TALBOT8573

[the letter is in the British Library and its envelope, with two fern specimens enclosed, in the Wiltshire Record Office]

Mount Edgcumbe ¹
Saturday June 21^st 1862

My dear Henry

Many thanks for your letter received at Cotehele, & the little green fern it contained.²

It is beautifully done. Is that your invention or one I have seen specimens of before – a large book that was published somewhere? I have dried one or two ferns for you – but they are rather bulky. One is the Osmunda regalis, now coming into flower – The other is a very handsome one, coming up like large Ostrich feathers from the ground. It measured 4 ^ft high. But there are a great number at Cotehele & here too (11 sorts I believe) & endless wild flowers – I wish you could see them. The handsomest are White Columbine, & blue d^o – the most beautiful blue you ever saw – what they w^d call in the shops a new colour – tho’ I imagine it must be one of the oldest. Also white Valerian. We stayed exactly 4 weeks at Cotehele, & had bad weather the last fortnight. But the woods are looking beautiful, & one day we made a long excursion to Endsleigh. Unluckily it began to pour (at Tavistock – where you know Charles II ³ said it always rained) – & we walked about the charming gardens under umbrellas. The grounds are kept up exactly as they were – & the Rhododendrons are a sight to see. They were just in their prime – & as far as the eye could reach, we saw their bright flowers, enlivening the shrubberies & woods. The seringos [sic] too were in full bloom, perfuming the air. Val ⁴ came back from Tunbridge Wells, (where they are established for her confinement expected in July,)⁵ to Exeter, for the great Volunteer Review at Haldom. He is Colonel of the 16^th Devon corps, as well as those of Plymouth, Devonport & Stonehouse. It took place in a regular deluge of rain, going on all day – but all the men behaved most creditably – though they were soaked through, as well as their provisions. Val had on a pair of waterproof boots for riding – These soon got filled at the top – & the water of course could not escape, till he got home & took them off ab^t ½ past 9 at night – when about a pint of water was poured out of them. I am glad to say he was none the worse for his wetting. The next day he came to Cotehele – & we all returned here the following day. We are going to stay here another week or so – but he went back to T. Wells yesterday. The chief object of this letter I have kept for the last nearly. It is to beg you to send me a little bit of your hair to put into a locket Papa ⁶ gave me on my Wedding day. It also contained his, Mamma’s & Horatia’s ⁷ in – 4 little curls altogether – I have worn it ever since, till by some accident the glass got broke [sic] & the hair fell out. I can replace the others, but not your’s [sic], as I have not a bit. Make Constance ⁸ cut me off a little. Very little will do, as the locket is very tiny. I want it as soon as possible, that I may get it put in while I am here.

Banks ⁹ came to Cotehele last week, & has been occupied several days in putting up the Stove. ¹⁰ He came down the river yesterday & told me they had made a fire, & it answered perfectly. He was to go home today, & took with him Rollin’s Roman History, ¹¹ neatly packed up, for the loan of which, many thanks. He also took charge of some Cotehele fern plants, for Wilkins ¹² – which will ornament your rockwork, if they succeed, & a small hamper of plants from here. Wilkins told me he was very anxious to have a certain pink S. American passion flower of which he saw a specimen in a bouquet I took to Laycock the last time I was there – & W^m Couth ¹³ had several young plants, & has sent that, & I believe something else besides.

I wrote to Amandier ¹⁴ not long ago, at Cotehele. I hope she is pretty well & Constance & C^{o 15} – give them all my best love. I sh^d like to see Matilda & her Baby ¹⁶ – He must be very sensible, to send away tiresome morning visitors.

I am afraid the ferns are very badly dried, & will not do to reproduce in green print.

What did you think of the great Exhibition? ¹⁷

Is not the last Punch excellent representing L. Napoléon’s ¹⁸ interview with a Yankee?

Ever y^r aff^te Sister
Caroline

Poor Banks had a most narrow escape the day he got to Cotehele. In stepping out of the Steamer he missed his footing on the plank, & fell into the water. It was luckily high water, & therefore still; for had the tide been running either way, he must have been drawn under the vessel. People seemed to think he had been drinking – but he said a woman holding an umbrella hid the plank from his view, so that he naturally stepped off it. The man in the Steamer was very quick, & fished him up instantly with a boat hook. I did not like to allude to the accident next day when I saw him. He looked rather stupified having been frightened of course – & I must confess his nose was very red. But he was none the worse afterwards.

[envelope:]
Henry Fox Talbot Esq^re
Millburn Tower
Edinburgh
N.B.