TALBOT3867

Laneley ¹
April 26

My dear Henry

I am very much obliged to you for the pretty little things you sent me and admire the ferns very much I cannot comprehend how the medal is done at all it surprises me very much, the folded paper is very nice it shows so plainly how it is managed. When I can send them to poor M^rs Knight I make no doubt she will be much gratified and amused by them. – I saw some very good paper (prepared) from Clifton. ² M^r West ³ of the observatory makes it for sale he also sell some things ready done I saw a sheet of feathers I thought very neat the transparency of parts of the Quill I admired very much they were Gallini feathers & Pheasant we saw a bit of Mr Wests paper tried with a Silver Pheasants feather & it came out very well, (but those sort of things are not so wonderful as what are done with reflected light in my opinion) Jane and Johnny ⁴ have been toying with some dried ferns & seem to be very much entertained at all events by it. he has the whooping cough but it is Stephen ⁵ who seems the most ill with it & it is on his account she has not returned to Town as soon as she talked of doing. –

We have charming weather now the gentle rain we have of an evening refreshes the flowers & brings on the seeds a little now. I am raising some common annuals from Rio imported by M^rs Bowens’s son George. I am in hopes they may vary a little from the ones that are bought in the shops in this country. this climate will suit the wild things we gathered I hope for they have no names and I am curious to see what they will turn out – Mamma has a cough & is not well at all but she is getting better I think. We have M^r F & Isabella ⁶ here no[w] ⁷ with one little girl who ma[kes] more noise in the house than your three I dare say tho’ she is only four & ½ years old.

I am writing in a hurry & have no time for more pray give my love to Mrs Talbot & Ela ⁸ the others don’t remember me

I am your aff^ate Coz. Mary

London April twenty nine CRM Talbot ⁹
W.H.F. Talbot
Lacock Abbey
Chippenham