TALBOT1131

[this is written on the same sheet as a note from Lady Elisabeth: ]

Genoa
Sunday 30^th Nov^r 1823

My dear Henry

I received your letter from Paris some days ago, which pleased me very much. You have been a great deal longer going to Paris than we had calculated – and had not it seems such fine weather as we had. – I am very glad you went by Autun, ¹ & saw the roman antiquities of which you sent me such a pretty little sketch. – We went last Thursday to a funeral ceremony in honour of the late Pope Pius the Seventh ² in the church dell’ Annunziata. There was a very fine mausoleum which looked like red marble granite, with a door on each side with two Doric pillars of white marble, & weeping figures all round. The church was hung with black drapery and the cenotaph was lit up by concealed lamps. There was a great deal of singing and afterwards a funeral oration was pronounced from the pulpit, which lasted a whole hour, of course in praise of the deceased, quel gloriosissimo Pontefice. ³ – Among other things he said, talking of his fortezza, ⁴ that Rome must no longer boast of de’ suoi Cammilli e de’ suoi Regoli, ⁵ beca they being quite outdone by Pio Settimo.

He also mentioned the re-establishment of the Jesuits as one of the his great actions; towards the end he said that we had cried enough & began to talk of his successor, and I observed that when he pronounced the name of Leone Duodecimo ⁶ he took off his cap.

Pius VI the 6 7^th it seems was here during les Cent jours, ⁷ and gave his blessing to the people in the same church where we heard his funeral oration. The orator repeated with a great deal of emphasis his words “Soldio proteggerà i Genovesi.” ⁸ – The weather to-day is as gloomy & muddy as possible but we have had several very fine ones, quite like dear Nice. – I have been studying German a little for two or three days, one great difficulty seems to me to be how to find out of what declension a word is, which is I think as well as the declensions themselves still more difficult than in Latin. – Did you see any preparations at Paris for the trumphal entry of the Duke d’Angoulême, or the Duca del Trocadero, ⁹ to call him by his new title? I have seen in the newspapers that they have are finishing the Arc de Triomphe de l’Etoile on purpose, & that the King of Spain ¹⁰ has already exhibited the same ceremony at Madrid. After many difficulties we are at last going to our new house which was a convent of Carmelite nuns. – For my part I like Genoa very much, I think the views are magnificent and the narrow streets very pleasant, as one is not incommoded by carriages and can look at the shops on each side without trouble. I am very glad to hear that Maria ¹¹ has been well all the time, and that you make Giovanni ¹² feed her, – & shall be charmed to hear of your the safe arrival of all of you in London. – En attendant ¹³ this agreeable news, I wish you Goodbye. –

Your Afft^e Sister
Horatia Feilding

W H F Talbot Esq^r
31 Sackville Street
London