TALBOT5396

Downham
20^th Sep^r

My Dear Henry

It was very good of you to send for the Letter bag so late to write to me & take all that trouble. We immediately rectified the mistake with [Mihola?] I had begun to wonder that no Letters followed me. It is said that in Norfolk it never rains, but the first 3 days we were here it rained quite as incessantly as in the West of England. I have been to day to see Buckenham where Francis Baring ¹ lives, who now [sic] at Paris with his wife. Horatia ² has taken in a large dose of Music at Norwich & we made acquaintance with M^rs Stanley ³ the Bishop’s wife, who is a very agreeable woman. We met Lord Lansdowne ⁴ there he has been staying at the Palace all the week & Sir Edward Codrington. ⁵

Lord L. is going afterwards to pay a round of visits in Suffolk & Northamptonshire. I have given Lady W^m Pawlett ⁶ the first N^o of the Pencil of Nature, ⁷ because she was craving for explanation having had the Sun Pictures in Scotland ⁸ to which she was a subscriber. She particularly wanted me to tell her why the buildings converged, & after I had explained she seemed still very incredulous as to its existing in nature, because she had never seen it in reality. I wish you could invent some improvement in Cameras that should avoid this désagrément. ⁹ We go Monday to Blickling & Wednesday to Garboldisham Hall, where you had better direct, & from whence they sent me your letter the very same day as M^r M. happened to come over here. I hope you have fine weather to enjoy Mount Edgcumbe ¹⁰

aff^ly y^rs
E F

Pray tell Caroline ¹¹ that all Friday we were at Norwich & so I could not answer her question & Saturday no post & after that it would be of no use as she has by this time acted on her own judgement (as she said she would) & she cannot do better – I will write to her from Blickling