TALBOT657

Penrice ¹
July y^e 30^th 1815.

My Dear Mamma,

I mean to give you a circumstantial account of all our adventures, since we saw you. We left the Gloucester Coffee House² at ½ past 8, in a drizzling rain, which cleared up in the Afternoon. Our companion was a gentleman with a Steel machine on his head, which reminded me of M^r FitzErnest ³ whom I saw at Melbury Burley in 1808. He went to Magdalen College in Oxford, & when he was gone, I found that it was M^r FitzErnest - At Oxford we went to the Top of the Radcliffe Library, & enjoyed from thence the view of all the Colleges & Steeples - We saw also the dinner Hall at [illegible deletion] Exeter College - D^r Cole⁴ was not at Home, but his Butler gave us a very good dinner indeed. We there packed up Sir Christopher's Silver Cup, which Cap^ts Foote & Kenah gave him,⁵ & put it on the top of the Carriage to take to Penrice; for my aunt Mary ⁶ never saw it. - Then we left Oxford for Witney, where we drank Tea, & slept, in a very comfortable Inn. Next Morning we proceeded to M^r Hicks Beach's, at Williamstrip;⁷ - He received us very kindly indeed, & shewed us all the Lions. - Then he drove us three miles off to Fairford, & shewed us the curious painted windows in the Church. - We came back in time to dress for dinner. The company were, M^r & M^rs Beach, M^r Brown & his son, M^r Augustus Musgrave, & M^r Lee. - M^rs Beech is the oddest woman I ever saw. In the Ev^g I walked about the Country with M^r Brown's son who is a very nice boy in the 4^th Form at Rugby. M^r Beech & Sir C. Cole settled business. M^r Musgrave & M^r Lee, nicknamed Luther & the Pope, played Chess. - Next Morning we took an early breakfast, & set off, through Cirencester & Gloucester; - The View from Birdlip Hill is almost the finest I ever saw. - Chepstow Bridge being down we crossed the Ferry there; & arrived late at Cardiff, where we slept. - Next day, off again, to D^r Hunts,⁸ where we dined, but excused ourselves from sleeping, as we had determined to do. It rained piteously all day, & prevented my going to see the Greenhouse. - At the Mackworth arms in Swansea we were delayed by want of chaises & horses, which at length however we procured; - Bye the Bye I am surprized to see Aunt Mary's old servant, Jackson, now a waiter at the Mackworth arms; - in which situation he has officiated for a week - having left M^r Llewellyn's ⁹ service Our driver unfortunately was blind of one eye, &, poor man, he couldn't see with the other; - so our expectations of a quick stage were greatly damped, [illegible deletion] if indeed they [illegible deletion] were not wet through before by the continual rain. - We soon began to think, [illustration marked I.] that the Cords which fastened Sir C. C.'s cup, to the top of the Chaise, were very loose, & we stopped the driver to ask him; - But he, thinking it perhaps too much trouble to remedy it, said that all was firm. - [illegible deletion] Nevertheless only three of the Corners were fast, - [illegible deletion] Vide Plate I.¹⁰. - Accordingly, in the middle of Fairwood Common they gave way, & the box fell into the middle of the road. - You may imagine [text missing] we all jumped out in a moment; - It was very dark, & very cold, & very bleak; & it rained cats & dogs, & I splashed myself all over mud in jumping into the road, without letting down the steps. - Our Margam ¹¹ Magnolia was Mightily & Miserably Mashed, in the confusion which ensued. The shattered box was hoisted inside, with some difficulty & much bustle. - the lid was [illustration marked II.] broken in two, & the lock was shivered. Vide Plate II. - After being considerably squeezed inside by the box, & nearly overturned in the dark, we arrived at Penrice, a little before Twelve; - after having been Four Hours coming from Swansea. - Luckily they were not gone to Bed. - We drank Tea, & went to Bed. - Sir C.'s Cup is not in the least injured, which is wonderful. - Finis. ¹²

I remain,Y^r Aff^te Son.
W H F Talbot

(Turn Over)
P.S. I have lost one of my three Bank Notes, which is I believe the first I ever lost in my life. I think it must have been stolen at the Inn.

Lady Elisabeth Feilding
31 Sackville S^t
London