#kutaisi1840

[the-deeds-to-shibden]

Thursday 6 August 1840

[Anne misdated this entry as Thursday 4 August]

[up at] 6 10/..

[to bed at] 11 40/..

up for about near 1/2 hour to speak to Adam etc. then lay down till 8 1/2 – breakfast at 8 3/4 and rainy morning from 8 a.m. Reaumur 18 1/2 at 8 1/2 a.m. Shāppă, a man from Oni, brought dark grey 6 years old mare to sell price 30/. – not wishing to buy a mare, but the 2 horses to be hired for today so bad, bought the mare for 24/. silver – I to shoe her – he brought another horse to sell but complaint (not catching) in its throat – would not think of it – another man brought another horse to sell – no! go to Choni – breakfast over at 10 – rainy again now at 10 20/.. – nearly fair from about 9 to 10 – calculated last night that leaving Moscow 4 February and Domna being married say a fortnight before the 9 months 9 x 28 days = 252 days will expire 30 September – and she is so large time to think what to do with her – send her and George with her to Odessa from Redut Kalé? packing! at accounts and 1 thing or other till now 1 5/.. and now almost fair – after very rainy morning for the last 3 hours – looking at the map – if we buy horses and all goes well told George we should not return tomorrow – should go to Zugdidi and be away a few days – if not should be back tomorrow not later than 10 p.m. – but all quite uncertain – looking at the map packing it in the saddle bags (I one side Ann the other) and put these in our large woollen bags – take the 2 dictionaries and 2 grammars and volumes Dubois and etat major map – tea – and off at 5 20/.. – sent compliments and message by the Cossack who brought the horse – no time to call on Madame Boujouroff – if not back tomorrow will send the horse – good broad sand-road – we had gone 5 versts at 6 13/.. and 3 versts more in 24 minutes but Adam’s horse with him and saddle bags and burcas could not keep up at this – our trotting ceased – we had to aller au pas the rest of the way (fine evening and night) and arrived at 10 at the natchalnik’s door – he sent us over the green to the Cossack post station and here we had 2 little rooms 1 for ourselves and 1 for our 2 people and undressed and went to bed (our burcas over the bois de lit) and were glad to be so well off – between the 5th and 8th verst we had passed some branch-shelters like that going to the source of the Rion near Carraoule – called Balagans – at 6 versts from Choni forded (not deep but broadish) the .  . .  .  . in entering passed some beautiful large roundheaded (said Adam) walnut trees – very picturesque village as seen in the dusk, darksome dusk, but as if a little glimmer of almost moonlight – no supper – undressed then put on drawers and black petticoat – Rainy day till about 3 p.m. or earlier afterwards fair, and fine as we rode along – cool and pleasant – the last 3/4 hour put on my burca 1st time felt my arms cold – cast my woollen (merinos) sleeves some days ago –

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[the-deeds-to-shibden]

Wednesday 5 August 1840

[Anne misdated this entry as Wednesday 3 August]

[up at] 7 1/2

[to bed at] 12 1/2

1 1/2 hour till 9 1/2 at which hour Reaumur 18 3/4° mending my stockings – breakfast at 10 50/.. and had the commandant a few minutes – very civil – Adam had brought an uneatable cheese and 2 indifferent tchureks instead of 2 good crooglees (crōōglĕes) – breakfast over at 11 40/.. – went to pay our visit to Madame la commandante about 12 – not at home but sat a few minutes with the commandant himself – offered his droschky to take us chez Madame Boujouroff this evening – Madame returned and came and sat with us till after 1 – then Ann and I and the Cossack and Adam went to the bazaar bought wax candles (fours) at 4 abasses per pound and loaf sugar (good) at ./30 silver per pound – Russian common soap (good) ./15 silver per pound – did not buy it – then bought a pair of Moscow gentlemen’s boots same as at Tiflis, and 2 little soup-plates and paper and Ann bought several things – and I 15 pears for 5 paras and a melon for ./15 copper – home about 3 1/4 – no horses to be bought – settle to go to a village 8 versts from here tomorrow morning early to see for horses – At 4 40/.. Ann and the Cossack off in the Droschky and I rode Merab to Madame Boujouroff – pleased to see us – tea – the Cossack officer’s wife there we met before and her husband and another Cossack officer came to tea – Colonel Boujouroff very civil – she had mentioned a botcha that was here at 50/. silver – inquired about it – gone back to Choni – fix to go there early tomorrow – Colonel Boujouroff has bought a botcha at 50/. for his wife to ride – but it stumbles – will change it – told her to wait our final return – she should have the best of our horses without being ruined – (think to give it her) – the colonel said we should find nothing very agreeable at Mr. Marr’s – very bad house built in a hole between 2 hills and mal sain – rained (thunder shower) while at the Boujouroffs’, and a little just before we set off – home at 8 20/.. – then sat 3/4 hour chez le commandant till 9 5/.. – Adam had brought us 3 crōōglĕes made by his wife – good – dawdled over 1 thing or other – and had written all but the 1st 4 lines of yesterday and so far of today now at 11 p.m. at which hour Reaumur 18 1/2° after the heavy rain and thunder and lightning at 10 p.m. and the rain hardly over now – fine but dull day, rain-threatening –

 Anne’s marginal notes:

V [visit]

V [visit]

V [visit]

WYAS page:  SH:7/ML/E/24/0171

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[the-deeds-to-shibden]

Tuesday 4 August 1840

[Anne misdated this entry as Tuesday 3 August]

[up at] 7 1/2

[to bed at] 10 3/4

slept well but hot in the night – comfortable wash – took off drawers and waist and caught 22 fleas – rain soon after we arrived last night and rainy night and rainy morning till after 9 then gleams and 2 or 3 short light showers till noon – breakfast over at 9 50/.. – Ann sketched Adam etc. – I till now 12 50/.. wrote from line 17 of last page to here – and wrote out the accounts – paid for the hay of last night and this morning 4 abasses and for the 1 batman more Indian corn ./25 silver – and off from Odjola at 1 25/.. – picturesque scattered village – the houses (little farmsteads) nearish together but irregularly placed, and so hid among the trees, scarcely seen at a little distance – this a good village – 25 mosâcles i.e. inhabited houses (in Russ Dīmoff) a stable cowhouse storehouse any building is a sâcle – but mosâcle is a house inhabited by human beings – sometimes one mosâcle inhabited by 3 brothers and their families – I think one may average each house at 2 families of 2 children each therefore each house 8 souls and 25 x 8 = 200 souls at Odjōlă – the kelossan here a civil good man – the road from here to Koutaïs, a Russian road – good – Drov (Russian) fire wood, and 1 cube sagène = 15 arbaghs (or little cart-loads) and 1/2 arbagh will feed one fire (not a stove) 24 hours therefore 1 sagène of wood = 1 fire (24 hours a day) for 30 days – wood from 3/. to 4/. silver per sagène at Koutaïs – the gallery or balcony where we slept last night not an Ōtach, not good enough for that, – but a bĕ’rē^lĭ – the road good to Odjōlă because mnogo Rabosha (roots turnips, carrots, and parsnips) here that the people sell – and sell wine, too – our road thro’ wood (but completely pruned out of one’s eyes) almost all the way – at 4 23/.. peep down on la belle Rioni and la belle Colchide – at 4 1/2 fine view of the monastery of Ghelati – at 4 38/.. distinguish the narrow Tskaltsitéli (red water tsiltéli red in Georgian) winding at the foot of the wooded hill of Ghelathi, and distinguish the little white monastery of Modzamêta just peeping up above the trees – the wood of the wooded knoll on jet of rock on which it stands – at 4 3/4 fine view over la Colchide (rich, beautiful, fine valley) and of reach of the Rioni, but the high mountains of Akhaltiskh hid in mist – dont see far enough to see Koutaïs – at 4 55/.. see Koutaïs thro’ a break in the hills, and beautiful descent upon the river and soon down at it (at about 5 1/2) still in its own narrowish wooded rich lovely valley (at 2 1/2 versts from Koutaïs) which does not open into la Colchide till it reaches the castle (or cathedral) hill which in fact forms one buttress of the valley at its termination – at 6 10/.. near Koutaïs – left Ann and the rest, and took Adam and rode on before to the bazaar to buy fodder for Merab – bought bundle of grass for 16 paras – home at 6 1/2 or after and find all the party arrived – Domna living in the house but not at home – had to wait a few minutes to get in – the commandant and his wife out – their man swept our rooms – got 1 chair and another with a board over it, and a bench for a table at the joiner’s, and soon made ourselves comfortable   tea about 7 1/2 to 8 1/2 – Rainy morning (vide) fine afternoon and evening – merely a few drops of rain about 2 p.m. but at 9 50/.. Reaumur 19 3/4° and thunder and lightning and heavy rain –

 Anne’s marginal notes:

mosâcles

Odjōlă

Bĕ’rē^lĭ

Koutaïs

WYAS pages:  SH:7/ML/E/24/0170      SH:7/ML/E/24/0171

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[the-deeds-to-shibden]

Thursday 9 July 1840

[up at] 4 25/..

