Maria's Diary 8 and 9

Trip to Paris

While through life's tangled paths you rove,
Watch every onward footstep duly;
And if there's little life to love,

O love that little warmly,-truly.

August 15, 1830  

Because William’s new place of work is farther away from his current
premises, he has now moved to 55 Emmit St in Regent's Park. He says
it is a nice room he has, but he misses the friends he made at the
place near the University.

August  16^th

All the talk at the moment is of the French Revolution. William seems to
think that in the end it will be the salvation of France

28th August

William came to see us again. He is about to go home to Liverpool for a
period of time, which he is greatly anticipating, as he has not seen his fiancee for nearly a year.

13 October

My parents have gone off to Paris. Father is thinking about going there to work, and they wanted to see if they felt it was safe. There was talk of us all going - we have a new baby now too, called Edith, but I am rather in doubt of it. But because Mother had not been on the trip before we did a lot of research about the hows and whys and whens of going from London to Paris.

Father of course has made many trips around the world, but this is the first
one for Moma. Apparently they will be going to Calais in France by the Steam Packet. They leave from the Tower Stairs in London. The trip takes most of two days, so they will have cabins on board.

When they get to Calais, the company will have carriages organised for the
rest of the trip to Paris, which is about 40 miles. I think it is the mail carriage.

William says that some of his relatives are going to be in Paris in a few
months time, so I am sure if Father is working there he can show them around when they come as he will have been there awhile enough to settle in.

This is what the advertising sheet for the Packet says about the trip.

The route by the London Steam Boats from the Tower Stairs,  is less expensive, and, during the summer months, preferred by many. Those who are not subject to sea-sickness, will find this route, in fine weather, a most delightful voyage; the vast variety of objects it affords, the crowds of shipping through which you imperceptibly glide, castles, barges, trees, in short, every object calculated to excite admiration and heighten enjoyment, present themselves, during your passage through the Thames.

The Steam Company usually print monthly lists, stating the time of their leaving both London and Calais . In favourable weather, the passage is made in about twelve hours, but sometimes they are from sixteen to eighteen; the fare for
best cabin passengers, is 33s.; fore cabin, 1£. 2s. 6d.; refreshment may be had on board at the following prices: breakfast consisting of cold meat, eggs, tea and coffee, 2s. dinner of plain roast and boiled, with vegetables, &c. 2s.; tea, 1s.; bottled porter, 1s.; wine, spirits, &c. equally reasonable, and of the first  quality; there are beds on board, and every accommodation for ladies'

Gentlemen who prefer travelling in white hats, will do well to wear either a hat cover, or a travelling cap, whilst on board the packets, as the smoke from the funnel of the vessel will discolour their light coloured hats.

Chapter 9

London riots

November 17, 1830

We have been worried about our relatives and friends who work in London,
as there has been a lot of unrest lately. On this visit William came in a coach as it was pouring with rain. I told him we had been hearing about troubles in London.

He said, “I tried to get into the disturbances in town. Aspley house was attacked and all the shops were closed all day and there were crowds of people in the streets. There had been several disturbances during the day however when we went down all was quiet though there were large parties of the mob in different places and the constables were stationed in parties of several hundreds in various locations.”

He gave me some of the news articles to read.

"Three hundred men arrived at Temple Bar armed with clubs, only to find the
New Police had shut the gates. ‘Francis Place reported that the Spitalfields men had armed themselves by pulling down part of the Public Record Office, then under construction in Chancery Lane, and seizing its staves. In an assertion of their prerogative to control the Temple Bar gate, City Police forced open the gate, but also sought to disarm the Spitalfields workers."

William added to his story,

"The life guards and artillery were also under arms all was quiet except for a troop of 400 police marching to the protection of one of the minister’s houses We didn’t see any attacks on the police, no broken heads, a charge of guards or a discharge of cannon, but about 2 ½ hour afters we left, there was a fight."

As to the causes, the papers speculated.

All autumn the agitation was deeper than political. Pauperism and misery and starvation had brought the country to the edge of dissolution. The middle classes demanded reform. Wellington said the King’s speech didn’t even mention most important political crisis of thecentury Lord Grey said no promise of reform .