TALBOT1066

Rome
14 March

My Dear Henry

We had not heard of the Earthquake ¹ at Palermo till your letter came, because the news must get from Sicily to London & then come to us through Paris. I cannot tell you our plans, because they entirely depend upon letting this house, Luigi Chiaveri thought he had disposed of it for us, to an English Family who took Lady Mildmay’s ² apartment instead, this is our usual ill luck. If we do not get rid of it before the Holy Week there is no chance of it afterwards, then everybody takes their flight, and I am afraid when [illegible deletion] our term is out which is not till the 6^th of May that it will be too hot to begin going South & that it will end in our not seeing Naples at all, which will disappoint me excessively.

M^r Labouchere ³ dined here yesterday he told me you enjoyed yourself with Strangways ⁴ & Nichol. ⁵ Lord Carnarvon ⁶ is returned, he tells me W^{m 7} talks of coming here. I wish Jane ⁸ would write to me, why does she not? Why don’t you enquire for us the probably expence [sic] of living at an Hotel in case we go to Naples. We have had all sorts of bad weather. It is now very cold. yesterday [sic] we saw ten Cardinals made by the Pope in person & the Hat placed upon their heads with the ceremony of their kissing the Pope’s toe. M^r Buller is I believe gone to Naples, he was to go today. Lord Sheffield is arrived from Brundissium [sic] whe[re]⁹ he was obliged to perform Quarantine after having met with all sorts of disasters. We have sent you several papers & brochures & letters that came by the post from all parts

Ever Y^rs aff^tly

You see by Brougham ¹⁰ supporting Canning ¹¹ on the Seaman bill ¹² how ready the Opposition are to support what they think good measures Even when they originate on the Ministerial side, Vice Versâ cannot be said.

Caroline ¹³ is annoyed you have not answered her letter Why don’t you make William get you the English Papers to read that come to the Embassy, they must have all sides & you would find it all given more in detail than Galignani ¹⁴

W.H.F. Talbot
Signor Inglese
Posta Restanta
Napoli
Napoli