12th September 1820
Dear diary, William is going crazy but you probably know it well. Why was he screaming yesterday? That is a really good question. I honestly did not know... Actually, nothing happened... I mean... It was impossible to find out! When I went to Catherine, she and Mary (my wise women!) told me what happened - William Anthony.... Ah! Let me tell you tomorrow!
Today I feel a little bit sour when I remind myself that tour... Different place every day... And those sad people and sad weather... They all were bored and they did not even know about it... It made me sick at the end... I spent two days nothing but laying in bed. My head was all the time aching and William said that I looked thin.
London. That is where I was born. That is what my parents knew before they left me... They could stay and live a little bit longer... Now I have new family and I am glad but that place made me feel so melancholically. That world is gone forever. Also, just before I overdosed sadness I saw something really amazing! That is Herschel's telescope! That was really impressive. And huge!
Did you know that my mom met Jean Jacques Rousseau in Paris? I even have few letters he wrote to her. That is really amazing. Nobody knew then that she would be a mother of a king! But I will talk about France a little bit later...
I write because I want to save my memories somehow. Yes, I do it for myself.
I get distracted so easily today... Ah! But let me continue those yesterday started industrial things. Me and William saw few factories and manufactures, William went for few meetings of societies, bought few fascinating machines (I could not believe my ears when he said so) and at the end I saw few palaces and beautiful parks. That is what I can say about England and Scotland. Sure, industrial revolution is a great thing which let so many people live better already but I also saw so many happy but absolutely unbelievably poor mountaineers, I saw miners who had to work in total darkness (like Cyclops in hell), always bring their own candles but they enjoyed me singing for them. It was one more reason of my melancholy. Oh! Also, consumerism is growing, people are poor where factories make useless pretty things and obviously slave trade is quite too strong. I have spent so much time around poor. I slept around them; I ate with them. Once when a tavern was full, my dear Catherine found a bed for me and children. She and William slept on chairs and obviously my dear husband had to be in a bad mood the next day but it's clear why, huh. Roads are new and mail coaches were driving superfast but it also happened to just walk. Oh, and some princes welcomed me like a queen, others did not want to let me in without letters of recommendation. That was strange but well...
I also want to write about new pocket maps. When I was born, it was the time of development of tourism. Such maps were made then, guidebooks, even albums with picturesque... I have few with paintings that some people have in their palaces. That is Claude Lorrain and Gaspard Poussin works of art. All those palaces I have seen are actually new! And really amazing! What can I mention? Right! Mr York's Richmond. That is a small town with ruins of castle, pretty house and garden which is so close to the river. This place reminds me of our home... One of my favourite places was a little hill from which there was a magnifique view for this garden. That is on the other side of the river. Beautiful place indeed but dinner was really awful. Ah.
Few words about art. I truly love Italian renaissance and Dutch, Flemish baroque. That is why I am really glad I bought three amazing paintings - Landscape with the Good Samaritan (Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn), Portrait of a Young Man (Rafael Santi) and Lady with an Ermine (Leonardo da Vinci). I saw so many splendid portraits and very often I just had to ask for a chair, sit in front of it and dream. How living with those people had to look like? How their friends looked like? It made so many people laugh "Oh! Duchess is meditating!". Yes. And I felt so good about that.
I also got to know a young lady, great painter, when we were in London. She painted me and I was so happy I could also take such a lovely souvenir from England. I must write a letter to her soon, invite her for winter to our house. Oh! And her name is Maria Cosway.
All those books I bought before the trip, made me compare picturesque with real places. I also had to take a smoky mirror. My William was making a fun of me that I am such a wise tourist but I am fine with that!
There were also moments when my dear husband was taking a quill to his hand and was drawing me. He is such a romantic man! Ah! I love it so much! And he is such a good painter too! He is a little shy about it but he is really good indeed! Another romantic moment - we both engraved our names on a tree. I hope our children will find this tree one day and engrave their names too! Ah! That would be very romantic! That is Castle Howard. Remember my little 4 years old Mary! Castle Howard! Oh, and Halifax! The most beautiful place in the world! Oh, and Hackfall was also so pretty! Perfect place for a romantic soul or a painter! You! Willy!!
Ok, Scotland and few other things I liked the most about this tour - Ossian and Mary Stuart. One of first places I saw is park dedicated to Ossian's poetry in Dunkeld. I ran to the most beautiful palace in the world after seeing this park. I could not resist and let me tell you now why... Imagine hermitage with ivy covered roof over a waterfall, crash of the falling water, arabesque room inside and another one decorated with mirrors that reflect falling river Tay. Also, a painting that present Ossian. That was truly magic. And that rustic bridge makes it all look even more romantic... I also saw few different waterwalls. I love them so much! I think that it is one of the most spectacular natural miracles. Adding strange wooden constructions and flowers in such places when nature creates the most beautiful magic is a crime normally!
I also bought two huge water coloured paitings created by the famous artist - William (!) Payne - that present Ossian's grave and the second one - Fingal's grave.
