Mount Edgcumbe <1>
Devonport.
Sunday 23rd June 1872
My dear Henry
I enclose two specimens which I thought you might like to see. One is the Benthamia which flowers beautifully among the Evergreens on the Terrace drive, over the Sea – It bears fruit too I think. The other is a small shrub with blueish green leaves, growing in the garden above the house. I don’t remember ever seeing it before.
Ernestine <2> writes me word she is going to Laycock tomorrow. It will be charming now, if the weather remains fine. Everything is extremely late this year – but the roses are just coming into beauty here – & at Cotehele. <3> We had a great thunder storm last Tuesday – with rain really like ramrods. At Cotehele it did some damage indoors. The rain came thro’ the ceiling of Ernestine’s room, & through the floor, into the Housekeeper’s room below – wetting her books, & soaking some clothes in a drawer.
The carpet was taken up as quickly as possible, & hung up to drain – & the rain from the quadrangle ran down 2 steps into the lobby – & 3 buckets full of water had to be taken up before they could lift off the matting on the floor.
It put me in mind of a similar thunderstorm we had at Varese. <4>
Please tell Ernestine that her books have been dried – & only 4 or 5 are injured. It is quite lovely here just now! Love to Constance <5> & Co, & Amandier <6> –
Yr affte Sister
Caroline
[envelope:]
Henry Fox Talbot Esqre
Lacock Abbey
Chippenham
Notes:
1. Mt Edgecumbe, near Plymouth: seat of the Earl of Mt Edgcumbe.
2. Ernestine Emma Horatia Edgcumbe (1843-1925), WHFT’s niece.
3. Cotehele, Cornwall: ancient house, seat of the Earl of Mt Edgcumbe, now a National Trust Property.
4. In 1823, Lady Elisabeth and Charles Feilding enjoyed a three month stay at the Villa Serbelloni where they were joined by WHFT. The Villa Serbelloni is in Varese, in Lombardy, Italy, north of Milan and near Lake Como, and is known today as Palazzo Estense. Built as a baroque palace by Francesco III d’Este, Duke of Modena and Governor of the Duchy of Milan (1698-1780), it went by descent from his third wife by morganatic marriage, Renata Teresa d’Harrach, Princess Melzi, to Rosina Zinzendorf, Countess Serbelloni. The Countess allowed wealthy paying guests to stay there. Although this was their only stay in the Villa, the house remained strong in their family memory. WHFT showed it to his new wife in October 1833, just as he was conceiving of the idea of photography and his sister Horatia made a point of visiting it in 1847.
5. Constance Talbot, née Mundy (1811–1880), WHFT’s wife and her family.
6. Amélina Petit De Billier, ‘Mamie’, ‘Amandier’ (1798–1876), governess and later close friend of the Talbot family [See Amélina's journal].