Nice Hotel de France
Thu Sunday Decr 13th/68.
My dear Father.
I rather hoped to have found a letter from you on my arrival here. I did find one from Rosamond <1> with advice as to what to see at Genoa.
Today (my first day) at Nice there has been a bad day for sightseeing viz very rainy weather, and very mild, but as tonight the stars are visible I think it likely that we may have a fine day tomorrow. –
I had also rather a rainy day for my journey yesterday from Marseilles to this place, but I could see that the country was in general very pretty. I did not stop at Cannes.
I wrote to you from Lyons, and went from there to Arles, not stopping at Avignon, but as the place looked picturesque as I passed it, I rather regretted that I had done so The last night that I was at Lyons there was a great illumination in honour of the festival of the “Immaculate Conception” – . The day I went to Arles was very fine, the sun very hot and the outline s of the mountains very distinct
At Arles I saw the Amphitheatre <2> the theatre, and the church or cathedral of St Trophime, all of which I admired much, but I did not see the Roman Cemetery. <3> – The Cloisters of the Church of St Trophime, are remarkably fine. The whole church is Romanesque <illegible deletion> and part of it looks very early.
I also saw a large collection of antiquities in the Museum – . between the Museum and St Trophime is the Place, there is an obelisk <4> and on a pedestal which was discovered in the Rhone.
The hotel at Arles was indifferent though tolerable, and as the town is very dirty, I regretted that I had not rather stopped at Avignon and gone over to Arles from there. A French scientific association had been meeting at Monpellier, <sic> and were over at Arles. – I made acquaintance with one of the members who was staying in the same hotel, and talked archæology to him under difficulties as he did not understand a word of English.
I slept at Marseilles two nights and was pleased with the place. I climbed to the top of a hill f on which is a church called Notre Dame de la garde, <5> and from which there is a very fine view. – That day was very cold, with a high wind. – The country round Marseilles seems to be remarkably pretty. In the town I find the Parisian style of architecture being carried on. I got some money by means of my circular notes there without any difficulty.
I also went to the Zoological gardens where there is not a very large collection but the creatures in general seemed to be in good condition and I should think the climate suited them – Here I have so far only had an unsatisfactory glimpse of palm trees scarlet geraniums in flower, datura and various other astonishing objects.
When I arrived at Marseilles the Mediterranean looked beautifully smooth and glassy, but a gentleman who had arrived from Malta had had a very bad passage, and had nothing dry about him.
Your affect son
Charles. –
Notes:
1. Rosamond Constance ‘Monie’ Talbot (1837–1906), artist & WHFT’s 2nd daughter.
2. Built at the end of the 1st century, this large structure seats up to 20,000 spectators.
3. Also known as “Alyscamps”.
4. In Roman times, this would have been positioned at the finishing line of chariot races, possibly to cast a shadow across the track. It was rediscovered, and moved to its current site, in 1675–1676.
5. The present church dates from 1853 and was re-designed by the architect Henri Espérandieu in a Byzantine style.