TALBOT937

Berne

Monday August 27^{th 1}

Lieber Heinrich ²

We had on Saturday so remarkable a state of the atmosphere that I must tell you of it, desiring to know how it was with you in the Mountains. after a very hot day the evening grew cloudy & Thunder rolled at a distance. Suddenly about seven o’clock a Shower of hail darkened the air & fell with a loud & singular noise which sounded as if the roofs of the houses were falling in. They say that en Suisse ³ hail makes this noise in the air in falling, it was quite a distinct noise from Thun<der> ⁴ each grêlon ⁵ was about the size of a <illegible deletion> & in the shape of Lozenges of <Tohr?>, & they remained frozen on the Walks for above an hour after, which gave them the appearance of winter. This was the more odd as from the heated condition of the ground the fields all round steamed after the shower like a Tea Urn. The garden was bent to pieces & strewed with plums, apples leaves & branches, & the other things laid flat. The inhabitants were much frightened & had their vitraux ⁶ broke <sic> – & I should think their harvest ruined – immediately after there occurred on the opposite side to the setting Sun a most lurid glare which continued some time & was the most awful Light I ever saw, it was very bright contrasted with the surrounding gloom, & looked in that quarter so unna<tural> ⁷ that a nervous person would <have> been alarmed & thought that the Sun had changed places & was behind the Eastern instead of the Western clouds. M^r M. ⁸ is just returned, quite enchanted with all his Sheidechs & Bachs – he brought from S^t Beat’s Cave ⁹ a most beautiful cyclamen such as I have seen in green houses in England. it smells deliciously. He is much disturbed at having your Ebel ¹⁰ but says it was of great use to him which may console you. a book is just come for You Le Guide du Botaniste qui voyage dans le Valais, ¹¹ by a Chanoine du S^t Bernard, Prieur de Martigny & Membre de la Société d’Emulation à Lausanne. How lucky that the language of Botany is Latin! otherwise what eternal disputes there would be. Cette indigne Ambroisine a jetté vos Noli me tangere ¹² with her unhallowed digits

Mons^r
Monsieur W. H. F. Talbot

gentilhomme Anglais ¹³
Poste restante
Martigny
Dans le bas Valais
en Suisse