TALBOT3114

Sunhill. Cowes
Aug^st 10^th

My dear Henry

We are delighted to hear that there is a chance of our seeing you & M^rs Talbot ¹ here – I hope you will stay as long as we do for we all long to see something of you it is such a time since we met – I believe I never thanked you for your offer of English orchideæ for which nevertheless we were very grateful. but it is now to late for that – We had a fine plant of the bee orchis the flowering stems of which were mowed off à deux reprises ² by a wicked garden man – Your Hibiscus Manihot is no doubt now beautiful in our stove for we left it coming on – This is beautiful weather for Cowes – one can be out all day long – We went to M^r Nash’s ³ castle the other day where there are some beautiful things but the names being new to me I have forgotten them & cannot tell you what they were – his unfinished gallery for Statues is very pretty – M^r Traherne ⁴ does not find much to do here, but I dare say when you come you will soon find out some curiosities to hunt after together – We have been keeping some sea monsters in wash hand basins but they do not live for long with us as they used to do at Penrice ⁵ – we have been obliged to throw away our last pets today – Uncle Harry ⁶ took us a nice sail in the Petrel on Saturday and I observed the thistle down floating or rather rolling over the waves without getting wet tangled which stuck me as curious – he is obliged to return to town tomorrow Sir C. Lemon ⁷ talks of coming the end of this week for a day or two with the Miss Dykes who are going to Carclew with him We have good accounts of June –

Your affectionate cousin
Charlotte Traherne

H. Fox Talbot Esq^r
Lacock Abbey
Chippenham