[to bed at] 12 25/..

called and up at 4 25/..   Reaumur 18° and Fahrenheit 72+° at 5 1/4 and very fine but dullish morning – quite ready at 5 1/2 – the horses not come! left Ann to finish her packing and went out – to the Jardin de la couronne – small – an oblong with bosquet and seat in the middle and vine shaded walk all round – lettuces and kitchen stuff – observed nothing new – abundance of large cherry trees, and next in abundance plum trees – a few fine large fig trees – walked to peep out behind the garden – the town pretty and scattered – in returning home strolled along the bazaar and bought 6 cucumbers = /15 1/2 kopeck copper – came in about 6 or after – busy packing – left them – lay down on my mattress and slumbered then went out to the horses – bought another large feutre, cut into 2 for a saddle cloth for Ann and one for myself – then seeing that they could not manage the baggage – they said it weighted 6 poods – too much for the horse – he could not get on – asked if another could be got – yes! at 7/. silver per month – agreed – but then two horses about which could not agree, and our jew would buy a horse if I would give him 10/. silver per month – yes! at that rate per day – we must have another paper – no! I would buy the horse myself price 15/ silver – agreed – in the mean time had been chez le commandant to explain, and accompany the mattresses and say thank you and goodbye again – the commandant himself and I went with him, took our 2 writing cases to the treasury – very civil – on the Jew’s return he wanted to put all the great weight on our new horse – aetatis 10 to 14 said to be strong – I objected – then seeing it would be better to let him do as he liked said the might buy the horse himself and I would pay him 20/. silver a month – it was now after 8 – terrible – at last Ann and I and Adam (our Georgian guide) and George rode off at 8 3/4 – there was a pother about fastening on the baggage so that we waited at the top of the hill 1/4 hour – then off finally at 9 (nine) – beautiful comby wood ride as before to Ghélati – but not 1/2 as much water in the river – at 11 we had left Ghélati 1/2 a verst off right and behind us, and would down hill to the level of the river thro’ a grove of Diospyrus same as on mounting the hill to Ghélathi encircled with huge vines to the very top – at 11 25/.. we stopt at a shady grassy spot close (right – below) the high road and river – nothing more picturesque – a set of pack-horse men were already there, sleeping after the meal – I had supposed we were to breakfast at Ghélathi – never dreampt of this out of doors work – but the day so fine out of doors is much better than a sâcle – our guide could make a fire if we chose – no! – breakfasted very well on cold tea and 2 cold hard eggs apiece and bread and butter and I had 1 1/2 cucumber and Ann the other 1/2 – of cucumber – I had eaten one before setting off, and another while waiting at the top and afterwards en route – in crossing the river filled one of our little bottles with the beautiful clear stream – excellent water – our breakfast over at 12 25/.. – I sat on my English saddle-bags and wrote all but the 1st line of today till now 1 1/2 Ann asleep on the grass (on her burca and cloak) – nothing more picturesque – our horses pasturing by us – our suite talking at a little distance behind us – Adam wears a Circassian cap black wool fringe bourrelet and yellow top – our Jew a black lamb’s wool persian cap, otherwise clad à la georgienne – our Cossack in uniform blue light short jacket, and blue trowsers and white casquette – George in white trowsers, and short dark yellowish green coat with courier’s belt and kindjal – Ann in her habit and I in my pelisse and black tammy cloak and dark blue cloth London (Jupp) casquette and Ann and I mens Moscow boots – Ann[’s] little horse black and my less one chesnut aetatis 3 – Adam’s hourse grey, one baggage ditto and one ditto black – George and the Cossack[’s] bay – we are in a grove of vine-clasped Diospyrus – long dark bright green leaf shaped like a long small peartree leaf – a nice breath of air now and then – (‘tis now 1 40/..)

                                                                                               versts

Koutaïs (to Glelathi 8 versts) to our breakfast station            10

Breakfast station to Satzēērĕ’h (to sleep)                              15

Tomorrow Satzēērĕ’h to Treeboul                  .          .            11

Treeboul to Chotevi or Ratcha                       .           .           30

 Reaumur 20° and Fahrenheit 82° at 2 p.m. in my bag in the shade – and Reaumur 24 1/2 in the shade lying on the tea-box near to where Ann is lying sleeping now at 2 1/4 p.m. and at 3 20/.. in a glimmer of sun close to where I am sitting reading Reaumur 26 and Fahrenheit 90°– a nice breath of air now and then – in another hour the heat will be abating and we can be off – Reading Dubois ii. page 350 to 380 and shut and ordered the horses now at 3 1/2 – Ann and I went down to the river just on the other side the road not more than a hundred yards from us – the Tskenitskalah – off at 4 25/.. – at the fine cool spring of excellent close to our road side (right) 2 versts from our breakfast station, – at 5 – at 5 25/.. having just left our Tskenitskalah running or rather coming down another valley turned right and came upon the river Bas-shāh-vĕe and at 5 1/2 at a little mill on the last named river – a man catching fish, standing in the water nearly up to his middle near the mill – bought about a dozen (one largish size of a good herring the other size of smallish smelts) dace? for an abasse – at 6 1/4 just after crossing the 7th stream since our fish-buying Adam pointed out old ruined fort on the top of the side of wooded rocky hill – I could not distinguish it – all the streams winding and wooded and rock-girt and very picturesque – afterwards cross another stream, and at 8 40 alight for 10 minutes+ and send the horses a little way forward to wait for us – Ann had a bowel complaint – did not feel well or inclined to get up (she said) this morning – her between 2 and 3 hours sleep after breakfast did her good – very beautiful ride from our breakfast station (indeed all today) among wooded winding combs (little valleys) and streams – the hills and valleys thickly wooded except the little openings – the fields of Indian corn or bearded wheat – from Koutaïs to palace of queen Thamar the other day abundance of centaury in full flower – and some of it ditto ditto all today – sent Adam forward a little way as I supposed to the head of a village – but at 7 40/.. (having turned right off the high road) at the rude gate of some Georgian prince – sent our Cossack in with Colonel Tchernikoff’s paper and in 5 minutes answer received, and we alighted in about a minute at the hospitable door – a good wood house on wood pillars on props at the low side of the slope (back of house) 6 feet or 5 feet 6 inches+ high for I could walk underneath the house floors – in the front the floor nearly on a level with the ground – the house wide-balconied all round – we had the middle large lofty room – very comfortable – the prince asked what we should like – poulet or mutton or both with soup or what – asked to have our fish cooked and to have a little poulet and to taste his wine – the cook had neither butter nor oil to fry the fish therefore had them boiled – a pity that he would keep them till they were cold – had the samovar almost immediately and had had tea at 9 5/.. – reserved ourselves for the rest which came at (near) 10   enjoyed our supper over at 10 55/.. – roast poulet cut up – our fish 2 barley cakes (hot, baked on purpose) thin white cheese (cow’s milk) white and comby like gruyere – and good vinegar and 2 sorts wine stronger and weaker neither very strong, but agreeable – poor Ann took tea – could eat nothing but asked for an egg to beat up with wine and water – a goose egg – the geese don’t sit after March and April – all the eggs afterwards are eaten – Ann thought it the best thing she had had since Tiflis – we had Mēē-shă, a cub bear in that ate out of our hand – had our jew to pay the 4 1/2 abasse for the feutre this morning – out a Silver Ruble he gave me 15 copper kopecks and 25 Turkish paras of which 5 = /4 copper kopeck and 100 = 1 abasse and 4 abasses = 1 .  . .  .  from 11 to now 11 3/4 wrote the last 21 lines last page and so far of this – to be off at 4 tomorrow morning – Reaumur 19 3/4° and Fahrenheit 76 1/2° now at 11 3/4 p.m. in our large lofty cool-feeling! room – I took off my pelisse at tea finding it too hot, and have sat in my katsivéika (Turkish Tchekmareff douliette) – lay down – stays on –

 Anne’s marginal notes:

Leave Koutaïs.

+ [reading]

Satzēērĕ’h prince George Kaidza.

5 paras = ./4 copper

WYAS pages:  SH:7/ML/E/24/0145     SH:7/ML/E/24/0146

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[the-deeds-to-shibden]

Sunday 5 July 1840

[up at] 8 20/..

