London
1st December 1838
My Dear Constance
Yesterday when I went to attend the meeting of the Royal Society I was rather late and found them all seated - The Assistant Secretary came up & begged me to go and sit upon the bench nearest to the Chairman; I asked him, why so? and he said because I was to receive the Royal gold Medal - I told him I knew nothing about it, & considered that he must be mistaken, upon which we adjourned to the library & examined the proceedings of the Council for the last week or two, but could make out nothing. - In this rather singular dilemma I though it best to send him to make private enquiry of the Secretary what was the truth of the matter, and he came back and said that it was the fact that the Council had awarded me the Medal for my Mathematical papers published in their Transactions, but that the award having been made only yesterday they had not been able to apprize me of it. A medal was also awarded to Dr Faraday <1> for experiments on electricity. - Dr Roget <2> read the report of the Council, eulogising these researches and investigations-: and then Mr Baily the Chairman made us a short speech & informed us that it having been necessary to cut a new die with the head of Her Majesty, <3> which was not yet finished, of course the medals were not yet struck; & consequently he could only inform us that we were entitled to them, & should receive them at a future time. -
Yesterday evening we went to Drury Lane to see Mr Van Amburgh <4> and the Wild Beasts. Our party was my mother Caroline & Horatia, Lord Ilchester, <5> Starndale, Shelburne, John & Wm Strangways <6> - The Lions & Tigers were in two cages, on the stage. Mr Van A. stood upon them & played with them & teazed them in various ways, & the leopards jumped upon his shoulders - The beasts seemed afraid of him & only growled now & then - the weather is now pleasant & open & quite fit for planting I should think.
Your affte
Henry
Mrs Talbot
Lacock Abbey
Chippenham
Notes:
1. Prof Michael Faraday (1791-1867), scientist.
2. Dr Peter Mark Roget (1779-1869), scientific writer.
3. Victoria (1819-1901), Queen of the United Kingdom (1837-1901), Empress of India (1876-1901).
4. Isaac Van Amburgh (1800-1868), animal trainer.
5. Caroline Augusta Edgcumbe, née Feilding, Lady Mt Edgcumbe (1808-1881); WHFT's half-sister; Henrietta Horatia Maria Gaisford, née Feilding (1810-1851), WHFT's half-sister; Henry Stephen Fox Strangways, 3rd Earl of Ilchester (1787-1858).
6. Henry Fitzmaurice, Lord Shelburne, 4th Marquess of Lansdowne (1816-1866), MP; John George Charles Fox Strangways (1803-1859), MP; William Thomas Horner Fox Strangways, 4th Earl of Ilchester (1795-1865), botanist, art collector & diplomat.