TALBOT4900

Lacock

W. Nov. 2

My Dear Charles

I rather think that our Telegraph was to open today. Who do you suppose was very near being the first person to send a message by it. You will never guess so I must tell you that it was M^r Gladstone ¹ the Prime Minister. He came down to his niece’s wedding. While there he received a telegram announcing the fall of Metz. ² He wrote an answer and took it to M^r Austen, ³ who regretted extremely his inability to send it as he was not yet open.

So M^r G. drove on to Chipp^m and telegraphed from thence.

Afterwards the Chipp^{m 4} postmaster told Austen he was very glad that A. had not had the sending of it, for he would certainly have made a mess of it, for it was very long and full of uncommonly hard words – Only fancy if the destinies of Europe had been put in jeopardy through our post office!

A thick fog prevailed here all day today (Wednesday) and I fancy you cannot have escaped it in Town

Your aff^te
Father

Envelope:

C. H. Talbot Esq
New University Club
S^t James’s S^t
London S.W.