TALBOT3064

Nice
23’ Mars

My Dear Henry,

Tempus fugit ¹ & I expect soon to receive a very interesting communication from you. Caroline ² has decided de faire ses Couches ³ in London, though it would have been more convenient to him had she determined otherwise as he wished to try the Baths of Carlsbad this summer. But I cannot wonder at her, after all that occurred at Geneva We have lent her the house in Sackville S^{t 4} & she will arrive there about the middle of June, by which time Constance ⁵ will be wishing to refresh herself in the Country. You must not allow yourself to be too agitated when she is taken ill, it is a trying moment for you & I wish I could be there to endeavor to keep up your spirits. I remember Lord L. ⁶ made one of his best speeches during the time Henry ⁷ was being born, but every one has not his calmness. I am quite [illegible] that if I do not go back to England this year, I never will. Laycock (the Haven where I would be) would be so altered by the time I should see it, that it would be like a person long dead returning à ses foyers, ⁸ & finding themselves forgotten & replaced, & nobody wanting them. Caroline wishes much to have me with her during her confinement, & I hope it will end in my doing so, for I feel that the nebulous air of Wiltshire is absolutely necessary to my health before I can spend another winter abroad. We have had whats called a severe winter for Nice, which only kept me alive all this time for the glaring sun disagrees particularly with me. Flowers are unusually scarce for that reason, I mean garden flowers, for the surrounding country is pink with abricotiers in bloom & perfumed with bean blossoms. The Almond trees were in bloom so long ago that they are now almost over, but the Anemone hortensis still goes on. We went [in] a large party to the [Valobscur?] & had a dejeuné ⁹ on the grass, the whole place was tapissé ¹⁰ with a small bright blue periwinkel, explosively pretty. We have made several expeditions generally consisting of about sixteen people, our last was to St Hospice, & we had our dejeuné on the docks, & afterwards went in boats to see the pêche du Thon ¹¹ on a very rough sea I was neither sick nor frightened, which added to my great prowess on horseback must show you how much I am improved in courage, owing to this dry air I suppose. It is marvelous your news received M^r F’s ¹² long letter written ages ago. I am glad Lord Londonderry ¹³ is routed out of Petersburg Lord V. ¹⁴ has been excessively ill with a sort of goutte rentrée ¹⁵, he is so still, but something better. He is very anxious to consult a famous physician at Lucean & I think will go there when he leaves this.

H.F. Talbot Esq.
31 Sackville Street
London
Angleterre