TALBOT6986

32 Dover S^t
June 10

My dear Henry

We are so troubled at having heard nothing from Greta Bank ¹ since your return that we much fear Constance² must be ill – especially as I wrote to her the beginning of the week, to beg to know if you all got safe home – M^r Mundy³ is quite in a fidget as he fully expected his sister would be knocked up by all she did –. He is just gone off to the Crystal Palace ⁴ & left me in charge to write to you. – I am glad Caroline is in Waiting ⁵ today as she will like to see this Ceremonial –. The Ball at Lady Breadalbane’s⁶ pleased her extremely because the ballroom they have just built is exactly like an old Baronial Hall with open roof &c & fitted up in excellent taste –. There is a stained Glass window at one end, under w^h the Orchestra sat which was so brilliantly lighted from the outside, that the figures & colours were perfectly visible altho’ the Room was extremely well lighted inside – and over the Dais on which the Queen ⁷ sat were suspended little banners in the old style, with the royal Arms, Portuguese d^o &c &c – The King of Portugal and his Brother⁸ are very nice boys & Sir Roderick Murchison who escorted them over the British Museum^<9> told L^y Harington^<10> that they were particularly intelligent & well informed for their age – but that their attendants were awfully heavy & ignorant! The D. of Oporto is the best looking, but he rather shocked or rather strained Etiquette by laughing excessively loud at the Opera at Lablache in the Barbiere de Seviglia [sic]⁹ w^h diverted them both beyond measure – & the Q. could not help laughing at their delight! – Ernestine¹⁰ is looking very well but I do not think C. is so – and mourning never becomes her very well –

M^r Gaisford¹¹ is very cross at having to go into garrison at Portsmouth & wanted to resign in consequence but L^d Lansdowne¹² w^d not hear of such a thing! M^r G. is very wrath with L^d Methuen & Lord Broughton^<15> & many others of his Reg^t who volunteered to do this, without consulting the rest but I must say that for a man who has nothing on Earth to do, he is very absurd about it. I believe he leaves Town today. Other Reg^ts are doing the same & M^r & Lady Elizabeth Buck¹³ are leaving Town & going to settle in the Barracks at Plymouth.

M^rs Gladstone¹⁴ enquired much after Constance when I saw her two days ago, & expected to have seen her in Town this spring. –

Hoping to hear very soon & with love to all –

Y^r Aff^te
H Ga Mundy

Uncle Harry¹⁵ is in Town & very well. Theresa & E^d Digby¹⁶ are just come up – I hear a very good account of him, but have not yet seen them.