[to bed at] 12 1/4

cousin was come gently on going to bed – an hour at A-’s [Ann’s] head   breakfast at 11 to 12 at noon at which hour Reaumur 18 1/4° and Fahrenheit 72 1/2°  Ann and I read prayers from 12 40/.. to 1 10/.. – then wrote out journal of yesterday except the 1st 7 lines – civil kind note 3 pages of 1/2 sheet paper from Madame Boujouroff to say the colonel had not had much time to examine the horses but thought the little horse too weak for the journey and that the other 4 if well kept if they had corn besides their hay, would do for the journey of as I told him last night 1000 or 1500 versts – the Cossack to ask if the captain would change the little horse – if not thought we had better take the four for a month and go chez Mr. Marr who had made the arrangement – but we could not go this evening – we should meet again – if we did not go to her, she would come to us towards evening – the Cossack brought word that the captain had no other horse – that the 5 horses were ready (I had ordered them for a petite promenade) but that the captain would not let us have them without being paid one month in advance!!! – sent back immediately that I declined paying the month in advance – therefore we have no horses but the officer now wants paying for the time the horses have been here! sent for the commandant, compliments etc. – asleep – sent word that I had no more need for the horses – then wrote thus far of today till now 4 1/4 – what pother! Then copied the 2nd sketch and wrote the bottom of page 223 of Thursday 25 June – till tea at 5 5/.. over at 5 3/4 took George and our Cossack (and the Georgian guide as far as the bridge and then sent him to seek horses) and walked slowly to Madame Boujouroff’s – the commandants wife and daughter and of their boys (sons) there – told the story of the officer and his impolitesse – no money, no horses – tea – as soon as Madame la commandante came away, we made the move, and Madame Boujouroff came with us to the hill above the river where the descent begins and there we stood talking a long while – the new bridge over the river was to have been finished this year but 2 days before Monsieur Golovin came the water washed away the middle arch and left only the couple of small arches on each side – the engineers blame baron Rosen who chose this place for the bridge – a rock in the middle of the river and they cannot found securely on it! when this bridge finished the authorities are to live on the Cossack-green (called Siglach) – rail from St. Petersburg to Moscow will cost 2 millions assignats per verst – 2,000,000 ÷ 21 = £9523 17/21 say £9524 per verst or £9524 + per verst or £9524 + £9524/2 per mile = £14,286 per mile – the railroad from St. Petersburg to Sarskoe selo had cost more – I objected to the snow in winter – that of no consequence – the machines kept the road swept clean without difficulty or much expense! I understood that something serving the office, doing the work, of a brush or broom was fixed to the carriages – Ann much tired – came in at 9 55/.. – sat reading Russian grammar and writing the last 17 1/2 lines till now 11 1/2 at which hour Reaumur 18 1/3° and Fahrenheit 73° nearly – very fine day – Ann said this morning she had not felt so well for years – the climate not too hot for her – she likes Koutaïs very much – I cannot [say] I like the climate – too hot and moist – too thickly wooded but very beautiful and interesting to a traveller in the highest degree –

 Anne’s marginal notes:

.. [Anne’s menstruation]

N [note]

Exquire

Koutaïs

WYAS page:  SH:7/ML/E/24/0143

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[the-deeds-to-shibden]

Saturday 4 July 1840

[up at] 7 20/..

[to bed at] 10 ¾

very fine morning – rather dullish Reaumur 17 3/4° and Fahrenheit 72° at 7 3/4 a.m. breakfast at 9 and then had our Captain loueur des chevaux 10 minutes till 10 20/.. – apologized for yesterday – very civil – will get me a sort of marche-route of our excursion in the Ratcha and Letchkoum etc. – asked if he would like to have anything paid in advance – it seemed yes – proposed 1 month – then finding that would be 75 x 3 1/2 = 225 + 37/50 = 262/50 = proposed giving him a 200/. bill tomorrow morning or before setting off – he thought we had better set off tomorrow evening and sleep in a village about 10 versts off – before breakfast and till now 10 1/2 wrote the last 16 lines of yesterday and so far of today – put on my pelisse and Ann her habit, and all off (she and I and Cossack and George and Georgian guide) at 10 50/.. to the palace of queen Thamar – en passant called to ask if colonel Boujouroff was arrived – no! saw Madame for a moment or 2 at the window – left the Choni road to the right and went close past château Boujouroff – pleasant ride – at the old ruin at 12 1/4, Tsikhédarbasi or Tamaritskikhé, vide Dubois ii. 200 et sequentes – aux bords du Phase: c’est le Moukhérisis de Procope page 201. a mass of ruin – not shewing much at even a distance – it took 20 minutes to get Ann seated at her sketching, and myself at Dubois – the high mountains almost entirely hid in cloud – some of the dark snow-striped summits peeped up now and then (left) as we rode along – to me this ruin seems the remain not of a palace but of a church of the earliest Byzantine style – Ann sketched it from the South – the foundations for 3 or 4 feet high a grouted mass of small boulders and angular fragments – then the brick walling – bricks 10 1/2 and 11 inches square – hard and well burnt – very good bricks – as for the South front ‘percée de 4 embrasures’ page 202 – I could see no trace of them – there is a great gap, or breach, on each side the door-way accolée to the middle demi-tourelle the grand vestibule voûté remains with a large hole made (torn) in the top so as to let in light and weather – but as for the ‘vaste salle d’audience de la structure la plus imposante[’], a regular cross of 86 and 76 feet French lighted only by the octagon dome (darbase) 44 feet French diameter, and now covered with masses of tumbled down walling, I can see nothing in all this but the centre of a fine old church – East of the salle d’audience on pénétrait par une large porte dans un grand salon (page 203) this porte is at a height from (above) the floor of the salle d’audience (or church) to have opened into a chamber above the one with the large fire place and its cellar-treasury and one sees by holes in the sides of the great open arch (to the east) where the joists of this floor rested – true there seem to have been communications from this chimney room to other vaults right and left (north and South) – the little door to the South 

must have been that shape about 2 feet wide at bottom narrowing to 18 inches or less at top   6 feet high (English feet) – how he could make out the couloir opening on to a wood balcony (page 203) I know not – there is there a mass of old walling and rubbish some feet above the actual level of the salle d’audience – but the mass of tall thick vegetation, – wild vine, large white convolvulus, a 5 or 6 feet high large leaved achillea like flower, etc. etc. should be removed before one can tell what is left to the East – to me instead of being no wall left to the East (page 204) there is great deal of mound or wall or rubbish or something, and the same to the north – and on the west are 6 pièces voutées – went into one of them – all the rest made up or nearly with rubbish? – the large opener arch or vault must have been the great west entrance – a little fire place fronting the little door of the little vault we went down into – very like a monk’s cell – not a single inscription (except a few Georgian letters on one stone somewhere inside) inside or out of the church close by the palace – faced with ashler stone – and some traces of fresco paintings remaining within – all bled de Turquie immediately around the ruin, and meadow at a little distance – It was 3 5/.. when I took Ann and piloted her about – and at 4 went (rode) to the poor little church a verst off in grove of fine limes and poplars – there in 10 minutes   one little window east end 

with Georgian inscription on each side and below the cross – one little window also north side and ditto south over the shabby little 2 or 2 feet 6 inches wide entrance door and Georgian inscription over the door – poor little church not worth the trouble of going to see, if it had not been mentioned by Dubois – but as for all the inscriptions translated by Brosset etc. where are they? – Desired to return par la rivière – could only do it in autumn – why – the road not good – mud – would try – went down to the river – must pass it – too much water – yes! did not wish that – did not know of passing it – yes! George declared that aller par la rivière voulait dire, la traverser – the fellow sets up for teacher of French – Turned round my horse – returned to the ruin – it must then have been about 5 – it soon began to thunder and lighten and in about 20 minutes to rain pretty smartly – put on my mackintosh and cantered on – stopt a moment to ask if colonel Boujouroff was returned – no! Madame Boujouroff was taking a bath but would be glad of our drinking tea with her – declined on account of the weather – nearly fair the rest of the way – home at 6 – tea over at 7 35/.. – George had been at our Captain’s – the Captain sent for him, and desired him to ask me for a month in advance for the horses – no! said all this was so strange, I really felt bound to believe he could not mean any such thing – all this so unexpected, did not [know] what to make of it, and very uncertain that the horses would be strong enough for the journey – took the Cossack and off on foot to Madame Boujouroff at 7 3/4 – there in 20 minutes – the colonel arrived – taking a bath – Madame Boujouroff had the Cossack in – all went against George – it seemed that he had sent the Cossack (who thought I sent him) to decline paying the month – the officer not at home – and if he had desired George to ask for the money he would have taken care to be at home – agreed that the Cossack should take the horses tomorrow morning for the colonel to see – saw him for a moment declined tea and off home at 9 and came in at 9 25/.. en nage tho’ it was fair all the way (going and returning) there had been a heavy shower while I was with Madame Boujouroff – Ann sent off an old soldier with the large umbrella and bourca – met him not much above the bridge, and beat him home by several minutes – undressed immediately and sat in my dry night things and fur cloak delighted to have been and settled so much chez Madame Boujouroff – fine day till the loud thunder and lightning followed by rain about 5 1/2 or before and rain after our return – and heavy shower between 8 and 9 – lightened all the way back from chateau Boujouroff –

 Anne’s marginal notes:

Tamaritsikhé.

