TALBOT450

Dear Henry

Your letter caught me just as I was on the wing from Abbotsbury, ¹ where I left your Aunt Harriot ² very much improved in grace & activity – She goes about the House in a sort of canter, but certainly quicker than I ever saw her, & she has long ceased to think seriously of the little stiffness in her knee which remains – You probably have heard of Stavy ³ since I have – but the account which arrived at abb^y on Monday was that he was so much better that they were going to give him strengthening medicines & Ilchester ⁴ intended to take him to Melbury ⁵ on Wednesday – His illness broke up our party at Redlynch ⁶ very suddenly, & fogs & rain went far to spoil the time we were there; but it is a nice place & I would willingly have spent a couple more days there. Ilchester has been waiting for an earthquake above 20 years, and as it does not appear likely to come I suppose in the end he will be obliged to pull it down – Since I came here I have received a large parcel of seeds from the Botanic Garden at Calcutta – if you are likely to want any of them pray write me a line, & I will send you a copy of the list of them which I have just made, that you may chuse – The grass which I mention’d to you had come up with some of my Brazil seeds, my gardener says is the Doub grass. I have saved seeds, & have two or three plants if you like to preserve it – I wish I did not live in the uttermost parts of the Earth, that I might hope to tempt you down here to help me in my gardening concerns; but unless you can catch hold of the tail of a comet travelling this way, like Micromegas, ⁷ I fear I have no chance – The Framptons’ [sic] promise me that nothing but illness shall prevent them being here early in January. Will this tempt you? – What do you think of Davies Gilbert as President of R.S. ⁸ who cannot speak a word of any other language but his own? – as Kits letter was dated on board the Asia⁹ I hope there is no doubt of his being informed of the probabity [sic] of a brush with the Turks, & of course will provide for his own safety; nevertheless I wish he was safe thro’ the Gut of Gibraltar with John ¹⁰ on board –

My Kind Love to Lady E & y^r Sisters. ¹¹

Yrs very truly
C. Lemon

Carclew. ¹²
Nov^r 24.

Henry Talbot Esq^e
Lacock abbey
Chippenham
Wilts –