Frankfurt a/m <1>
Thursday August 29th 1833
My dear Henry
I received your letter from Thun <2> yesterday, half an hour before we left Wiesbaden, which we did not much regret. We are at the Englishen Hof with the Grevilles & Lady F. Leveson, <3> who are very pleasant people. We are all going in a body to call upon the Landgravine of Hesse Homburg, <4> & expect to dine with her 2 o’clock, selon l’usage du pays <5> – Homburg <6> is only 7 or 8 miles from here, at the foot of some beautiful woody hills. We received today a letter from Liebenstein to say we should be welcome on the 1st Septr the day of we proposed; therefore we shall set off tomorrow, sleep I think at Gellnshausen, <7> a very curious place, strongly recommended by Uncle William, <8> the next day at Fulda, & arrived on the third at Lieb< enstein <9>> so direct Bains de Liebenstein, Duché de Saxe <missing text>
Pray tell me if you have heard lately from London or Laycock Abbey – I have not for such an immense time, that I don’t know what to think, & cannot help tormenting myself – only the post is so irregular, & perhaps they have been déménageant <10> to Laycock – tell me what you know about them. I wrote to Amandier <11> some days ago, to Berne, but it is a great chance if you she will get it. I am in a prodigious hurry, & therefore must make an end – How I envy you going to Palermo! of all delightful places I believe it is the most heavenly! Addio
Yr affly
Caroline
I hope we shall not just miss you at Varese– Schweiz
Monsieur
Monsieur Fox Talbot
Lugano
En Suisse
Notes:
1. Frankfurt am Main.
2. Switzerland, near Bern.
3. Probably related to George Granville Leveson-Gower (1786–1861), 2nd Duke of Sutherland.
4. HSH Marie Anne Amalie Landgravine von Hesse-Homburg (1785–1846).
5. As is the custom in this country.
6. Bad Homburg.
7. Now Gelnhausen.
8. William Thomas Horner Fox Strangways, 4th Earl of Ilchester (1795–1865), botanist, art collector & diplomat.
9. Text elided due to folded original.
10. Sent, misdirected.
11. Amélina Petit De Billier, ‘Mamie’, ‘Amandier’ (1798–1876), governess and later close friend of the Talbot family [See Amélina's journal].