TALBOT2028

London
July 19^th 1830

My dear Henry

I am very glad to hear you are making such a pleasant tour in the mountains. I have such pleasant recollections of our journey on the Wye 5 years ago, that I should like to go there again.

We had a very pleasant water-party Friday we drove down to Blackwall, & embarked on board the Vigilant cutter, which belongs to M^r H. Bouverie as commissioner of the customs. We sailed down the river as far as Belvidere; the day was lovely excepting occasional showers which made a pleasing variety. We all dined at an excellent new inn, at Blackwall on white-bait. The party consisted of Lady Mansfield ¹ & her daughters Lady Belhaven ², the ladies Charteris, ³ Miss Seymour, L^y Georgina Hervey, ⁴ Lady Mildmay ⁵ & Letitia, Lord Jermyn & L^d Arthur H. ⁶ & several others.

Lady Hunloke ⁷ is arrived & dined here Saturday. Elisa ⁸ is overjoyed at being in England again. We were at a party at Lady Cowper’s ⁹ Wednesday where Emily ¹⁰ appeared for the first time as Lady Ashley she begged us to call on her, which we did next day. She has a delightful house in New Norfolk Street looking into the Park, & seems as happy as possible. Lady Jersey ¹¹ is quite rayonnante ¹² – they say Lord J. ¹³ did not like his appointment at first at all, but he will soon get reconciled to it. – Only think of the King ¹⁴ going to take possession of Windsor Castle on the box of the D^ss of Gloucester’s ¹⁵ carriage. He will be very unpopular with the Navy for changing the uniform & with the army pour l’affaire des moustaches. ¹⁶

There is a breakfast to-day at Kenwood – but it has been pouring all the morning so I do not know whether we can go. Lady Bristol ¹⁷ has one to-morrow at Putney, & the D^ss of Bedford ¹⁸ her long expected ball, to which we are all requested to go in white, not to look like the Dance of Death. – Lady Holland ¹⁹ has taken a sudden fancy to C. ²⁰ & me – she has ask [illegible] to dinner next Sunday at Holland House. pensa che onore! ²¹ I hear Lady Lilford ²² writes the most rapturous descriptions of Lilford Hall, selon elle, ²³ Northamptonshire is Paradise on earth. Addio caro ²⁴ – I direct to Chepstow according to others, though I dare say you will be flown away somewhere else by the time my letter gets there.

Your aff^te Sister
Horatia

I hear nothing but praises of the Legends ²⁵ on all sides – Charles Phipps ²⁶ was delighted, particularly with Rubezahl: Lady Luisa Charteris told me she looked forward to reading it as her only amusement on the her passage to Edinburgh on board a Leith smack which it is Lord Wemyss’s ²⁷ particular fancy to go in – & in which they are often detained a fortnight!

W. H. Fox Talbot Esq^re
Post Office
Chepstow
Cows [sic] ²⁸
Isle of Wight
Lacock Abbey ²⁹
Chippenham
Wilts