Hotel de l’Europe
Venice
March 4th Thursday. <1>
My dear Father
Owing to a mistake of the officials at the Venice post office I did not obtain my registered letter with supplies which had arrived at the Office on Friday last till today.
I intend if possible to start tomorrow for Padua.
Judging by Bradshaw <2> I think I shall go to the Hotel de [Baviere?] at Munich. If I shall enquire also at the Post office on the chance of a letter from you. I hardly expect you to have got there however before I leave Munich. I have with me 4 tickets of admission to the Friday evening meetings of the Royal Institution <3> filled up with my name. As I think I shall go pretty regularly to these meetings when in London I should be much obliged if you could give me some more admissions leaving the name blank. If you pass through London you will be able to get them at the Institution and if so will you will be kind enough to leave them for me at my club New University in St James’s street? Monie Mdlle Amelina <4> wrote to you about a week ago.
The weather here today is rather fine but the wind is cold. For 3 days the post post from England did not come. I suppose d it was stopped by snow on Mt Cenis but there is no En explanation I expect to go through Cologne if you like to write either to the Hotel du Nord or to the Post Office. My first stage tomorrow will be to Padu Padua where I shall stay probably two nights. There to Verona then Trent, Inspruck [sic] and Munich. I am rather afraid there will be a good deal of snow in the Tyrol.
Your affect son
Charles
Notes:
1. 1869. See Doc. No: 09506.
2. George Bradshaw (1801–1853), whose popular railway timetable was published from 1839.
3. Royal Institution, London.
4. Rosamond Constance ‘Monie’ Talbot (1837–1906), artist & WHFT’s 2nd daughter, and Amélina Petit De Billier, ‘Mamie’, ‘Amandier’ (1798–1876), governess and later close friend of the Talbot family [See Amélina's journal].