Athenæum, Friday Dec. 20
My dear Constance
I was very glad indeed to find from your letter received yesterday that San Remo improves upon further acquaintance, and that you are beginning to like the place and to feel yourselves comfortable there. Charles<1> received your letter before he left Lacock. I wrote you word what severe winter weather we had early in the season. Afterwards we had an interval of very warm weather, but now it has again changed and is very cold today with a yellowish fog in London, which makes the streets cheerless and uncomfortable. I hope to be at Dabton<2> on the 24th and intend to return to Lacock the 5th January So after New Years day please direct to me at Lacock. When you complained of bad weather at San Remo, it was bad weather everywhere. I see by the newspapers that it was then very tempestuous at Malta, and Lisbon, and there were 6 inches of snow on the ground at Toulon and still more at Lyons. But Charlie Edgcumbe<3> in a letter to his mother from Cannes 8th December says, that he & his friend Lord Hinchingbrook<4> only stayed 2 days at Paris – it was so cold and uninteresting – They went on, finding snow all the way on the ground, till long past Lyons, with a NorthEast gale, and “the agonies of cold they suffered are simply indescribable” – They reached Avignon at 6 A. M. and he adds, “In all my life I never underwent such a Wednesday as was prepared for us – There was such a frightful hurricane blowing, that without the slightest exaggeration we were nearly blown away at every corner. and so intensely cold that with two great coats, sealskin caps comforters &c we were absolutely shrammed. We struggled up to the Palais des Papes & then outside the walls to the old bridge – but were about an hour getting over 200 yards of open, the sand raised by the wind cutting our faces” –
Caroline adds “Worse than our famous Mistrale going to Vaucluse” – She invited me to Cotehele<5> for Xmas but I was engaged to Tillie.<6> Charlie gives a good account from Cannes of Ly Mt Edgcumbe’s<7> health.
Adieu, Love to all.
Your affte
Henry
Notes:
1. Charles Henry Talbot, 'Charlie' or 'Tally' (2 Feb 1842 - 26 Dec 1916), antiquary & WHFT's only son.
2. Dabton, Dumfriesshire: home of WHFT’s daughter Matilda.
3. Charles Ernest Edgcumbe (1838-1915), JP, WHFT's nephew.
4. Misspelling of Edward George Henry Montagu (1839-1916), Lord Hinchinbrooke and later 8thEarl of Sandwich.
5. Lady Caroline Augusta Edgcumbe, née Feilding (1808-1881); WHFT's half-sister. Cotehele, Cornwall, an ancient house and a seat of the Earl of Mt Edgcumbe (it is now a National Trust Property).
6. Matilda Caroline Gilchrist-Clark, née Talbot (25 Feb 1839-1927), 'Tilly', WHFT's 3rd daughter.
7. Lady Emma Sophia Edgcumbe (1791-1872), Caroline's sister-in-law.