Sackville Street <1>
18th May
My Dear Henry
The 5th number of the Musci Exotici <2> is come here, what shall I do with it? What Mr Feilding <3> has thoughts of flying down to Cambridge for one night, to talk over your schemes & to see if Mr Smythe or you could suggest anything judicious. If Lord Lansdowne <4> thinks there can be no scarcity of Cambridge Men who would be extremely glad to spend the Vacation abroad in the capacity of Tutors. What do you think of spending the first fortnight in June here, the next at Penrice <5> the first fortnight in July at Melbury, <6> the next here, which would bring it to the moment of our quitting Town, You could then accompany us to Rouen where we think of being August & September, having been charmed with the beauty of that sejour <7> & its being easy of access from Brighton which would make it more œconomical for us than any other part of France. Do you think this plan would be too idle or would you like to travel for six weeks from the middle of June till the 1st of August with a Tutor & then meet [us]<8> at Rouen? That would be [the] most expensive plan of the two but you shall do so if you wish it. We are much surprized at not hearing from you to day in answer to either of our Letters.
Yrs affly
Would you like to spend any part of the time with Mr Bonney, <9> he has sent you a very warm invitation Pray write soon, because Time slips on & we must settle somethingWm Henry Fox Talbot Esqr
Trinity College
Cambridge
Notes:
1. 31 Sackville Street, London residence of the Feildings, often used as a London base by WHFT.
2. William Jackson Hooker, Musci exotici: containing figures and descriptions of new or little known foreign mosses and other cryptogamic subjects (2 volumes, London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1818–1820).
3. Rear Admiral Charles Feilding (1780–1837), Royal Navy; WHFT’s step-father.
4. Henry Petty Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne (1780–1863), MP, WHFT’s uncle.
5. Penrice Castle and Penrice House, Gower, Glamorgan, 10 mi SW of Swansea: home of Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot.
6. Melbury, Dorset: one of the Fox Strangways family homes; WHFT was born there.
7. Sojourn.
8. Text torn away under seal.
9. Thomas Kaye Bonney (1782–1863), Archdeacon of Leicester.