TALBOT8265

Mount Edgcumbe ¹
Devonport
Thursday Dec^r 6^th 1860

My dear Henry

I was so glad to hear from you the other day & should have answered your letter sooner, had I not had great arrears of correspondence to make up. Today I heard from Amandier ² – Her letter is of the 28^th Nov^r but it came here when I was at Cotehele ³ & went about to various Post Offices, before coming back to me again here. From what she says I conclude you are still at Laycock Abbey – & I wish very much you could contrive to pay me a visit before going North. Can you not manage it? It is ages since you have been here, at this house. We intend staying till the beginning of January so any time between this & then would suit me. Lord M^t E. ⁴ is still in London, & I imagine we shall join him there in January. Flora ⁵ is with him, & Charlie ⁶ is in the Tower – so that he can go constantly to see his Father – though it is a good step from the Tower to Belgravia. I suppose a house must be taken before we can all go up. I think, from what I can gather, that he is a little better for D^r Bence Jones’s ⁷ treatment – & he sees quantities of people. He saw Count Apponyi ⁸ on his return from Plymouth – & since that C^t de Flahault. ⁹ I hope you received two Western Morning News I sent you – containing accounts of the Prince of Wales’s arrival, & that of the Empress of Austria. Val ¹⁰ went on board the R^l Yacht, & lunched with the Empress. It was agreed she should land & drive round M^t Edgcumbe, so we sent down carriages & Val rode at the portière, She came into the house & had some tea – but did not dare stay long, as Captain Denman was fidgetting to get her away, He was afraid of the cold for her, & felt himself responsible no doubt. She coughed a great deal, but did not look ill. She is very tall & handsome, with a brilliant complexion, sparkling dark eyes, & dark eyebrows. She was quite well at sea – but her 3 poor ladies were very ill on the way here. What they must have suffered, poor things, in that terrific gale, tossing about in the Bay of Biscay!

I guessed by your black border that poor Constance had lost her Sister ¹¹ – & Amandier confirms my conjecture. Though she did not see much of her, it must be a sad blow, losing the last – & Amandier tells me she has been very unhappy.

Now do, dear Henry, ponder my request – & come & see me please. I want to introduce Katie ¹² to you – & my dear little grand daughter – the sweetest tempered thing you ever saw! – We have still Crysanthemums & Calceolarias lingering out of the doors – & everything looks very green still.

Are you not provoked at the Chinese having captured M^r Parkes & the Times Correspondent? ¹³ Captain Key ¹⁴ will be very much vexed. He liked M^r Parkes & had such a high opinion of him. Val & Katie heard some amusing stories at Port Eliot the other day – from L^d S^t Germans, & his Son Charles Eliot. ¹⁵ Amongst other things they noticed particularly Charles Eliot’s uniform (Grenadier Guards) which he appeared in at some Ball – especially the Bearskin Cap. He is a very tall youth – & the paper said that with his cap on he looked superhuman – & that one saw at a glance that he belonged to the crack London Corps, as if he was a Volunteer! This is too late for today’s Post. I shall so much like to see your Sun engravings¹⁶ – & also Your Nineveh Studies. Now do come dear Henry – This is such a nice opportunity – & life sho short!

Y^r aff^te Sister
Caroline

This is my Wedding day! I believe it is true about Porcelli ¹⁷ being a General the other day – but What he now is I can’t say.

[envelope:]
to be forwarded
Henry Fox Talbot Esq^re
Laycock Abbey
Chippenham