Hotel de l’Europe Venice, <1>
17 July
My Dear Grove
I have just received your letter of July 11th <2> (not having received your previous one)- <3> I have written fully to Mr Galton <4> in reply to his letter of July 1st- <5> I am very sorry to find by his letter that my absence from England has caused a delay which has been inconvenient to the council of the British Association, <6> but I trust that he has received long ere now my letter of the 9th July, <7> in which I expressed to him my thanks for the great honour done to me by the Society in selecting my name for the presidency in 1869, and my regret that I cannot possibly accept it. In fact I have no idea whether I shall be in England at that time, the precarious health of members of my family <8> requiring a residence abroad and though I hope to visit England occasionally, yet I am liable to be unexpectedly called away & therefore cannot undertake any engagement of consequence
Yours faithfully
H. Fox Talbot
Notes:
1. Where WHFT had rejoined his wife. [See Doc. No: 09382].
3. However, this was received eventually; it is Doc. No: 09380.
4. Sir Francis Galton (1822–1911), scientist.
5. See Doc. No: 09386.
6. British Association for the Advancement of Science.
7. Not traced.
8. See, for example, Doc. No: 09384 concerning the health of Constance Talbot, née Mundy (1811–1880), WHFT’s wife.