Koutaïs.

WYAS pages:  SH:7/ML/E/24/0141     SH:7/ML/E/24/0142

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[the-deeds-to-shibden]

Wednesday 1 July 1840

[up at] 7 20/..

[to bed at] 11 5/..

fine morning – till near 11 breakfast and Mr. Marr who brought with him a Prussian (university of Landscron?) botanist, employed by the Russian government as such and just returned from Akhaltsiké by way of Barjom, 4 days – 8 horses – paid 23/. silver – could not sleep at the villages or post stations but where there was food (pasture) for the horses therefore slept à belle etoile or under his bourca and some sort of shelter during the 2 days it rained – could not easily make out but it seemed that he had halted ruing these 2 days of rain – these pack horses carry iron from here to Akhaltsikhé – Mr. Marr had some English iron from Odessa – they think it bad here – our botanist gave a terrible account of the state of the country – the Turks in arms – the pachas of Kars and Erzeroum in rebellion against the sultan of Constantinople and in league with Ibrahim son of Ali Pacha of Egypt – in march towards Constantinople – we are on the eve of a great crisis – dangerous to go by Bagdad to Akhaltiskhé – but should be safe in Guriel chez Mr. Marr for nobody would hurt him – nor Turks nor men Guriel – all know and like him! – he had brought the botanist on purpose to tell me all this – might not be able to learn as much from the commandant – not to mention to him the information I had got – what would England and France do – I know nothing about France – but England would not go against Russia – very good friends – could not well understand the man’s French and Mr. Marr could not understand his Russian therefore we could not gain much but I said I should do nothing without consulting the commandant – what was I to do with Mr. Marr’s letter if I did not got to Akhaltsikh where I was to forward it by Erzeroum, thro’ the commandant, by the post to Tabriz – I had before asked why Mr. Marr did not send the letter from here – because a Sardinian Russian vice consul there would open it and he did not want him to know his family secrets – explained that the letter was respecting the marriage of his son with the daughter of . . . . . somebody, and who is a ward of Mr. Riach; or whatever is his name, and who has £7,000 a nice fortune for Mr. Marr’s son – he gave me this dirty looking letter on Tuesday – why so dirty? he told me he had sent it by several people or by somebody who had sent it back to him – droll enough to ask a person like me (so uncertain as I told him) to take it – but I shall give it in charge to the commandant at Akhaltsikhé if I go – and if not, Mr. Marr, said it did not signify – he could write another – Sat down to my Journal at 11 and at it till 4 or after – when Mr. Marr came and staid till 4 1/2 had written from near bottom of page 227 to line 18 of page 231. the man asked 3 abasses per horse (pack horses) per day too much an officer in this great green square (close by here) had 5 good horses – and would be glad if Mr. Marr could get him 2 1/2 abasses per horse per day – the officer poor – his affaires derangées he would find a man to take care of the horses and Mr. Marr had ventured to say I would give this man one abasse a day and for this and the 2 1/2 abasses per horse I should have nothing more to pay – horses feeding and taking care of, and man, all included in the 2 1/2 x 5 = 12 1/2 + 1 abasse = 13 1/2 abasse per day – the horses out at pasture 20 versts off – I said I would try before possibly engaging them – to be sent for – would try them tomorrow and then settle the matter – in the mean had our Georgian – he is to be here at 10 a.m. tomorrow to be ready if wanted and will have his horse here any time in 1/2 hour and in that case his month is to begin from tomorrow – he for himself and his horse to have 15/. silver per month – sent the man to the bazaar to tell the owner of the other horses (and he had only 4) that his price 3 abasses a day was too dear and I was looking out for other horses or some such message for said Mr. Marr dont positively put it out of your power to hire this man’s horses for there are no others to be had here if you do not take the officer’s horses – but he said at Choni there are plenty of horses – you may have 500 there if you like there are 2 Frenchmen here, one has his wife with him – very respectable people – seeking  leeches – plenty of leeches in Guriel – buy them here at 1/. silver per oke and 1 oke = 3 pounds – for making the walnut oil he mentioned yesterday

take 20 or 30 walnuts (dry) epluchez (I suppose) and beat them in a mortar – then mix well with a little millet (gômi they use here) bruised and moistened I suppose for the gômi is a pâte – the casha of the Russians? and squeeze this mixed mass in your hands or in a small press and you will extract the oil –

boil trout in weak vinegar and water and when quite cold pour over them – tea over at 5 25/.. – Mr. Marr then came again and staid till 6 – going away early tomorrow morning to chez Mademoiselle Gamba near Bagdad for a few days – Ann and I set off at 6 1/2 to walk to Madame Boujouroff’s, and Reaumur 20 1/2° and Fahrenheit 77 1/2° at 6 20/.. p.m. on my table – or rather our table the only one we have for everything – Ann and I off at 6 1/2 – sauntered thro’ the bazaar – bought brass padlock to replace the one bought at Baku and left at Gori – walked slowly up the hill – rambled up to pretty cottage from the balcony of which fine view of town and river and country of wooded hills – at Madame Boujouroff’s at 7 35/.. – she had the wife (dame) d’un officier Cossack with her who could only speak Russian – Madame Boujouroff very civil and glad to see us – a plate of dark red ripe cherries on the table of which I ate 5 dozen + 5 – sat chatting till 8 40/.. Madame Boujouroff and her friend walked with us to end of their Cossack-green till we got into the high road – it is as it were a green common – a large open green space of several acres – home in 40 minutes at 9 20/.. – fine day – very hot tho’ on peu couvert – dullish –

 Anne’s marginal notes:

Prussian botanist

price of horses

English iron thought bad here

Mr. Marr’s letter –

Proposed agreement for horses.

agreement with the Georgian

Choni.

Leeches.

walnut oil

V [visit]

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[the-deeds-to-shibden]

Tuesday 30 June 1840

[up at] 7 20/..

[to bed at] 11 20/..

Mr. Marr came at 8 with the horses tho’ I told him last night I should not be ready before 9 this morning – but went away again – to return to breakfast – Mr. Lorenzo came for my letter a few minutes before 9 – ‘à Madame Madame de Golovin à Tiflis’ – Mr. Marr returned before 9 – breakfast over at 9 40/.. but Ann had all to put away etc. etc. and it was 10 1/4 before we were off to Ghélathi – Ann on Mr. Marr’s quiet horse and he on his tiresome stallion for our guide had hired a mare with a foal after her – I on the commandant’s horse – good easy enough animal but requires well holding up down hill – just before arriving at Ghélathi happening to get too near the stallion bit my horse on the shoulder and tore off an inch square of skin – Mr. Marr talked incessantly the whole way there and back – much about himself and his wife who, he offered, should accompany us during out tour (made the offer directly after breakfast) – she much stronger than he who has had a stricture these 30, or was it 20 years? For he said in the evening he was 45 or 46 – thanked him very much but said what I could of civil uncertainty – could not think of putting any lady to such inconvenience etc. etc. – never saw the lady – rather too hazardous to accept such a proposal blindfold – his son aetatis 21 now employed as interpreter at the Quarantain at Kertch – his daughter aetatis 25 married to a Frenchman professor teacher of French at the gymnase? at Odessa – speaking in the morning of wine, he said the women drank as much as the men and that a small family of cottagers the people would consume 500 gallons a year – on the same subject this evening he said he knew a man who could drink very well without being intoxicated (he had seen him do so) seven gallons of wine at a sitting – one gallon (a tunga = 5 bottles) at a draught!!! said his wife Madame Marr drank pretty well of wine – I observed it was perhaps necessary – no! but she liked it – of course no more notice taken – but this would not bien s’arranger avec nous et notre thé – En route he spoke of an ore of iron near here so pure that the people could work it up without furnaces of any kind – promised to lend me his son’s journal of his campaign in the mountains last year – and to give me some grains of rice that he had found on the mountains and that grow without irrigation – spoke of the Tchinar wood here as very good, and of a fruit that from his description must be the Diospirus we saw in the botanical garden at Toulon

