TALBOT8744

Cotehele House ¹
Calstock
Tavistock
Sept^r 30^th 1863

My dear Henry

I received your letter this morning – & must answer it by return of Post – for I have behaved very ill lately to you all, & to Amandier ² in particular, whose last letter I never answered. Please express this to her. The fact is, I have not only been extremely busy, but have felt unsettled in my plans – & am still more so today, & feel quite cross & discomfrontled [sic]. When I was at Osborne ³ I told the Queen ⁴ of my wish to go abroad for the winter, if it could be managed conveniently; H.M. acquiesced, at any rate f in the idea that I should go for some time – & said it might perhaps do me good as I have been suffering very much from rheumatic pain for a long time. Nothing definitive was settled just then, & I said I w^d write to H.M. later. I did write, a day or two after the Qⁿ came home – & only received an answer, from the D^ss of Wellington, ⁵ today. She tells me that “H.M. is not sure that you can stay away for the whole winter; that for the early part you can go – but the Qⁿ thinks it may be inconvenient with regard to the Waitings, for you to stay away the whole winter.”

Now this is exceedingly tiresome, though I dare say all right & fair; & I hope to go all the same – but of course the expense of going all that way for a short time, is very great; besides the disappointment.

Our plan is to go thro’ France, by Cannes, in order to see the Vals, ⁶ who have taken a Villa there for the Winter, by advice of the doctors; & then proceed to Rome, partly by land, partly be sea, as the fancy takes us. I have done nothing about a Courier yet, not knowing exactly what I was going to do – & now I think I shall very likely be able to do without, as I believe my butler, a capital servant, has been abroad, & speaks Italian. I was only told this just now – & have not yet had time to mention the subject to him – but if he does, it w^d be better, & less expensive, to take him only with us, & engage a laquais de place ⁷ for the time we are there. Do not you think so? My maid is an experienced traveller, & Ernestine’s ⁸ is a Swiss girl, very quick & handy. I wish you would go to Rome too!

We are going to Mount E. ⁹ on Saturday for a week or 10 days – as they will soon be going away – If you are thinking of paying us a visit, do come soon, & if you will go to M^t E. I am sure they will so glad [sic] to see you there. You could combine both visits according to my movements. Only write to Val & propose yourself, in that sort of way – then we can fit the visits to both places.

The house here is quite finished externally, & all the windows & many doors. – Some of the rooms are even inhabited by servants – The Kitchen garden, only dug up in the orchard last Feb^y – has been most productive all the Summer – The other new one is not yet begun. I think it will be very pretty & uncommon.

I am going to make a start immediately with a grand hothouse i.e. It is to be divided in two – one for grapes, quite hot – the other cooler, for late grapes & flowers – It is to be 60 f^t long. Is not that a grand idea!

Now for a matter of business. M^r Boger ¹⁰ wishes me to ask if you have received any notice about the S. Sea Stock business?

It seems that it has been settled to sell the old S. Sea House (in the City I believe), supposed to be worth ^£40 or ^£50,000, the produce to be divided among the proprietors of old S. Sea Stock. This is delightful hearing; & as soon as M^r Boger knew of it, he wrote to Stilwell ¹¹ – but he had heard nothing.

M^r B. says you are the person to know all about it, or who at least ought to receive the notification – so please let us know as soon as you can.

I think Katie is much better than she was in London; but still it is hoped that a winter abroad will do her service. Poor Charlie ¹² is on duty at Aldershott [sic] – teaching recruits to shoot – which they do very badly. The place is perfectly odious, as all agree. He was much happier at Eastbourne – by the Sea – Ernestine is very flourishing & sends her love to you & all at Millburn Tower. ¹³ – Give mine too please.

Y^r aff^te Sister
Caroline

Have you read the Water Babies, by Kingsley? ¹⁴ I think it w^d amuse you all. – I saw poor Sir W^m Snow Harris ¹⁵ the other day. He was very ill some time ago – & has lost one eye.