<Cordingham?>
May 5th
My dear Henry
We were very much delighted with the Talbotypes you sent us, particularly <illeg> Strangways which is so clear & good all over [logical and symbol U2227] he has entered it into Hutchins’s D<illeg> with a note saying it was done by his <dependant?> – Mount Edgecumbe <sic> is likewise very interesting to me the terrace I suppose is <illeg> – I have a very faint recollection of the house having never seen it since 1819 when we were at Plymouth at Lord Exmouth’s – I wrote to Mrs Talbot to ask you for a plant of the Scrophularia verna we should be glad to have it by the coach for though that is not the safest way of sending plants along, I hope as it is a native of England it will bear a little delay should that happen – when our Railway is made we shall not know <the?> stoppage which now so often happens at Bristol – Mary forwarded me a letter from Jane at Naples dated the 18th She give as good <account?> of poor Kit as we could expect – little Olive had arrived safely from <Malta?> but was in a fearfully weak state it was beginning to be oppressively hot at Naples – Jane says many of your ^<her I?> suppose old haunts for finding wild flowers are destroyed by the land being so much more brought under cultivation – Kit was to join them at home again for Jane was going back there almost immediately & another letter written two days later from the Nursery maid says that Kit means to stay at Naples till the arrival of the Mundys who were expected by the next packet from Sicily – his subsequent plans were uncertain they say little Olive must not be hurried on nor cross the Alps before June – Mr Bridges is very highly spoken of by Kit to whom he seems to have been of good use in consoling him as much as was in the power of any man to do – the yatch <sic> is not yet arrived and has been daily expected for the last ten days Love to Horatia Mrs Talbot & the children – I was diverting Mlle D. with your french <sic> tragedy the other evening –
Your affectionate cousin
Charlotte Traherne