A Memoir of the Reverend Sydney Smith
Letters 1826
Sydney Smith to Catharine Amelia Smith, 1 May 1826
Saturday was again a horrible day. I have been
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badly advised about the time of year: the month of May is
the time. We will set off from Yorkshire the 1st of May.
I dined with Talleyrand; his cook is said to be the best in Paris. The
Duke of Bedford took me there. He was
very civil (Talleyrand, I mean), as was his niece, the
Duchess de Dino. I sat near Mr. Montron, the Luttrell of Paris,—a very
witty, agreeable man, with whom I made great friends. In the afternoon I went
to Lady Grantham’s, where was a
splendid assembly. I amused myself very much, and stayed till twelve
o’clock. I renewed my acquaintance with Pozzo
di Borgo, the Russian Ambassador; a very sensible, agreeable
man.
Dorothée, duchesse de Dino (1793-1862)
The daughter of Dorothea von Medem, Duchess of Courland, she was the lover of Talleyrand
and spouse of his nephew. In 1831 Maria Edgeworth described her as “little, and
ugly—plain, I should say.”
Casimir, Comte de Montrond (1768-1843)
French military officer, diplomat, and political agent allied to Talleyrand. Sydney Smith
described him as “a very witty, agreeable man” Thomas Creevey as an “infernal
scoundrel.”
Count Carlo Andrea Pozzo di Borgo (1764-1842)
Corsican statesman aligned with Pasquale Paoli in opposition to Bonaparte; in 1804 he
joined the Russian service, and after the Bourbon restoration was Russian ambassador at the
Tuileries.