TALBOT1412

Corfu
31^st March 1826

My Dear M^r F.

Will you send me by the next packet (which sail regularly from Falmouth) 6 bottles of milk from Lawes’s in Regent S^t in a Hamper with 6 bottles of Essence of Coffee, & 6 pots of Pâte de Chocolate. All Lawes’s articles turned out well, except the Portable Soup, which did not keep so long as 3 weeks – The milk was opened on board ship – the 2^d & 3^d days when our stock of fresh milk was exhausted & voted to be excellent. Mixed with Coffee it was as good as milk can be, tho’ not good to be drank [sic] alone. – Other passengers on board the steamer were in number 20 masters, servants & children – We had a tiresome passage there being no accommodations on board, no beds, only sofas. Rainy weather continually rough sea. Passengers were a young officer, the new secretary to the Ionian Senate M^r Craufurd with his wife & 4 children,¹ M^r & M^rs Gordon,² & Co^l Mackaye. M^r Gorden is M^r Fazakerly’s³ friend, the Gordon you must have heard of who is so eager for the Greeks – I have been dining with him today at M^r Forresti’s [sic]⁴ a friend of his, to whom he introduced me, & who is a civil well informed man Everybody praises the Governor here,⁵ & says he does all that is possible to spread rational liberty & improvement. The weather is very stormy, we had a gleam however at sunset today That was vy picturesque It fell upon the citadel which is v^y abrupt and elevated, & displayed it against the sea & the Albanian Mountains of Ali Pacha’s⁶ Country wrapped in clouds & gloom. We had a kid roasted whole at dinner today at Forresti’s, he treated us Homer does his heroes – He is loud in praise of Zante⁷ & wants me to go there. He says in Sir Tho^s Maitland’s ⁸ time nobody durst open their mouths, & that all improvement was discouraged, but that now there is perfect freedom! –

Yours Aff^ly
H. T.

Cap^t Feilding
31 Sackville Street
London