TALBOT758

Normanton, ¹
March 2 6^4th 1817.

My Dear Mamma,

I received the Box this morning, and was very much pleased with its contents - I find by the Nautical Almanack, ² that I was only mistaken 10 minutes as to the Time of the Eclipse which I calculated, which was very well for a first attempt - and only wrong one 360^th part, in computing how much of the Moon's Diameter will be darkened.

Only one vol. of Brown's Prodromus ³ came, is that all? I hope not, for it seems very amusing - The plates are very interesting - what a fine plant the Doryanthes exclæ must be -! Did you look at it? I was very glad to see the face of Grillo's Fables ⁴ again - We had a terrible high wind some weeks ago, about seven o'clock in the Morning, which blew down several large Trees in Sir Gilbert's Park, in particular Two immense Elms, which were quite blown out of the Ground, and lay with their Roots up in the Air - They were close together, & in a very exposed situation, & seemed like two Brothers slain side by side - I measured the Largest, & found the Height, from the Ground to the top of the turned-up Roots to be 13 Feet! [illustration] The same winds also blew down a tall stone chimney on Normanton House - It was a fortunate thing that the Roof was strong enough to sustain the shock, otherwise it would have fallen right into the Dining Parlour - ⁵

The Nautical Almanack, does not seem to be so correct as it was in D^r Maskelyne's Time, ⁶ for I detected three indubitable errors of the Press yesterday evening - I am going to spend a day at Cliffe tomorrow - I went to Oakham ⁷ to the Assizes - & in my way home called upon M^r Finch ⁸ of Burley, whom I found in the lowest spirits possible - I dined with M^r Bonney ⁹ the other day at M^r Lucas's of Casterton ¹⁰ - Do you [know]¹¹ him? In reply to your quest[ion] I answer that I am very happy here. Is my Uncle William ¹² yet arrived at Petersburg, for you do not answer my enquiries concerning him -

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

The Lady Elis^th Feilding
31 Sackville S^t
London
STAMFORD 86 ¹³