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Document number: 01005
Date: 04 Sep 1822
Recipient: FEILDING Charles
Author: TALBOT William Henry Fox
Collection: British Library, London, Manuscripts - Fox Talbot Collection
Collection number historic: LA22-47
Last updated: 29th January 2012

Innspruck, <1>
4th September 1822

My Dear Mr Feilding,

Thank you for your letter which I found here. That which you directed to Coblenz <2> was not arrived there: I wrote to the Postmaster to beg him to forward it here, but he has not done so, so I have lost it which I am very sorry for – We enquired particularly for letters at Manheim <3>, but there were none, and we wrote back to the postmaster there to forward them here, but with equal ill success – The other letters have I think been all received. Your letters we had today are dated from Pratolino the 5th of August, so are of rather old date. We left Salzburg the afternoon of the 2d, meaning to sleep at Reichenhall, but there was not an atom of room in the inn there, so we called a council and resolved to travel all night to the next inn, St Johann. Indeed there was no alternative of any sort, for had we returned to Salzburg we must have stayed there the whole week; the King of Bavaria <4> having issued orders to stop all posting after that day that he might have the horses for a grande Chasse.

It was full moon & we soon came to a sublime pass in the mountains, of which we saw enough to make us regret the daylight. As the night advanced, the country grew tamer, clouds came over the moon, and we grew sleepy. About half past six we found ourselves at St Johann, roused ourselves up & breakfasted; the nature of the morning was a thick fog – After breakfast, the views both within and without the inn being equally unattractive we determined to go on, and accordingly proceeded till we found another tolerable inn, which was not till six in the evening at Schwatz – where being almost knocked up we dined on hazel hens <5> and went to bed. This morning we came on to Inspruck, [sic] only 3 hours drive – The valley of the Inn is wide, and lies between two walls of lofty mountains – Its appearance is tiresomely uniform, like the Valais, which it resembles; but this is perhaps owing to our not seeing the tops of the mountains which are cut off at a certain height by the clouds – These form a gloomy canopy over us, which I as little expect to see removed, as the ceiling of this room – We see here for the first time notices &c, written in Italian – We are getting expert in German, & should be more so, did not the common people speak the rudest & most unintelligible jargon – Innspruck seems to offer little curious. The following epitaph on Kotzebue <6> however I thought worth copying –

To the Memory of Kotzebue
Who lived by Pen, Ink, and Paper
And died by Sand –

It is ingenious enough, for he was the greatest scribbler of his age. It was at Manheim he was assassinated. I have translated it nearly literally. The weather at Salzburg was excessively variable, storms of rain interrupting the finest day; Salzburg itself is beautifully picturesque; the country is romantic, not so much so as Switzerland but it excels Switzerland in quantity and variety of fine timber. The innkeepers of South Germany are heavy and phlegmatic, extravagantly proud & touchy. The peasants are good kind of people: they always take off their hats to us. They seem very low indeed in civilisation, at least the Tyrolers We met yesterday a crowd of villagers going to a neighbouring church en habit de f๊te, <7> but contrary to most people, they were draped in the saddest colours, dark brown & chocolate. The women wear generally ugly high crowned hats like Mother Shipton; <8> so that some of the shepherdesses are awfully like witches – Our courier is goodnatured and goodhumoured, but has no head for accounts, & a sovereign contempt for book learning – It is his boast that he has been all over Europe and never seen anything.

Yours ever affectly
Henry Talbot

As a specimen of the Fashions, of Salzburg & Tyrol, the Towels are seven feet long – by 15 inches wide. When used, they are thrown gracefully over the left shoulder Sheets & Counterpanes <9> little known; in lieu of them a large cushion puffed with feathers; soft enough & warm, but alas! of length not equal to oneself If poised in exact equilibrio; it remains; but any irregular movement precipitates it to the floor. Caroline <10> is afraid we shall be bit by the Tyrol musquitoes [sic]. Musquitoes in this land of clouds and rain!

We have not had much fine weather, except in Wurtemberg. It is now raining as if for a wager.

เ Monsieur
Monsieur Feilding
Poste Restante
Florence
Italie


Notes:

1. Misspelling of ‘Innsbruck’, Austria.

2. Also Koblenz, south west Germany.

3. Rhineland, south-west Germany.

4. Maximilian I, 1st King of Bavaria (1806–1825).

5. Woodland grouse.

6. August (Friedrich Ferdinand) von Kotzebue (1761–1819), German playwright.

7. Dressed in their Sunday best.

8. Famous seer from North Yorkshire who was born in a cave around 1488 and made prophecies on the future.

9. Bedspread.

10. Caroline Augusta Edgcumbe, n้e Feilding, Lady Mt Edgcumbe (1808–1881); WHFT’s half-sister.