Cotehele House <1>
Calstock
Tavistock.
Monday 15th March 1869
My dear Henry
We shall be quite delighted to see you on Monday next – & hope you will stay as long as you can – You are such a rara avis! <2>
I must tell you that the Steamers only run on Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays but I do not think that need prevent you coming on Monday – because I feel sure you would not like to come up in the Steamer – as it is always very cold coming up the river – & tho’ they profess to start at ½ p. 3 or 4 – the real time is very uncertain – Besides if you come from Lacock, you would not catch the Steamer at all. Your best way will be, if you stop to sleep at Plymouth, to go to the Royal Hotel & take a carriage, or fly & pair from thence. If you do not stop to sleep, of course you will be later, & you had better take the train straight from Chippm to Saltash – & write to Callington, to Goldings Hotel, to order a good Fly (to carry luggage), & pair, to meet you at Saltash to meet the train, at Such an hour, to take you to Cotehele – Say that, & they will give you a driver who knows the road. Flys [sic] & horses are all very good & quick, both at Plymouth & Callington. The objection to taking a Plymouth Fly late in the day is, that the Steam bridge by which you cross the Tamar at Saltash, shuts up at 8 o’clock – & either you wd be charged £1 for keeping it for your Fly to return by it, or perhaps it wd not come at all – in which case the Fly would be in a quandary. –
I am glad you like Charlie’s <3> letters. I have 2 more to shew you when you come.
The original idea was to go to Calcutta – afterwds they heard that by some new arrangemt of Steamers, they would not be able to do so – & then again they found they could.
I like the description of your yellow Chinese creeper – but if it only flowers once in ten years something more useful might be found; don’t you think so?
I wish you would bring some flowers of the Bignonia picta, to try here. The only one we have is at the Winter Villa, <4> & I don’t think that is in flower yet. Please don’t forget.
Write again.
Yr affte Sister
Caroline
There was a confirmation yesterday at Calstock Church, by Dr Trower, <5> late Bishop of Gibraltar – acting for the Bp of Exeter. He gave a most admirable address – & the Church was overflowing – a live Bishop never having been seen there before, I suppose.
By train, Saltash is abt 20m from Plymth – by Land abt an ¾ hour [sic] – 3 or 4 miles 5 miles.
[envelope:]
Henry Fox Talbot Esqre
Laycock Abbey
Chippenham
Notes:
1. Cotehele, Cornwall: ancient house, seat of the Earl of Mt Edgcumbe, now a National Trust Property.
2. Rare bird.
3. Charles Earnest Edgcumbe (1838–1915), JP, WHFT’s nephew.
4. Winter Villa, near Plymouth: estate of the Earls of Mt Edgcumbe.
5. Walter John Lloyd Trower (1804–1877), Bishop of Gibraltar.