TALBOT9492

Lacock Abbey,
Chippenham.
Monday Feb. 8. 1869

My Dear Constance

I enclose a copy I made of Charlie Edgcumbe’s letter to his mother,¹ which I think will interest you. It has been to Tilly² and come back this afternoon I hope you got my letter of the 27^th Jan^ry recounting Miss Murray’s³ visit and mentioning Mushet’s⁴ letter, that some one had made an offer for our Edinburgh house. Tilly says that she has heard from Monie,⁵ that she and Charles⁶ went to a fancy ball. Pray tell Charles that his Law Books continue to come. He told me he should discontinue them because they cost 5 guineas a year. Perhaps he forgot to do so – M^r Awdry⁷ is going to try and sell his pony next Friday, when there is a fair or great market day at Chippenham I believe M^r Awdry will give your vote for the Earlswood Asylum to a protégé of John Gale’s⁸ – the 2 children to whom you were engaged having been elected last time. It seems now certain that the winter has been much finer in England than in Italy – There has been no skating, and nothing like real cold. No snow has been seen; the fields look rich and verdant – The spring flowers are a good month in advance of their usual time. The show of crocusses’s most splendid – Friday the 5^th and Saturday the 6^th were days of most glorious sunshine. Tilly writes word that it is almost equally fine at Dabton – Sir George Jenkinson⁹ has spent ten thousand pounds (lawful expenses) on his election for our County, besides what he may have spent unlawfully – This includes the former election when he was unsuccessful – I wonder people can afford to throw away so much money. At Bradford (Yorkshire) M^r Ripley¹⁰ spent £7,200 and was elected; but the judge has turned him out for ‘treating’ the Electors; so that all that money is lost and gone into the pockets of publicans. Parliament meets tomorrow week, when great excitement is expected to prevail.

The Irish Church question will stand in the way of all useful improvement.¹¹ Tell Charles that there is a Jew Senior Wrangler at Cambridge this year a thing until now entirely unheard of! He won’t have a fellowship poor fellow! altho’ he deserves it, as he would have to sign the 39 articles.¹² Miss Murray is now on a visit to her niece M^rs Colston at Roundway Park.

Love to all Your aff^te
Henry