Rothay Bank
Dimanche 9 Ocbre 1859
A <1>
Mon cher Mr Talbot;
J’ai chargé Mme Talbot <2> de vous remercier de ma part pour votre obligeante pensée en me faisant envoyer par Duncan; Flockhart <3> un remède (it is not the same we had first: he sent a phial of chloroform and camphor.) pour mes pauvres dents, mais je n’avais pas moins le desir de le faire moi-même. Comme il arrive si souvent, que la cure m’est parvenue lorsque le mal était à son déclin et je n’en ai pas encore fait usage, la réservant pour de grandes occasions.
Je voudrais bien posséder la même ressource pour d’autres maux, mais il faut prendre patience et attendre des soins et du temps ce que mon docteur ne peut me procurer c’est-à-dire une complète guérison.
Nous avons ici un temps extraordinaire c’est-à-dire une chaleur du mois de Juin, mais lourde, epaisse, malsaine dont on se ressent beaucoup: du reste nos montagnes sont bien plus intéressantes que dans l’été, par la variété de leurs teintes d’automne; le bracken est d’un brun si riche et les jeunes arbres déjà variés de leurs couleurs jaunes, rouges & donnent toute une autre apparence au pays. Les touristes ne paraissent presque plus ce qui est un autre avantage. Hier j’ai pu sortir en voiture, la première fois depuis deux mois: le temps était ravissant. Le bateau à vapeur arrivait à Water-head avec deux ou trois pauvres touristes à bord et deux ou trois les attendant au débarcadère; c’est un grand changement? – Nous sommes revenus par Loughrigg; dont toutes les petites villas paraissaient si fraîches et si solitaires enveloppées dans leurs nids de verdure,
Je crains bien d’être obligée de renoncer à Speddoch: ce qui m’afflige, car je desirais infiniment voir Matilde chez elle, et lui mener Rosamond; <4> elle-même nous écrit souvent et je vois qu’elle sera fort desappointée si nous n’y allons pas; mais le voyage est si long par tous ces changements de conveyance, et fatiguant pour moi; cependant je n’y ai pas encore entièrement renoncée mais il faut se decider demain ou après.
Vous serez peut-être bien aise de savoir quelles sont les personnes rencontrées par Tilly chez la Duchesse of Buccleugh, <5> which were, besides themselves, and three sons, one of whom Lord Walter has a very pretty wife; <6> there were Lady Emily Foley and her niece–<7> there Lady Blanche Egerton and her brother<8> Mr E. Mr & Mrs Stopford–<9> le Duc de Richelieu–<10> Mr Coltart – Mr Riader the chaplain – the Austrian Ambassador Comte Appony <11> – Sir Roderick Murchison<12> – Mr Mrs and Miss George Hope.–<13> mais il paraît que M. a eu un petit peu peur de tout ce monde qui lui était complètement étranger quoique la Duchesse a été extrêmement bonne et aimable pour elle.
Il faut terminer ici car nous attendons à luncheon Sir John Woodford <14> qui s’est annoncé pour cette visite déjà depuis quelques temps.
J’aime à croire que Mr Gaisford nous a fait part lui-même de son prochain mariage: nous ne l’avons encore su qu’indirectement.<15>
Croyez-moi toujours, cher Mr Talbot
votre bien affectionnée
Aml Petit
Translation:
Rothay Bank
Sunday 9 October 1859
My dear Mr Talbot;
I have asked Mrs Talbot to thank you on my behalf for your kind thought in sending a remedy via Duncan; Flockhart (it is not the same we had first: he sent a phial of chloroform and camphor.) for my poor teeth, but I was no less eager to thank you myself. As so often happens, the cure reached me when the pain was diminishing and I have not used it yet, as I am keeping it for special occasions.
I would very much like to have the same resources for other ailments, but I must be patient and wait for care and time to do what my doctor cannot, that is to cure me completely.
