Wednesday 2nd July 1834

Went to the Toporama – to the Pension – heard of & saw Miss Pickford, & Miss Maitland. they intended to return to England tuesday next on account of Mrs. Alexander who was very ill – quite true Miss Pickford has lost a considerable sum of money by her friend Miss Thredfeld [Threlfall] who died in West Indies 2 years ago – back to dinner at 6 – a violent Thunder storm –

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale WYC:1525/7/1/5/1/13

[up at] 5

[to bed at] 12

no kiss see last night very fine morning – F70° at 6 10/.. – Adney and I out at 6 40/.. sauntered along the rue du Rhone – went into the rue de la Cité and paid for plan of Geneva that came at 6 1/2 this morning etc. and staid there some time – the man very civil gave me 4 addresses for pensions (thought of having Eugenie at one) – and gave me the relative value of Geneva money comparisons with French –

sols de Genève French centimes 1 ecu de 5 francs (French) vaut florins 10.10s

pieces of

1/2 = . 0.2 } 2 francs –––– . . 4.4

1 = . 0.4 } 1 franc –––– . . 2.2

3 = . 0.12 } 1/2 franc –––– . . 1.1

15 = . 0.58 } 1 florin de Genève = 12 sols de Genève

21 = . 0.80 } 26 sols de Genève = 1 franc de France

[– to the Toporama to see Godot’s /Gaudin/ fine model of Switzerland – not the one I saw in 1827, only 1/2 the size but containing more extent of country i.e. the Tyrol, Italian lakes, part of Piémont and the whole of Switzerland – on sale – for not less than 24000 francs French – would sell the other (the large and old one) for 9000 francs – a model in hand like the 24000 franc one, reduced from about 15 by 9 feet (French) to about 3 feet by 2 1/2 feet (French) at 500 francs to be sent to Sweden, to Baron Müller – had made several on this scale and sent them to England – to Lord Grey, Lord Monson et aliis – made one of the Mt. Blanc mountains only, on a very large scale for the École des mines à Paris – said I should like a scale between the big and the little and he agreed to make me (in 6 months and send via Paris and Calais to London there to be paid for on its arrival) a model taking in all the country – all the étendue of the large one at 24,000 francs for 1500 francs – said I should be back again from Chamouni /Chamonix/ soon, and would let him know about it – Miss Walker shockingly tired of standing so long – about an hour there] – put in the post en passant my letter to my aunt ‘Shibden Hall Halifax Yorkshire Angletterre’ and Adney’s letter to her aunt Cliff Hill, and sister and Washington – vide yesterday – home at 8 3/4 breakfast at 9 to 10 3/4 having George up 2 or 3 times, to give him instructions in French –

then chez Joan Soupat, place du bourg du four, for little silk shawl for Adney – had not one, but good shop for Swiss muslins and linen etc – they sent us to Louis Pernin fils au bas de la cité no. 51, and got a fichu that would do, but no choice – home at 8 3/4 – breakfast etc. etc. (the 12 lines within brackets belong to after breakfast) – from 11 3/4 to 1 3/4 when Adney and I out again – had had the porter up after breakfast – said there were 240 rooms in the house of which 160 de maître – 34 chambres de maitre sur chaque des 5 étages – price of a country house for the season (6 months) 3,000 to 4,000 francs – Coligny, that Lord Byron had, 4,000 francs – Had enquired at the police – Miss Pickford had not been here of 3 years – Adney had lain down – had ordered a carriage at 2 – she and I out in it at 2 3/4 and took Eugenie with us – went to the bank (Henri Hentsch & Co.) on the quai almost opposite to our hotel des Bergues – For £25 circular number 4096 received 11 double napoleons and 9 single ditto = 620 francs for which paid (agio on the gold) 7/50? or more for gold now cost 15 francs per thousand and this not considered dear – a month hence would be 20/. agio per thousand – forgot to ask for an account of what I received – suppose I paid 7/55 agio this would make 620 + 7/55 + (5 sols de Genève taken at sols French) ./20 = 627 francs 75 centimes = exchange at 25 francs 11 cents from the bank to the Grand Chemin des philosophes, chez Madame Bacle for pension for Eugenie – would take her (giving her 2 ground floor rooms) for 175 francs per month so that we could sleep a night or 2 there if we liked – but for on own living to pay 10 francs a day – happening to inquire about Miss Pickford found she and Miss Maitland were chez Madame Palis, a house or 2 distant – went there – waited 20 minutes till 4 5/.. then sat with them till 4 1/2 – Miss Pickford said nothing but seemed surprised – was she not nervous? looked well – told her of her letter received in Paris last July – they are going to England on Tuesday Paris viâ Dijon, by voiturin, the one from here they have had at Naples and everywhere – Miss Maitland a very tall large woman – asked me to stay and dine with them at the public table! – Miss Pickford said nothing – she probably knew me better – declined very civilly on account of much to do, and going to Chamouni tomorrow – Miss Pickford hardly seemed at ease – true she lost much (‘pretty well’) by Miss Threlfall who died 2 years ago – might have recovered it, but it would cost more than it was worth – the musé[e] under repair could not be seen – perhaps may be a fortnight hence – 20 minutes in the botanic garden goes up to Mr. Eynard’s nice house and grounds – the garden arranged on the natural system – very ill kept – the Serres full of workmen – then to the cathedral – full of workmen preparing for the grand Helvetic concert on the 28th instant – neat, clean, handsome gothic pile – du temps de Charlemagne, the woman said – 3 fine painted glass windows in the apsis –Charlemagne, in that on the right – home at 5 1/2 – dinner at 5 40/.. – had just the loueur of the carriage – called the distance to Sallenche /Sallanches/ 15 lieues (instead of 12 or in truth 11) and asked 48/. – tho’ he had agreed with the porter for 36/. – said people gave the cocher 3/. a day – 30/ + 4/. for cocher would have been enough the porter owned had it been last year – now forage dear and 36/. – fair – offered to get me another carriage – no! said I would go en poste – poste arranged as in France 30 sols per cheval and 1 extra cheval not put on for us at 20 sols – so I shall leave the carriage at Sallenche and Eugenie too – sat long over dinner and dessert – dawdling talking – from 10 1/4 to 11 20/.. wrote the above of today – fine day till lowering at 5 1/2 and between] 6 and 7, (and long afterwards flashes of lightning at intervals) heavy rain and a thunder storm – lightning very vivid much thunder and 1 peal so near the house seemed coming down – F 72 1/2° now at 11 20/.. p.m. Miss Walker owns she has had whites again (had them years ago and since) these last two or three days burn her in making water said she had rather affected me on Monday night –

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale, SH:7/ML/E/17/0050