Welcome to Henry's Travel Blog!

Although he kept detailed business papers, Missouri Botanical Garden founder Henry Shaw left little personal material for biographers to consider in analyzing his life. One of the few items which remain is a series of five journals. Following his retirement from the hardware business in 1840, Shaw traveled abroad and made notes, recollections, and even sketches in these small bound books. Join us as we chart Henry's journey to Europe and beyond.
 
Shaw's variable spellings, punctuation, and grammar, preserved throughout, are typical even for well-educated gentlemen in the 19th Century. Important note (4/14/09): The entries from March 11, 2009 through April 8, 2009, correspond to recently discovered text from Henry Shaw's journal. They will be posted online under the correct dates to preserve chronological accuracy.
 
   
   

Posted Online Saturday, July 18, 2009

September 28, 1841: Family

Was awake very early this morning by a whining noise - something like the crying of a child - could not a first immagine what it meant or where it came from - but soon concluded the occupier of the adjoining room was an insane person and an englishman - as he kept constantly calling out Betsy, Betsy - - saw him as he went out of his room - a welldressed middle aged man - very wrong in his friends to let such a man travel about alone - Met Mr. Moore the American Consul on change (?) and accompanied him by previous invitation to his house to dine - has a very pleasant retired seat on the hill near the Cathedral - Mrs. Moore is an american - they have a numerous family, mostly young misses - she informed me she came to Burope with Mr. Gallatin twenty five years ago then he was minister to the Court of France - from the garden is a beautifull view of the city and the Adriatic coast as far as Aquileice -

Posted Online Friday, July 17, 2009

September 27, 1841: Tomasso

An uninteresting day - rain in the morning - at nine took coffee and a roll at Tomasso - dined at 2 - at the table d' bote at the Prince Metternich - and after theatre supped a la carte.

Posted Online Thursday, July 16, 2009

September 26, 1841: Saint Antonio Necchio

This is Sunday - went to mass at Saint Antonio Necchio - and found the audience composed mostly of fashionable people, particularly ladies - but not as devout in appearance as in Rome and Naples - the oldest building in Trieste is the cathedral on the hill cabled Saint Justo into the walls of which are built in, nieces of reman sculpture - nearby is the grave of Winkelman the antiquarium who was assassinated by a servant for the gold medal that he had incautiously shewn - and which he had received as a mark of distinction - in the afternoon walked out to the passeggio dell Boschetto - a pleasant promenade at the Trattonia there are seats under the trees and vine harbours - where parties of promenaders were partaking of refreshments - there was also music - being alone among the busy scene - accosted two fair damsels who were seated to themselves - who told me who and what they were - one called herself a fabricante de capelli and the other a Sarte da Dorme - that they came every suniay to the Boschetto for a walk - and that they were ragazze - as it was not the custom in Trieste for married women to go out alone - with a great deal of other information as to the customs of the place, etc. they spoke Italian with the Venetian dialect - as clave for chiave - ze for ce & so on - the language of the interior is Slavonic - which from their intercourse with the country people, they also speak a little - being respectable in their appearance and deportment, invited them to take ices at the cafe del acouedota, which having done - and growing dusk was in hAste to return home their residence being in the citta Necchia - near the church of the Jesuits - so ended our short acquaintances - at the opera in the evening spoke to no one nor saw any person I knew - the piece performed was Zampa - Mrs. Shaw gets very little applause - -

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Posted Online Wednesday, July 15, 2009

September 25, 1841: Gentlemen

Called on Mr. Moore the American consul at whose counting room I had previously left my card - found him a very agreable man - says there are no american travellers here at present - a few days since a young gentleman Mr. (blank space) from Albany left for Venice after passing only a few days at Trieste quite tired of it - thinks he would have accompanied me in my intended tour to Dalmatia - wrote letter to ray uncle Mr. Hoole - for funds to remit me to Venice care of Acting American Consul Mr. Holme - took leave this evening of my companions Mr. Sawre1l and Signor Guiseppe Lofari - accompanying them from the opera to the steamer that leaves very other night for Venice

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Posted Online Monday, July 13, 2009

September 23, 1841: Susana

A scotch gentleman Mr. Reid - arrived after us last night with his wife and a young Miss their daughter - we went in a carriage together - and by six o clock were at the entrance of the Grotto - the mouth is large and receives a river of some sise- which is supposed to be the same that runs out of the same chain of mountains twelve miles off, but which has a different name - the dome is the first part we came to, and is lofty and of large dimensions - here we cross the river on a bridge and the lights are placed in different directions to give a fine effect - this is said to be the largest subterranean apartment in the world - and was known thus far untill 18l9 - when a workman broke thro a thin wall of stalactite which opened a grotto of singular extent and beauty -or three miles further - we penetrated about a mile among stalactites hanging from the roof or rising from the floor of the grotto - in some places they were close resemblances to works of art - being in all Banner of forms and figures - one place is called the english garden - there is a butchers shop and a pulpit - but the curtain is the most surprising - the spar (?) hangs down from the roof in thin and transparent folds - in the shape of fringed drapery - we were also she,- an acuatic animal that has excited a great curiosity among naturalists as it exists in no other place - they call it the proteus anguinus - it has the tail of an ell with the head and feet of the lisard - its gills serve as lungs so that it breathes the air or lives like a fish - it has no eyes - but there are points in the place of eyes - it is small not exceeding a foot in length - our excursion occupied two hours - and this part of the grotto runs in a different direction from the river - geologists account for these large appurtures in the mountain from its being composed of limestone rock that decomposes in places - after a hearty breakfast at our clean and neat hotel started back to Trieste by the route we came - stopping at Susana a little village where we dined - we landed at the Prince Metternich at six o clock - -

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Posted Online Sunday, July 12, 2009

September 22, 1841: Adelsburg

Mr. Sawrell and self hired a carriage at 20 florins to carry us to Adelsburg & back - smarted in the rain - the distance is 7-3/4 german miles of about five english miles each - the road for the most part is over the Kartz mountains - spires of the Julian alps - arrived by a winding road to the summit of the ridge that overhangs Trieste to the north - there is an obolisk of brown marble An memory of the late emperor Francis - who passed that way some years ago - the roads are kept in fine order, and are crowded with waggons carrying building materials and manufactures to Trieste - we Also passed loads of cotton and colonial produce going into the interior of Germany - tha bleak barren Kartz was succeeded by a country pleasingly diversified by hill and dale - fine pasture lands interspersed with vinyards - the country is thickly populated - counted seven villages in sight at once - houses well built - large and strong as if made to last for ages - Adelsburgh is in a district of country now called Illyria - the inhabitants are german - it was dark when we drove into the yard of the hotel - were received and waited on by young women of good appearance and correct deportment - they spoke Italian - so that we got along very well - made a hearty supper about 3 o clock - and went to bed - and are to be called at daylight in the morning to see the grotto which lies about a mile from town - when I had fastened my door and got into bed - the young landlady knocked and said she wanted to come in - this request I most readily complied with and jumping up opened the door - it was only to say that another party would accompany us and that we are to be called at five instead of six - - -