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anne-lister-adventures · 4 years

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Sunday, 9 February 1840

9 20/’’

12 40/’’

Slept pretty well, undressed and wrapt in my Chelat that inimitable cloak good for all purposes – But awoke at 6 and feeling cold (our stoves not hot) threw my fur cloak over me and soon felt warm and slept comfortably – It was 12 before we sat down to breakfast – Then 1 3/4 before breakfast over and Domna had thoroughly swept and tidied my room for our salon and before I could sit down to write – looked over our letters for here – and sent them as follows by George at 2 40/’’

1 from Princess Tcherkasky ‘À son Excellence Madame de Krukoff à Nigny’ her mother

2 from old Countess Panin ‘À Monsieur Monsieur Boutourline Général Gouverneur et Chevalier de plusieurs ordres a Nigni Novgorod’

Mr. Baehr Procureur Ero Высокородию ………. Государю ___ ___ Бepy by Nнижнемъ Новrьгородrь

1 from Count Panin Russian Director at the Top and below ‘À Monsieur Monsieur le Général Schérémiteff Maréchal de la Noblesse de Gouvernement de Nijniy Novgorod’

1 from Countess A.[Alexandrine] Panin Monsieur Monsieur le Général Pierre Gottman à Nijnii Novgorod’ and directed in Russian below

1 from Madame Apraxin née Countess Sophie Tolstoy Ero Свrьтлости Князю Eropy Александровичу Грузинскому въ Nижнемъ that is, his ….. Prince George Alexander of Georgia – at Nijneii

It was 2 40/’’ before I had written the above of today and sent off my letters by George – ‘Tis now 4 25/’’ just as I have finished the cross writing on this p.[page] that is, finished the journal of yesterday –

It was about 4 1/2 (could not be much more) when the Prince of Georgia came and had sat with us about an hour when the Governor General or rather Général Gouverneur Mr. Boutourline came and sat with us till 6 1/2 – Very civil – Asked us to dinner at 4 tomorrow – And will send us his carriage at 12 tomorrow to take us about to see all that can be seen at this season of the year very agreeable and instructive –

The goods at the fair here, value brute, raw value = two hundred thousand millions of roubles or 200,000,000,000 roubles / 21 = £9,523,809,523 17/21 impossible – Two hundred millions or 200,000,000 = £9,523,809 11/21 or say nine and a half millions Stirling – Astonishing – The fair at Leipzig as Mr. Boutourline observed is nothing to it – This certainly the most important fair in the world? – He said what would Nijéney be 50 years hence – Its avenir destined to be brilliant –

The main building of the Fair at Nizhny Novgorod (image c. 1890).

The Emperor has taken N-[Nijéney] under his especial protection – Nobody can now built a house or alter a front without first submitting the plan to the Emperor for his approbation – The Emperor has given immense sums for the improvement of the city – Filling up ravines building warehouses (entreposts) barracks &c. &c. &c. – The danger thought of for the emplacement of the fair, is that the piles are driven into terre sèche (dry ground) and there they soon rot – But said the General Gouverneur the building is too light for danger to be apprehended –

Nijeney sure to increase rapidly such are the advantages of its position – will soon surpass Kazan now the centre of the Siberian Trade and having 40,000 inhabitants – But 3 years ago N-[Nijeney] had 33,000 inhabitants and has now from 35,000 to 40,000 – There is a Lutheran church here ∴[therefore] many German Russian subjects settled here –

Much here that cannot be seen in winter – The quays, foundations of the fair-buildings, drains (cloques) &c. &c. – said I hoped to be here at the next Fair – The whole of the buildings surrounded with wood erections – 100,000 people attend the Fair – Chief articles tea, iron, cotton –

