Hôtel Victoria San Remo

Saturday Dec^r 14^th 1867.

My dear Henry

We did not succeed in getting an apartment at Nice – and consequently have decided to prolong our stay at San Remo – Also we are beginning to appreciate our advantages here. of The Superior climate which San Remo undeniably possesses over Nice, Mentone, & all the others, is the first consideration, especially since Monie lost ground after the Measles – and we have excellent medical advice – always within a few minutes call – one Doctor living opposite to this Hôtel, the other calling every day either on some Patient or other in the house, or to enquire at the bureau whether he is wanted. Then the resources of the Town are much beyond what we were led to believe – there is a circulating Library, there are Pianofortes for hire – there are plenty of shops where the necessaries & comforts of life may be purchased – A very good Chemist, learned in Botany with whom if you come to San Remo you will probably be much pleased. I am told he has an interesting collection of Fungi – preserved in such a way as to appear to be growing in all their natural freshness. There is a good Wine merchant & grocer – dealer in confitures &c. Perfumery cheap & excellent, and a silk mercer, where we are about to chuse some black silk gowns.

Then the walks on the slope of the hills among the olive woods & citron groves are much more accessible than we fancied at first, and here the spring flowers (always early) are expected to show their heads very soon – Ela watches their progress daily, and is quite happy to think that we shall not miss them, as we feared, by going away to Nice. – The old Town itself is very curious – and there are many more distant excursions to make, as soon as Monie’s perfect recovery and longer days make such excursions easier – Will you think us very capricious to have changed our minds so completely? – You should however make allowance for my having written two or three times under the influence of bad weather, such as we were unprepared for in Italy! – Yesterday & today are perfectly charming, and we are not quite reconciled with the climate – Nothing can exceed the obliging attention of the proprietors of the Hôtel M^r & Madame Grosse; unless it be the attention of the Waiter, Antonio, who attends to our private dinners & luncheons, with commendable assiduity – The Inmates also are very friendly and we now feel quite at home among them all. Very soon we purpose to dine again at the Table d’hôte, but up to the present we find our private dinners succeed better for Monie, & also for M^lle Amélina just while they continue rather delicate: in the meantime, both I am glad to say, are making good progress, and getting out into the air. – I hope Charles will have had the letter I wrote him the beginning of the week; enclosed was one for Goodwin – as I had something say about getting a new Range for the Kitchen. It appears to be very much wanted, and they only wait your approval in the matter, before giving the order: and so as to get the work finished, and the kitchen colored & everything cleaned up before our return home – These kind of jobs take much longer than what the workmen promise you; and therefore it should be commenced by the end of February or early in March, when the days are sufficiently long & the weather dry. Pray speak to Goodwin about it. – What a sad thing the burning of Her Majesty’s Theatre! – and poor M^r Maples<ton?> uninsured –. What do you hear of the Mount Edgcumbes? – A little paragraph in Galignani speaks of her delicate health, as if she had been worse either before or just after their arrival at Cannes – & as if she was now slightly better.

Ela has just received your letter of the 10^th for which she begs me to thank you. – This is the 3^d letter which has come on the 4^th day instead of the 5^th – I direct as you desire, to the Athenæum; – & we all congratulate you on this improvement in the weather, which it is to be hoped has reached the shores of great-Britain. And we hope you will have a pleasant journey to Dabton & a happy visit there – With word what Jack & Connie say to their Grandpapa. They expect to hear strange things of your summer sojourn in this other countries. –

I ought to tell you that our chief reason for refusing the apartment at Nice, is, that it is much dearer than what we have here, & less suitable – our bedroom proposed for E. & R. being to the North, & one of the South bedrooms without a fire-place: price ^f40 per day, instead of 25^f which we pay at San Remo – A saving of 15 francs per day is something considerable. I am sure you will approve our determination to remain here, under the circumstances – but we are not tied to any particular time; we pay the bills weekly, and are free to move at any time, Love from all your affectionate

Constance.