TALBOT1174

Calais
5^th March 1824

My Dear Mother –

As we found no vessel about to sail for Boulogne, we came here. We had a rough passage of three hours & a half, the wind blowing very hard and intensely cold. You will be sorry to hear that Kit ¹ is not with us, Lord Ilchester having refused his consent to his being absent from home on his birthday,² at which he seems much disappointed – John ³ & I are travelling together in my carriage we hope to reach Abbeville tomorrow, and soon to be with you at Genoa. William ⁴ crossed from Dover to Calais two days before us on his way to the Hague. I am nearly overwhelmed with luggage, I bring you many things, a shawl from Aunt Louisa, ⁵ which escaped the douane, a letter from Aunt Susan ⁶ you will be glad of – Why don’t you write to her, she continually speaks of it & says she shall never see you again – However everybody says she is much better – Among other bulky articles I have myriads of English Novels which I shall never get into the Sardinian States, & a monstrous telescope, which I am to try in Italian skies, & will greatly amuse M^r F. ⁷ & my sisters ⁸ – Fortunately the douaniers ⁹ fancied it was for some ambassador, or I should have had 100 francs duty to pay for it. – We mean to stay 3 days at Paris, go to Nice by way of Grenoble, Gap, Digne &c – and stay 3 or 4 days at Nice – I wish to make an excursion from Nice Genoa to Corsica & Elba so that I hope you will not leave it till May. I received M^r F’s commissions about sarcophagi the day before my departure, & having no time myself I left it to M^r Dillwynn ¹⁰ [sic] to find out thro’ D^r Wollaston. ¹¹ I have made acquaintance lately with Sir H. Davy, ¹² in general it is much easier to form acquaintance with continental than with English literati, who are less accueïllant. ¹³ They are forming a new club of 500 members, of persons attached to literature science or the Arts¹⁴ – I am a member, I think it will be useful in enabling one to meet people otherwise inaccessible – L^d Lansdowne ¹⁵ & Sir H. Davy are among the leading members –

I remain your aff^te Son
Henry Talbot

P.S. I have various things for Caroline & Horatia if they escape the perils of the journey.

Miladi Feilding
Dame Anglaise
Gênes
Italie