TALBOT919

Paris
22 March 1821

Mio caro figliulo ¹

By your saying the Examination is pleasant I suppose you are taking no trouble, being sure of one medal, but I should like it to be the first comme de raison. ² We saw the Comet ³ between Abbeville & Chantilly. They say we are to have a hot summer & fine vintage owing to it. The Liberaux ⁴ are overjoyed at the news fro[m]⁵ Piedmont ⁶ & Speculation is wild here with all that it supposes about to happen. The Government does not find itself on a bed of roses, any more than Lord Castlereagh. ⁷ They talk of revolution & the tricoleur ⁸ flag waving over the Tuilleries in the course of six weeks but I don’t feel inclined à prendre la fuite. ⁹ I shall be very glad when you are [here] on one particular account more tha[n others] which is that you may talk to D^r Williams about your eyes, I think you will find him what you have been looking for, a Physician who will enter into your scientific theories without always obtruding prescriptions upon you, & who will discuss the matter abstractedly for I think he likes the higher parts of his profession. I have received a letter from Betty Vickery ¹⁰ thanking me for my sanction which she supposes I gave to the Shawl. Car & Hor ¹¹ are rather mortified to see how much better she spells than Nurse which they attribute to the great pains you bestowed on her education. We took your apartment in this <house>, as I wrote you word in my last letter for fear it should be snapped up as la belle saison ¹² advances, & were obliged to date the rent from the fifteenth of this Month, however as it is only 150 franks [sic] a Month it will do you no damage. You have for that a bed room, antichambre ¹³ where you can breakfast, & a room for your [illegible]. Let us know what d[ay] you are coming that it may be got ready. As you keep such differen[t] hours from us, it is much better you should have a room of your own to breakfast in, particularly as by the time you generally descend to your matin ¹⁴ meal all our rooms are occupied with something else, either Dancing Master, or Drawing Mist[ress]¹⁵ or visitors or &c &c

I was at a ball last Night where were English Irish, French, Poles, Spaniards, Germans, Scotch, Swiss & Norwegians. Some Author (Cowper ¹⁶ I believe) says Variety is the Spice of Life which gives it all its flavour. I believe Linen is included in your bargain if not you can have some of ours. Car & Hor are preparing for a ball at Lady Montgomerie’s. ¹⁷ How do you like your Batavian on further acquaintance [text missing] with [illegible], [observe?]

W. H. Fox Talbot Esq^re
Trinity College
Cambridge