TALBOT2094

Thursday
Dec^r 2^nd

My dear Henry

I am very glad to hear Laycock is so quiet & well behaved. We were delighted with the proclamation. Aunt Louisa ¹ dined here yesterday as Lord Lansdowne ² had a cabinet dinner. She is going to Bowood ³ in a few days, with Louisa. ⁴ She hopes to do a great deal of good by talking to the people there. The accounts from Moreton ⁵ were better yesterday – they had taken several prisoners there & at Minterne. We were excessively surprised to hear Louisa Frampton ⁶ was arrived in town. She is not looking ill all things considered. Aunt Harriet ⁷ describes Moreton as quite en état de siège ⁸ – all the windows barricadoed with furniture – the plate &c hid away – & the iron bars before the windows taken up, that the people may drop into the oubliettes! Uncle John ⁹ seems quite disappointed that there are no adventures at Melbury ¹⁰ & that he has gone all that way for nothing. I hope that odious Holy Alliance ¹¹ is not going to attack Belgium & draw us into a war.

We had 4 Steyrische Alpensinger ¹² at the Duchess of Cannizzaro’s ¹³ the other day they sing very prettily indeed & were quite enchanted when we talked to them about the mountains of Styria. There [sic] are very picturesque with green hats & feathers

We had tableaux again last Tuesday at Lady Dudley Stuart’s. ¹⁴ They made me act Rowena in the last scene in Ivanhoe ¹⁵ & Lady Dudley was Rebecca in a beautiful oriental dress. Caroline ¹⁶ personated Dante’s Beatrice in another & Elisa Hunloke ¹⁷ Hamlet’s mother in the scene where he shews her the 2 pictures. M^rs Fox Lane looked quite beautiful as a Sybil with upturned eyes. Addio carissimo fratello ¹⁸ pray write me a line & tell me if there are any Chrysanthemums –

Your aff^te
Horatia

Do the poor people go on subscribing? I am enrhumée al solito ¹⁹ & could not go Lady Aberdeen’s-²⁰ there is music to night at M^rs Bradshaw’s²¹ but I am afraid I shall not be able to go.