Millburn Tower <1>
Friday 7. of June 1861
Cher Mr Talbot:
Je vous assure que votre lettre de ce matin nous a produit une bien pénible sensation. Quelle perte, comme vous le dites, pour l’Europe! Le Roi Victor Emanuel ne la remplacera pas et j’ai bien peur de ce qui peut s’en suivre. <2>
Mr Crombie a, fort poliment, consenti à nous laisser rester jusqu’au lendemain dans sa maison, mais il a été fort heureux pour vous de vous trouver éloigné des derniers moments de confusion, inséparables du replacement des meubles dans leurs places respectives, – et de l’inventaire, car tout cela a dû être fait à la hâte pour laisser reprendre posession au propriétaire dont la famille attendait au Windsor Hotel. C’est donc avant hier que nous sommes venues ici, par le temps le plus délicieux; – la maison ayant une fort jolie apparence en arrivant dans l’avenue, les tours se dessinant pittoresquement à travers le feuillage. J’ai trouvé une lettre de Caroline adressée ici; car elle venait justement de recevoir la votre lettre l’auriez sans doute vue hier et trouvée, je l’espère, entièrement remise de son rhume. Voulez vous bien lui dire que je lui écrirai très incessamment: mais nous sommes fatiguées des arrangements. Mr Grieve <3> va venir et nous voulons lui montrer ce que nous avons fait de sa maison: cependant il y a encore quelques petites réparations qui naturellement sont de son ressort Les ouvriers sont à l’ouvrage après la porte et la fenêtre de votre experimental room; quant à la boiserie du moins. – J’espère que vous en serez content à votre retour.
Nous espérons que Tilly pourra venir nous voir lundi prochain
Je termine ici, espérant que ces quelques lignes vous trouveront encore in town.
Votre bien affectionnée
Amélina Petit
Cher Mr Talbot
Le pauvre gros chien est mort hier: on pense qu’il avait une enflammation. Nos chats sont très heureux ici et ont pris possession du jardin. Le temps continue parfait et je sors beaucoup. – Les cuttings venues de Lacock sont très-bien et nous allons leur choisir des séjours permanents.
Nous espérons avoir bientôt de vos nouvelles et vous souhaitons une agréable tournée.
J’oubliais de vous dire l’essentiel: c’est que la poste apporte les lettres ici tous les jours à 8 heures et à midi et vient les reprendre à 4 heures: n’est-ce pas bien commode?
Translation:
Millburn Tower
Friday 7 June 1861
Dear Mr Talbot:
I assure you that your letter of this morning brought us a quite painful sensation. What a loss, as you say, for Europe! King Victor Emmanuel will not replace him and I am quite afraid of what might follow.
Mr Crombie, most politely, consented to allow us to remain in his house until the following day, but he was most happy for you to find you far from the final moments of confusion, inseparable from the relocation of the items of furniture in their respective positions, – and from the inventory, since all that had to be done in haste in order to allow the proprietor whose family was waiting in the Windsor Hotel take possession again. We thus came here yesterday, by the most delicious of weathers; – the house having a most pretty appearance as one arrives in the avenue, with the towers standing out picturesquely through the foliage. I found a letter from Caroline addressed here; for she had just received yours. You will certainly have seen her yesterday and found her, I hope, entirely recovered from her cold. Would you be so kind as to tell her that I will write to her very soon; but we are tired by the arrangements! Mr Grieve is to come and we want to show him what we have made of his house: nevertheless there are still some little repairs which are naturally his responsibility. The workers are at work on the door and the window of your experimental room; as far as the woodwork is concerned at least. – I hope you will be happy with it upon your return.
We hope that Tilly will be able to come and see us next Monday.
I stop here, hoping that these lines will find you still in town.
Your most affectionate
Amélina Petit
Dear Mr Talbot
The poor big dog died yesterday: we think that he had an inflammation. Our cats are very happy here and have taken possession of the garden. The weather continues to be perfect and I go out a good deal. – The cuttings from Lacock are very good and we are going to choose permanent abodes for them.
We hope that we will soon receive news from you and we wish you an agreeable tour.
I forgot to tell you the essential: that is that the post brings letters here every day at 8 o’clock and at midday and comes to collect them at 4 o’clock: is that not most convenient?
Notes:
1. Millburn Tower, Gogar, just west of Edinburgh; the Talbot family made it their northern home from June 1861 to November 1863. It is particularly important because WHFT conducted many of his photoglyphic engraving experiments there. The house had a rich history. Built for Sir Robert Liston (1742-1836), an 1805 design by Benjamin Latrobe for a round building was contemplated but in 1806 a small house was built to the design of William Atkinson (1773-1839), best known for Sir Walter Scott’s Abbotsford. The distinctive Gothic exterior was raised in 1815 and an additional extension built in 1821. Liston had been ambassador to the United States and maintained a warm Anglo-American relationship in the years 1796-1800. His wife, the botanist Henrietta Liston, née Marchant (1751-1828) designed a lavish American garden, sadly largely gone by the time the Talbots rented the house .
2. Probably a reference to the death of Count Camillo de Cavour on 6 June 1861, mentioned by WHFT in Doc. No: 08416.
3. One of the trustees of Milburn Tower. See Doc. No: 08331.