Middle Hill
24 Oct 56
My dear Sir
I was about to write to you to ask your assistance on the behalf of your cousin Lord Talbot who wants to get a clear unquestionable descent from the great Earl of Shrewsbury, from whom you also descend. As you possess the old Papers of the Sherington Talbots, you of all others men are most able to assist him, & if you wd kindly look over them & trace out the exact descent you would not only oblige him but myself also.
on reading over the Paper which you have favoured me with, I think it is extremely to be regretted that it was not read at the Cheltenham Meeting, for the coincidences are so remarkable & so extremely apropos, that I think your Paper would have set many minds upon investigating Assyrian Iscriptions who had never thought of doing so before. I can answer for myself that I feel still stronger wishes than ever that I could grow young again or that my eyes wd never fail, that i might take up the pursuit & add my endeavours to open so rich a mine of History.
I observe you quote the Cylinder of Bellino<1> as being in the British Museum, but Rawlinson<2> told me that mine was the Bellino Cylinder (Urn, I call it) & he sent me the Inscription which Grotefend<3> had had printed from it, & it tallies correctly with it. I thought of riding over to Lacock and bringing the Inscription with me to shew our, and if you should be at home after the next fortnight, I should like to do so, when you have a day disengaged. I have several of those small Cylinders of Cornelian, Agate, Jasper, &c with arrowhead Inscriptions on them, & If I can find them I wd bring them with me.
I am, my dear Sir Very sincerely yours
Thos Phillipps
[envelope:]
H. Fox Talbot, Esqr
Lacock Abbey
Chippenham
Wilts
[from the author's letter book, in TP's hand, in the Bodleian Library:]
W. Henry Fox Talbot Esq Lacock Abbey
Chippenham, Wilts.
M H 24. O. 56.
My dear Sir
I was about to write to you to ask yr assistance on the behalf of your cousin Lord Talbot who wants to get a clear unquestionable descent from the great Earl of Shrewsbury, from whom you also descend. As you possess the old Papers of the Sherington Talbots, you of all others men are most able to assist him, & if you wd kindly look over them & trace out the exact descent you wd not only oblige him but myself also.
On reading over the Paper wch you have favoured me with, I think it is extremely to be regretted that it was not read at the Cheltenham Meeting, for the co-incidences are so remarkable & so extremely apropos, that I think your Paper would have set many minds upon investigating Assyrian Inscriptions who had never thought of doing so before. I can answer for myself that I feel still stronger wishes than ever that I cd grow young again or that my eyes wd never fail, that I might take up the pursuit & add my endeavours to open so rich a mine of History.
I observe you quote the Cylinder of Bellino, as being in the British Museum, but Rawlinson told me that mine was the Bellino Cylinder (Urn, I call it) & he sent me the Inscription which Grotefend had had printed from it, & it tallies correctly with it. I thought of riding over to Lacock and bringing the Inscription with me to shew you, and if you should be at home after the next fortnight, I should like to do so, when you have a day disengaged. I have several of those small Cylinders of Cornelian, Agate, Jasper, &c with arrow head Inscriptions upon them, & if I can find them I would bring them with me.
I am, my dr Sir Very sincerely yours
Thos Phillipps
Notes:
1. Karl Bellino (1791-1830), German Assyriologist.
2. Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, 1st Baronet (1810-1895), orientalist.
3. Georg Friedrich Grotefend (1775-1853), archaeologist and philologist.