TALBOT3202

M^t Edgcumbe ¹
Tuesday 12^th January – 1836

My dear Henry

What I told Constance ² was that Sackville S^{t 3} was only lent to us till 16^th February as I believe it is then to be painted & done up to be ready against their arrival – that is all I know about it, but when I write next to Mamma ⁴ I can enquire if you like. – My tooth is a great deal better, & I hope will soon get quite well. – The yellow Jessamine & Isola Bella Pines arrived quite safe & are established in the greenhouse, but I forgot to make enquiry about the Olives; the gardener however told me he had several young ones, which I should think can only be those – what a pity the Standard Olive in the English garden exists no longer – it was blown down in a gale – Among the young plants Sir Charles ⁵ sent me 3 years ago there are two young Caroubas about 1½ foot high – also a quantity of Acacia acuminata – pray tell me if that is rare, & the liquid-Amber?

I never saw Buckland Abbey, ⁶ except at a distance from the woods at Bere, whence it looked very pretty – but from report I hear it is an old Abbey converted into a good-sized dwelling house with a large hall & tolerably large rooms – the situation beautiful, woods & the river Tavy on one side, & on the other the Tavistock moors downs & Dartmoor – Within ½ mile of the house, over the Tavy, are 6 or 7 miles of Copse & wood belonging to L^d V ⁷– (from whence I saw the house on a rising ground,) who is thinking of throwing a bridge across, & certainly w^d do it if you took a fancy to the place – it is very solitary, 4 or 5 miles of from Tavistock & 9 from Devonport – the price was, from recollection, ^£200 a year; Close to the house, is a large farm, belonging to it, w^h would be a great convenience – I know of no other residence that w^d suit you – but it w^d seem rather ludicrous, possessing one old abbey, to go and hire another? I am in haste as the post is going – let me hear again soon – L^d V. has written about our goods, & I believe they are removed by this time from S. Street –

Y^r aff^te Sister
Caroline

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