[written on the same sheet as notes from Lady Elisabeth: see Doc. No: 01648 - and Capt Feilding: see Doc. No: 01651]
Roma
9 Febbrajo 1823
Domenica
Carissimo Fratello
Je n’ai pas encore reçu de lettre de toi, mais comme j’ai maintenant assez de tems à ma disposition à cause de mon rhume qui m’empêche de sortir comme à l’ordinaire, j’en profite pour t’écrire la première. Pour ne pas t’inquiéter cependant, je te dirai qu’il est presque guéri et que je me porte fort bien – Maman <1> m’a permis de lire les trois lettres que tu lui as écrites, <2> de Velletri, de Naples, et de Mola di Gæta (qui est arrivée la dernière) et j’ai été bien aise de voir que tu es content de ton voyage, qui paroit t’avoir été très agréable, comme tu es heureux d’être à Naples, dans une maison tout près de la mer, “with a terrace that looks at Vesuvius, & the mountains of Castel al Mare and Sorento, with the bay of Naples lined for 10 or 20 miles with an uninterrupted succession of the white houses & villas.” Ce sont tes paroles <3> – J’espère que tu as eu du beau tems depuis ta lettre, dans laquelle tu parles de pluie, nuages & brouillard. Ici il a fait assez beau, et quelque fois mauvais ; mais aujourd’hui c’est la plus délicieuse journée de printems qu’on puisse voir ; un beau soleil chaud et un air doux et frais et il y a des violettes et daffodils dans le jardin, tout-à-fait printaniers – Je suis allée au Corso hier pour la première fois, et en voiture fermée; mais Caroline <4> et les autres qui y sont allées en calèche, se sont beaucoup amusés en jetant des bonbons à toutes leurs connaissances, et ne l’ont pas trouvé du tout ennuyeux. Ils sont aussi tous allés à un bal masqué chez le Duc de Bracciano, Caroline en costume de Lucernoise, et Papa <5> avec une perruque et des moustaches noires – On ne fait rien aujourd’hui, étant Dimanche, c’est le contraire de Paris, où le Dimanche gras est un des plus beaux jours du Carnaval, mais ici on a le Vendredi des Catholiques et le Dimanche des Protestants et par conséquent le double des autres pays. Il y aura pourtant ce soir le festino, ou bal masqué du théâtre, qui commencera à minuit, et durera, dit-on, jusqu’a six heures du matin – J’imagine que les amusemens à Naples sont d’un tout autre genre, et que tu penses davantage aux tableaux, aux statues, aux points de vue, etc: qu’aux bals et aux soirées. J’espère cependant que tu profiteras du carnaval pour voir le théâtre de S. Carlo <6>, et me dire ce que tu en penses. Pour nous, nous tâchons de nous procurer une loge à l’Opéra pour entendre encore une fois la Donna del Lago <7> et les belles voix de David <8> et la Pesaroni <9>, j’espère pouvoir y aller. C’est fort difficile d’avoir une loge passable, on demande pour une mauvaise aux quatrièmes deux louis, et pour une aux premières 20 scudi. Nous parlions ce matin à Antonio, du prix de ces loges et il dit qu’il se souvenait qu’à l’Opéra de Florence on avoit fait payer à une certaine occasion j’oublie combien de zecchini pour une loge et il ajouta, “Era nel tempo che cantava una certa Catalani.” <10> cela nous fit beaucoup penser à l’anecdote de Lady Morgan <11> –
En fait de nouvelles, je n’en ai pas à te donner ; je pense que tu en sais au moins autant que nous sur la guerre et tout cela, car les journaux n’en disent presque rien – Lord Sandon <12> devoit partir pour Naples hier avec M. Labouchère, je ne sais pas s’il est parti ou non – Caroline a fait un journal du tems depuis le jour que tu nous as quittés, et j’espère que tu en as fait autant ; remarque surtout aujourd’hui, le 9 Février, et écris moi quel tems il faisoit là-bas. Comme la mer a du être belle, s’il ressembloit à celui qu’il a fait ici! – Papa, Amandier <13> et Caroline font des grandes promenades et trouvent presque toujours des beaux morceaux de giallo antico <14>, marmo affricano <15>[sic], porphyre <16>, etc. et même rosso antico <17> qui est très rare, et ils les ont fait tailler en livres ou pressepapiers ronds, carrés, ou triangulaires fort jolis. L’autre jour ils ont déraciné du temple de Jupiter Tonnant <18> un énorme morceau de marmo pavonazzetto <19> assez grand pour faire une table. Moi je ne trouve jamais rien, excepté un jour un pauvre petit morceau de serpentino <20> –
Addio, Enrico mio caro, spero che presto mi scriverai; <21> [illegible deletion] note at foot of this page" name="jan01053-back" href="#jan01053"><22>; et dis mille choses de ma part à mon oncle Guillaume <23> – J’espère te revoir bientôt, et en attendant
Crois-moi Your affectionate sister
Horatia
Mr
Mons. Henri Fox Talbot
Inglesé
Posta restante
Napoli
Translation:
Rome
9 February 1823
Sunday
Dearest Brother