[written on] Thursday 2 July  – at the foot of the hill of Ghélathi passed thro’ an orchard of them with vines climbing up them to the top – yes! the leaf is to the best of my recollection the Diospirus leaf – spoke of trout being best boiled in a little weak vinegar and the fish should be just covered – should stand till cold, and then have a little walnut oil poured over them – easily made when and as wanted – off at 10 40/.. – beautiful ride – went thro’ the Jews’ quarter of the town – large square tower, used as a prison, on isolated lengthy jet of hill rising up in the midst of the valley below us – the country a series of rounded thickly wooded hills forming beautiful little vallies – the red river (Tskaltsiteli) winding beautifully in its deep rock channel the water very muddy – a red mud from the red marly strata along its banks – crossed the river à gué   broad and shallow (the bit of deepest part not more than 2 feet deep) about a couple of versts? or not so much? from the monastery – then mounted the hill thro’ orchards of vine-girt Diospyrus – what they call here a good carriage road all the way – at the monastery at 12 40/..  surely it must be more than 8 versts tho’ we never went out of foots pace and Mr. Marr talked so incessantly the whole way, that it was impossible to pay the attention I wished to our road – the commandant had given us a letter to the archbishop abbot (archimandrite) but he was at Koutaïs! therefore we could not see the trésor (Dubois iii. 189) ‘et la couronne qui servait au sacre des rois du pays’ – Is it on this account that, since the visit of the emperor, it is forbidden to shew the treasury without an express order for that purpose? and no order was given in our letter   at all events Mr. Marr left it tho’ he said it was of no use as the archbishop was not there the monks saying he had the key – Dubois mentions both archbishop and archimandrite. iii. 195 – Ann sat down to sketch South side and I went into the centre, the great church dedicated to the virgin – the interior covered with painting in fresco is otherwise quite plain, and a common Greek cross

length of long arm about 25 yards

ditto   of transept      ”     28 yards

width of ditto           ”       9 yards

I should suppose (forgot to measure i.e. to stride it) width of nave = width of transept or 9 yards –

the dotted lines outside shew that the angles of the cross are so filled up with building, ‘la multitude de chapelles, de vestibules qu’on a accolés au vaisseau principal’ Dubois iii. 183 that the mass appears almost a square – the eastern front the choeur is striking in as much as (standing high enough) you see about 1/2 of each of 3 triangular pediments, the lower half of each being cut off by the circular roof of its apsis (abside)

Dubois iii. 176 et sequentes

no niches angulaires here   one on each side the great centre   apsis as at St. Sion near Gori – built by David the 3rd who reigned from A.D. 1089 to 1130 (pages 180, 181)  David 3 was the repairer (reparateur) 2ndfounder of Ghélathi – buried in the gateway now walled up (South side monastery) where were the famous iron gates of Derbend – the one battant now remaining a good deal out of repair – the iron plates rusted or broken in several places – the fine lofty dome (not ecrasée semic[irc]ular as at St. Sion) has 16 windows (Du Bois wrong in saying 12) – some of them for want of glass (perhaps 1/2 dozen) are plastered up, but the windows are there nevertheless – we had 2 monks who shewed us the great church and the chapel of St. Nicholas close to the west – and a 3rd shewed the little church of St. George close to the east of the great church – they said Mr. Gamba had been at Ghelathi – the mosaïque (iii. page 184) is simply a fresco painting filling the circular top of the great centre abside of the choeur – the fond d’or (iii. page 184) = 2/3 of the top down to half the length of the figures (the brightness – the metallic lustre of the gold quite gone) the other lower 1/3 being equally into 2 stripes or ribands, the upper one blue the lower red – iii. 185 …la vierge Marie tient dans les pans de sa robe bleue l’enfant Jésus – she is standing and the infant Jesus is standing (I think standing – I write this Thursday morning 2 July) with his back against the virgin’s breast and stomach as it were in a niche formed by the robe peplon which is a capuchon, a cloak with a hood that covers the virgin’s head setting gracefully round the face, and edged all round with gold braiding (such as now worn on the Circassian dresses) and in front on the collar bone or a little below near each shoulder point a gold cross 

, and another such in the middle of the forehead, en sevigné, like the croix d’honneur worn at the present day – iii. 185 the 2 monogrammes, above the head of the virgin on on each side, an 

 (μητηρ Θεου, mater dei) – the other monograms over the heads of the archangels Gabriel and Michel I did not copy – did not make out what they were – could not distinguish the position of the right hand of the infant Jesus (nor could Mr. Marr) nor that he held a rouleau in his left – Gabriel grand of robe gold with red not green bandes à la façon des rois, and these bands studded with squares and lozenges of different colours in imitation of jewels – these royal bands are the broad ribands that are worn 

 (in these frescos) from the shoulders and crossing and down to the feet (to the bottom of the dress) as shewn in the diagram – Gabriel holds in left hand globe upper 1/2 white – lower 1/2 blue or grey – with a small + on the upper or white 1/2 – left hand long rod (sceptre) with lily 

 head – the ground of Michael’s robe seems to be blue – over the head of Michael is a large round blot – the turks sent a ball in at that place and it is the clumsy Georgian reparation that shews – iii. 186 line 11. no! the Georgian inscription is merely some line from scripture or some religious sentiment making no mention of the name of him who built the church – Looking towards choeur (left side of transept) 1st figure, next the iconostase, is David 3 left hand holding model of the church with a hand (of our saviour) stretched over it at a little distance above it, and right hand holding a rouleau of paper? or a sceptre? one of those short 6 or 7 inches long little cylinders often placed in the hand of pagan Greek divinities – David 3, next to him his brother Evdemon catholicos, then Bagrat, his wife and then his daughter Roussoudan with chapeau écarlate en forme de diadême (iii.187) 

costume of Bagrat pourpre i.e. brick red – iii. 187. chapel with portrait George 3 his wife and daughter queen Thamar   did not see this – It was the church if St. George that I at the moment confound with this chapel which our 2 stupid monks did not shew and I did not ask for – gave them 2/. silver against the grain but Mr. Marr had said he had a ducat – people came here on pilgrimage and lavished their money – the people – the monks here spoilt – on inquiring for the library (iii. 193) the monk said they had no books but the few church books I had seen in the church (one a history of the church all in Georgian of course) – the old books and manuscripts had been taken away to St. Petersburg many years ago – iii. 188 the Byzantine emaux (enamels) not so interesting – not so illustrative of costume as I expected – the little church of St. George older than the great church (of the virgin) – and interesting – the 2 heavy round columns towards the west which support the dome rise from an octagon base each eighth side finished in 2 tiers of palm leaves  –

and the capital of the column 

the church of St. Nicholas, I know not what below – bucher? and merely a poor little chapel au premier – a poor man repairing it – a penance – works but never speaks – iii. 176 the water of the river (Tskaltsitèli) being unwholesome ditto the fish, all nonsense – the water muddy – but otherwise drinkable and the fish as good as other fish – we saw fishing nets about – too misty over the high mountains to enjoy the view of these – iii. 191 – a few verandahed wood cottages round the court within the rough stone walls of the enclosure – thatched with boards – a foot or 2 high of stone or mud wall or something from the ground – the climate too damp here to live in underground houses – all above ground here – the country so thickly wooded cannot be otherwise than humid – I said the average quantity of rain chez moi was 19 inches – he said it would be 3 times or more here, and still more chez lui in Guriel – Ann had done her sketch (from the South, or rather South West) and looked about and seen the churches and we remounted at 3 50/.. – en sortant turned right and rode round to the gate of David 3 – iii. 182 inscription on his tomb stone over which one walks – and the Iron Gates – nothing particular in the tower gateway itself – the ground seems to have risen a good deal inside in the court – this entrance now walled up – and one creeps in at a little wooden door to which one mounts 2 or 3 steps – a minute or 2 here – remounted – I somehow did not get not get /AL’s repetition/ well up, and Mr. Marr seized horse and me by my cloak collar and pulled one side the clasp off – Returned as we came till after recrossing the river and for some way afterwards thro’ a forest – at a clear spot, little plateau, at 5 10/.. and stood a minute or 2 looking at the picturesque old church of Modzameta (iii. 175) celebrated for the tombs of the martyrs David and Constantin in the time of Mourvan-Krou and his Persians – large square tower on ridge of long-backed jet of rock in the midst of the valley thickly wooded all around – left our horses to the care of our guide and the boy who had come to shew us the way, and walked along a 5 or 6 foot wide corniche in the rock (deep ravine left) and at 5 1/2 at Modzameta – little old white-washed church and old square tower or 2 high above the red Tskaltsitèli – mounted the outside stairs of one square tower (we had passed thro’ the other in entering) the view very beautiful over the winding glens and river and wooded hills – very small little chapel like church – returned (did not dare stay longer for fear of rain – it then began to drizzle and this drizzling continued all the way home) by the way we came to where we left our horses – remounted at 6 – our guide did not know the way – instead of getting into the great high road on the other side the valley pushed our way as well as we could thro’ the almost horse-back impenetrable woods, and at last got into the road which brought us out into the great Tiflis road close to the end of Koutaïs – home at 7 – took pelisse and petticoat and boots and stockings the drizzling had made my cloak more than damp – tea at 8 and for Mr. Marr – dish of beefsteaks bought and well-cooked by the commandant’s cuisinier – Mr. Marr stayed till 9 3/4 – should not take Epsom salts if fever was present but castor oil – 5 grains of quinine would lay on 1/2 inch of the point of my clasp knife – found kind civil note from Madame Bojouroff with a nice loaf that she had sent us as a present – Mr. Marr immediately laid hold of it saying how much better it was than the other bread – made here by Turks, who throw alum into it by handfuls – I should not have discovered this – I thought the bread good – the cuisinier sent in his bill for the beefsteaks 2 pounds - ./16 + butter /35 + onions ./6 = .56 paid /15 silver + /5 copper and would pay him for his trouble another time – dull but fine day till the drizzling rain came on at 6 p.m. too tired to read or write – Mr. Marr’s incessant garrulity wearying –

