TALBOT2309

Chippenham ¹

17^h Feb^y 1832

Dear Sir/

I went over to Lacock yesterday & talked with M^r Paley ² Tho^s Moore & Phelps ³ on the subject of your last Letter & by united exertions I hope we shall do a a good deal towards making the Village clean – M^r Paley is all on the alert about it & from his continued intercourse with the Poor, is enabled to point out those Houses where the greatest nuisances are kept – He did so to me yesterday – Moore has promised to enforce the removal of them & the Potatoe <sic> ground which the parish rent of you – will be a convenient receptacle in every respect for filth of every description & the Parish may thus afford to pay the Poor for the heaps w^ch they have collected – it is particularly fortunate that the common Sewer of the Village was so lately opened – as it enables us to direct the course of private drains at the present moment without fear of interruption –

I am glad to find that Stroud has replaced the dead Trees in the new Plantation – Phelps says it has been all done well –

I think it will be very desirable when Cattle ⁴ leaves his situation, that some Person of good Character should occupy the Cottage in Inwood ⁵ – it will be a great security against depredations from Wood Stealers (who injure the young Coppice Wood much) as well as tend to prevent the Game from being disturbed – it would be a comfortable thing for a Man & his Wife to live rent free, so long as they are found to behave properly –

The Tradesmen completely understand what you mention, respecting <any?> ⁶ work to be done in future –

I am Dear Sir
Y^r Obliged Ser^t

W. H. Awdry

PS.
I have got your Seal from Kings – he says he fears it will not last long without breaking, the mounting being got so very thin –

W. H. F. Talbot Esq
31. Sackville Street
Piccadilly
London