TALBOT2124

Lacock
9^th January 1831

My Dear Horatia,

Today I dined at Hartham, where Joy ¹ is turning a ploughed field into a thick wood forty years old. How it will succeed Time will shew: but at present it looks prosperous. One of the Trees moved is a Beech fifty feet high – It must have been a difficult operation, for they have planted it on sloping ground – Maclure thinks Sir H. Stewart ² never transplanted such a tree in a dream. – I have only moved 7 trees as yet; they are not very large: the moving the 3 last was impeded & perhaps injured, by the frost. The ground is now as hard as a rock. – I prophesied a hard frost from seeing such a beautiful Aurora Borealis on the night of the 7^th It was very curious, there were [illegible deletion] white luminous clouds that shot across the sky from West to East: beginning at the West, where the Sun had gone down, & in half a minute or less reaching to the East, & forming a bright arch over the whole heavens – Whatever is the nature of this luminous substance, I think it likely that the tails of Comets consist of the same, and perhaps those nebula in the sky which astronomers describe as consisting of unformed light. I spent 2 or 3 days at Bowood ³ very agreeably, & made acquaintance with one of the most delightful of our neighbours Lady Barrington ⁴ – The Liddells ⁵ are all amiable, but she is certainly the flower of the family – Her Sister in Law Miss Charlotte Barrington was with her – Moore ⁶ & Lady B. sung [sic] all the evening – The Ball was on Tuesday the 4^th It went off exceedingly well, & was kept up till near 4 o’clock – Kerry ⁷ was in high health & spirits –

In the Greenhouse I have Ixia ramiflora coming into blossom, a native I suppose of Naples; it is like the Ixia Bulbocodium which you have seen wild in Italy, but larger – I raised it from seed W^{m 8} sent 2 years ago. – I am going to Melbury ⁹ tomorrow: write me one letter there.

Yours aff^tly
Henry

Miss Horatia Feilding
18 Brunswick Terrace
Brighton