TALBOT2997

Coblentz

27^th October 1834

My Dear Mother

I was disappointed at finding no letter at Manheim <sic>, but I expect all the more at Cologne, as we have not heard from you since we left Geneva. What an extraordinary event the burning of the Houses of Parliament ¹ is! It is an event I think not destitute of some political importance, for it will necessarily cause several innovations in our Parliamentary usages, and subvert much established etiquette – A new local will require new customs & ceremonies – I thought the old House so ill adapted to its purpose, that I cannot help approving the notion of our having a new one, more especially now that we have no choice on the subject.

We had a week of very fine weather after we left you, it then broke up, & was succeeded by storms & abundance of rain, and yesterday we had snow. We were obliged to travel by land as far as Mayence, because the steamers on the upper part of the Rhine are discontinued this year. At Mayence there is a curious museum of Roman Antiquities found there, chiefly tombstones of soldiers of the Roman Legions, some of whom were natives of Palestine, as appears by the inscriptions. One of these Oriental soldiers was probably the author of an inscription which exists upon a Roman tile, in the Museum – This tile is stamped with the stamp of the 22^d legion; which identifies its date with the reign of Trajan, & it bears an inscription in the Arabic or some cognate dialect, which I believe is very curious –

We steamed from Mayence here on Sunday morning – stopped here all yesterday on account of the snow and rain, and intend steaming to Cologne this afternoon –

Yours very affect^ly

Henry

à Miladi Feilding
Poste Restante
Aix les Bains
en Savoie
Nice Maritime
États Sardes.