Nice
Jeudi 19 Décembre ^<1> 1833

My dear Henry

Your letter from Lyons arrived the same day as the Galignani ^<2> of the same date from Paris. I am glad you get on prosperously though slowly – Our société has been transferred to Cannes or Marseilles or thereabouts – the Cowpers ^<3> are gone there for change of air, as L^d C. was very unwell here – Captⁿ Tower is also gone & by this time the Jerseys ^<4> must be arrived there also – we expect them here tomorrow & could have taken such a nice apartment on our floor for them if we had only heard a day or two sooner, which has in the mean time been seized by some new comers. The weather is lovely today – L^d V. ^<5> is gone to Villa franca with L^d Wiltshire & M^r Watson, ^<6> who is just arrived from Genoa – he came there from Naples in the steamboat with Uncle John, ^<7> homme sans foi! ^<8> who went on to Marseilles, after he had written to say he would come & see us here, sending me instead all sorts of messages about his being in a hurry to reach Paris, & not being able to tear himself away if he came here, &c, &c.

We expect here likewise L^d de Ros, & old Lady Cunningham with her uncle, I believe, the rich M^r Denison. – Bimbo ^<9> is much improved since you went & will very soon walk alone – he says Ma-ma perfectly well, which charmed me the first time I heard it. The Nursery dissensions are only patched up for the present, for they hate one another like poison. – I am glad you saw the antiquities of Orange; I have always heard they were very fine, but thought they lay out of the great road. I hope Constance ^<10> will enjoy her stay at Paris – it will be a great contrast to anything she has seen yet. – I hear rumours of wars on the side of Russia – pray wrote me what you think upon the subject, as well as any news you hear – Love to Constance & Amandier ^<11> – don’t forget to take over some Racahout ^<12> for Horatia, ^<13> to fatten her extraordinarily –

Y^r very aff^te Sister
Caroline

L^d V. has not been quite well these few days, owing to his having twisted his foot by riding into a bog – luckily he did not fall – Addio – remember the Eclipse ^<14> –

France
Monsieur
Monsieur Fox Talbot

Poste Restante
Paris

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Notes:

1. Thursday 19 December.

2. Galignani’s Messenger, a newspaper that had a wide circulation among English residents on the Continent.

3. Peter Leopold Louis Francis Nassan Clavering Cowper, 5^th Earl of Cowper (1778–1837); and his wife, Emily Mary, née (1787-1869).

4. George Child Villiers, 5^th Earl of the Island of Jersey (1773–1859); and his wife, Lady Sarah Sophia, née Fane (1785-1867).

5. Ernest Augustus Edgcumbe, Lord Valletort, 3^rd Earl of Mt Edgcumbe (1797–1861), WHFT’s brother-in-law.

6. Probably Hewett Cottrell Watson (1804–1881), botanist.

7. John George Charles Fox Strangways (1803–1859), MP.

8. Man without sincerity.

9. William Henry Edgcumbe, ‘Val’, 4^th Earl Mt Edgcumbe (1832–1917), JP & Ld Steward of the Royal Household; WHFT’s nephew ‘Bimbo’.

10. Constance Talbot, née Mundy (1811–1880), WHFT’s wife.

11. Amélina Petit De Billier, ‘Mamie’, ‘Amandier’ (1798–1876), governess and later close friend of the Talbot family [See Amélina's journal].

12. A beverage made from acorns.

13. Henrietta Horatia Maria Gaisford, née Feilding (1810–1851), WHFT’s half-sister.

14. There was a total lunar eclipse on the night of 26 December 1833. [See Doc. No: 02790].