The General Gouverneur asked us to dinner at 4 tomorrow and promised to send us his carriage at 12 and one of his aides de camp to go about with and explain to us – He went away at 6 1/2 – The Prince de Georgia staid a moment or 2 afterwards to ask if there was anything he could do for us – From him learnt nothing particular save that from here to St. P-[Petersburg] by Jaroslavl is 150 v.[versts] nearer than by Moscow – The merchants all go by J-[Jaroslavl] because they can go along side their boats and merchandise the whole way to the Neva and St. P-[Petersburg] the Prince de G-[Georgie] has never been in Georgia – Said the Eboulement at or near Saratoff had been much exaggerated yet did not seem to know very particularly about it –

Monsieur Mikhail Petrovich Buturlin (or “Boutourline” as it is spelled in French) was Governor of Nizhny Novgorod from 1831 to 1843.

At 6 55/’’ came Mr. and Mrs. Baehr pronounced like the English Bear = animal German name – His grandfather a Russian German from Riga but his father? and he himself born in Russia – Immediately followed by the father and mother of Princess Tcherkaski Monsieur and Madame Krukoff he having been Vice Governor Governor and Maréschal de la Noblesse here, but now out of the Service – all very civil – the K-s[Krukoffs] sorry the Governor had been before them and engaged us – But we are to dine with them on Tuesday between 3 and 4 on Tuesday and have their carriage at 11 that morning – The B-s[Baehrs] sorry our stay would only be 2 days or they too would have had us to dinner and furnished us with carriage or anything – Madame K-[Krukoff] said we ought to be nearer to the Fair if we came while it lasted – Prince Gargarin paid 200/- for a well furnished apartment for the whole time of the Fair last year – We here are on the opposite side of the river to the Fair –

The Prince of G-[Georgia] a large, thick-speaking, elderly, heavyish person the General Gouverneur a quick intelligent clever active gentlemanly man in the prime of life and service Mr. K-[Krukoff] an excellent sort of person Mr. B-[Baehr] apparently a quick clever man of Law? Or some profession? his wife nice prettyish sort of person with a large unRussian like aquiline? nose – And Madame Krukoff still our Englishwoman in manner, and in French speech – An English account in French and in English the account or rather the manner of our English person long unaccustomed to speak their own language – Tall and must have been very handsome when young – Handsome still Princess T-[Tcherkaski] must have been very handsome when married – At 15 – It was near 8 when they all went away – Going to a party all of them, or the K-s[Krukoffs] would have invited us to spend this evening with them –

I spoke of the great interest (very truly) we take in Russia – How delighted with our manner of travelling – All new and interesting to us; and we think nothing of any inconveniences we have yet met with – The General Gouverneur begged us to let his lady know if we wanted anything of any kind whatever – No one could be more kind or civil – We agreed that if the Conservatives came into power in England, Russia and we sure to be good friends – What a blessing! Good news from the Khiva expedition – All well and arrived at the Sea of Aral –

A-[Ann] and Gross had made soup of our portable, and warmed up a partridge – All well, and all answered – But I turned with pleasure to make out a good dinner with tea and bread and butter and old Countess Panin’s Nijeney gingerbread – Not so good as the perfect Deventer, but very good –

Then from 9 to 10 wrote the last 8 lines of today on p.[page] 11 and the whole p.[page] 12 and so far of this p.[page] – Fine day –

A sort of Grande Place opposite our windows with 2 churches near – A moving scene of people and sledge carriages of one sort or other all the day – Reaumur -10 at 2 p.m. out of doors according to George who took out the St. P-[Petersburg] thermometer – Reaumur 8 1/2º now at 10 p.m. in my room bedroom by night and salon by day – Had Domna – Looking at map of Russia till now 12 at night and Reaumur 8º in my room –

[symbols in the margin of the page:] ✓c ✓c ✓c ✓c

[in the margin of the page:] Nijney Novgorod. 6 letters

[in the margin of the page:] Fair of Nijeney

[in the margin of the page:] Nijeny Novgorod

Page References: SH:7/ML/E/24/0008 and SH:7/ML/E/24/0009

#anne lister code breaker #anne lister #ann walker #moscow to baku 1840

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adini-nikolaevna · 8 months

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What were the appearances of Nicholas I's daughters? What were the physical characteristics of Maria, Olga and Alexandra? And who was the sister who was considered the most beautiful, majestic, and admired in Europe? And of course, which daughter of Nicholas and his wife Alexandra did he find most beautiful?

