Wonderful clear & hot weather now-a-days.
Madras girl on the Barracca. ―[1]
Rose at 6 or 7: drew a little. Breakfasted a little. Slept a little. Heard the Church bells a little. It is noon a little.
Eh! σήμερον ᾽ς τὴν Ἀνάλειψιν![2]
Later, called on the Burke’s ―: of Miss B. my opinion is the same as before, only better: of Majr. B. better also ― a crust of sorrow the bother of eternally moving to & fro, once seen beyond, & he would come out a pleasant & good “Irish Gentleman.”
Walked & drew on the beautiful Baracca: & walked into the Φλωριὰν gardens & thereabouts. At 7 ― crossed to Port Manuel, & found “Gentle” Curzon, who was as active ― in order to shew me “points of view” ― as he could be were I a Duke. ― A truly fine lad is Curzon: well-balanced in mind & physical. But o Lord! the Mess dinner! ― there were Arbuckle & Legh ― ――― (I fear Legh is “sad & strange,”) & a Col. Montagu ― & the Colonel (Elrington,) of the Rifles, who, quâ Regt. ― seem to mourn in dress.
Παραπολὺ[3] food & drink ― tho’ all good: particklar ― Moselle [Beveredge] cup ― wh. brings back Knowsley days.
― O! how all this writing seems trash since Ann’s death who read & commented so much on all I ever wrote! ―
After dinner, ― galleria, & music below: one Capt. Vandeleur, a nice fellow ― & εκφουσιασtically[4] musical.
(The difficulty of smoking: ― I wonder if any one saw me pocket the cigarette a subaltern so amiably made me, but for which all my ingenuity failed to get light? ―)
At 11.30 ― Legh still at Cards ― I came away with Curzon & Col. Montagu ― who is the “Reids’ Montagu.[”] They were both wonderfully amiable & kind.
home by 12.20.
[1] Clearly added later between the two lines, perhaps it should be read after the “drew a little” in the next line.
[2] Today at Ascension (NB).
[4] Enthusiastically (NB).
[Transcribed by Marco Graziosi from Houghton Library, Harvard University, MS Eng. 797.3.]