The weather here is extraordinary, that is to say it is as hot as June, but heavy, sultry and unhealthy, which affects us a great deal: besides, our mountains are far more interesting than they are in the summer, due to the variety of their autumn shades; the bracken is such a rich brown and the young trees are already varied with their red and yellow colours & make the countryside look completely different. There are almost no tourists now, which is another advantage. Yesterday, I was able to go out in the carriage for the first time in two months: the weather was delightful. The steamer arrived at Waterhead with two or three poor tourists on board and two or three people were waiting for them at the landing stage; is this a big change? – We came back via Loughrigg; all the little villas there seemed so fresh and so solitary, shrouded in their nests of greenery,
I am afraid that I may be forced to give up Speddoch: which distresses me because I would so very much like to visit Matilde and take Rosamond to see her; she often writes to us and I can see that she will be extremely disappointed if we do not go; but the journey is so long with all of these changes of conveyance and it is tiring for me; nevertheless, I have not given up the idea entirely but must come to a decision tomorrow or the day after.
You may be very happy to know which people Tilly met at the Duchess of Buccleugh’s home which were beside themselves, and three sons, one of whom Lord Walter has a very pretty wife; there were Lady Emily Foley and her neice – there Lady Blanche Egerton and her brother Mr E. Mr & Mrs Stopford – the Duc de Richelieu – Mr Coltard – Mr Riader the chaplain – the Austrian Ambassador Count Appony – Sir Roderick Murchison – Mr, Mrs and Miss George Hope. – but it seems that M. was a little afraid of all these people who were complete strangers, although the Duchess was extremely good and kind to her.
I must stop now because we are expecting Sir John Woodford for luncheon, and he was announced some time ago.
I like to think that Mr Gaisford would inform us himself of his forthcoming marriage: we have only heard about it indirectly until now.
Please believe me to be always, dear Mr Talbot,
your very affectionate
Aml Petit
Notes:
1. Amélina Petit de Billier’s private notepaper carries this monogram of a letter A inside a shield.
2. Constance Talbot, née Mundy (1811–1880), WHFT’s wife.
3. Duncan, Flockhart & Co., chemists in Edinburgh and London.
4. Matilda Caroline Gilchrist-Clark, ‘Tilly’, née Talbot (1839–1927), WHFT’s 3rd daughter, and Rosamond Constance ‘Monie’ Talbot (1837–1906), artist & WHFT’s 2nd daughter.
5. Lady Charlotte Anne, Duchess of Buccleuch, neé Thyne (1811–1895), wife of the 5th duke, Walter Francis Montagu-Douglas-Scott (1806–1884).
6. Lord Walter Charles Montagu Douglas Scott (1834-1895), married Anna Maria, née Cradock-Hartopp (d. 1886) on 7 October 1858.
7. Lady Emily Foley, née Graham (d. 1900); she had two sisters and a brother.
8. Lady Blanche Egerton (d. 1894), who was later to marry John William Montagu, 7th Earl of Sandwich; she had five brothers.
9. The Stopford family had marital ties to the Buccleughs.
10. Armand François Odet de La Chapelle de Saint-Jean de Jumilhac, 6th Duke of Richelieu (1804-1879).
11. Sir Roderick Impey Murchison, 1st Baronet Murchison (1792–1871), geologist.
12. Probably Count György Apponyi, the resident Hungarian Chancellor at Vienna and a member of an influential Hungarian family.
13. Capt George Hope (1801-1893), and his 2nd wife, Katherine Frances, née Leveson-Gower (d. 1880). He had two unmarried daughters at this time: Frances Katherine Hope (d. 1914), who was by his first wife, Charlotte, née Tollemache (d. 1837), and Charlotte Hope-Vere (d. 1870).
14. Sir John George Woodford (1785–1879), Major General. His distinguished military career included serving as aide-de-camp to Wellington at Waterloo in 1815. Between 1821 and 1837, when he retired, he successfully campaigned for wide-ranging reforms within the army, from the systems of military discipline and purchase of commissions, to recreational provision.
15. Capt Thomas Gaisford's (1816–1898) 1st wife was Henrietta Horatia Maria Gaisford, née Feilding (1810- 9 Aug 1851), WHFT's half-sister. On 26 October 1859, he married Lady Emily, née St Lawrence (1829- 6 Nov 1868), daughter of the 3rd Earl of Howth.