TALBOT9303

Lacock Wedn^y Jan^ry 8^th

My Dear Constance

I received today your letter of the 1^st, returned from Dabton.¹ I had a very pleasant visit at Dabton and left it on the 2^d January – Charles² will stay till the 10^th when he comes here. I wrote to Monie³ the day after Tilly^<4> wrote to her. I hope my letter was received. The children were all well and merry. William⁴ begins to speak, but it is very difficult to understand what he says – He calls himself Tot – One day he said Tot’s grandpapa is come, but Jack’s grandpapa⁵ is not come yet! There was no snow at Dabton – The weather here was bitterly cold for several days especially I think on last Saturday – It is also very dark and gloomy and cheerless

There are a good many flowers in the Stove considering the season. The Strelitzia Reginæ is splendid just now one spike has 3 expanded flowers and a second spike is just opening. Two very pretty Orchids are in flower – the scarlet Euphorbia Jacquiniflora &c &c. In the conservatory is a very fine plant in flower of Luculia gratissima very sweet – It stands in the ground. Why does it not rather flower in the summer? – I opened some letters that came for you as you wished – They proved to be begging letters with the exception of one from M^rs Vardon⁶ which I enclose. the post mark is Dec^r 19^th. – If you find San Remo cold you must remember that the severity of the season is quite extraordinary – At Florence there is much snow, and Times correspondent has seen the ice 2 and 3 inches thick. At Paris people cross the Seine on the ice on foot. at Marseilles the paper reports much snow. There is none at Lacock, but when I crossed the “black country” last Thursday evening it was quite white with snow and illuminated by the flaring of the iron furnaces – pussy arrived here quite safe and recognized the Abbey immediately and set out to look for you all in your rooms – She was very happy at Dabton where she was so kindly treated. But she seems quite comfortable here –

Charley Edgcumbe⁷ is at Naples. He was so afraid of losing Vesuvius that he only stayed one day at Rome. The volcano has not been so fine for many years.^<9> It was dormant when I was at Naples, and I walked round the edge of the crater (2 miles) and measured its depth – It was impossible to descend, the cliffs were perpendicular and 640 feet high. I collected yellow brimstone on its edges – my guide was the celebrated Salvatore, and my companion was M^r Nicholl.⁸ I hope the new Eruption will not injure Pompeii. Matilda liked the wood carvings very much. She has commissioned me to pay you 9 shillings – please to put me in mind when I come. I forget what it is for. Direct to me here for the present. Todays papers give fresh accounts of the severity of the Southern winter, especially at Lyons and Montpellier. The snow began to fall at Florence at 10 PM on New Years day, and continued till the afternoon of the following day. No one cleaned the streets and the depth of the snow reached the middle of the leg, of the Times own correspondent

Your aff^te
Henry