11 Randolph Crest
February the 25th 1859. –
My dear Papa
I must sit down directly and thank you for the letter which I received, not quite unexpectedly, this morning – But, dear Papa, do you know what I should have liked better still than getting a letter from you? that you should have been here yourself; and I am disappointed at your not naming a day for us to expect you – You said in one of your last letters that you would come in a week, and now the week is up, or almost so. We have been pretty quiet as to parties lately, having only been out three times in a fortnight – once to dinner at that funny little country house in town called Drumseugh, and belonging to two rich old ladies, the Miss Walkers, whom perhaps you have heard us speak of as being distinguished by peculiar ugliness. – However their dinner was a large and pleasant one (twenty people –) and they gave us all the delicacies out of season, including very fine asparagus. Miss W. is a lady of primitive mind, who sits all day in a pleasant sunny little drawing-room, busy with her spinning-wheel, and surrounded by pets – two little dogs, and a multitude of all sorts of foreign birds, scarlet, blue and yellow. –
Do you think that if Miss Catherine Sinclair had built a fountain,<1> beautiful or the reverse, in Prince’s Street, we should not have watched, and reported to you, the progress of that edifice? But till now, it is a very airy fountain, and built only on paper. I have seen a drawing of it, as projected, which does not promise much beauty, but it will be very useful, and I hope will be accomplished before next summer.
I am very glad that Captain Gladstone<2> should be sheriff he is quite rich enough for it, and ought to be too happy to sacrifice his private views on Devizes to the general welfare. Seriously, I thought he was just the man to enjoy anything which makes him conspicuous and influential – Mrs Gladstone<3> must be delighted, I am sure. We saw in the paper Ld Shelburne’s appointt as chairman of the Gt W. Ry and wondered rather that he should like that sort of thing – but, like you, we immediatly [sic] reflected on our own interests, and the convenient trains we should get for our own use. –
It is getting almost dark, though the days have lengthened so wonderfully, and I think I must stop writing. Mama, Mamie and I are going to a grand Masonic Ball to tonight in the new Free-Masons Hall in George Street – W It was opened yesterday with great solemnities by the Duke of Athole, grand Master, and all sorts of great people, who are to be also present at the ball. I am so sorry that Rosamond cannot go, but she is still far from well, and not strong – She is better, however, and able to go out sometimes in the morning – the day before yesterday she went to the Exhibition of Pictures, just open, which was a great pleasure to her. She sends her love, and hopes that you received the letter she wrote you a few days ago. –
Do you know that I think it very fortunate that I should be going to a ball tonight, else I should begin to reflect seriously, and think myself growing very old! time almost to give up dancing – reels especially – my own age always surprises me more than that of any one else around me; being personal, it strikes one more forcibly, and I can hardly believe it. But I suppose every-one feels the same thing about themselves –
Now it is, as you may suppose, dear Papa, totally dark, only just a faint glimmer to enable me to finish
Your affectionate daughter
Matilda. –
Only think – there was a curious phenomenon visible in the southern sky the other evening about eight o’clock. As well as we can make out, it was a white luminous arch of some extent, stretching over head, which lasted about ten minutes. All our servants saw it, and yet not one thought of coming to tell us!
[envelope:]
H. F. Talbot Esqre
Lacock Abbey
Chippenham
Wiltshire
Notes:
1. Catherine Sinclair (1800-1865), Scottish philanthropist and author; assistant to her father, the agrarian reformer Sir John Sinclair (1754-1835). The triangular fountain that she commissioned stood at the West end of Princes St from 1859-1926, latterly serving as a tramway island, and was then moved to Queen St. It is sometimes confused with another fountain at St Colmes St, raised to her memory after her death. On 16 May 1950, Maria Steuart wrote to the Scotsman that 'nothing was done about it and the fountain has never been replaced. I believe it was last seen in a stone-mason's yard'.
2. Captain John Neilson Gladstone (1807–1863), MP.
3. Elizabeth Honoria Gladstone, née Bateson (d. 1862).