Letter 6^th

S^t Gallen,

August 6^th 1821

This is a pleasant little town. I hope to be with you again the 9^th or 10^th. I am going by way of Constance Schaffhausen & Zurich. I have been getting on very slowly for some days – In my last letter I continued my journal as far as Hospital.

30^th July. to Altorf. Most of the way they were making a new road, & had consequently broken up the old: so that there exists at present no road at all. It is odd enough, now & then you have a bit of excellent carriage road for some hundred yards, which suddenly stops short & you have to scramble up a bank, or through a thicket, without any path till the road begins again. The chief beauty of the country is its wildness, especially in the gorge of the Schollenen.

31^st stayed at Altorf, the weather being unpropitious –

1^st August. A fine day – through the Schechenthal & over the Clausenberg to Lintthal in the valley of the same name. A steep & long pass – At the end of the Schechenthal is one of the longest waterfalls in Switzerland, called the Stübi on account of the quantity of spray. I forget whether I mentioned the beautiful fall of Calcaccia in the Val Levantina south of S^t Gothard, where the water falls against a <illegible deletion> rock which scatters it in all directions. – Lintthal is a pretty pastoral valley. At the end of it is an enormous mountain called the Dodi.

2^d To Glarus. From thence made an excursion to the Clönthal which is a lake in a mountain valley 3 or 4 miles from Glarus. It is one of the most charming spots in Switzerland.

3^rd Crossed the lake of Wallenstadt with a fine breeze in 2 hours & 20 minutes. the usual time being 4 hours. Thence to Ragatz.

4^th In the morning early walked to the baths of Pfeffers. One of the strangest places in the world. They are situated in a deep gorge or ravine. As you follow the road which leads to them, you look perpendicularly down on the roofs from a great height. There was a large society there, some hundreds, mostly Germans, for the baths are celebrated – but for my part long before I was cured, I should die of ennui. For a more dismal place I never saw. They dine at Sunrise, but then Nota Bene this happens at 11 oclock. At least he shewed no signs of rising at 9 oclock when I returned. It felt damp & cold down there. One of the most fashionable amusements consisted in making a bellrope with a ring at the end, oscillate so as to catch upon a hook. Returned to Ragatz & thence to Sennwald in the Rhinthal.

5^th to Altstetten. In the evening walked through Gais to Appenzell. A delightful walk. A magnificent view of the valley of the Rhine, with the river for many a mile <and?> ^<1> on the other side the snowy summits of <the> Tyroles<e> mountains.

6^th to S^t Gallen & Constance where I now am. The country between these two places very pleasant & fruitful. The lake agreeable, the road runs near its banks –

Your Aff^te Son

W.H.F. Talbot

À Madame
Madame Feilding

Poste Restante
Bern

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Notes:

1. Text torn away under seal.