TALBOT2578

Laycock Abbey
Wednesday

My Dear Henry

Pray give the Key which accompanies this into Fanny’s ¹ own hand.

Fitzsimons ² is in great distress about the Flood & says he does not know what to do about keeping so many Men & not able to plant. all the large holes are full of water. It generally soon subsides, but at present it goes on raining.

There is a large Tree prepared & so it ought to be moved as soon as possible, mais que faire? ³ and perhaps by the time your answer comes & the Men are sent away the waters will be gone from the face of the Earth. If Caroline ⁴ is in town you must be acquainted with that fact I suppose, & pray send her by a careful hand the enclosed Letter. Neither Lord Mt Edgcumbe nor Lord Brownlow ⁵ having a house in town at this moment, one does not know where to enquire about them, and her last letter was uncertain but expecting to leave Blickling ⁶ to day & be in town tomorrow evening but where she says not. Perhaps on the whole you had better keep it till you hear of her, unless you happen to know she is still at Blickling. I wish she would be more matter of fact in her communications.

M^r Moore ⁷ asked M^r F. ⁸ yesterday if he could have a bed in Sackville S^{t 9} about the end of this Month, when he goes up to revise & correct the Mss. He generally is the only person permitted by special favor to sleep in M^r F’s own room. But he answered that he could not be sure till he had written to you. So you must answer this. We could not be certain whether you would have any objection. He would not be in your way, because he is always accablé ¹⁰ with invitations to dinner, and he breakfasts generally [at]¹¹ his Club, or Fanny gets it him for him the same as she always does when the [hou]se is empty. Besides you keep such different hours. However you must say in your next Letter yes or no.

The Key has been weighed & is far under an ounce so do not let them charge it

Henry Fox Talbot Esq
M.P.
31. Sackville Street
London