TALBOT7034

Mount Edgcumbe ¹
Monday August 21^st 1854

My dear Henry

I was very sorry indeed that you could not be here at our fête, though I fully understood your reluctance to begin another journey just at the moment of returning home from such a fatiguing tour – But you never told me where to direct to you abroad, & I hoped that through Constance ² I might have arrested you on your way north.

The Dinner went off very satisfactorily & I need not enlarge upon that, as I am sending you a Plymouth Paper, where you will see the names of all the guests – I shall only say that Val ³ is generally thought to have spoken very well for this his very first attempt in public – The Dinner was laid on 2 long tables connected by a semicircular one at the top, in the Orangerie – Behind the head of the table was an Orchestra, where appropriate Glees were sung – & the walls were ornamented with draperies of pink, wreaths of roses & Bays, & in the centre a large? V. & 2 coronets made of pink roses – At intervals were hung shields with the Edgcumbe [illegible deletion] and Hapsburg arms alternately – entirely made by Valletort & his friends – He is very ingenious at all those kind of things & he cut out the Eagles, Boar’s heads, lions &c in coloured paper, & finished them all in a wonderfully short time. We ladies went down at the end of dinner, & looked through a large flap which closed up the end window to keep out the cold. We could see & hear all perfectly – & you may suppose I was very nervous when I saw Val stand up to return thanks for his health being drunk. But he spoke so clearly, with such a good voice & with so little hesitation, & at the same time with such becoming modesty, that I felt re–assured. I must say en passant that there are various errors in the reports of the speeches – Valletort did not say that L^d M^t E. ⁴ made the suffering of those around him his first object! He said that his Father, amidst all his pain & suffering, made the happiness of those around him his first object. And in L^d M^t E’s letter, which was read by G. Edgcumbe, ⁵ they have left out the whole end of a phrase about Sir H. Smith. ⁶ It was very good of L^d Lansdowne & Uncle Harry ⁷ to come so far on purpose. The fireworks failed on account of the rain, w^h was most unlucky – but the tenants’ Ball gave great satisfaction – Our friends danced a short time, & then left the Ballroom to the public, who enjoyed themselves till nearly 5 – I forgot to say L^d Carnarvon’s speech was a very good one; tho’ cut short by the reporter. On Friday the same local served as a Ballroom for the servants & labourers – & the fireworks that were left were let off with great success – The Blue & red lights all round Barn Pool, & the Ruin lit up, were particularly beautiful from the Yacht, where L^d M^t E. & all our friends were stationed. Christina [sic] & Theresa Nicholl, ⁸ & eke Johnny ⁹ seem to enjoy themselves here very much – Jane with 2 daughters & 2 Sons ¹⁰ set off for “Les Eaux Bonnes,” on the 15^th – I had a long, interesting letter from Captⁿ Key ¹¹ the other day, dated the 1^st – They were then expecting something serious, which I suppose has since taken place – as the Telegraph says Bomarsund ¹² has surrendered.

M^r Gaisford & L^d Carnarvon ¹³ left us today – I like the latter very much – & L^d Sandon –

My love to Constance, Amandier & nieces ¹⁴

Y^r aff^te Sister
Caroline

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Henry Fox Talbot Esq^re
Greta Bank
Keswick
Cumberland