TALBOT7517

1 Jan^y 1858

My dear Henry

I wish you a happy new year altho’ I cannot greet you with anything like good news – Your Uncle Harry ¹ has been ill since Monday with a very serious bilious attack which makes us all very anxious. D^r Jones ² is here from London & we hope will do good.

He says by the way that Gaisford ³ is not well tho’ he is thinking of going to Rome. I heard from Jane ⁴ lately at Nice, she was thinking of changing her residence to Mentone, very delightful if a good house for so many is to be found there.

I direct this to the Athenæum – it will lose no time & probably will be forwarded.

I hope you are all well in your northern climate ⁵ Abbotsbury ⁶ was delightful a week ago – narcissus, hyacinth, lithosp. rosmari – Oxalis cernua, Convol. Cneorum a beautiful Iris alata or scorpioides, primroses, tree heath ( Mary’s ⁷) Camellias & a rhodod. – or two – Azara very pretty – Edwardsia – standard Chimonanthus – chamæmoly Coronilla, salvias, geranium, Fuchsia, & such a crop of myrtle berries – were all out – & the Aponogeton in quantity. I am trying Anacharis [Alimastum?] What do you think of D^rs Barth ⁸ & Livingston? ⁹

Y^rs
W F S