I have also taken with me in this tour a book called A philosophical inquiry into the origin of our ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful by Edmund Burke from 1756. That is about aesthetic categories named beautiful - that means seeing some amazing parks and palaces to me; and sublime which is more about sensations to me. Sublime is also a horror. Such a first place was Coalbrookdale. That is a place where such a famous iron bridge was built. Also, at night I saw this town in sparks and fire that come from factories. And those mountains... It was really breath-taking. But when the day comes... Spell disappears. Everything is destroyed and burned out all around. Real horror. The second place was... cave in Castleton (Scotland) called Peak-hole or D-l’s A-se. That was just scary! It is very popular but also nothing but scary! It is completely dark inside, deathly silent and those corridors seemed endless. And that is not all! On the top of the mountain, there is a Peveril castle. I do not know how it stays in there... Honestly, devil's work. But also beautiful... When me and William left the cave, we saw the full moon. And those Blue John minerals exist only there! Ah!!
I have also been to Liverpool, Manchester and Chester. Meeting people, dinners, few really bad comedies, concerts (those girls were pretty indeed; I hope to see Mary like that one day too), manufacture of manchester (another name of this material is corduroy), British men are crazy about canals, I have visited prison and alms-house for the poor in the suburbs but I do not remember where it was exactly... Oh! I also met a man who invented painting on glass. Really amazing work. Ah!
Ok now I must say few words about my favourite queen. I feel I can relate to her so much... Such a tragic queen who lost her country and in the meantime she is a symbol of following her heart. This tour was mainly about seeing places connected with the legend of Mary Stuart, yes. It is quite new to talk about her now... Well... The freshest it was when my mother was young but I am still young too! 27 is not too much! Something is telling me that I will live 89 years in general... ANYWAY. I can see this queen in my little daughter... I will dress her as Mary Stuart one day and she will collect charity for poor. Easter is the perfect time for this. I do not care if it brings political discussion or something like this...
At first, we went to Edinburgh. The city is separated for two parts by the valley full of gardens. These two parts are connected by a stone bridge and dam made of ground. One side is old, full of dark tall houses, badly built and the second is new and very well built of stone. There is also a castle where Mary Stuart gave birth to her son Jacob. The second place was Holyrood House. Quite neglected but very interesting. There are portraits of all Scottish kings, even those before Christ, Mary Stuart's bedroom, her tapestry, her velvet gold-embroidered armchair. The second chamber is the one where lord Darnley found her and David Rizzio. It is covered in green and yellow Indian silk. There are those hidden stairs her husband used to come in and wardrobe she used to hide. Even now corridor floor where Darnley killed Rizzio is stained from blood... Another amazing souvenir is quite big box and its walls were embroidered by the queen herself. It is animals, birds made of silk and gold. So pretty! Two other places I must mention about are Linlithgow - old castle, where Mary Stuart was born (that chamber still exists!) and Fotheringhay Castle - that is where this Scottish queen was sent to death. This castle does not exist anymore. Nothing but few rocks got left, mountain where it was built and I took one of those rocks as a souvenir.
Scotland is also full of residue of Roman Empire glory. Defensive wall built by Antoninus; Roman camp built by Agricola to protect the way through the mountains. I also saw such really old Roman stones in Glasgow. It was a defensive wall and each stone had inscriptions who made them (which legion, names of centurions) and those soldiers were not only Romans, also Germans and Spanish made it. I also saw there printing house and fonts - English, Latin, Greek and Hebraic. So amazing! I also found that William will help financially publish first Polish dictionary. Wow, he forgot to tell me about it. It has been 5 months, Willy!! I was mad at him; we were arguing a little but after Breakfast we made up and visited Pocklington's isle. That is on the loch Keswick. I love cruises. And then we went by foot to see Stock Ghyll Force. Such a waterfall. Scotland has so many isles, I only saw few. William also wanted to try fishing in Inveraray, I drank tasty punch by the Loch Long. Scottish breakfast is amazing! In general, I really loved it. This cuisine is famous for venison. I like simple food the most. And Loch Lomond is the most beautiful!
At the end I must also say that Scottish women always walk without shoes. Even those who wear silky clothes and lace hats. I do not remember where I was picking up flowers and William tore his frock coat and it nearly made him cry because it was his favourite. He also got so jealous when we noticed that a stranger was watching my feet. Yes, it was embarrassing... In Hamilton Palace I saw van Dyck's paintings, Rubens and Daniel in the Lions' Den. In Nottingham I saw a little show where wool was cleaned, boiled in soap and combed by such hot iron tools. And in Cambridge I saw Newton's manuscripts in library. They did not want to show anything more... And that is all! Then we came back to London...
Ok now I can say what happened to William yesterday, I will not wait for tomorrow... He was playing with our little boy and he just got so excited when William Anthony laughed at him and almost tried to speak! It is hard to believe to me... That is too soon but well... Now I know I have more than two children at home.... Ah so much text... I need some rest... Until next time, my dear diary!
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