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Document number: 01269
Date: Mon 09 May 1825
Recipient: TALBOT William Henry Fox
Author: TALBOT Mary Thereza
Collection: British Library, London, Manuscripts - Fox Talbot Collection
Collection number historic: LA25(MW)-24
Last updated: 21st February 2012

Penrice <1>
Monday

My dear Henry

I am quite glad to hear such a favourable account of Caroline <2> and her London gaieties, I do think we are very unfortunate to be at such a terrible distance as to lose the pleasure of seeing them, any other year we may not meet half our friends who are now in London & even those who are fond of going to Town must allow that great part of their enjoyment consists in seeing those who are not indifferent to them, to us who have no other pleasure it makes a very great difference of course. – Pray come down to see us after the Launch, <3> you will find Mary Anne <4> here in addition to our party She will be delighted to see you again. It is a pity you cannot bring Horatia <5> with you I am sure she would like it. –

How beautiful the Glycine Sinesis [sic] must be I should like to see it as well as the other beauties you saw at the Horticultural garden, the Mussænda must be a most extraordinary looking plant, we have the Iris Susiana I think but it will not blow. Mamma <6> admired the flower of the Schizanthus you sent in the letter, if it is easily cultivated it must be a treasure. The Iriss [sic] you gave Mamma <7> are come up very nicely this year & will blow very well soon, the Allium roseum is in flower looking very pretty indeed when the day is fine, your primula <8> is over now but Jane’s <9> is in great beauty. I hope you saw the Antirrhinum latifolium which I sent in Jane’s nosegay, it came out of one of your boxes. You will see many more things flourishing when you come but I cannot undertake to tell you about every thing! There are fine things in your corner one is a Spurge I cannot guess the names of the others, they like their place very much and are going to blow this summer apparently. – I hope you will have a pleasant day on the 10th – we are going to keep it by having the Examination of the School & giving a feast to the children.

Mamma has not been well lately & Charlotte <10> & Emma <11> have had the toothache we all enjoy this beautiful weather after the rain

We have plenty of air to temper the heat fortunately. Isabella <12> Emma and I walk a great deal now & do not come home till past seven in general. – All send their love to you. –

I am your affate coz
Mary

I remember seeing Weekes’s Museum <13> years ago & being charmed with the curious mechanism of some of his half finished things. I cannot think how he could find purchasers for such expensive trifles.

W. H. F. Talbot Esqre
Albany

Notes:

1. Penrice Castle and Penrice House, Gower, Glamorgan, 10 mi SW of Swansea: home of Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot.

2. Caroline Augusta Edgcumbe, née Feilding, Lady Mt Edgcumbe (1808–1881); WHFT’s half-sister.

3. Of Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot (1803–1890), immensely wealthy landowner, mathematician & politician; WHFT’s Welsh cousin’s new yacht, the ‘Galatea’. [See Doc. No: 01251].

4. Mary Anne Thackeray, née Shakespear (1793–1850).

5. Henrietta Horatia Maria Gaisford, née Feilding (1810–1851), WHFT’s half-sister.

6. Lady Mary Lucy Cole, née Strangways, first m. Talbot (1776–1855), WHFT’s aunt.

7. See Doc. No: 01179.

8. See Doc. No: 01179.

9. Jane Harriot Nicholl, née Talbot (1796–1874).

10. Charlotte Louisa 'Charry' Traherne, née Talbot (1800–1880), WHFT’s cousin.

11. Emma Thomasina Llewelyn, née Talbot (1806–1881), photographer; WHFT’s Welsh cousin.

12. Isabella Catherine Franklen, née Talbot (1804–1874).

13. A museum of mechanical toys/automatons, in Cockspur Street, London.