 Anne’s marginal notes:

L [letter]

1 gallon wine at a draught

Mrs. Marr

Iron.

wood of the Tchinar

mountain rice.

Diospirus

Ghélathi.

trésor not shewn without an express order

+ [reading]

Peplon or capuchin

archangel Gabriel.

Bandes à la façon des rois

+ [reading]

vide

Inquire in St. Petersburg

church of St. George

Modzameta

quinine.

castor oil.

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[the-deeds-to-shibden]

Monday 29 June 1840

[up at] 8 1/4

[to bed at] 2 1/4

breakfast at 10 and Mr. Marr came and staid till 1 – and afterwards had kind note from Madame Bojouroff who had sent a Cossack with fish and butter and a washerwoman came afterwards in the course of the morning just after I had given all my things to another found by Domna – Madame Bojouroff’s woman took ./10 copper per article great and small – Mr. Marr had sought about for horses, and hired for us a man and horse at 15/. silver per month to commence from tomorrow – then arranged that we should go to Gelathi tomorrow – he would lend us his own 2 horses and go with us, and the commandant would lend us a horse, and send a man as guide, and we to hire a horse for him – Mr. Marr read over our 2 papers given by Messieurs Golovin and Braïko – merely common passports such as would be given to everybody – General Espego had heard of our coming but not from General Golovin – it would be better if he (General Golovin) wrote to the commandants of Akhaltsikh and Erivan – but Mr. Marr would take our papers to General Espégo, and would ask him to do and order all that was necessary – It was after Mr. Marr went at one that Madame Boujouroff’s servant (Cossack) brought the note and fish   wrote note of thanks in answer and sent it by the servant (Cossack) at 1 3/4 (vide other end) and gave him 1/4 silver ruble – then at Journal (vide page 224) till 5 – then had Monsieur Lorenzo de la part du General Espégo very sorry (mille excuses) could not possibly come to call – ill – (gouty) infinitely to do and settle – and to be off at 9 a.m. – asked if he would be so good as take a letter for me to Madame Golovin – yes! with pleasure; and he (Lorenzo) would call for it this evening or in the morning – Lorenzo is du genie – not ponts and chaussées but de la ville – he staid till 5 35/.. – it seems there is some little pother on the Turkish frontier but the general has taken prompt measures and sent off troops and all will soon and easily be settled – but by the new order of things there will be no general here – only a civil employé and each regiment under its own colonel therefore orders must be sent for to Tiflis, and therefore time will be lost – surely that is not wise in a country like this? Poor Golovin he has his hands full of enough – wishes Espégo to stay till the new arrangements are completed – natural enough – Mr. Marr came – of course, said not a word to him about the pother on the frontier – Tea at 6 – and about 7 came Madame la femme du commandant – she speaks not a word of anything but Russian but Mr. Marr was dragoman and we managed very well – she seems a very good sort of person – has been 20 years in Georgia – from Woronège – 30 Russian ladies here, wives of the employés – but not all de la société – here as everywhere the different gradations – sets – 5 sets in Tiflis – not all go chez le general except on the fête day of the emperor – Madame thinks there is a quarantaine at Akhaltsikhé or on leaving there – all was to have been settled tonight about saddle horses but our man never came – Madame staid from 7 to 10 20/.. and Mr. Marr 2 or 3 minutes later – then returned fro a bit of bougie to light him home – afraid of the dogs – had Domna – till twelve and a quarter wrote copy and – sat up writing (till 1 3/4 tonight) to Madame Golovin – put en envelope and sealed my 4 pages 1/2 sheet note paper – vide other end – rather dullish day an d damp and dirty after the much rain last night – Reaumur 16 1/2° at 1 3/4 tonight –

 Anne’s marginal notes:

N [note]

V [visit]

N [note]

V [visit]

V [visit]

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[the-deeds-to-shibden]

Sunday 28 June 1840

[up at] 5 50/..

[to bed at] 11 10/..

Reaumur 18 1/4° and Fahrenheit 73° at 6 a.m. – the walls swarmed with hard-backed insects, and I was bit and did not sleep well; but Ann had not fared better – she had got up soon after going to bed and sat up a long while but I did not give any sign of being awake and knowing this – Off (without breakfast) from Simonskii at 6 3/4 – beautiful morning – beautiful parky drive – some fine oaks – oak the chief wood – very little rhododendron – take higher valley and leave the river out of sight below us – At 8 25/.. from top of hill 1st view of Koutaïs – beautiful country – beautiful rounded wooded hills forming a labyrinth of charming little valleys – the old ruined cathedral finely seated on isolated hill peering over the town whose white houses and white chimney tops peeping from among the green foliage are very picturesque – At 8 50/.. cross bridge over the river – at 9 5/.. stop a minute or 2 at the guard-house to shew podorojna – kind civil note (waiting here our arrival) from Madame Boujouroff – her house some distance from the town, and she had been laid up with the fever very sorry she could not come to meet us, or be of any use, but her husband had spoken to the commandant and all was ready for us – sure we should be satisfied with our accommodations – yes! close to the commandant a house of 4 rooms and a large porch – arrived at 9 10/.. – 2 bois de lit, but nothing else – joiner’s shop in the great cour, or place, or whatever it is, all appartenant à l’établissement de Monsieur le colonel commandant – brought away 2 common fir wood chairs, and the commandant sent us a little round (yew) table and 2 good (but too high) walnut stuffed chairs et voici tout notre meublement! – the commandant a tall, thinnish, good-countenanced, good sort of man called to say and offer all that was civil – said he would send our countryman Mr. Marr who came in before the commandant left us – the latter went away in 2 or 3 minutes after   Mr. Marr staid till 11 3/4 i.e. about an hour – seems a good sort of man, and speaks good English but looks forlorn and as if the world did not go well with him – true – spoke of himself – his losses – shewed me a paper he was going to take to Miss Gamba (aetatis 45 to 50) to put into good French – he called in a Spaniard who was passing, a Lieutenant Lorenzo in the Russian service attaché to the general commanding here – general Espégo (pronounced Ĕspēck-hŏ) also a Spaniard – Castilians – Mr. Marr’s wife a Castilian from Logrono – spoke infiniement d’elle and de toutes ses excellentes qualités – Mr. Marr’s place Chehataour (Shĕ-hā-tăh-ōōr) in Guriel 50 versts from here – 1 1/2 day’s ride – our Cossack had brought letters, it seemed, for colonel Boujouroff, and sent them off on our arrival and I sent also a little note of thanks and saying we would go to Madame Boujouroff at 7 this evening (vide other end of volume) – I was now 11 3/4 tired and wanting breakfast – the coast clear, and sat down at 11 50/.. to breakfast which Ann had kept out of the way and prepared, 1/2 famished herself and we sat over it till 1 – I then lay down and slept till 3 3/4 – the better for it – took off merinos and put on silk and velvet pelerin – sent compliments to the commandant and asked for his droschky – Ann and I out in it at 6, and George walked by the side as far as General Espégo’s – thought to leave cards for Madame Espego if not at home – the general not married! I had supposed the contrary from what Mr. Marr had said of his receiving in the evening – smiled – said very well the cards may be left that he may know our names – then drove to Madame Boujouroff – had to pass thro’ the bazaar and cross the river and mount steep hill, and found her in 4 rooom square white house on the top of the hill – a nice airy healthy plateau that made me long to be her neighbour – but impossible – her husband away – gone to visit his Cossacks in Abkhassie – some emeute there – but no danger – arrived at 6 25/.. – drank tea – she very kind and civil – and came away (in the rain) at 8 25/.. and home at 8 3/4 – gave the man a silver rouble – a few drops of rain as we went – heavy shower while we were there – gentle rain all the way back (took our fur cloaks and large parasols) and rainy night – but the day had been very fine – Reaumur 18° and Fahrenheit 72 1/2° now at 10 1/2 p.m. –

 Anne’s marginal notes:

N [note]

Koutaïs

V [visit]

V [visit]

Mr. Marr

Miss Gamba

Mr. Marr’s place

N [note]

V [visit]

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[the-deeds-to-shibden]

Wednesday 8 July 1840

[up at] 7 40/..

