TALBOT351

July 4.

My dear Henry

You will say – and truly – that it “can’t rain but it must pour” when you receive yet another missive from me – but after thinking every year since I brought this Fern from Buxton (wild there on the Limestone) that it was growing wrong from not liking our soil, it suddenly struck me yesterday that I believe it is all right – So now I want very much your opinion and also please its proper name? –

The other thing came from poor Mary Talbot or Isabella ¹ – but the Birds have carried off the Tally – as Moore at Abb. ² used to assure Uncle W^{m 3} was the case! so now I do not know its name. It is a perennial and I dearly love those oldfashioned things –

After my letter was gone I bethought myself that Sinologue must come from Sinensis (as applied to Primulas &cc) and find I am right – I am afraid you are not precisely a Sinologue ⁴ – but is not there a synonymous word for the Assyrian language –

N. & E. ⁵ come home today, but are off again about the 13^th. I suppose C. M^t E. ⁶ has left you or I sh^d send her a message of thanks for her letter – part of w^ch requires explanation [illegible]

Y^r af^te
H G M^y

Lady Ilchester ⁷ writes me word that the Baby has been Christened “Giles Stephen Holland” ⁸ – M^rs Strangways & L^y H^{d 9} the two Godmothers – L^d Digby and L^d Dartrey ¹⁰ the God Fathers. I sh^d have put Stephen first but as he will be called Stavordale, ¹¹ of course, it matters less. –