Hi! Here are a few firsthand accounts for you:

“The three princesses, Olga, Marie, and Alexandrine enchanted me more than any beauties have for a long time. They are surely the most beautiful creatures I've ever seen. Olga is really imperially proud--a great beauty; Alexandrine is the highest loveliness, delicacy, and grace. Marie is the least beautiful, but interesting and the most lively of the three.” —Robert Schumann

“Grand Duchesses Olga and Alexandra Nikolaevna were of such amazing beauty that, in my opinion, they had no rivals in the aristocratic world at that time.” — Count Mikhail Buturlin

“The Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna, beloved of all the Russians; it is indeed impossible to imagine a more lovely face, which would express such a degree of gentleness, kindness, and tolerance. She is very slim, her face translucent, and her eyes have that unusual sparkle which poets and lovers describe as heavenly […] The very youngest grand duchess, Alexandra […] still has something of the child in her; she is very lively and mischievous, and is promising to be the most beautiful of all the sisters.” — Dutch General Friedrich Gagern

“Little Marie is grace personified.” — Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia

“She [Maria]was prettier, the butterfly had fluttered out of the cocoon. Her resemblance to Papa was now particularly pronounced, and in profile she seemed his miniature… She combined a strict classical face with lively facial expressions. Her forehead, nose, and mouth were completely regularly, her shoulders and chest were perfectly developed, and her waist was so slender that the band from her Greek coiffure would fit around it.— Queen Olga of Württemberg

“She [Maria] is a bit taller than me, a miniature as to features of her father... she is very lively, and has much frankness and abandon in her manner, & certainly is attractive.” — Queen Victoria

“My little Oline [Olga] is without question the most beautiful child you could hope to see.” — Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia

“The Grand Duchess Olga, the second of the Emperor's daughters, has no rival in beauty amongst the princesses of Europe; and in this instance, flattery, in asserting her to be the loveliest girl in her father's dominions, scarcely outstrips the truth.” — Charles Frederick Hennigsen

“… a tall and slender blonde, a perfect beauty, with the profile of a cameo and big blue eyes. It was the middle daughter of the empress, Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna, subsequently the Queen of Wuerttemberg, one of the most beautiful women in Europe.” — A.I. Sokolova

“The answer to the ordinary vulgar question of which of the three grand duchesses (Maria, Olga, and Alexandra Nikolaevna) was most beautiful is very difficult to say, but in my opinion, the Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna stood above her sisters in this respect because her beauty was unearthly, like a creature doomed by Providence to leave this world in her youngest years.” — Prince Alexander Vasilyevich Meshchersky

“Alexia [Alexandra] is certainly a remarkable child, as beautiful as the day and so good.” — Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia

“The three young Princesses were the most beautiful of all the family: Marie, her father's favorite, blonde with blue eyes and a delicate complexion, small, rather thin, recalling to mind the Great Catherine, not only by her fine profile, but also by certain traits in her spontaneous, impulsive, and sensual nature; Olga--a beautiful, noble, pale figure, slender and elegant, with a spiritual expression, and superb black hair framing the absolutely pure oval of her face; finally Alexandrine, the youngest, with a long neck and narrow chest, lively, teasing, a frail and fragile figure full of grace and childish gaiety, generally considered to be the living portrait of her mother.” — Constantine de Grunwald

“Mary is in the giraffe stage, is pale and thin, but has charming characteristics and will be a delightful individual; Olly has kept her kind of face but is getting thin and growing a lot; Adini is very small and very mischievous, but I do not think she is pretty in spite of others' opinions.” — Emperor Nicholas I of Russia (16 February 1828)

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