TALBOT4318

Teplitz
Thursday August 5^th 1841

My dear Henry

I have been rather slow in executing an intention I formed at Dresden; i.e. that of writing to you – but when you have found out the object of my letter, I hope you will not imitate my bad example, but make haste & answer it. – At Dresden we met Lord Munster, ¹ who is a very agreable [sic] man (in spite of my prejudices against him,) & is writing a book ² upon Warfare in the East – he is besides President of the Asiatic Society ³ & of course has easy access to all the public Librarys [sic] which he ransacks for subjects connected with his book – All this is what I do not mean to say – but what I do mean is that L^d Munster who had never before seen any of your Photographs, was delighted with them very naturally, & made me take them with me to the Public Library, to shew them to D^r Falkenstein, ⁴ the Librarian, whom he thought w^d be particularly interested in the Specimens of handwriting & old parchments, ⁵ the more so as he is making an immense collection of autographs – D^r Falkenstein is an extremely pleasing wellbred man, & took the utmost pains to shew & explain everything during the two hours we spent at the Library, with that agreable bonhomie peculiar I think to learned foreigners, more especially Germans – which condescends to minds of low estate – He was perfectly enchanted with the Photographs, & knew not how to express his gratitude when I presented him with six Specimens ⁶ –

1^o the Tower of Laycock Abbey, 2^o South view of Abbey, 3^o Bust of Patroclus, 4^o Leaf of Corcorus 5 View of Bowood, (where he had been) 6^o Round table with a tablecloth très bien drapée – He made me write the names at the back, & your name, & then made a very particular request that I would get your signature, the Inventor of Photography, to add to his collection – I promised I w^d do so, & I think he would like best, not a bare signature, but some words with it – He told me also that when he was in England 4 years ago, in the suite of the Princess Amelia of Saxony, ⁷ he had been asked to meet M^r Moore, ⁸ at dinner at Murray’s ⁹ – but that an invitation arriving from Court for the same day, he had been prevented from making his acquaintance which he regretted excessively – When I told him that I knew M^r Moore intimately, he begged also for his autograph – [illegible] & in return is going to send me a small collection, containing Goethe’s, Klopstock’s ¹⁰ &c Now I should like you to procure for me some of M^r Moore’s writing with his signature, & a nice specimen of your own, & send them to me by return of post, or as soon as possible – if you could at the same time send one or two photographs, particularly one f^m that manuscript of Richard 2^{nd 11} I should be very glad – as I could not spare mine & to think he w^d prize that – I intend to dispense those you gave me, among worthy people – but still I must be moderate in my generosity, or I shall have none left – Pray now dear Henry answer me quickly – the post is so very slow from England, that I am afraid if you daudle [sic] like me, the things will not come in time before we leave the Country, which I should be very sorry for, having held out hopes of getting them without difficulty – You cannot think how anxious he was to possess your signature after beholding the photographs – Pray communicate this letter to Mamma, ¹² as I have not time to write by today’s Courier – I received this morning her letter of the 26^th announcing Horatia’s ¹³ departure, w^h I began to think w^d never take place – Though I wished for her so anxiously before, I could not help feeling quite sorry at last, at poor Mamma being left without her – she must feel very lonely & desolate – I hope you & Constance ¹⁴ will make much of her now – Pray tell her that I think she cannot have received all my letters, & that I wish she w^d do as I do, & always mention the day she has received mine with the date, as there is no knowing otherwise with such a slow post, if they arrive or not – Tell her the letter of today was dated 26^th July, & the last she wrote before, the 29^th June – a whole month between! so I think I had a right to complain – & between those two, only one short one from Horatia directed to Dresden – Pray say also that I told her at Wiesbaden to whose direct first to Dresden & then here – & that I have written at least 4 or 5 letters in that same space of time – However I will keep her au courant of our movements & shall write to Horatia at Frankfort [sic] –

Y^rs aff^ly
Caroline

Ernest ¹⁵ was better at first but the Baths have brought on an attack of Gout – & he was in bed all yesterday & today – He is just in Lord Lansdowne’s ¹⁶ care groaning for Society, & none comes –

[envelope:]
England
Henry Fox Talbot Esq^re
Laycock Abbey
Chippenham
Wilts