London
29th Novr 1837
My Dear Constance
I met with no adventures on my journey; I had the coach to myself good part of the way, and arrived in Town at half past nine, which I was very glad to do, since it was very cold. While I was drinking tea, the Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society called upon me & informed me that the Council having voted that my paper on Crystals <1> which I sent them about a twelvemonth ago, should be the Bakerian Lecture for the present year, a prize of 4 pounds had thereby become due to me, which he therefore had called for the purpose of paying to me. So I thanked him for his politeness & put the 4 pounds into my new purse and I intend to make you a present of them.
London looks very triste & dismal - Wm Strangways<2> returned yesterday, I have not seen him yet. I called on Lord Lansdowne<3> whom I found slightly indisposed with a lumbago, nevertheless he was going to walk down to the Council Room -
Yours affly
Henry
Mrs Talbot
Lacock Abbey
Chippenham
Notes:
1. WHFT, 'On the Optical Phenomena of Certain Crystals', Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, v. 127, part 1 (1836), pp. 25-27.
2. William Thomas Horner Fox Strangways, 4th Earl of Ilchester (1795-1865), botanist, art collector & diplomat.
3. Henry Petty Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne (1780-1863), MP, WHFT's uncle.