Hotel de l’Europe
Venice.
Thursday. Feb. 4th/69
My dear Father
As I owe you a letter I write to mention our doings. – Imprimis <1> Mamma <2> wishes me to mention that she has received a letter from you in which you mention a letter visit of Miss Murray <3> which amused her. I am sorry to hear that Lady Maria Strangways <4> has met with an accident. Your informant did not tell us enough about it. – Monnie <5> has I believe received written a letter from to you since she last heard from you. –
If you should see Mr West Awdry, <6> will you ask him whether he has received a letter which I wrote him some time ago, partly about an application on behalf of an idiot who wants to get in to the Earlswood asylum <7> and partly about my pony. <8> You will be able to tell me whether she has yet been sold. I think she ought to be saleable by this time
Monnie and I were at a fancy ball last night at the Princess Giovanelli’s. It was remarkably pretty and I should think as good a specimen as is to be found anywhere. There were some very fine dresses. The ball room is new and good and the position of the orchestra is behind one of the mirrors, glimpses of them being obtained through apertures. – The result is very good, though one might have supposed that the sound would have been too much impeded. – We got home at about ½ past six, so that it soon became daylight. When we went away the cotillion <9> was in full swing having been going on for some time and being likely to last a good deal longer. It is pretty and amusing.
Lady Arbuthnot <10> was there and her daughter the latter enjoying herself very much. – We were at an ordinary ball at the Prefects (Torelli) last week. – The chandeliers at the Giovanelli palace are very handsome being all of Venetian glass, and the rooms are full of good pictures, of which however one could not judge at nights. –
I am rejoiced to see by Galignani <11> that a Jew has become senior wrangler <12> at Cambridge, and I see that he cant [sic] stand the usual formula of used in conferring degrees. – He ought to treat it as a mere form. –
Our hard frosts are now happily removed, but the weather has a tendency to fog. What induces you to suppose that we shall be here in March? The intention I believe is to remove as soon as the weather is sufficiently favorable. –
My intention is to stay with the family till May, and then to return to England. – Friday Feby 5th ). – I had not time to finish my letter yesterday. Today the morning was foggy very fine but it has turned to fog. Fogs are very frequent in Venice.
I sent a cheque for the subscription to my Club <13> through the post and got a memorandum of receipt from the banker, so that that is all right. We have not been able yet to make out our trip to Torcello to see the two old churches, that are there. –
Neither have I been to Murano, where I want to see a church and also the glass works. – The consul Mr Perry Perry <14> who is a brother of Sir Erskine Perry has lent me a book on Venetian architecture <15> by Selvatico <16> with illustrations. It is Italian but with a dictionary I can make it out. We are going tonight to hear Madame Ristori <17> in a Tra Cassandra which is a modern tragedy in verse. Unfortunately it turns out to be difficult so that we expect to understand very little. –
We have not seen much of the doings of the Carnival. <18> We did not go to see what was taking place on the Piazza last Sunday night which was fine, and since that the nights have been unfavorable.
The fog has now cleared. Altogether I hope that we may now have finer weather.
Your affect son –
Charles.
The letter which you forwarded and which I have just received is merely a statement of account of the N W Bank. It will be quite sufficient if you will bring such with you. Do not forward them.
Notes:
1. In the first place.
2. Constance Talbot, née Mundy (1811–1880), WHFT’s wife.
3. Emily Murray. [See Doc. No: 09137].
4. Probably related to the late William Thomas Horner Fox Strangways, 4th Earl of Ilchester (1795–1865), botanist, art collector & diplomat. [See Doc. No: 09480].
5. Rosamond Constance ‘Monie’ Talbot (1837–1906), artist & WHFT’s 2nd daughter.
6. West Awdry (1807–1892), solicitor, Chippenham.
7. The asylum was founded in 1847 in London by Ann Serena Plumbe and the Rev Dr Andrew Reed (1787–1862), a philanthropist. Designed to help those with learning disabilities, it was originally styled 'The Asylum for Idiots', then 'The Royal Earlswood Asylum for Idiots' and latterly 'The Royal Earlswood Hospital'. Its buildings were funded by public subscription, with Queen Victoria being a major early contributor. Charles Henry Talbot had petitioned for someone to be admitted - see also Doc. No: 09492.
8. See Doc. No: 09505.
9. A sort of country dance.
10. Anne (d. 1882), daughter of Field Marshall Sir John Forster Fitzgerald ( ca.1784–1877). [See Doc. No: 09447].
11. Galignani’s Messenger (Paris), a newspaper for foreign visitors.
12. See Doc. No: 09496.
13. New University Club, St James’s Street, London SW.
14. See Doc. No: 09477.
15. Pietro Estense Selvatico, Sulla architettura e sulla scultura in Venezia dal medio evo sino al nostri Giorni (Venice: P. R. Carpano, 1847).
16. Pietro Estense Selvatico (1803–1880).
17. Madame Adelaide Ristori (1822–1906).
18. See Doc. No: 09495.