TALBOT2986

Cotehele House ¹Calstock
Tavistock.
Tuesday 18^th Nov^r 1873

My dear Henry

I enclose a specimen, not very beautiful to look at, of the flower of the Palmetto in the W. Villa ² Conservatory. I don’t know if you remember the tree – the trunk has grown to a very large size – & the leaves are perfectly enormous. I suppose it is the largest kind (the leaves I mean), of the Fan tribe.

It flowered last year, & I have got some of the seeds – & has flowered again now. – One would not think the tiny flowrets [sic] belonged to such a large plant – but the sprigs I send grow on a sort of branch or spike, with a dozen more – & that spike grows with many others, on a very large one, more than 4 f^t & ½ long.

How glad you will all be to see Matilda ³ again! What a pity she lives so far off. Ernestine ⁴ left me last Saturday, Friday, & is gone to visit Carry Liddell ⁵ at Lorbottle, 14 miles from Alnwick, which is their station. She slept in Flora’s ⁶ house in London, & dined with Charlie, ⁷ who took her to the Play afterwards – a very amusing travestie of Richelieu & Gladstone ⁸ in one. On Saturday she had a long day, all the way to Lorbottle – I heard yesterday by telegraph of her safe arrival. I am, as usual, very busy in my garden & farm, which I am happy to say is very productive in apples this year – I believe there will be 25 Hogsheads of cider! They are very busy making it now. First pounding, then Squatting.

Y^r aff^te Sister
Caroline

The fowls arrived quite safe.

[envelope:]
Henry Fox Talbot Esq^re
Lacock Abbey
Chippenham