TALBOT237

Torquay
Jan^y 15^th

My dear Henry

Your letter arrived at the moment we were leaving Melbury ¹ last Saturday, after having passed ten days there very agreably [sic]of an invalid, but since the very serious illness he had last September – just after the visit to Glamorgansh^e–² very great care is necessary, as it has left his throat & chest so weak that all risk of cold is to be most carefully avoided – He never leaves the house excepting in very fine days to take a drive in a Brougham, so that the garden is now quite lost to him which seems so strange! – There are some very nice Ferns in one of the Houses but I did not study them particularly – and what you w^d greatly admire are the Limes which ripen so well that they are used like Lemons with those goodly Fowls yclept³ Wild Ducks and Abbotsbury Teal – Apropos, only think of the number of Swans on the Fleet amounting this year to 860!⁴ Uncle W^m is fortunate in his choice of a wife as L^y I. ⁵ takes admirable care of him & makes all the Family welcome & comfortable – They do not contemplate moving, excepting to Abb. ⁶ for a while, untill [sic] June, so if you come southwards before that perhaps you may see them. – We could not go to Moreton ⁷ because it is let for the winter & Henry & C^{tte 8} are on the move – sometimes at Dawlish sometimes (as now) at Weymouth – so we came here. M^r Mundy ⁹ has long had a Fancy to see the place & it is so pretty & sunny that we cannot believe it to be January, & after the grievous loss in the North of England of all kinds of Evergreens last year ones eyes rest with envy on the Arbutus & Laurestinus [sic] Flourishing as if winter was a thing unknown. Our further movements are quite undecided, but we feel it a respite that Parl^t does not meet before next month so we can enjoy ourselves comfortably & escape much of the Derbyshire winter. –

Will you tell Constance ¹⁰ with our aff^te love that her letter duly reached M^r Mundy yesterday & was very acceptable – especially as you had not deigned to mention any of your belongings. – I wish extremely that we could see something of Charles ¹¹ – He left such an agreable impression upon us all that we do not like so many years to pass without renewing our intercourse. You & he must really come & visit us at Markeaton ¹² next summer. I want to shew you the Collection of Vines at Elvaston¹³ &c &c –

With love to all Y^r aff^te Cousin
H Georg^a Mundy