GHL Journal, Paris, 29-31 December 1866
Title
GHL Journal, Paris, 29-31 December 1866
Title
GHL Journal, Paris, 29-31 December 1866
Sender
Ghl Journal
Recipient
U
Date(s)
- 1866-12-29–<br /> 1866-12-31
Place
Paris
Letter Content
GHL Journal, Paris, 29-31 December 1866
MS: Yale. Extract published: Kitchel, p. 240.
Saturday 29 December.
After breakfast did shopping, rambling, and picture seeing. Back to the hotel and stretched myself on the bed for an hour's rest. At 'bd 6 we went to dinner at Mad. Mohl's -- present L'e9once de Lavergne, 557 Jules Simon, 558 de Lom'e9nie, 559 Prof. Scherer 560 and his wife, Lanfrey 561 and a M. Gigot, 562 a young Catholic advocat. Liked Scherer very much; Jules Simon commonplace. The dinner agreeable and the talk lively but sadly wanting in individuality or distinction.
Sunday 30th December.
The streets yesterday and to-day horribly crowded; every one buying 'e9trennes; the boulevards like a fair with booths on each side. We left Barbara's letters at Mad. Mohl's and then went to the Louvre where we met Woolner. He went to the sculpture room with us and explained certain technical excellencies of the statues. We arranged to dine with him and Clark, 563 but found ourselves too tired as we were going to the theatre. Dined at the hotel -- capital dinner. Went to Th'e9'e2tre Lyrique expecting to hear Richard Coeur de Lion and Rigoletto and found to our disgust Richard not to be given but instead a wretched opera comique -- Cartouche. Even Rigoletto not so well cast as last year.
Monday 31st.
Breakfasted with Mad. Mohl. Renan, Woolner, and the Duchesse di Colonna 564 the only guests. Renan very much like a Belgian priest in aspect -- broad, coarse, suave, agreeable, commonplace; he talked just as the thousand and one Frenchmen talk -- inconsiderately, superficially. He interested me by what he said of Littr'e9; 565 of Comte he talked the usual nonsense. I could not help probing him when he was talking about Kant, and finding that, as I expected, he only knew Kant at second hand, and that inaccurately. He pressed me to go and see him -- don't think I shall. The duchess a charming apparition. Pretty, very graceful, a sculptor of genius (I hear) and an individual mind, I perceived. She talked a good chat with Polly and pressed me to go and see her when we revisit Paris -- which we shall.
Stayed till 2 -- a most interesting morning; but the rain poured in torrents and no cab to be had! At last a messenger sent to Mohl took us in his cab as far as the Palais Royale and there we walked under the arcades till the rain ceased after which we had a horrid walk through the overcrowded muddy streets to our hotel -- packed up, dined and started for Tours at 7.15. Arrived at the station we found passengers were not deposited at Tours by that train, so we went to Orl'e9ans. Hotel du Loiret very primitive; had a fire lighted and got to bed.
MS: Yale. Extract published: Kitchel, p. 240.
Saturday 29 December.
After breakfast did shopping, rambling, and picture seeing. Back to the hotel and stretched myself on the bed for an hour's rest. At 'bd 6 we went to dinner at Mad. Mohl's -- present L'e9once de Lavergne, 557 Jules Simon, 558 de Lom'e9nie, 559 Prof. Scherer 560 and his wife, Lanfrey 561 and a M. Gigot, 562 a young Catholic advocat. Liked Scherer very much; Jules Simon commonplace. The dinner agreeable and the talk lively but sadly wanting in individuality or distinction.
Sunday 30th December.
The streets yesterday and to-day horribly crowded; every one buying 'e9trennes; the boulevards like a fair with booths on each side. We left Barbara's letters at Mad. Mohl's and then went to the Louvre where we met Woolner. He went to the sculpture room with us and explained certain technical excellencies of the statues. We arranged to dine with him and Clark, 563 but found ourselves too tired as we were going to the theatre. Dined at the hotel -- capital dinner. Went to Th'e9'e2tre Lyrique expecting to hear Richard Coeur de Lion and Rigoletto and found to our disgust Richard not to be given but instead a wretched opera comique -- Cartouche. Even Rigoletto not so well cast as last year.
Monday 31st.
Breakfasted with Mad. Mohl. Renan, Woolner, and the Duchesse di Colonna 564 the only guests. Renan very much like a Belgian priest in aspect -- broad, coarse, suave, agreeable, commonplace; he talked just as the thousand and one Frenchmen talk -- inconsiderately, superficially. He interested me by what he said of Littr'e9; 565 of Comte he talked the usual nonsense. I could not help probing him when he was talking about Kant, and finding that, as I expected, he only knew Kant at second hand, and that inaccurately. He pressed me to go and see him -- don't think I shall. The duchess a charming apparition. Pretty, very graceful, a sculptor of genius (I hear) and an individual mind, I perceived. She talked a good chat with Polly and pressed me to go and see her when we revisit Paris -- which we shall.
Stayed till 2 -- a most interesting morning; but the rain poured in torrents and no cab to be had! At last a messenger sent to Mohl took us in his cab as far as the Palais Royale and there we walked under the arcades till the rain ceased after which we had a horrid walk through the overcrowded muddy streets to our hotel -- packed up, dined and started for Tours at 7.15. Arrived at the station we found passengers were not deposited at Tours by that train, so we went to Orl'e9ans. Hotel du Loiret very primitive; had a fire lighted and got to bed.
Citation
Ghl Journal, GHL Journal, Paris, 29-31 December 1866, Complete George Eliot Letters(2026), George Eliot Archive, edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org, Accessed September 7, 2026. https://georgeeliotarchive.org/items/show/94332