TALBOT1250

Abbotsbury Castle ¹
February 10^th 1825

My dear Henry

I am sure you will be glad to hear of anything good relating to Uncle William ² and therefore I do not lose a moment in telling you that Grandmama ³ received a letter from M^r Canning ⁴ two days ago informing her that he has appointed Uncle W^m Secretary of Legation at Florence, at which of course we are all highly delighted – We have not yet heard from Uncle William, but I expect to have the pleasure of congratulating him in person, as I suppose he must come home to get ready for Florence. L^d Burghersh ⁵ is the Ambassador there but we cannot recollect who was the late Secretary of Legation whose place W^m is to fill. Grandmama desires me to give her kindest love to Aunt Lily ⁶ and to say that she meant to have told her this good news herself but she has so very many letters of thanks &cc &cc to write that she must put it off for a little while –

I hope you got a little note about Signora Antonietto ⁷ which I enclosed to Mary Talbot, ⁸ fearing you might have left London; tho’ I found afterwards that you staid some days longer than you intended originally.

Of course from Ab. you will expect to hear something about the garden, and it is so much improved since I saw it in October that I think it will hereafter surpass all its Dorsetshire rivals. The tender plants are almost all flourishing in spite of very high winds but as the frosts here are very trifling there is a Camellia, Melianthus & Oleander, Cactus opuntia &c – all looking as well as those in my greenhouse. He has a Crocus pusillus coming into blow out of doors which I am watching as it looks as if it intended being white, & as I believe he brought it from Naples I am anxious for its well doing here.

Mama ⁹ sends her kind love to Aunt Lily & pray give mine to Caroline & Horatia ¹⁰

& Believe Me Your Very Affectionate Cousin
Harriet Frampton

I beg you will not forget that you undertook to answer all my effusions at the end of 3 weeks.

Henry Talbot Esq^re
Hotel de la Terrasse
Rue de Rivoli
Paris