TALBOT1416

Corfu.
2^d April 1826

My Dear Mother

What do you think I find going on here? A second Lent, and Easter ¹ coming again in 3 weeks – I have dined at the palace with Sir F. & Lady Adam ² whom I like very much, & as they are going to London almost immediately I hope you will make acquaintance with them.

I have seen a good deal of L^d Guilford, ³ who is wholly devoted to the new University which he has been so instrumental in establishing here & which promises to be a signal benefit to Greece. No language but Greek is allowed within it. Today I rode with his secretary Lusignan a very intelligent young man to a village called Castillanos about 6 miles along an excellent road newly M^c adamized ⁴ [sic], when it stopped we hired Greek boys for guides & clambered over a mountain from the top of the ridge we looked down upon the Sea and the West Coast of the island; at our feet a little sandy bay, in front a boundless ocean, to the left another glimpse of the Sea with the island of Santa Maura (the ancient Leucadia) 70 miles to the Southward. to the right S^t Salvador the highest mountain in Corfu; behind us plains and hills of olives which we had crossed with the town & Citadel of Corfu, the strait between the island & the mainland, and the mainland itself; a Chaos of snowy mountains. The spot where we stood was called by our Guides áãéï èåïäùñï [sic] or S^t Theodore, it is little visited I daresay as accident took us there. I made the guides botanize, they brought hyacinths and other things which they maintained were áãñï óêïñäéíï that is wild Garlick – They are very good people, and seem contented & happy.

April 10^th

At length the Post is going. The weather is very brilliant and hot, the evenings are delightful. I am going tomorrow to Santa Maura or to Cefalonia – The last Otranto packet brought no letters from you, so that I have no news of you later than the 14^th March – Sir F. Adam is gone, in the Naiad frigate. ⁵

Your Aff^te Son
WHF.T.

I gave M^r F. ⁶ the other day a commission about sending me some things: but now I have changed my mind; as I think I shall be gone before they arrive –

Lady E. Feilding
31 Sackville Street
Londra