Osborne <1>
Tuesday May 12th 1863
My dear Henry
I took a walk round the grounds yesterday with Mr Toward the Bailiff – who was gardener here, & before that at Bagshot – & he shewed me a number of new trees & shrubs, at least new to me – & many of my old friends here so grown & in great beauty. In spite of the natural badness of the clay soil here, all evergreens seem to thrive remarkably well. The Prince Consort <2> was so fond of all his shrubs & plants, & used to visit them every day – There are many young Stone Pines doing very well – probably those I gave him at Mount Edgcumbe <3> years ago. It seems curious – but to me very natural – that the Queen, <4> who never cared the least about these before, or knew any of their names, & left it all to the Prince, has begun to take a great interest in them since his death – & goes out every morning to study them & learn their names – It is no doubt from a feeling of wishing to keep up, & go on with, everything that he cared for.
Among other curious shrubs is one from New Holland, called Ebothrium <5> (or some such name –) Coccineum. It has stood out several years – & produced one flower last year – but now it is covered with beautiful blossoms. The flower is exactly like a bright scarlet honeysuckle, that is, to the vulgar eye – & the leaves are something similar. I enclose you one – so you will judge for yourself. The Queen was so kind as to ask Ernestine <6> to come here; She has been here a week, & enjoyed herself very much. The weather has been beautiful – & she has been constantly riding & walking with the Princesses – & yesterday drank tea with them at their Swiss cottage – where they had the great pleasure of washing up the tea things themselves. Pss Helena <7> will be 17 in a few days – & Pss Louise <8> is 15 – Yesterday little Pss Beatrice <9> had a great misfortune – The keeper shot her favorite cat (How indignant that will make Rosamond! <10>) She is only just six, poor little child – & she shed floods of tears. After a while she went to Sir Charles Phipps, <11> & asked him to put her cat’s death in the newspaper – & she thought it would be a good opportunity to insert at the same time, the death of Prince Leopold’s <12> cat, which occurred 4 years ago! How very innocent! The Queen intends leaving this on Thursday, if the weather moderates, for Windsor – & then she will start at 7 o’clock on Friday evg for Balmoral, & I shall return to my house 24 Charles St Berkeley Sqre where I have not been settled yet.
Give my love to Constance & my nieces, & Amandier <13> –
Ever dear Henry Yr very affte Sister
Caroline
Notes:
1. Osborne House, Isle of Wight. Purchased in 1845 by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a retreat from court life.
2. Albert Francis Charles Augustus Emmanuel of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1819–1861), consort to Queen Victoria.
3. Mt Edgecumbe, near Plymouth: seat of the Earl of Mt Edgcumbe.
4. Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom (1837–1901), Empress of India (1876–1901).
5. Actually Embothrium, and it comes from Chile, not Australia.
6. Ernestine Emma Horatia Edgcumbe (1843-1925), WHFT’s niece.
7. Helena (1846–1923), Princess Helena of Schleswig-Holstein.
8. Louise (1848–1939), Dowager Duchess of Argyll.
9. Beatrice (1856–1944), Princess Beatrice of Battenberg.
10. Rosamond Constance ‘Monie’ Talbot (1837–1906), artist & WHFT’s 2nd daughter.
11. Sir Charles Beaumont Phipps (1801–1866), court official and keeper of the Privy Purse.
12. George Duncan Albert Leopold (1853–1884), Duke of Albany and youngest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
13. Constance Talbot, née Mundy (1811–1880), WHFT’s wife, Ela Theresa Talbot (1835–1893), WHFT’s 1st daughter, Rosamond Constance ‘Monie’ Talbot (1837–1906), artist & WHFT’s 2nd daughter, Matilda Caroline Gilchrist-Clark, ‘Tilly’, née Talbot (1839–1927), WHFT’s 3rd daughter, and Amélina Petit De Billier, ‘Mamie’, ‘Amandier’ (1798–1876), governess and later close friend of the Talbot family [See Amélina's journal].