[to bed at] 10 1/2

dawdling and catching fleas and writing and sent note to Monsieur Monsieur Baumann the M.D. here to ask him for some quinine and some castor oil, and thank him and say we go at 3 p.m. but should be glad to see him si cela ne le derange pas – (vide other end) – breakfast over at 11 saucer of boiled rice as usual – bread and butter – 3 figs – 10 1/2 dozen cherries (not black and good as yesterday afternoon, but light red and good) and one little cucumber – a good motion this morning on getting up   the first so good since being here – Reaumur 19 2/3° and Fahrenheit 76 1/2° in the shade (fine but dull morning) on the north window seat, now at 11 10/.. a.m. then settled with George for provision etc. bill and paid him for Domna 3 months wages up to 5th of next month at 40/. wages and 30/. nourriture = 70/. per month – paid a 200/. bill + 3 Silver Rubles = 210/50 the ./50 being what I paid the other day here for changing a 200/ bill into silver for which got 57 silver – all this and accounts took me till 1 – Ann at her Shamacha silk douliette making – has not begun to pack – how are we to be off at 3 or 4 p.m.? – Dr. Baumann sent 3 ounces huile de Ricine and 3 drams quinine but did not come himself – gave the man who brought them ./50 silver – bought 2 bottles spirit wine = 3 1/2 pounds at one silver ruble per pound – busy packing etc. till dinner (tea and bread and butter and 2 hard boiled eggs) at to 5 1/2 – the horses came at 5 – Ann did not begin to pack till after her dinner at 5 20/.. – I ate cherries – dawdled in and out – then went to Madame Tchernikoff to take leave – the com[m]andant came and sat with us a little – Nina the pretty aetatis 12 daughter learns French – made out a few words between us – sat there 1/2 hour having given into their charge all my things to be left – large portmanteau writing case basket of books as left chez les Braïkos, Panin Casserolle, Circassian bow 1 flock and 1 hay mattress containing bundled up cord, hatchet pincers hammer and Anne’s and my (2 pair in all) fur boots, and brace of pistols and 2 parcels of powder and shot and bag with broken powder flask and more powder and my wooden lock – came home to see if Ann was ready at 8 5/.. – no! – I thought how it would be – 8 versts to Ghélati – 2 hours said our jew – the commandant had told me, we should have good rooms there – the horses had been here since since 1 p.m.! without eating – sent them off to be here at 4 a.m. tomorrow – the 1st time in my life such a thing has happened – I by myself can always tell when I can be ready – this is terrible – but I knew how it would be when I just asked Ann about 1 p.m. where she would put her pillow and when she answered as if not liking to be advised or questioned ‘I have not thought of it yet’ – well! perhaps we shall be off some time tomorrow – had Domna – ate 6 dozen more cherries and wrote the las 14 1/2 lines till now 10 p.m. at which hour Reaumur 19 1/2 and Fahrenheit 75 1/2 – very fine day – but dullish – very hot – tired of staying in the house – tout en nage all the day –

 Anne’s marginal note:

N [note]

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[the-deeds-to-shibden]

Tuesday 7 July 1840

[up at] 6 55/..

[to bed at] 1 40/..

fine morning Reaumur 17 2/3° and Fahrenheit 72° at 8 1/2 a.m. – pother about the horses – the man who has 5 horses had been spoken to by the captain and will not let us have any of his horses – sent for the Jew – breakfast at 10 to near 11 – had the Jew – at last agreed for 5 horses at 3 abasses each per day, and the Jew himself to accompany us mounted on a 6th horse for 1 1/2 abasse a day – the horses taken by the day – then had the guide about packing – seeking sacks of hair – very strong carpet-like stuff – all the day busy about packing – pothered how to take the money – tried it 300/. silver in my journal book case – then bethought me to divide it equally between Ann’s sack and my own – the guide went away at 12 1/2 to return at 3 – after 5 before he came – told him that would not do – dinner at 6 or before – (tea – 2 hard boiled cold eggs – bread and butter one little cucumber and 7 dozen cherries) till 6 3/4 – the horses to be here at 6 – not here now at 7 – terrible this inexactitude – had just written the above of today now at 7 5/.. – just going to put on my pelisse to be ready to ride when Madame Boujouroff came about 7 1/4 or before and soon after Madame la commandante Tchernikoff – her husbant /husband/ the commandant Lieutenant Colonel Tchernikoff and latterly the commandant came and they staid till 10 50/.. when Madame Boujouroff went home in the commandant’s droschky   the commandant agreed with his wife and Madame Boujouroff – the captain had no business to claim more than I had offered that is 5 horses and man 1 day, and 2 horses one day – 3/70 silver – the commandant has taken in hand our contract for horses with the Jew; and all will be right – very fine day – Reaumur 18 1/2° and Fahrenheit 73 1/2° now at 1 40/.. tonight –

 Anne’s marginal notes:

agreement for horses.

V [visit]

V [visit]

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[the-deeds-to-shibden]

Monday 6 July 1840

[up at] 6 10/..

[to bed at] 12

very fine morning – dawdling catching fleas near an hour – Reaumur 18 1/3 and Fahrenheit 73° nearly now at 8 5/..   feeling giddy this morning as last night and all yesterday from the time of getting up – out Ann and I at 8 1/2. took George and went to the old ruined cathedral at the top of the hill – finely situated on bold rock-hill precipitous above the Phase Rion a stone’s cast from the old fortress or castle – vide Dubois i. 398 et sequentes – a labyrinth of little steep rocky paths along the hill-side facing the town leading to as many cottages (little wood houses, with large covered balconies generally) dotted all over the hill side – perched on bits of old ruined wall or tower – or on spots cut out of the rock – very picturesque – very hot – we 1st entered the white washed little church made out of the old South porch – service – and full of people – then Ann sketched the East front of the old completely ruined cathedral, and I read Dubois and strolled about – Ann tired and returned with George – I gazed about standing on the ruined wall of the old fort – near the little building now a powder magazine – the soldier on guard said it was Krepost not permitted to walk along the wall – ne ponamaiou said I, (I don’t understand) and gazed on – the high mountains quite hid in clouds except 2 or 3 little snow streaked bits to shew their great height and how magnificent they would be if uncovered – Ghélati distinctly seen – and a fine reach of the Rion that way wards, and a long and still finer reach, winding and islandy downwards – along the fine, broad, thickly wooded, rich plain of Cholcis – Does the world shew a finer? – the little church we went into is the South porch with 2 little projections added East and West for Choir and vestibule – the north porch still standing seems to have been not quite so large – the interior of the church is a little cleared of rubbish to make way for several modern tombs – the 4 bases of the dome 26 feet diameter the bases of the columns still remain  I should have taken them for round if Dubois had not said they were octagon – the traces of the octagon form are certainly more fancied than distinguished – Dubois’s dimensions righted for I did not measure – the church is in form of croix byzantine ou romane – La grande nef y compris le choeur = 112 pieds de roi de long et 26 de large – page 412.   2 grandes niches semicirculaires that to the South pretty entire dans les proportions exactes du choeur, terminent les bras de la croix, qui donnent à l’eglise 83 pieds dans sa plus grande largeur – did not see any of the capitals of the dome-columns lying about in the interior and one lying outside nothing to be seen but arabesques – no animals – tigers fighting with stags etc. (page 413) – could not find one single inscription anywhere – could not distinguish that mentioned by Dubois as being over the north window– one can just see by a bit of the inside of north aisle wall that the interior was plastered but not one bit of fresco painting could I see – vide pages 414, 415. as for the portique that fell down in 1833 there is now no trace of it – the square tower on the north side remains but seems to have been merely a square projection ahead (west end) of the aisle carried up to the same height as the aisle and roofed with in one and the same line of roof as the aisle – the square projection (South side) so gone, not much trace of it left – vide page 416 description of East front – 2 niches triangulaires de 7 pieds et 1/2 d’ouverture et 40 pieds de haut, terminées par une voûte en coquilles de St. Jacques