I have not yet received any letters from you, but as I now have plenty time on my hands because of my cold which is stopping me from going out as usual, I am putting it to good use by writing to you first. So that you do not worry however, I will tell you that it has almost cleared up and that I am feeling very well. – Mama allowed me to read the three letters that you have written her, from Velletri, from Naples, and from Mola di Gaeta (which arrived last) and I was delighted to see that you are enjoying your trip, which seems to have been very pleasant for you, how lucky you are to be in Naples, in a house right beside the sea, “with a terrace that looks at Vesuvius, & the mountains of Castel al Mare and Sorento, with the bay of Naples lined for 10 or 20 miles with an uninterrupted succession of the white houses and villas.” These are your words – I hope you have had fine weather since your letter, in which you speak of rain, clouds and fog. Here the weather has been quite nice, and on a few occasions bad; but today is the most delicious spring day ever; a beautiful hot sun and a gentle fresh breeze and there are violets and daffodils in the garden, absolutely spring-like. – I went to Corso for the first time, and in a coach but Caroline and the others who went there in a horsedrawn carriage, had a wonderful time throwing sweets to everyone they know, and did not find it all dull. They all went also to a masked ball at the Duke of Bracciano’s, Caroline dressed up as a lady of Lucerne, and Papa wore a wig and black moustache – We are doing nothing today, since it is Sunday, in contrary to Paris, where Shrove Sunday is one of the most beautiful days of the Carnival, but here there is the Friday for Catholics and the Sunday for Protestants and as a result twice as much as in other countries. However, this evening there will be the festino, or masked ball of the theatre, which will begin at midnight, and will last, they say, until six o’ clock in the morning – I imagine that the entertainment on offer in Naples is of quite a different nature, and that you are thinking more of paintings, statues and views, etc: than of balls and of evenings out. I hope however that you will make the most of the carnival in going to see the theatre of S. Carlo, and then you should let me know what you think of it. We are attempting to obtain a box at the Opera to hear the Donna del Lago once again and the beautiful voices of David and the Pesaroni, I hope to be able to go. It is most difficult to have a decent box, they ask two louis for a bad one on the fourth level, and for one on the first level 20 scudi. We were speaking to Antonio this morning, about the price of these boxes and he said that he remembered that at the Florence Opera on one particular occasion they had charged I forget how many zecchini for a box and he added, “Era nel tempo che cantava una certa Catalani.” That reminded us so of Lady Morgan’s anecdote–
As far as news goes, I have none to give you; I think that you know at least as much as us about the war and all that business, for the newspapers say next to nothing about it – Lord Sandon was to leave for Naples yesterday with Mr Labouchère, I do not know if he has gone or not – Caroline has kept a weather log since the day you left us, and I hope you too have done as much; take note above all of today, the 9th of February, and write to let me know what the weather was like over there. How beautiful the sea must have been, if the weather was anything like what we were having over here! – Papa, Amandier and Caroline take long walks and almost always find lovely pieces of giallo antico, marmo affricano, porphyre, etc. and even rosso antico which is very rare, and they have had them fashioned into books or very pretty round, square or triangular paper presses. The other day they uprooted from the temple of Thundering Jupiter an enormous piece of marmo pavonazzetto big enough to make a table. I never find anything, except one day a miserable little piece of serpentino.–
Addio, Enrico mio caro, spero che presto mi scriverai; [illegible deletion] Give my love to cousin Jane; and pass on many greetings from me to my uncle William. – I hope to see you soon, and in the meantime
Believe me your affectionate sister
Horatia
Notes:
1. Lady Elisabeth Theresa Feilding, née Fox Strangways, first m Talbot (1773–1846), WHFT’s mother.
2. See Doc. No: 01048, and Doc. No: 01049.
3. See Doc. No: 01050.
4. Caroline Augusta Edgcumbe, née Feilding, Lady Mt Edgcumbe (1808–1881); WHFT’s half-sister.
5. Rear Admiral Charles Feilding (1780–1837), Royal Navy; WHFT’s step-father.
6. Teatro di San Carlo, in Naples. Built in 1737. In 1823, the theatre’s artistic director was Gaetano Donizetti (Italian composer, 1797–1848).
7. Gioachino Rossini, The Lady of the Lake (1819).
8. Giovanni David, singer.
9. Rosmunda Pesaroni, singer.
10. It was at the time when a certain Catalani was singing.
11. Sydney Owenson, Lady Morgan (1776–1859), novelist.
12. Sir Dudley Ryder, Earl of Harrowby and Viscount Sandon (1762–1847).
13. Amélina Petit De Billier, ‘Mamie’, ‘Amandier’ (1798–1876), governess and later close friend of the Talbot family [See Amélina's journal].
14. Giallo antico or numidic yellow. A rich yellow marble quarried by the Romans from the 2nd c. BC to the late Roman period and used in columns and veneer.
15. African marble. Type of stone spotted with reddish brown, mingled with veins of a dirty white and flesh color, with a few threads of deep green.
16. Porphyry. Beautiful and very hard rock anciently quarried in Egypt. Also known in some parts of the world as Porfido Rosso Antico.
17. Porfido rosso antico. Compact, very hard, purple red stone dotted with minute white specks. The classic Roman stone, symbol of imperial power and honour.
18. Probably Jupiter’s Temple on the Capitoline Hill in Rome.
19. Type of marble.
20. Serpentine stone.
21. Farewell, my dear Henry, I hope you will write to me soon.
22. Jane Harriot Nicholl, née Talbot (1796–1874).
23. William Thomas Horner Fox Strangways, 4th Earl of Ilchester (1795–1865), botanist, art collector & diplomat.