TALBOT5481

Laycock Abbey
17^th December

My Dear Henry

I send you the enclosed to Kit, ¹ because I am not sure whether the postage to Malta (being ours) should be paid or not, beforehand. He desires you should go viâ Marseilles which may make a difference & I thought they would not be able to clear up these difficulties at the Chippenham P. office but I suppose at [sic] any of those in London will tell you all about it. It is in answer to a very dismal letter of his, which if your aunt Mary ² was to see it would break her heart. Caroline ³ goes tomorrow, She was much pleased to receive your Letter this morning. The Charades succeeded very well. all the Day had been employed by Flora & Annie &c &c to make the dresses. Ela ⁴ made a very pretty Mary Q. of Scots, & gave her hand with great dignity to be kissed. One tableau was charming, it represented les beaux Arts, ⁵ Music, Painting & Sculpture Ela, Rosamund & Matilda. ⁶ Valletort ⁷ made a capital old decrepid [sic] Man with a long white beard, and Charlie ⁸ danced an excellent Hornpipe as an English Tar. M^r Bowerbank ⁹ is in Glocestershire [sic] so did not dine here yesterday – M^r Bridges ¹⁰ slept at the Red Lion & says it was very comfortable. He returned here this morning that [we] might shew him Talbotypes. ¹¹ Shelburne & Lord Dunkellin ¹² dined here yesterday & staid till long after Midnight, a sign they found it agreeable M^r Bridges has just departed, in a Cloke formed of Buffalo skin which he used to sleep on in Canada