St Omer,
25th July 1822
My Dear Mr Feilding,
We left Town Monday the 22d, and slept at Barming, where we were most hospitably received. Next day to Dover, and crossed yesterday in the Dasher. We had a short passage of 3 hours & a quarter, but very rough, with a great swell, and everybody as sick as possible. The London steam packet which left Tower Stairs at 7 in the morning, reached Calais at 10 at night, their passengers had to be carried a mile or more thro' the mud. Among them was Virey & Madame V. <1> who was so fatigued with the passage that she was not up when we left Calais today at 12. Montgomerie <2> has hired a little carriage as far as Brussels.
Brussels
28th July
We slept Thursday at Cassel; Friday at Tournay, and arrived here late last night. It was too late to see the Lemons <3> owing to which we have unfortunately missed him, as he went to Antwerp at six o'clock this morning; to be present at a sale of pictures, among which is the Chapeau d. Paille <4> She has wrote given us the Letter you enclosed to her; dated the 9th. how very odd you shd not have received the repeated Lists of Places we mean to pass thro? We have some thoughts of going to Spa by Namur, <5> in order to see Waterloo by the way, as well as Namur itself. I hope you will have taken in from Time to Time where the letters &c, which are directed to me Poste Restante:- else they will be sent away again. Did you observe the Eclipse I wrote you word of?
Yours Afftly
W.H.F. Talbot
[illegible]
a Monsieur
Monsieur Feilding
Poste Restante
Florence
Italie
Notes:
1. See Doc. No: 01092.
2. Rev. George Stephen Molyneux Montgomerie (1790-1850), close friend of Talbot family, artist, Rector of Garboldisham, near Thetford, Norfolk.
3. Sir Charles Lemon (1784-1868), politician & scientist; WHFT's uncle and Lady Charlotte Anne Lemon, née Strangways (d. 1826), WHFT's aunt.
4. Le Chapeau de Paille (straw-hat), portrait by Peter Paul Rubens of his future sister-in-law, Susanna Fourment ca.1622-1625 (National Gallery, London).
5. South of Verviers.