TALBOT2756

Genoa
28^th Oct^r 1833

My Dear Mother

We are just setting off for Nice, whither Caroline ¹ preceded us yesterday – Pray write to Lyons, we shall have time to receive a letter from you there – We mean to be at Lacock the 1^st December and spend 2 months quietly with you there before Parliament meets – I hope you will not be absent from home at Melbury ² or anywhere –

The Carnarvons ³ spend the winter here. They have taken Palazzo Brignole at Albaro, a very fine palace in a beautiful emplacement, ⁴ possessing a noble terrace –

The weather has been superlative since we have been here – Constance ⁵ & M^{lle 6} are full of regrets at leaving Genoa

At Mon^sr di Negri’s [sic] ⁷ garden there is a weeping Cypress of full size, which gives me a good idea of what mine at Lacock may be hoped to attain to. It is the only one in Genoa and is a beautiful tree. The Genoese gardens possess many curious plants in perfection as Tea, Coffee, Camphor, Cinnamon, Pimento Sarsaparilla &c. a curious thing is to see how they graft Cactuses upon one another – as many as 7 kinds on one stem, & of the most different foliage, so that the whole assemblage has a most whimsical appearance –

Yours aff^ly
Henry

Pray look out for a good maid for Constance & if you meet with one secure her for us – If you know where Franklin ⁸ is, send him word I will take him into my service again for a short time, if he is now out of place. d^o d^o to Edward, the small youth I had last spring – Else I shall arrive in England quite dépourvu de domestiques. ⁹

Lady E. Feilding
Lacock Abbey
Chippenham
Wilts
Inghilterra