i.e. the inside finished in grooves wider at the beginning than the end   the dotted roof is a supposition strengthened by a little bit of remain on the South side shewing the pitch of the South aisle – the cross is dotted supposing there to have been some such thing as at Mtskétha – the exterior is everywhere quite plain – north and south on each side finished in 3 or 4 fausses arcades – page 416 triples colonnes effilées – no! only 2 the triple is only round the top of the arcades – and only begins at the spring of the arch – page 417 ‘La plus grande de ces fausses arcades qui montait jusqu’au sommet du fronton du grand choeur à une hauteur de 67 pieds . . . . . . [’] See again; and, if so, correct the above diagram, and carry the centre arch up to the top – I think Dubois is right – and it is so at Mtskétha and includes the cross – very interesting ruin – Ann being gone sauntered home along the little bypaths – bought 4 little cucumbers and a pound of cherries at the bazaar ./8 + ./5 assignats and came in at 10 3/4 – breakfast over a few minutes before 12 – from then to now (3 55/..) at journal of today and reading Dubois – on returning found that our Georgian guide had heard of 7 horses – have just seen 3 of them but the guide absent seeking the other 4 – we cannot make the Georgian comprehend and therefore will go in the evening and try to settle the matter – very fine day – whistling wind but hot sun Reaumur 20 1/4° and Fahrenheit 77 1/2° in the shade on the north window seat in my room now at 3 55/.. p.m. – Ann busy making her Shamacha silk dress – then wrote out bottom of page 222 till 4 35/.. then had 2 more horses to look at – the man that Mr. Marr saw 1st who asked 3 abasses a day for his horses – Marr said it was too much – the man has 3 more that are to come tomorrow – Marr thought he had only 4 – the horses here at 5 20/..? no! ready at 6 – then tea (dinner) bread and butter and a cucumber with pepper and 6 dozen cherries, till 6 – took off bombasine and put on pelisse and Ann her habit and mounted our pack-horses (to try them) and off at 6 10/.. – a company of natives (milice) marching out of town ‘to battle’ (said George) were just before us thro’ the bazaar and over the bridge and up the hill which made it 6 1/2 (20 minutes) before we we /Anne’s repetition/ arrived chez Madame Boujouroff – sat 1/2 hour with her – she was intending to come to us – said we had got other horses – should be off tomorrow evening if possible – but she should hear of us before we went – the colonel busy in his chancellerie – then rode forwards on the palace de la reine Thamar road from 7 to 8 5/.. and then turned back – talking to Georgian guide per George and getting picking up a few Russian words and 2 or 3 Georgian – and home at 9 5/.. – sent the Cossack with 3/70 silver to the captain pay for 5 horses (and the man one abasse) one day and for 2 horses one day, the evening Ann rode to meet me chez Madame Boujouroff – the captain would not take the money – wants to be paid for 5 horses 3 days! – said I should take no more notice but leave the money on the chimneypiece or eventually with the commandant – had a fig or 2 and some cherries then had Domna and sat reading Dubois and writing the last 11 lines till now 11 35/.. Ann snoring in bed – very fine day – Reaumur 17 1/2° and Fahrenheit 71 1/2° now at 11 35/.. p.m. – liked our horses very fairly well this evening – to be settled about tomorrow – ordered them to be here at 8 a.m. to ride –

vide page 222, Wednesday 24 June 1840. Chateau d’Ouplos.

arcade 1 yard deep and 2 1/2 yards long

this arcade close (right) to entrance door into one of the flat-topped rooms and just beyond this arcade (same side) is a breach letting one peep down below (close below to the right rather than immediately underneath) into oblong room 4 1/2 yards deep x 3 1/2 yards wide between the 2 estrades (one on each side) and each estrade or bench 18 to 20 inches broad and about 2 feet 6 inches high from the floor – the ceiling of this last room are sunk panels

Anne’s marginal notes:

Koutaïs – ruined cathedral –

V [visit]

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[the-deeds-to-shibden]

Friday 3 July 1840

[up at] 6 1/2

[to bed at] 11 35/..

Ann out to sketch at 6 25/.. very fine morning Reaumur 17 1/3° Fahrenheit 70 1/2° now at 7 1/2 had Domna – settled washing bill – had the commandant for a few minutes – gave him the 2 papers (Golovin and Braïko) and a 200/. bill to be changed into little money – Ann returned at 8 1/2 – for the 200/. bill instead of 57 1/7 silver rubles received 56/. silver rubles therefore Loss = 1 1/7 silver ruble = 4/. assignats = 2 percent   fifty-two ruble pieces and 4 rubles in pieces of one and 2 abasses – breakfast from 9 to 10 – had our Georgian guide and Cossack and George to look at the baggage we mean to take etc. – gave our guide 5/ silver in account and paid our Cossack 2 weeks 8/. silver up to next Monday – all out to the bazaar at 11 and there making purchases bourcas, feutre to cover baggage, kettle casserole, silk handkerchiefs for presents etc. to the amount of 20/70 silver and came in at 1 3/4    had sent to Madame Boujouroff by the servant Cossack who brought 2 loaves to say we should be off at 1 to the palace de la reine Thamar 10 versts off – to let us know if she would like to go – no message had arrived at 1 3/4 – ordered the horses to be at the door in 3/4 hour – dinner over at 3 5/.. – noyau and water and 2 cold hardboiled eggs and Ann cold tea heated up at the servants samovar and with me cheese and bread and butter and cherries (I 3 dozen she 41 cherries) sent for the horses – could not have them – the officer not at home – went myself – saw the wife – insignificant person – her husband not at home – could not let us have them without his order – annoyed – came back – sent George and the Cossack for our Georgian guide and to find other horses if possible – no! could not find the guide – could do nothing – took George and set off at 4 3/4 to walk to Madame Boujouroff – there in 23 minutes – nice pleasant air – what a day to have lost! Madame Boujouroff very civil and glad to see me and surprised as I was – expecting her husband tonight or tomorrow morning – sat talking till 6 3/4 and then set off (she with me) to walk back – met Ann on horseback and our Cossack 1/2 way over the green – the officer had been seeking saddles – in despair as well as we at being disappointed – persuaded Madame Boujouroff to mount Ann’s horse and Ann to mount the other and we got into the Choni road (our road also for some way at 1st to the palace of queen Thamar) and they rode and I walked by the side till 7 35/.. – then back across the green in 20 minutes and tea chez Madame Boujouroff – it lightened, and we had 2 or 3 loud peels of thunder just after tea, and a young Cossack officer sent up several rockets – the colonel not returned – I mounted but finding that I should be better on foot alighted and got one of the Cossacks to lead or ride the horse home – home I suppose in about 25 minutes and came in at 9 50/.. – vivid flashes of lightning all the way home – very fine day – rather dullish (couvert) capital for an excursion – Reaumur 20° and Fahrenheit 72° at 3 1/2 p.m. and probably about the same tonight –

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[the-deeds-to-shibden]

Thursday 2 July 1840

[up at] 7

[to bed at] 10 1/2

Ann off at 6 1/2 or before to sketch from our road of last night, the picturesque bridge over the Rion – Phase Rion – I lost 3/4 [hour] looking for 1 thing or other – Ann back at 9 10/.. – breakfast at in 35 minutes – sat in my katsivéika without having had Domna at all – before breakfast (about 1 1/4 hour) and afterwards from 10 40/.. to 2 when Madame Boujouroff came wrote out from line 18 of page 231 to here – afterwards sat talking tea (dinner) at 4 to 5 – then had the officer about 6 for above an hour – the horses at pasture 18 versts off – not arrived – all agreed on the terms mentioned by Mr. Marr – he staid talking to Madame Boujouroff  while Ann and I dressed one after the other till 7 3/4 when she and I and Madame Boujoroff to interpret went to visit Madame la commandante – and staid till 8 40/.. Madame la commandante very civil – Madame Boujouroff had all the talk – the colonel (commandant) came in for a few minutes – to send him Golovins and Braiko’s paper tomorrow morning and he will give us an order for all the aid etc. we can want – said I hoped to be off on Saturday – the Ratcha 1st then Letchkoum, etc. our horse-officer said from Mingrelia to Redut Kale etc. and Guriel to Mr. Marr’s and thence to Akaltsikhé and Erivan – Madame Boujouroff came back for 2 or 3 minutes and left us at 8 3/4 in a droshky her maid or the Cossack’s officer’s wife had sent for her – a little light rain from between 5 and 6 to after 7 – afterwards fine evening, and fine but dull day – Reaumur 16 1/2° and Fahrenheit 69° now at 9 55/.. p.m.

 Anne’s marginal notes:

V [visit]

Vc [visit/call]

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