TALBOT6363

Nice
Friday 29^th Nov^r

My dear Henry

We arrived here on Monday, having performed the journey from Paris in 7 days, which is pretty well for this time of year. – Tuesday to Montbard – Wednesday Châlons ¹ – Thursday down the Saône to Lyons – Friday by Rhône to Valence & Saturday by the same boat to Avignon & on to Aix. Sunday to Fréjus, & Monday here, in a perfect torrent of rain, w^h continued nearly all Tuesday & again Wednesday night – I hardly recognized Nice in such unusual weather, but it seems they had a particularly dry autumn as was the case in England. Poor Annie ² was very delighted to see me as you may suppose – She is altered certainly & much thinner, but does not look so bad as I expected after all the illness she has had at Malta. When she left it she was almost in a dying state & was carried on board – but recovered a little as soon as she got to sea, & since her arrival here she has improved very much. I had never seen so much of Porcelli ³ before – he is very clever, & most anxious to turn his talents to account, but it is very difficult for an exile in a foreign country to find any employment – He knows Arabic perfectly, as well as Greek & Turkish w^h might one w^d think be of some avail – It has been fine today & we hope now to find the road in good order – if no rain comes in the night we mean to be off by 7 o’clock & get to Oneglia if possible. We hear so many people are already gone thro’ to thence that our chance of getting an apartment seems small – Lacroix signed 18 passports in one day for that destination. Here there are a good many English but no one I know. There are such quantities of new houses built, you would hardly know the place again. Pray thank Amandier ⁴ for her letter the only one I have had from England – I can’t think what Car. ⁵ can be about – I am very glad dear Matilda is recovered & all tolerably flourishing again.

Love to all – please write to me at Rome

Ever y^r aff^te sister
Horatia

Genoa Monday 2^nd

I finished this Satur Friday night & we left it too early Sat^day to put in the post so it has travelled here in my pocket – I have therefore opened it to tell you of our safe arrival just now – we had no difficulty passing the torrents, but a day or two before it w^d have been impossible – especially the Taggia near S. Remo w^h was very bad indeed – It is now very fine with a stiff N. breeze w^h we hope will continue – tomorrow we sail in the Languedor, a new French steamer, & if the wind is in this quarter may look for a good passage – Adieu please write to Rome

Y^r aff sister

Horatia

Genoa looked so beautiful just now coming in – there is great destruction going on at the entrance where the railway is to come – it is nearly finished now from Turin here

Henry Fox Talbot Esq^re
Laycock Abbey
Chippenham
Angleterre