TALBOT2752

Genoa
21^st October 1833

My Dear Mother

You were right in supposing that we were all together at Varese when you were writing your last letter ¹ to me, on the 1^st October – On that day we went to see the Villa Serbelloni ² – I wrote M^r F. ³ a long account of our visit to Varese which I hope he received. Constance ⁴ wrote to you the other day a Letter which I put into the post office at Lugano.

We arrived here last night by moonlight – Constance is delighted with the place, and I myself find it still more picturesque than I left it, the lapse of nine years and a half having impaired the mental picture, which therefore required a few fresh touches – Our first glimpse of the Mediterranean yesterday was impressive, a little bit of it is seen between two hills [illustration] while a great way to the left you discover at the same moment the three hill forts, the Sprone, Castellaccio, &c rising above a range of inferior hills. [illustration] We had this view by daylight, but it was moonlight when we reached the city. Caroline ⁵ reached Genoa about an hour before us. She is at the Quattro Nazioni, we at the Hotel de Londres.

The Carnarvons ⁶ have taken a house here for the winter, a palace I mean, with a grand terrace. She is not in good health & they were so unlucky as to meet with a misadventure in Switzerland – I wrote you word ⁷ how I met them on the Montanvert on a Thursday. The next day Friday 30^th August we crossed the Col d’Anterne, a most enterprising and extraordinary excursion, of which you have received a full account in our letters – Next day Saturday came on dreadful weather, the same gale that did so much mischief in England – Unluckily the Carnarvons had chosen this day to cross the Tête Noire, and notwithstanding the unpromising morning, they persevered, the guides assuring them that it would be a fine afternoon – But one should never trust to guides in opposition to one’s own common sense – the gale only got worse & worse, & they were out in it ten hours before they got to Martigny: and Lady Carnarvon has never been quite well since.

We are going out walking, so I must conclude, meaning to write again very soon.

Yours aff^ly
Henry

Lady E. Feilding
Lacock Abbey
Chippenham
Inghilterra