Journal of Sir Charles Monck's Travels in Germany, Venice, Greece

This journey, which was a combination of Grand Tour and honeymoon, took place during the Napoleonic wars, yet, such was the nature of warfare at that period that Sir Charles was able to carry out his itinerary without hindrance and his diary scarcely refers to the war or to enemy operations. The fleas which infested Greek inns and lodgings caused more discomfort than the Emperor's soldiers and the Mediterranean storms were a greater danger than the French Men of War. Sir Charles writes interesting,and frequently amusingly on architecture by personalities, plants, prices and a variety of topics of general interest. A typical entry in the diary is the account of the voyage home:-

Page 194. Thursday October 24: This morning we have heard of a Greek vessel now lying here which intends sailing this evening for Zante. As that sets us something forward in our return westward we have agreed with the Captain for the use of his little cabin between here and Zante for which we pay 75 piastres - to pay 80 if well satisfied with his behaviour on landing ...... We found the little cabin very low and inconvenient and the air had free passage through it on most sides. Fleas abounded as we found, and lice most probably for we caught one upon our little boy's clothes.

Page 200. November 11: (An entry about a ship which might take them on to Malta): the accommodations are good and the captain a civil man of pleasant countenance. Coming to talk with him of the price of carrying us, simply as freight to Malta, we keeping ourselves he demanded 350 seguirs. Surely foreigners think every Englishman a gold mine.

Page 219. Tuesday February 17: I have not written since Wednesday last. It was impossible for the motion of the ship and general confusion of every thing in it till now. On Thursday we had a fair wind ...between 12 o'clock on Wednesday and 12 at noon on Thursday we had run 120 miles. At sunset there was a dead calm. The wind then suddently sprang up from the North West, then shifted after a little to the north from whence it began to blow most tremendously. Soon after dark our spanker boom parted in the middle and fell upon the after deck, carried away several feet of the bulwark and unshipped the wheel - the vessel became ungovernable, the wheel being unshipped and the tiller so encumbered with the wreck of the boom and sail that it could not be moved ...... A sea coming astern of us stove in one of the cabin windows and lifted a couple of hogsheads of water into the cabin, a good share of which came into bed to me and wet all my clothes that I had pulled off besides - the sailors thought they heard the topmasts give way at the same time with the boom and were so panick struck that all went down below, and the captain neither by threats, entreaties or any encouragement whatever could prevail upon any one to go up aloft and hand the topsails. He went up himself and the mate followed him but they were not able to hand any canvas before the wind had entirely split to rags the fore topsail and topsail. A meteor showed itself at the beginning of the storm at the mast head and remained there fixed the whole time, appearing as if a lanthorn with candle burning in it was fixed to the masthead. The boom in its fall killed my she goat that had the kid and frightened the milch one overboard - the kid and my greyhound were preserved by being put below....... On Friday the storm still continued without abatement. It was impossible to cook anything so we lived upon biscuit and cheese. The bulwarks at midship were carried away and the sea broke over the long boat by which our fourteen fat turkies were dashed limb from limb and my tortoises all killed, both which were in the boat. A Swedish sailor on board told the rest that when these meteors attach themselves to the rigging it portends that some of the sailors shall be washed overboard, so none of them could be prevailed upon to go up aloft or expose themselves upon the deck .... my silver travelling inkstand so contrived as not to let the ink escape had the ill luck to be between two heavy trunks when they made a violent assault upon each other and was broke into several pieces .............

(This storm continued without abatement until the following Tuesday, when it gave place to a period of calm and fair weather and Sir Charles was able to write up his diary).