 1.10 for Riom, large town, Volvic near noted for its quarries: then to Aigueperse, thence to Gannat, where we were detained 40 minutes for horses postboys. got some cold turkey then off for Vichy where we arrived in 1 ¾ hour. 3 postes – pretty place, but long bargaining at Hotel Montaret about rooms, at last agreed for 30 francs per day, country from Clermont to Vichy flat, but a fine view over great extent of country – the French often plant larger trees by cutting off all the branches, & then they put forth nice buds – the following year & are out of the reach of cattle – dinner at 7.30 people very odd – bed at 10.30 very comfortable

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale WYC:1525/7/1/5/1/29 & WYC:1525/7/1/5/1/30

[up at] 8 1/2
[to bed at] 11 35/..

no kiss from Grenoble to here (and here put it back 1/2 hour) my watch 1/2 hour too soon – breakfast at 10 – very fine morning Fahrenheit 75º at 9 1/2 a.m. – off from chez Dessat hotel de l’Ecu de France Clermont at 1 1/2 – comfortable here in spite of the fair and the heat – the white hills as we go along covered with vines – Clermont nice town – all the country might have been at the fair – abundance of hides (untanned) to be sold, and all sorts of cattle, and wearing apparel and everything – Riom largeish straggling town ‘la plus jolie ville de l’Auvergne. Itineraire Column 115 – handsome boulevard but saw no particular beauty in the town – passed close by the palais, a large plain but not handsome building – nice fine open corn-country from Riom with very few vines – Aigueperse 1 long street – nice little town – Gannat a poorish little town – no postillion one of the wheelers wanted to take us forward to Vichy so grand quarrel and mutual abuse between him and the maitresse de poste – he said we ought to have turned off at Aigueperse – that the great new high road – she very civil to us – only begged us to wait 1/4 hour – asked us into her house (not an inn) and gave Adney a little cold turkey – detained 39 minutes – Off from Gannat at 5 40/.. – at 7 forked lightning (no rain) descend the hill, and fine view over the rich plain, and gravelly broad bedded Alliér (not much water) its large handsome suspension bridge and the fine range of opposite well-wooded hill – At the bridge at 7 20/.. – 4 pairs of suspension pillars – long bridge over the broad bedded river – fine river – stopt, as recommended by the maitresse de Poste at Gannat, at the hotel Montaret, Vichy, at 7 25/.. – long while bargaining – a cheat of a woman – she asked 15/. per day and 7/50 per ditto for the servants – then 40/. then 36/. and at last ran after me to the carriage to take my price 30/. – too late to hunt about, or would not have troubled her more – Dinner at 8 1/4 – with Miss W- [Walker] from eleven for thirty five minutes very fine day – Fahrenheit 72º at 11 35/.. p.m. –

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