Penrice <1>
Feby 16
My dear Henry
I ought to have written to you on your birthday to have wished you many happy returns of the day, but tho’ I neglected to do so I hope you will not think we did not think of you & wish you were here to spend the day merrily with us as we used to do in former days! – We miss you very much but have no right to complain, as you have so short a time to remain in England, however I hope we shall never pass so many years without meeting again, if we live. – Charlotte <2> has not been so well for the last two or three days, her head has been aching & she has seldom felt equal to joining our party in the evening or playing on the Piano forté however she is better today & took a walk with Mamma. <3> – Isabella <4> has been out hunting one day but saw very little however she got a good ride which she is very well satisfied with; Emma <5> has been gathering bunches of primroses which are delightfully sweet much more so than the garden ones we think. they were both very busily employed in helping Christopher <6> clear the ivy from some fine young oaks & cut down some little blights on Saturday. – Mamma has been very busy in her way & I in mine since the weather has become fine, we had two days last week of wetting fog which was very unpleasant for out of door work. – Mr Dillwyn <7> has been here for a day & I took him a famous stroll in the rain to seek for curiosities on the sea sho[re]<8> however we found very little but we were more fortunate the next day & procured some shells which he wished to have. he has been dissecting shell fish lately & shewed us a beautiful tongue of a whelk & one of a limpet! – We have got about a dozen Roman coins which were found in a quarry on the old road to Swansea, they are silver, about the size of sixpences & tolerably perfect they are mostly about Adrian’s <9> time. I have heard that formerly some were discovered near the same place so I think some Roman must have buried his money there when they were at Lloughor. <10> I wish there were other curiosities to be found there but I suppose they cared for nothing but their money so I should find nothing [if] I went to hunt. – All send their love to you
I am your affate coz
Mary
1824. Swansea Feby Sixteen Chriser Cole <11>.
Wm Henry. F. Talbot Esqr
17 Sackville Street
London.
Notes:
1. Penrice Castle and Penrice House, Gower, Glamorgan, 10 mi SW of Swansea: home of Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot.
2. Charlotte Louisa 'Charry' Traherne, née Talbot (1800–1880), WHFT’s cousin.
3. Lady Mary Lucy Cole, née Strangways, first m. Talbot (1776–1855), WHFT’s aunt.
4. Isabella Catherine Franklen, née Talbot (1804–1874).
5. Emma Thomasina Llewelyn, née Talbot (1806–1881), photographer; WHFT’s Welsh cousin.
6. Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot (1803–1890), immensely wealthy landowner, mathematician & politician; WHFT’s Welsh cousin.
7. Lewis Weston Dillwyn (1778–1855), Welsh botanist & MP.
8. Text torn away under seal.
9. The Roman emperor Hadrian.
10. Loughor or Castell-Llych, near Llanelly, 7 miles WNW of Swansea.
11. Sir Christopher Cole (1770–1836), Captain, MP & naval officer.