TALBOT6001

Bath
5 Oct^r 1847

My Dear Horatia

This evening arrived your welcome letter from Bâle, ¹ bearing several curious postmarks, which I cannot explain, or account for. They were

(1) Basel 30 Sept^r
(2) zu Spät
(3) Bale 3 Oct^r

From which it could appear that letters when too late, are detained three days – And that when they do set out, they make up for lost time by accomplishing the journey to Bath in 2 days

I remember being puzzled in a similar way when I was in Switzerland, by noticing that the Boulogne postmark on the letters always preceded the actual time by 2 days only – I think it must be a legal or administrative fiction, but I do not discover the use of it.

I am sorry that you had such a long day’s journey from Carlsruhe to Bale, and hope that no ill consequences resulted from the fatigue. You say that I did not tell you of the interrupted communication between Schlingen and Bâle. This is too bad – I wrote a long and explicit letter to L^d M^t E. ² himself warning him of the unfinished railroad, and mentioning that I myself had had a narrow escape on that road from the upsetting of an omnibus in the dark, & telling him by all means to avoid it by taking the French line which is complete through Kiel, Strasburg & Colmar – This I did myself on my return, & found it a very pleasant line, and not much further in distance, and the French custom houses (the only drawback) civil.

I should like very much to come and see you at Palermo during the winter, if it were not so far off – the French ought to be excommunicated for not having yet made a railroad from Paris to Marseille –

Your aff^te
Henry

Wednesday 6 October.

Caroline ³ has just arrived from Windsor on her way to M^t Edgcumbe, ⁴ and will spend the Evening with us.

C. has asked the Q. ⁵ to appoint Nicole ⁶ photographer in ordinary to her Majesty, to which she graciously consented – so that his establishment in Regent S^t will receive a great accession of dignity

Constance ⁷ desires me to thank you for the letter she received from you three days ago.