TALBOT5660

Luz
Thursday
23^rd May

My dear Henry

We left Pau last Friday & went to Eauxbonnes, with w^h I was quite delighted – I don’t think Jane told us ½ enough about it – quite a place after your own heart, with snowy peaks, & rocky mountains & wooded hills & green valleys & streams & cascades – the most charming promenades I ever saw anywhere chiefly climbing, but one horizontale a very pleasing variety. There was nobody drinking the Eaux yet except an American, & a very goodnatured German C^h Tiklenburg or some such name, who is somehow related to Q. Adelaide. ¹ We drove to Eauxchaudes w^h is not far, & a more striking situation even than Eauxbonnes as it is quite adossé ² to the mountain – the road to it & all up the valley to Gabas the best place in France is quite beautiful. Tuesday we went to Cauterets w^h did not much take my fancy – it is grand but rather desolate – but the road up the gorge leading to it very fine & Via Malaish. ³ There we again met L^d Goderich & M^r Gordon, who were at Eauxbonnes – M^r G. turns out to be the very Lieut. who figures in the Talbotype of the Superb! ⁴ They are now arrived here – having been up to the Pont D’Espagne this morn^g. I wanted to have gone there but the weather was too bad – yesterday morn^g & today it has rained nearly all day & I fear we shall not be able to accomplish Gavarnie w^h will be a great disappointment. This place is in a pretty valley (very near S. Sauveur) with grands Pics ⁵ on all sides – the road from Pierrefitte most beautiful, the torrent so deep down one can hardly see it. Saturday we proceed to Bagnères – I shall be very much disap^d if I don’t find a letter f^m some of you at Toulouse. We are very anxious for some news – not having any for 3 days we don’t know if we are going to [illegible] or not. Is C. ⁶ set out for Beaumaris yet? – If we hear Caroline ⁷ is at Néris we will go that way to Paris & take the Bourges railway if not we will visit her at [illegible] en passant ⁸ – so please direct accordingly as you know where she is.

Y^r affectionate
Horatia

The Brèche de Roland is said to be quite impracticable – for the snow It is a backward spring certainly