TALBOT8555

Millburn Tower ¹
Tuesday evening April 29^th

My dear Papa,

Many thanks for your letter received this morning. I am very glad that your engravings have been so satisfactorily hung up, for I was always afraid of some contretemps: either that they would not arrive in time or that you would find that they did not fill up the space assigned. I am sure you must be glad also to have it off your mind. What a pity that your hardest work happened in such a particularly unfavourable season, and not rather now, that we are enjoying such delightful weather. Today and yesterday have been particularly charming: – today a cloudless sky and hot sun, tempered by a soft westerly air – thermometer 66 all day – the highest it has yet reached. How one enjoys warmth and sunshine after so protracted a winter. This morning at half past eight I found Mamie ² sitting basking on her terrace, and drinking a cup of tea al fresco! – The leaves are all bursting out, and if this weather continues, as I hope, you will find quite a different climate and country when you return.

Tilly ³ and party are to come back on the 7^th – they are very loth to leave Speddoch ⁴ now it is looking so pretty. Sheriff Tait’s youngest daughter, Alice, was married yesterday to Cap^tn Hare, a neighbour of ours, by her uncle the Bishop of London. ⁵ The Courant says he preached a beautiful sermon at S^t John’s ⁶ last Sunday, which, had we known of before hand, we might have gone to hear. He is off again now to be present at the opening of the great Exhibition. It will be a grand sight, but too great a crowd to be pleasant I think. The Queen ⁷ has delightful weather for her journey. I suppose she will pass our station early tomorrow morning. You perceive I am finishing this on Wednesday.

It is finer, hotter and greener than ever. At this moment (3 o’clock) the thermometer stands at 71.

Mama ⁸thanks you for having executed her commission so quickly, and all the portraits you sent are very good and very interesting to possess, only I wish we had a still larger number.

I hope you will find Lacock looking very nice, and that you will bring us a good account of everything there.

Goodbye, dear Papa, love from all. Your affectionate daughter
Rosamond.

The enclosed letter came this morning.

[envelope:]
H. F. Talbot Esq^re.
Lacock Abbey
Chippenham
Wiltshire