TALBOT8653

Trin Coll. ¹
Tuesday. Feb. 17

My dear Father.

I am afraid you will have thought me a very long time answering your letter. We had no such storm here at the time you speak of mention such a bad one at Edinburgh. Certainly if Nelsons monument had perished, architecturally speaking it would have been a good riddance. I should think it must have damaged the telegraphic apparatus for the time-ball & time-gun. How does your sulphuret of carbon prism answer? Swann of Caius ² was gulphed in the Tripos, ³ and is going to try and pass when the "Poll" comes on. he gets only has to pass the classical part of the examination, I believe, but if he gets plucked for that, he will have to go in for both parts, next time he tries. He overread over-read himself I believe, and was not well up in subjects, though he always said that he was. As to rubbing up my Classics, I am not sure that that can be done to any great extent fr, I cannot spend much time on them, that is I cannot take time away from my mathematics for them. I think perhaps I might practise a little composition though and perhaps read a little over a little of some author that I have read before. My coach mad is making me read Analytical conics, and then I am to do some Differential Calculus I have read the circle and am just beginning the parabola, and I am now coming to find the subject very interesting. altogether I am not dissatisfied with my progress. We have had sev some remarkably fine days with very cold frosty mornings; tonight however seems to be not nearly so cold. I have bought a very good carte de visite of D^r Whewell, ⁴ and another of Professor Sedgwick; ⁵ do you do you want duplicates at Edinburgh or will my having them suffice for the family?

Your affect son
Charles.

[envelope:]
H Fox Talbot Esq
11 Gt Stuart St
Edinburgh