TALBOT9565

Mount Edgcumbe ¹
Devonport.
Monday August 23^rd 1869

My dear Henry

I am very glad to hear from you of Constance & Ela's ² safe return to the dear old Abbey, after such a long absence - How glad they must be to see it again! I hope Constance has laid in a good stock of health in Italy, to enable her to enjoy her home again. Your garden ought to be brilliant - judging from the flowers here - the blossoms are really splendid - & the colours most vivid, owing to the Sun & dry weather. Ernestine ³ & I arrived here on Saturday afternoon also - having divided the journey from Kent by shopping in London on Friday, (when Goodwin ⁴ saw us, tho' I am sorry to say we did not see him,) lunching at the Paddington Hotel, (which we left by 4-20 Express) & sleeping at Bath. How near we all were to each other those two days! - One of our shopping affairs, was to order a smart bonnet for Matilda. She wrote her commission to Ernestine - & fortunately we had just time to execute it between Charing Cross Station & Paddington. After leaving London we staid 3 weeks at the Calverly Hotel, Tunbridge Wells, spending part of every day & dining with the Vals ⁵ - who have taken a house there for the Summer. Katie ⁶ is certainly better this year. D^r Frank, who went down to see her, was quite astonished & at the actual improvement that had taken place in the lungs; & she told me herself that she felt she was better, & could breathe differently to what she had done for a long time.

The children are much grown, & such dear little things! From thence we went up to London for a couple of days, in search of Wedding presents &c, & then went back a little way beyond T. Wells, to Eastwell Park, ⁷ on a visit to the D^ss of Abercorn. ⁸ The Vals were there, but no other visitors. You know the two youngest daughters are going to be married - Lady Albertha to Lord Blandford, & Maude to young Lansdowne. ⁹ She is going on a visit to Emily Lansdowne ¹⁰ at Bowood, ¹¹ with her elder Sister Georgiana ¹² the middle of this week. They are all most charming girls - & Clan (as Ly. L. calls him,) is, I consider, a most fortunate man. He is also very goodlooking & nice in every way - so I hope they will both be very happy.

We could only stay 3 days at Eastwell, which we were very sorry for - as Val was coming down here, & we wanted to be here to meet him, during the few days he is likely to remain. Eastwell is a magnificent place belonging to Lord Winchilsea, who has outrun his fortune, & is obliged to let it - (They say that he & Lady W.¹³ are living on [sic] a flat in Victoria Street! What a dreadful change from Eastwell, which is reckoned one of the largest & finest places in England. The ground is admirably thrown about - & we drove for a long time entirely on grass - thro' the most perfect Robin Hood glades you ever saw - overshadowed in the most romantic way, by trees of every size & shape - some in groups, some single, with enormous trunks - & thick fern everywhere; so high that it completely hid some wild looking cattle which were dashing thro' it - & must make beautiful coverts¹⁴ for the deer & Stags which abound in the Park. In one place the fern was actually up to Val's shoulders on horseback!

We expect Val here this evening -

The British fleet is at anchor in the Sound - & a magnificent sight it is. Lord Gilford, ¹⁵ (Val's schoolfellow at Maisemore,) is in command of the finest ship among them - the Hercules - We went on board yesterday - The deck is 60 f^t broad - & the total length of the vessel 324 f^t - We stood in ammirazione ¹⁶ before some of the guns - weighing [illegible deletion] 12 tons & 18 - & at the ease with which they were worked.

L^d G. is, you know, Lord Clanwilliam's ¹⁷ Son.

The 3 five masted Ships are also here - the Northumberland, Minotaur & Agincourt, besides others. They have orders to sail this afternoon, & Mr Childers ¹⁸ goes on board the Agincourt. They go to Gibraltar, to join the Mediterranean Squadron & perform evolutions & man œuvres - soi-disant ¹⁹ under M^r Childers' Command - greatly to the disgust of Naval Officers in general.

Last mail from S. Australia brought me a nice letter from Charlie, ²⁰ & a packet of seeds - for you & me. I will make a division, & send you your's [sic] as soon as I have time to look about me. My love to Constance & Ela -

Y^r aff^te Sister
Caroline

I am shocked at the blotty ink!

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Henry Fox Talbot Esq^re
Laycock Abbey
Chippenham