TALBOT3483

Laycock Abbey
19 March

My Dear Henry

I had a letter yesterday from Augusta ¹ with a very full & satisfactory account of Constance, ² which she had gathered from Stone. ³ There are few people to whom her safety & welfare give more pleasure than Matilda ⁴ & Augusta who both like & admire her, and always regret they do not see as much of her as they wish. I feel a thousand times more tendresse ⁵ for the little girl than if she had been of the rougher sex, but remember I give notice that if Olive ⁶ is not one of her names I shall be very very very angry. You have been quite misinformed about my projects, as I fully intend to come here Deo volente on the 1^st of August for three Months. what happens after that, it is now too soon to speculate upon.

Surely London cannot be a good place to find a Bailiff besides being probably dearer. Something should be known of his entourage & previous habits. Probably you read in the Papers of the Murder last week at Bowood, ⁷ it was by Lord L’s ⁸ Head Forester, who had been highly recommended but certainly by people who recommended without knowing him, at least the Steward & House keeper both told M^r F. ⁹ they had long for some time known what [illegible deletion] that he was a violent brutal improper person for the situation.

you have not answered about the creepers. I shall leave off writing you such long letters, for I believe you do not half read them. It will be impossible to plant anything against Barton’s ¹⁰ Malt house unless the Gardener makes a soil round it, for it is a nasty yellow clay, as I know well, because it is the very stuff I am now bringing to put in the bottom of the pond, & is what came out of the foundations of the house.

Monday

The weather has been so very bad that Cary ¹¹ could not begin the roof till this Morning, when he made all preparations, scaffolding &c when behold it began [to]¹² snow, which it is still doing with all its might. The atmosphere is so impregnated with thick clouds of Snow that I can hardly see to write, though it is only two o’clock. Tourbillons de neiges [sic] à gros flocons ¹³ are going round & round in the cloister court, just like Melbury ¹⁴ on last Xmas day. The plantation in Fussell’s ¹⁵ field is gone all except half a dozen trees which if they do well, will have a fine effect from the South gallery windows & will appear to join Caroline copse which appears to join Inwood ¹⁶ – & Fussell so far from thinking of being paid for it, has promised they shall be taken the greatest care of, to please My lady, so I throw my shield over those trees to protect them from “flaxen headed plough boys”

Henry Fox Talbot Esq^r
65 Harley Street
London