Llandaff.
Monday evening. November. 21^st

My dear Father,

I gather from the Photographic paper that the Wothlytype ^<1> process is rather a delusion. The paper altogether denies the originality of the invention. We have had a rainy day here today , but the weather still continues to be mild. I want to know what you think about the advisability of my joining a club in London. I think I ought to do so but and I am thinking of joining the Junior University to which Champneys & my friend Swainson ^<2> belong. Champneys will get me a copy of the rules which when I get I will forward to you in order to know what you think of it. He says the numbers a of the members are being filled up. I shall want a club for not only am I likely to be going up to London frequently, but also if I succeed as an architect I shall probably gravitate towards London that being the best centre for operations if your operations are sufficiently extensive. I want your opinion on this and also on the advisability of getting my name put down for one of the old clubs. I suppose Mamma ^<3> and Ela ^<4> have now left you for Markeaton.

Your affec son
Charles.

P.S Tuesday I heard something about the probability of John Llewelyn ^<5> & Mrs [J W.?] going to Lacock & am glad you have seen them. I am much obliged for your 2 demonstrations, I know them however of old. I return you M^r Jones’s ^<6> circular. The church is certainly in a very bad condition & I should think it must be a rather bad neighbourhood for getting subscriptions. It is curious that that little church, quite a small chapel should be the mother church of Tintern, & I was amused at the way it had climbed up the hill to look down upon the other. The Duke of Beaufort ^<7> is I believe the proprietor of the ruins of Tintern. He might were he inclined to spend money do much for it.

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Notes:

1. The uranium-based printing-out paper invented by Jacob Wothly of Aachen, 1864, initally created quite a stir. It was considerably more sensitive than the albumen paper then in general use, but the claim for permanence was not fulfilled, and it was soon abandoned.

2. See Doc. No: 08689.

3. Constance Talbot, née Mundy (1811–1880), WHFT’s wife.

4. Ela Theresa Talbot (1835–1893), WHFT’s 1^st daughter.

5. John Talbot Dillwyn Llewelyn (1836–1927), son of Emma Thomasina Llewelyn, née Talbot (1806–1881), photographer; WHFT’s Welsh cousin, and John Dillwyn Llewelyn (1810–1882), Welsh photographer, JP & High Sheriff.

6. Rev Calvert Richard Jones (1802–1877), Welsh painter & photographer.

7. Henry Charles Fitzroy Somerset, 8^th Duke of Beaufort (1824–1899).