29 Royal Crescent Bath
Tuesday Decr 9th 1857
My dear Henry
I got your letter this morning – & now write to tell you that I have this evening received a letter from Mr Gaisford <1> dated Lyons – Saturday. He arrived at Paris on Thursday at 5 P.M. just when the fighting was going on – & no sum of money would induce any carriage to take them to Meurice’s <2> – or any Porter to move their luggage. After some trouble & difficulty he succeeded in reaching Maurice’s on foot, Where he found a note from his faithless friend, saying that he thought Mr G. had been deterred from coming by the news from Paris – & as the accounts from Paris Lyons were so bad, he Mr Long, was gone back to London! & would go either by Trieste or Southampton as Mr G. pleased! This was too bad & made him naturally very angry – so he wrote to tell his friend he might go where he pleased – & that he was gone on – Luckily they fell in with a friend of his & Johnny’s <3> – Mr Hay – (our Mr Hay,) just setting off to visit Ld Brougham <4> at Cannes – so they travelled together very snug. Lyons is quiet, owing to the immense numbers of troops. There are 6 Regiments stationed on the Place Belcour, [sic] – L. Gallwey <5> writes word that Genl Castellano is dévoué corps et âme to the Président <6> – Carry de B. <7> is still in London –
Yr affly
Caroline
Notes:
1. Capt Thomas Gaisford (1816–1898), JP, WHFT’s brother-in-law.
2. Hotel Meurice, Paris.
3. Probably John Cole Nicholl (b. 1823), eldest son of Jane Harriet Nicholl, née Talbot and John Nicholl.
4. Henry Peter Brougham, Baron of Brougham & Voux (1778–1868), Lord Chancellor.
5. Louisa Gallwey (1811-1872), dau of Lt Gen Sir William Payne Gallwey, 1st Bart (1759-1831) and Lady Harriet Payne Gallwey (1784-1845), née Quin.
6. Devoted body and soul.
7. Count Lionel de Bonneval. [See Doc. No: 06936].
8. Charles Earnest Edgcumbe (1838–1915), JP, WHFT’s nephew.