[written on the same sheet as a letter from Caroline - see Doc. No: 01605]
London
June 13th 1826
My dear Henry
It is a very long time since I wrote you a letter, & the last one I am afraid you never received, but I hope this one will have a better fate, as you are now in a civilized country, and not so far off. I thank you very much for all your letters, particularly one from Zante with a very interesting description of a battle between the Greeks & Turks. I wish I had been there with you, enjoying the beautiful view of the mountains of Arcadia! how happy we should have been. You must excuse me if I do not write amusing letters like yours, we have not such interesting subjects here; the only one at this moment is the election. Sir F. Burdett <1> & Mr Hobhouse <2> have been elected without any opposition, which is very dull indeed. We went the other day to Southwark, & heard Sir Robert Wilson <3> speak on the hustings. As for poor Mr Polhill <4>, the 3d candidate, the people will hardly let him speak at all. Mr Fasakerly <5> is elected for Lincoln. Sir Richard Vivian <6> is one of the candidates in Cornwall – I hope you like Florence very much in this fine hot weather, as we did. – I wonder Uncle William <7> is so impatient to leave it. I believe Lord Burghersh <8> is going away next Saturday, but I dare say it will be put off again. I suppose you know that Nanny <9> has been with Lady Burghersh <10> for some time, and is going with them to Florence, which I am very glad of, as it is a very good place. I suppose you will be gone before she gets there. Do you intend to come back by Paris? – Colonel Strangways <11> is in town & dined here yesterday – he is remarkably well. In the evening we went to Drury Lane with Susan Strangways <12> in Prince Leopold’s <13> box. We saw der Freyschütze & Abou Hassan, which I suppose you remember in the Arabian Nights. I wonder you had no letters from us for such a long time – I suppose that they got to Corfu by the time you got to Zante, & when they arrived at Zante you had gone to Ancona, but still they must have been very long on the road. Now your letters are only a fortnight coming, which is very pleasant, it was quite dismal, to see them dated a month ago, as those we received from the Ionian Islands were. I am afraid the poor Greeks are in a bad way, I wish England would do something for them. I was quite shocked of at the account in your letter of the inhumanity of refusing medicines to the wounded Greeks – I should think even had they been Turks, it would have been most barbarous & unworthy conduct. – I think you must be suffocated at Florence, for here it is too hot almost to write or do anything, to day at least. I must make haste to finish this letter, as it is near 5 o’clock, and I believe Cal <14> wants to add a few lines. Goodbye, carissimo fratello, I hope soon to have your answer en personne <15>.
Addio – la tua affettuosissima sorella <16>
Orazia <17>
Monsieur
Monsieur W. H. F. Talbot
au soins de M. W. Strangways
&c &c &c
Florence
Basle <18>
inconnu <19>
Notes:
1. Sir Francis Burdett (1770–1844), radical MP.
2. John Cam Hobhouse (1786–1869), politician.
3. Sir Robert Thomas Wilson (1777–1849).
4. Frederick Polhill (1798–1848), politician.
5. Probably a msspelling of John Nicholas Fazakerley (1787–1852), MP.
6. Sir Richard Hussey Vivian (1775–1842), politician.
7. William Thomas Horner Fox Strangways, 4th Earl of Ilchester (1795–1865), botanist, art collector & diplomat.
8. John Fane, Lord Burghersh and 11th Earl of Westmorland (1784–1859).
9. Probably Nanny Longford. [See Doc. No: 01614].
10. Jane Fane, Lady Westmorland (d. 1857).
11. Lt. Col. Hon. Stephen Strangways Digby Fox-Strangways(1751– 12 March 1836), brother of the 2nd Earl and therefore uncle to Lady Elisabeth.
12. Probably the daughter of the Rev the Hon Charles Redlynch Strangways, brother of Lady Elisabeth’s father.
13. Prince Leopold George Frederick of Saxe-Saalfeld-Coburg, later King Léopold I of the Belgians (1790–1865).
14. Caroline Augusta Edgcumbe, née Feilding, Lady Mt Edgcumbe (1808–1881); WHFT’s half-sister.
15. In person.
16. Goodbye – your most affectionate sister.
17. Henrietta Horatia Maria Gaisford, née Feilding (1810–1851), WHFT’s half-sister.
18. Readdressed in another hand.
19. Unknown.