TALBOT1228

Sidmouth
Dec^r 17^th

My dear Henry

It is time I should thank you for your kind letter ¹ from London, & I promised Emily ² to thank you for her plants which she was delighted to receive, & besides you will be glad to hear that I had as good an account of M^r Lemon ³ this day as we could expect – Emily is now at Torquay, & says his spirits are good, the bleeding lasted but two hours, & there has not been any return of it since – they think it was caused by his anxiety about your Aunt Charlotte, ⁴ billiousness, & smoke – he has no cold, or Cough – Your uncle Harry & John ⁵ came here yesterday, & went on today to Torquay, & propose to stay there till Saturday, they left the Children quite well at Melbury ⁶ – I went over with the Franklands ⁷ & Emily to Exeter last Saturday, to meet Charley Lemon ⁸ on his way for the holiday; & that Emily might go on with him to Torquay – he did not arrive till three oClock on Sunday, & as M^r Frankland had a cold, & the Carriage an open one, we were obliged to come away after Church, & leave Emily for him, they got safe to Torquay that night, & she tells me both he, & Aug^{t 9} are very well. The Cathedral at Exeter is handsome & the service remarkably well performed & tell W^{m 10} that the Bishop his old friend D^r Carey ¹¹ looks particularly well –

It has been a tremendous day here & I feared we sh^d be over whelm’d with the sea – but the wind has changed & I trust we may get over the night without more alarm – the Garden was cover’d with water & a street I could see into at the [illegible] ¹² of the House was also filled with water & many others which I c^d not see in the same state – The sea very fine to look at but very alarming from being so near to it.

Give my love to Lady Mary ¹³ & to all my Friends at Penrice ¹⁴, I hope dear Charlotte ¹⁵ is better, & Jane ¹⁶ & her Babe flourishing – L^y I– ¹⁷ hopes to be at Melbury by Xmas day, so I conclude W^m will not be a great while absent after that –

Ever my dear Henry most affectionately yours –
Tam ¹⁸

Henry Talbot Esq^re