Hotel Gibbon
Lausanne
Sunday Oct 13.
My dear Papa,
We came here from Bern yesterday afternoon; we had been waiting all the week for tolerable weather but each day seemed worse than its predecessor, & since Thursday the 3d when the weather changed we had nothing but cold rain varied with snow lying on the ground down in the valley making every thing look like Christmas – we were told that such an early winter was most unusual snow never being seen in October –
We have just received our letters forwarded from Vevay among them one from you to Mamma <1> written from Paris dated last Tuesday, which she desires me to thank you for, and to say how sorry we are not to have known that you wished again to be written to at Paris as I am afraid now you will have left – Still I direct there for the chance for if you have reached Lacock you will have had news of us though Charles. <2> Please to thank the latter for his letter to Monie <3> though it was quite a chance our getting it as he wrote so late, for we never contemplated remaining at Bern more than a few days as I told him when I wrote from Thun – and it is so difficult to reclaim old letters afterwards that it would probably have been lost – Tilly’s <4> letter to Interlaken has never turned up – she says as far as she remembers it was dated the 14th Sept. Mamie heard from her today and she mentions very cold weather at Dabton, <5> a severe frost that had suddenly cut off all the flowers but she had had no snow.
You cannot think how comfortable we made ourselves at the Bellvue Bern – we had a nice fire in the sitting room and stoves lit to warm the bed rooms – and double windows every where, which had been luckily put up just before the cold set in, – but we never saw the mountains clearly after the 2d, and yesterday though fair was very grey & gloomy not a vestige of Mt Blanc of course – we came into the town of Lausanne to be more snug in this bad weather and we shall be most probably obliged to give up Vevay as we had to do for Fribourg to our great regret, and to go straight to Geneva – so please to direct your letters there next –
Thank you for your letter <6> to me of the 3d Octr and a short one to Mamma written a few days later – as you do not mention the Stocking we hope that Goodwin <7> had no trouble with them at the Custom house and that they will reach Dabton in safety. – Mamma also received yrs from geneva
On one of our last fine days I took a walk in the Botanic garden at Bern – it is a pity you did not visit it, being quite within an easy walk and well situated by the river – I saw a number of plants of the handsome Ricinus Communis growing in the open border – Why have we not got it at Lacock? – (I suppose the name on the stick which I wrote down can be trusted – it appeared to belong to the plant). Do not forget to tell Wilkins <8> about the proper cultivation of Daturas – so that we may have some in future –
I do not think there is any thing more to say excepting to mention our weather today – very wet again and stormy after a clear moonlight night – we had hoped for better things –
Good bye dear Papa
yr affectionate daughter
Ela
Notes:
1. Constance Talbot, née Mundy (1811–1880), WHFT’s wife.
2. Charles Henry Talbot (1842–1916), antiquary & WHFT’s only son.
3. Rosamond Constance ‘Monie’ Talbot (1837–1906), artist & WHFT’s 2nd daughter.
4. Matilda Caroline Gilchrist-Clark, ‘Tilly’, née Talbot (1839–1927), WHFT’s 3 daughter.
5. Dabton, Dumfriesshire: home of WHFT’s daughter Matilda.
6. Letter not located.
7. George Goodwin (d. 1875), footman at Lacock Abbey.
8. George Wilkins (b. 1814), gardener at Lacock.