Dover,
Wednesday Evg
April 12th 1820 –
My Dear Mr Feilding,
We were all English in the diligence, except an unlucky Frenchman who got in at Montreuil. Somebody proposed to throw him out of the window, but as he was happily ignorant of the language, he looked round him with a complacent smile that made an amusing contrast with the subject of conversation. The weather was delightful, the roads very heavy. From the place they call Haut Buisson <1> we had an excellent view of the English coast, & could easily distinguish Dover Castle. The following may serve as a specimen of the conversation, when it deviated into French. “Condúcteur <sic>, un peu d’œil, ça chante trop.” <2> some iron contrivance or other squeaking for want of oil.
In the kitchen at one of the inns I heard this dialogue. “J’ai fait mon possible” – “Vous avez fait votre possible! Ce n’est pas votre possible qu’il faut faire: Il faut faire la chose même.” – <3>
It is understood there was a movement of disaffection among the troops at Calais the other day. Yesterday there was an inspection review of them by two or three general officers who were come down on purpose. We sailed from Calais at noon today & had a very pleasant passage in about five hours & a half, and nobody sick. The wind was S.W. so we had to make a great many tacks. <4> – While we enjoyed the sunshine on our side, we saw the English coast all along wrapped up in the thickest white fog.
We <illegible deletion> saw a large three masted vessel aground just under the Foreland lighthouse. <5> She run <sic> ashore this morning in the fog. I have been dining with one of my fellow passengers, a very sensible elderly gentleman, Mr Cameron. He has been this month past at Boulogne looking out for a house, but there are positively none to be had, except at most exorbitant prices. The French are fitting up all their barns for the English. There are exactly 3000 English at Boulogne. – He says there are a great many villa’s <sic> near Boulogne, but scarcely to be seen except you are taken to them, being situated in holes & hollows for sake of shelter –
Yours most afftly
W.H.F. Talbot –
A Monsieur
M. le Capitaine Feilding
17 Rue de Clichy
Paris
Notes:
1. High-Bush, forest area and castle near the village of Cherré, 160 km south-west of Paris.
2. Driver, a bit of eye, it’s squeaking [literary singing] too much. The English suppose ‘œil’ to be the French for ‘oil’.
3. “I’ve done what I can” – “You’ve done what you can! You’re not meant to do what you can, you’re meant to do the actual job!”
4. Changes of course.
5. South Foreland lighthouse, north of Dover.