Moreton <1>
Sunday 17th
My dear Henry
I was just thinking of writing to you when I received your letter and I find it must not be delayed as you are going to Berlin – No wonder that you prefer Berlin to Brighton – and if you only remain six weeks perhaps we may meet in London after Easter – We are expecting Uncle William <2> now very soon, as Grandmama <3> has written to him at Brussels but his accounts of his movements are so mysterious and his letters dated from such extraordinary places that it is utterly impossible to discover anything decided. A Note I had the other day was dated Opole <4> which puzzles us all exceedingly – Do you know where it is? – perhaps the next stage to Stryalkow <5> – I am glad you heard from Kit, <6> as by your account he will remain long enough at Naples or thereabouts to receive a letter I wrote to him there, as I shd grudge its being wasted – I had heard of his having been Pidgeon shooting at Malta, & of his having picked up a friend an artillery officer at Gibraltar – Mama <7> wants you to do for her at Paris a brace of commissions which I hope won’t trouble you much – as they are in the Book way –– one is the “Etat de Florence” <8> in one vol. 12o or 8vo the other “Relation de Venise” <9> in one volume duodecimo – Neither of them are modern books but I dare say you will be able to meet with them without great difficulty and Mama is anxious to have them – They are books we have borrowed from Melbury <10> & wish to possess them, & therefore you will comprehend that they must be the identical exact same books; & not first cousins or distant relations bearing the family name which would not answer our purpose at all – If you should meet with the “Weisse Frau” <11> which is a Ghost Story I should be much obliged to you also to get it for me – I believe it is one in a collection of three or 4 stories but we would put up with having those also for the sake of getting the Weisse Frau –
I wonder you never heard us mention that Harriot Seymer <12> was going to be married as it has been settled & declared so long. – Henry Murray & his Bride <13> have been staying here & we all were very much pleased indeed with her – but the Talbots do not come till after Xmas as they spend that at Melbury – they have been at Abbotsbury <14> for some time – Jane & Mr N. <15> with their children intend spending Christmas here & we have great pleasure in the thoughts of seeing her & shewing her all our orthodox proceedings – You will be sorry to hear that Giles <16> is still very ill – He was recovering fast after he first came into Dorsetsh – but he went out very imprudently at Abbotsbury 2 damp cold days & got wet thro’ all day which brought on a violent cold & cough & since that he has been attended constantly by Dr Cooper who has discovered that he has had another abscess formed & has [illegible] <17> his talking or doing anything to make him cough – & tho’ he is not alarmed for the present, yet he thinks a great deal of mischief may happen if he does not for the future take very very great care of himself – we hope there is more chance of his paying attention to his health as this illness has frightened him a good deal –.
Pray write to me & say whether you can get these books or not, and if you would find time to do the same at Berlin I should enjoy a letter from you uncommonly. I shall write to you if I have anything worth saying. A Jonquil of yours is in blow in the Green House but it is just like the common out of doors one – Pray give our best love to all & Believe me
Yours Very Affectly
Harriot Frampton
[illegible] & I beg our kind compliments to Morphine <18> – How does it like Paris?
I wonder the Miss Mitchells should say they did not know me as I spent 2 days at their house two years ago when tho’ not out they were certainly old enough to recollect it – We do not know yet<19> whether Sir C. Lemon <20> is to be Sheriff or not as we have heard nothing about it.
Etat Ancien et Moderne des Duchés de Florence, Modene, Mantue & Parme avec L’Histoire Anecdote des Intrigues des Cours de leurs derniers Princes On y a ajouté une semblable Relation de la Ville et Legation de Bologne
a Utrecht
Chez Guillaume van Poolsum
MDCCXI
The fine engraved design by way of frontispiece calls it Memoires des Cours d’Italie
Nouvelle Relation de la Ville et Republique de Venise Divisé en trois parties dont la première contient un Histoire general la seconde traite du Gouvernemt et des M œurs de la Nation, et la troisieme donne connaissance de toutes les familles Patrices employées dans le Gouvernemt.
a Utrecht – Chez Guillaume van Poolsum. Marchand Librarie 1709
The Engraved frontispiece calls it Nouvelle Relation de la Ville et Republique de Venise
Both are small 8o or 12o in one Vol. each –
Henry Talbot Esqre
Poste Restante
a Paris
Notes:
1. Moreton, Dorset: home of the Frampton family.
2. William Thomas Horner Fox Strangways, 4th Earl of Ilchester (1795–1865), botanist, art collector & diplomat.
3. Juliana Maria Strangways, née Digby, Countess of Ilchester (d. 1842), 2nd wife of Henry Thomas Fox Strangways, 2nd Earl of Ilchester (1747-1802); WHFT's grandmother; 'Grand Mam'.
4. Southwestern Poland.
5. She probably means ‘Strykow’, an important governing centre in Poland.
6. Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot (1803–1890), immensely wealthy landowner, mathematician & politician; WHFT’s Welsh cousin.
7. Lady Harriot Frampton, née Fox Strangways (1778 - 6 Aug 1844); dau of Henry Thomas Fox Strangways, 2nd Earl of Ilchester and Mary Theresa O'Grady; she married James Frampton (1769-1855) in 1799.
8. Casimir Freschot, Etat ancien et moderne des Duchés de Florence…, (1711). [See Doc. No: 01101]
9. Casimir Freschot, Nouvelle relation de la ville et republique de Venise, … (Utrecht: 1709).
10. Melbury, Dorset: one of the Fox Strangways family homes; WHFT was born there.
11. Possibly Christian Stolberg, Die weisse Frau: ein Gedicht in sieben Balladen (Berlin: J.E. Hitzig, 1814).
12. Harriet Marcia Seymer married the Rev James Ward (d. 1831), on 22 February 1827.
13. Henry Murray (1800–1831), brother of the late Caroline Leonora, wife of the 3rd Earl of Ilchester, and his bride the Hon Catherine Otway Cave. [See Doc. No: 01450].
14. Abbotsbury, Dorset: home of William Thomas Horner Fox Strangways.
15. Jane Harriot Nicholl, née Talbot (1796–1874), and Dr John Nicholl (1797–1853), MP.
16. Giles Digby Robert Fox Strangways (1798–1827).
17. Text obscured by ink.
18. The family's dog, found by them on 20 December 1823 as a stray in the Piazza di Fontana Amorosa in Genoa.
19. Text obscured by seal.
20. Sir Charles Lemon (1784–1868), politician & scientist; WHFT’s uncle. In this case, he failed to secure the vote.