Sackville St <1>
8 July 1822
My Dear Mr Feilding,
Montgomerie <2> is in Norfolk; there is a letter from him lying on the table, I hope it contains the news of his having permission from ye Bishop - We have had at least 20 applications from different Couriers, some very good, and many very bad: we had infinite difficulty in making up our minds, but have at length decided on a native of Chamberi who was servant to Murat <3> - we were chiefly determined by his good humoured looks - French & Italian he seems to be perfect in, but speaks no English - As for German he knows it a little, & as we all know it a little, I daresay [sic] we shall get on very well. I thought Italian of much more consequence as we shd be so much longer in Italy. - He is much more moderate than most of the others; I am to give him the same as I gave Pierre, <4> 1000 francs per annum, except that he is to have 5 francs a day board wages instead of 4. He is much the most good looking of any we have seen, Lord Auckland <5> heard of him first, from the Elliots in whose service he was - We intend starting Tuesday the 16th, and may be expected by Horatia's <6> Birthday. - Lady Ilchester <7> shewed me a letter from William <8> dated from the Dardanelles 16th May. He had been to Troy, & was coming home by Naples - I think he must go through Florence, & hope we shall see him. You don't say that you receive the periodical publications <9> I ordered, tho' I think some numbers shd be come before this time. Please to remember & write to some at least of the places we mentioned, viz - Brussels, Spa, Coblentz, Manheim [sic], Ulm, Munich Inspruck [sic], or Verona . Montgomerie's letter says he has not yet got his congé, <10> but expects it in a few days, & returns on Saturday 13th to Town. He loses £200 per annum by the agricultural distress. <11> My mother <12> had a letter today from Mrs Noble - Mr Noble & the family were well, and many affectionate inquiries after Car. <13> & Hor. I bring with me a patent theodolite, <14> which will enable us to make a great variety of observations - It is also arranged in a peculiar manner which I thought of, enabling it to serve for measuring the heights of mountains. Kit <15> is gone round the Lands End in a yacht - On Friday 2d August, is a great eclipse of the Moon, which I am sure you would like to shew my sisters, if the night is fine - A good way of shewing it, is to borrow any moderately good telescope, & take out the inner eyepiece which has 2 glasses, so leaving only the object glass & the eyepiece with its 2 glasses (next the Eye) - The object will then appear much smaller and brighter - It will be topsy turvy which don't [sic] signify - The following is the time at Florence
Beginning 39 min. past 11
Middle 9 min. past 1
The moon will then be 3 quarters eclipsed, and will give I shd think very little light.
Your affte
W.H.F.Talbot
Your letters have ceased to come; what is the reason I wonder. My mother says that except 2 or 3 times at first, & last Friday, she has written to some one of you every Post day. In my letter the other day, I mentioned how much I had reduced my rents, & told you my income wd be from 1300 to 1400£ a year, but I forgot the interest of the money in the Stocks, which will make it 1500£
Turn Over
What a thing a lawyer's bill is! For the transfer of settled stock, Mr King <16> makes me A Hundred and Forty Eight separate charges, each of about a Pound.
à Monsieur le Capitaine
Monsieur Feilding
Poste Restante
Florence
Italie
Notes:
1. 31 Sackville Street, London residence of the Feildings, often used as a London base by WHFT.
2. Rev. George Stephen Molyneux Montgomerie (1790-1850), close friend of Talbot family, artist, Rector of Garboldisham, near Thetford, Norfolk.
3. Joachim Murat (1767-1815), French cavalry leader who was one of Napoleon's most celebrated marshals and King of Naples (1808-1815).
4. A servant.
5. George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland (1784-1849), Governor General of India.
6. Henrietta Horatia Maria Gaisford, née Feilding (1810-1851), WHFT's half-sister.
7. Juliana Maria Strangways, née Digby (d. 1842).
8. William Thomas Horner Fox Strangways, 4th Earl of Ilchester (1795-1865), botanist, art collector & diplomat.
9. The Paris Monthly Review of British and Continental Literature (Paris: 1822-1823) and Jacques Thomas Verneur, Journal des Voyages Découvertes et Navigations modernes; ou Archives géographiques et statistiques du XIX siècle: Ouvrage périodique, rédigé par une société de géographes et voyageurs et publié (Paris: 1821-1829). [See Doc. No: 00987, and Doc. No: 01466].
10. Leave of absence from duty.
11. The period from 1805 to 1813 saw a sequence of bad harvests and high prices. From 1815, when an act attempted to fix prices, to 1822, grain prices fluctuated, and continuing protection was increasingly unpopular.
12. Lady Elisabeth Theresa Feilding, née Fox Strangways, first m Talbot (1773-1846), WHFT's mother.
13. Caroline Augusta Edgcumbe, née Feilding, Lady Mt Edgcumbe (1808-1881); WHFT's half-sister.
14. Basic surveying instrument of unknown origin going back to the 16th c. English mathematician Leonard Digges, used to measure horizontal and vertical angles.
15. Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot (1803-1890), immensely wealthy landowner, mathematician & politician; WHFT's Welsh cousin.
16. Of William Read King & Son, solicitors, London.