TALBOT1572

Penrice ¹
July 16

My dear Henry

I am ashamed of myself for not having written before to thank you for the beautiful Chrystal ² you sent me by Jane ³ I conclude it came from Chamouni as I have seen some from thence in several collections that were equally clear but none of mine are half as fine. – I have appropriated the little box of treasures which arrived on Saturday too, as I am the genius ⁴ of the Mineralogical part of the Museum here, tho’ I do not understand much of it I am sorry to say. The native Amethyst is a magnificent specimen and I wish my cabinet was more worthy of it. However it will be taken care of & must put up with humble neighbours, the little garnets, aquamarines &cc are so pretty cut, I can hardly imagine them to be the same stones as the rough ones & my sisters have half a mind to take them from me, as too pretty for me! – We are going to visit some new caves ⁵ soon where we hope to find curiosities, but of a different kind as you may imagine! However nothing comes amiss to us. –

Our garden is brilliant do you know an annual called the Kaulfussia amelloides? it is blue and I like it very much. I have heard a great deal about one called the Clarkea pulchella but I have never seen it. We have some beautiful cistuss [sic] in blow they are lilac or pink and came from some seed you sent, the Symphitifolius we keep in the Green house but the others are very hardy. I believe one is the incana & the other salvifolia or some such name. The seeds you sent Mamma ⁶ the other day are flourishing amazingly, the linum is quite tall. – Jane & her children and Miss Nicholl ⁷ are here and enjoying this delightful weather with us. we have many tea parties out of doors and some times dinner too. I think our intended tour will be put off till the Autumn, our plans are never like the laws of the Medes & Persians ⁸ as you know. Sir Christopher ⁹ goes to Milford to meet the Duke of Clarence ¹⁰ some time soon but further than that we are not tied down to anything. –

I hope you are all settled at Laycock by this time and enjoying the fresh air after your long visit to London. I don’t think you want any thing for a shrubb[ery]¹¹ if you have the Willowherb & the Tussilago you mentioned they are inveterate creepers and even come up in our gravel walks! –

We have just had a letter from Kit ¹² from Trieste it was only a fortnight coming, he was in good spirits as usual & amused us very much with his remarks He has not heard more of John ¹³ than we have and I am afraid is not likely to meet him anywhere – Pray give our kind love to all

I am your aff^ate coz
Mary

1827. Swansea July sixteen – Chris^hr Cole.
Henry Fox Talbot Esq^re
Laycock Abbey
Chippenham
31 Sackville S^{t 14}
London