TALBOT2399

Laycock Abbey
Saturday 11^th

My dear Henry

We left London Tuesday & got to Highclere¹ just as they were sitting down to dinner. There were M^r & L^y E. Susey, M^r & L^y H. Stapleton & M^r & M^rs Algernon Herbert ² with their respective babies. M^rs Villiers, ³ Lady Allen, M^r Pierrepoint & Niemcewicz ⁴ the venerable Polish patriot & poet, who I wished particularly to get acquainted with. Wednesday we walked about the gardens & drove in the woods - what a beautiful place it is! I had not been there since the winter of 1820 & it looked very different. The gardens are very pretty, but I was rather disappointed in the quantity of flowers - There was a most lovely red Bignonia in the conservatory - We did not find it very amusing, & Mama was longing to be here, so we would come away Thursday & pursued our journey through a broiling sun & got here perfectly baked about 5 o'clock. We spent the evening in the garden - it was delicious, & followed by a beautiful moonlight night I never knew Laycock so hot - Everything was dried up with it. Yesterday it rained & today is very fine indeed with a pleasant air. We expect L^y H. Galway ⁵ to-day - & I suppose Papa ⁶ will come this ev^g - Our water party with Sir George ⁷ was very pleasant - besides us there was Lady Ashburnham & her 2 daughters, M^r & L^y Barbara Ponsonby, Charles Bagot, ⁸ Jemmy Macdonald, Lionel Ashley, ⁹ M^r Warrender M^r Cholmondeley, M^r Montgomerie & Count Zamoyski. ¹⁰ We rowed to Blackwell where we dined, then to Vauxhall, & then supped with Sir George

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Addio your aff^te sister Horatia

W. Henry Fox Talbot Esq^re
Post Office
Cowes