TALBOT3022

Nizza di Mare
December 19^th 1834

My dear Henry

Your letter gave me the greatest pleasure, as I began to think you & Constance ¹ had totally forgotten me, & was afraid you neither of you meant ever to write to me again – I must begin by defending myself. I did not tell Mamma ² you had not written to me last year after you left Nice, for I perfectly recollect all the different subjects you have recapitulated with so much care, though I doubt they were contained in as many different letters, but rather think they were condensed in two or three at most – What I did say was that you had not written to me since my departure from Nice, a space of 4 months, which to me seemed a very long one. – We had a rather dismal journey from Aix, as it rained almost continually while we were in the Maurienne – the places we slept at were Aignebelle, S^t Michel & Lanslebourg ³ – On approaching the last mentioned place, the wind was so strong that we felt it several times give the carriage a violent shove onwards – When we got there we found the different ruins full of travelers, & amongst others the Courier, waiting till the mountain should be passable – a Diligence that had crossed was only prevented from blowing over the precipice by being fastened with ropes to the railing – Numbers of stories of this kind we were told, w^h could be easily believed judging from the wind down even in the valley – The oldest inhabitants of Lanslebourg never recollected such a hurricane – windows were broken & tiles hurled from the roofs – Our apartment was dismally cold but we were very lucky to get any, & were lulled to sleep by the howling of the storm, in the expectation of being called at 5, if the mountain should be declared passable – We got up by candle light & began toiling up at the same time as the other travelers were seen issuing from their different Inns – impression the scenery made upon me very different from the first time – did not recollect much beauty on M^t Cenis – but this time it struck me as peculiarly grand – it was in the right Ossianique state; with thin, transparent vapours flitting over the different crags, which were faintly lit by the sunbeams – I walked up nearly the whole way – at the top we found a clear blue sky – we only staid at Suza ⁴ a few minutes in order to see the triumphal arch & reached Turin the same evening a good day’s journey, n’est-ce-pas? – how this long journal deserves a long answer – in which I beg you will give me all the political news you can – a request I have often made before, but to which you have never condescended to pay the slightest attention – Addio caro fratello ⁵ – Horatia ⁶ desires me to say she was going to write today if I had not – She is a great deal better & plays & walzes almost comme de coutume ⁷ – Mamma & Papa ⁸ too & L^d V. & Bimbo ⁹ are all well at present – Love to Constance

Y^r aff^te Sister
Caroline

Angleterre
W. H. Fox Talbot Esq^r M. P.
Laycock Abbey
Chippenham
Wilts