TALBOT6403

Rome
Thursday 10^th April

My dear Henry

It is such ages since I have heard from any of you that I must beg you will write me a line at least to say how you all are. We were sadly shocked last Thursday by the alarming account of dear Aunt L. ¹ sent by Caroline ² – the last had been bad certainly, always speaking of her suffering such sever pain & getting gradually weaker – but still I was not prepared for any such sudden change, & had always looked forward to seeing her again on our return to England, tho’ fearing to find her dreadfully altered – next day there was a report f^m a London paper in Galignani ³ but contradicted in another part of the same – we heard however again f^m Car. & Sir C. ⁴ sent Same a letter f^m Jem Howard ⁵ which did not leave the slightest hope of her recovery – & since that for some days we have been in suspense & expecting the worst – It is indeed most melancholy & after her wonderful recovery last year & leaving her as we did so well & like herself last Oc^br the change seems still harder to hear – The only consolation is to think she was so quiet & peaceful as they describe, perfectly resigned & free from pain & surrounded by all those she loved best Jane is very much grieved – but I think after her own children none can feel like one to whom she has always been so warmly affectionate & still more of late years when she thought I wanted it more – It seems to me that illness has been a very strange one & that the doctors understood very little about it – always calling it neuralgic which does not account for anything – & not being able to devise anything for her relief. – Kate Nicholl ⁶ has quite recovered the scarlet fever tho’ she is hardly out of quarantine yet fortunately none of the others have caught it. M^r Nicholl ⁷ is obliged to go to England for Parl^t. I believe he sets off next week. Jane ⁸ has not decided where to spend the summer – she had thought of Frascati, but is [illegible deletion] now turning her mind to Varese w^h I sh^d advise as being much healthier for all the rest & not bad for Lucy. ⁹ We have not had a very pleasant Spring as yet continual winds w^h is unusual here, & very changeable – However the leaves are now coming out nicely & there have been profusions of anemones narcissus & cyclamens in the woods & fields this long time. I don’t think we shall go to Naples but probably linger on here till the beginning of May – & then proceed leisurely to England I feel great dislike to the idea of London this year, & w^d willingly put off arriving there – but I suppose I ought not after beg^g of June

Tell me how many Talbotypes to bring you? He makes some now on a larger scale – very good I believe 2 Scudi.¹⁰ Love to all pray write

Y^r aff sister
Horatia

Henry Fox Talbot Esq^re
Laycock Abbey
Chippenham
via di Mare Inghilterra