Sunday 27th July 1834

Up at 7 – breakfasted in salle à manger, read prayers in our own room – took a char a bonne [char a banc], to head of Lake – off at 9.57 to Douane [Duingt]. back at small Inn where we eat poulet – saw chateau called châteauvieux – property of Marquis de Salle [Sales] before revolution, now belongs to Monsieur Bertie [Berthet], not in good order – rooms painted in compartments – pretty vue from chateau – Monsieur Bertie [Berthet] had a son after he had been married 15 years – it lived till it was six years old, & his wife has never looked up since, they go to Geneva in the winter – present Marquis de Salle wishes to re purchase that property but he thinks too great a price is asked – about £4000 English money – on return at 2.30 walked to the Castle, now used for Barracks – & to the Churches – off for Alby at 3.33 – fine & beautiful mountains, not a bed to be had at Aix – nor even dinner – saw the Baths which the invalids frequent & their source, L’enfer, is particularly hot; the Roman Baths at Madame Perier’s are very singular. discovered about 2 years ago – walls an immense thickness – Aix was brought into repute in the reign of Henry 4th of France but there was no accommodation for the poor, till an Englishman gave a million of francs for the commencement of an Hospital, the King of Sardinia soon sent a very handsome addition to this sum, & the building completed [gap] so that the poor now receive every attention & accommodation: begging is entirely forbidden during the season, which commences with the first fine days in May & lasts till September – about 3000 strangers generally visit the baths annually – saw little of road to Chambery, as it was quite dark most of the way, & ten oclock when we arrived at Hotel, Parfaite Union apartment lofty good size & very comfortable beds – 11 when we sat down to supper –

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale WYC:1525/7/1/5/1/19

[up at] 6

[to bed at] 1

very fine morning Fahrenheit 69 1/2 at 7 a.m. sat writing in her room till eleven and not at all with her last night – reading ready at 7 this morning and looking at maps till 7 3/4 – breakfast at 7 3/4 – prayers (ourselves and George) from 8 50/.. to 9 1/2 – Adney and I off in little char at 9 57/.. – very pretty drive along the lake shallow and reedy along the margin, and at Duing or Douin /Duingt/ at 11, a small village – little auberge and a few cottages and the château – at the foot of the mountain de Déré – agreed with our cocher to take us to the head of the lake for 2 francs more (7+2=9 francs) – there in 25 minutes at 11 1/2 – a sort of little port – a house and stabling and coal dêpot and 2 or 3 flat-bottomed carrying boats to take to Annecy the coal (like anthracite) from the mountain d’Entreverne a little to the south of the head of the lake, – and wood, and one of the boats was laden with a yellowish friable, clayy earth – 1/4 hour here walking about – the lake from Douin narrower, and more confined, and prettier – the hoary, green-speckled, calcareous mountains very fine – back at Douin in 25 minutes at 12 1/4 – stopt 1/2 hour at the little auberge (belonging to the people who kept it) for Adney to eat her cold chicken – the woman had lived in service at the Château and volunteered going with us to see it – called Chateauvieux built on a little promontory that seems almost or quite to close the lake when seen from the other end of the lake – it was before the revolution of 1791 the property the Marquis de Sales whose son the present marquis is now anxious to buy it but the present proprietor, Monsieur Berthé, who married a Genevese and spends his winters at Geneva, asks 100,000 francs and the Marquis only bids 90,000 francs the house and all about it, nice little gardens and terraces, are all mal entretenus, but nothing is done now that Monsieur and Madame Berthé have lost their only child a boy of six years old – before his death they kept a pension here and the Chateau was full of people – among them many English – the château took us 40 minutes – off again at 1 25/.. back at Annecy at 2 33/.. – a few light drops of rain at 2 1/4 for about 10 minutes very good road all the way, shaded with walnut trees – walked about Annecy – good and largish town – most of the streets arcaded as is common in Italy – went into the two principal churches, not handsome but full of people – walked up to the castle – a barrack, so not allowed to enter the court without permission which not worth while to ask for – a large pile of building – looking not very ancient perhaps about 12th or 13th century – Off from the hotel de Genève (the only one to go to) Annecy, at 3 33/.. – rain not heavy at 4 25/.. for about 20 minutes – at Alby
^# at 5 10/.. – little church and town, and deep bedded stream, and handsome white stone bridge (one high arch) over it, and ascend the hill by fine new road cut out of the rock – very fine, and beautiful, and picturesque here – well cultivated well wooded fine country – and fine mountain drive all the way from Annecy – still the white Salève-like, steppy mountains, but more wooded – neat farm houses scattered tho’ rather thinly all around – the Savoy valleys less populous than the Swiss – Albens at 6, neat little town – here we get into the great high road from Geneva to Chambery which we left at St. Julien – still the same fine, cultivated, wooded, rich, beautiful country and excellent road as before but rather wider – road all today (as yesterday) almost everywhere lined with trees – willows, Lombardy poplars (the tall, pyramidal) great many walnuts, and a few elms and apple trees – At Aix at 7 25/.. – 1200 strangers – not a bed to be had – the maître de poste recommended my going to la Poste at Chambery – the commis we had from there, to go about with us, said La parfait union was the best hotel – he went with us to see the baths, the bains Romains discovered about 3years ago, in the garden of Madame Perrier, and the Roman arch near the pension of Madame Charpentier – this last has 10/. a day including board and lodging par personne and 5/. for servants – chez Madame Perrier, and at La poste 7/. a day and 3/5 for servants – tasted the water at the source – slightly sulphurous – not near so strong as at Harrogate – a very abundant spring – the swimming bath struck me as very small – not more than five or six yards square – what they called L’Enfer (the men’s vapour bath) was hot and suffocating enough to deserve its name – Adney could not even put her head into it – the thermes or bains Romains are very well worth seeing – perhaps the most perfect to be seen anywhere except at Rome – they say, there would be much more found if the garden was more searched into – the water goits – corridors supported by 1 row of round and 1 of square low pillars communicating with supplying the large square piscinum, are very perfect as are many of the square earthen vapour tubes (like fine brick) communicating with the vapour bath above – the Roman arch was never much ornamented and the ornaments there were are much worn and obliterated – Off from Aix at 8 8/.. grieved over being in the dark, but it could not be helped – Alighted at La Parfait Union, in a quiet little square en face de la Cathédrale at Chambery at 10 – dinner at 11 – fine day in spite of the slight showers at 2 1/4 and 4 25/.. p.m. Fahrenheit 71º at 12 55/.. tonight –

In the margin:
Alby beautifully situated at the edge of plateau above the deep stream but at the foot of a cluster of green, wooded hills – glimpse of old castle tower farish to the left –

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale SH:7/ML/E/17/0064