TALBOT2026

Thursday 15 July

My Dear Henry

I wish I had known you were going to leave Laycock so soon. yesterday I sent you a letter with the Uppingham Post mark & one from me, ¹ directed there. I suppose you have left directions for them to follow you. I saw Lord Holland ² last night, he said any young man who would watch his opportunity during a general Election, might get in for £800. We have fixed to leave town on the 29^th by that time all the people will be gone electioneering. Lady Holland ³ expressed great anxiety Kit ⁴ should come in for his own County. I suppose you will wander into Glamorgan before you get back. Pray write plus au long. ⁵ After all I think London is the best arena, you see very lasting acquaintance made there. During a winter at Rome I should be afraid of being induced to admire people (from want of competition) whom at home one should think nothing of. Every body is talking of the Pamphlet entitled “the Country without a Government” ⁶ – shall I send it you? It is disputed whether it is written by Agar Ellis, ⁷ Lord Durham, ⁸ or Bingham. ⁹ M^r F. ¹⁰ thinks the writing not good enough for any of them, but it is very sharp & amusing & cuts some people keenly.

Yours Sisters ¹¹ & M^r F. are going tomorrow with Lady Mansfield ¹² on a Water Party to Greenwich, I think I shall excuse myself as I hate aquatic expeditions, & your Aunt Louisa ¹³ has offered to come & dine with me tête à tête, which will be much pleasanter. I wish you would write from the banks of the Wye, I should like to kn[ow] ¹⁴ your impressions. cela me [text missing] de la peine ¹⁵ to think you are errant per monti e per boschi e tante solitari rivi. ¹⁶ Solitude is the worst possible thing for you in your present frame of Mind. Somebody says if you are solitary be not idle, if you are idle be not solitary but I am afraid you are both.

I wonder you have not heard from Kit. Pray tell me a little more in your letters

Adieu ¹⁷

The Hunlokes ¹⁸ arrive to Night. Lord Belfast ¹⁹ is Vice Chamberlain!! by dint of asking over & over

Henry Fox Talbot Esq^r
Post office
Chepstow