TALBOT8665

Trin Coll. ¹
Sunday March 9^th

My dear Father.

My last college-bill comes to ^£52 ·· 7 ·· 10 · and as I have only a little over 18£ in the Bank and as I must draw a little of that out presently for immediate use, I am unable to pay my college-bill. Can you advance me some money? It ought to be paid for it is now very near the getting on for the end of the Term. I do not think that there is very much to tell you in the way of news.

We have on the whole had very fine weather here lately. I think I shall have to come up here during part of the long Vacation, the months of July & August (I think) to go over and get up my subjects with my coach. He says it is absolutely necessary that I should go over them with some one, and I had better come up here, which many men (in my year particularly) will do ). I should not like during the Long Vacation to go on any excursion, or tour such as would prevent my reading at all during that time, and as long as I can choose my own time & subjects I am perhaps not likely to get knocked up. What I have a particular objection to is the getting up of a set subject, when I am not inclined to read it, and getting through a portion prescribed by my tutor. I am sorry that cabs & carriages are altogether forbidden in Edinburgh on Tuesday. I should have thought they might perhaps have had special regulations to prevent confusion, without stopping them altogether. We are going to have a good deal of illumination here. All the college gates, I think will be illuminated and a good many private houses. The worst of the matter is that it is supposed that it cannot go off without a town & gown row. At Oxford I hear that a Syndicate of the Senate has it has been announced that members of the University who choose to go out are not to wear their academic dress. I wish they had done the same here. I shall go out if it isnt raining and I think probably will I shall not go in cap & gown, for t it is better to be proctorized than to have ones head broken. I am not surprized to hear of poor Orange’s death, for it didnt seem possible that he should recover. If you want any photographs on glass or otherwise you might get some very good ones there. – With regard to the geometrical proposition of the ladder when (the arcs) or wall. are oblique you did not suspect the curve of being an ellipse, for you said you thought it had come out a curve of a high order once when you tried it. I have no room for more, (I should like to see Piazzi Smyth’s magic Lantern. ²

Your affect son
Charles.

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