Edinburgh
Friday March 24

My Dear Charles

I got your letter ^<1> this morning – I am sorry you did not meet with the old English inscription in the York Museum. The weather here is strangely variable. Yesterday very fine and pleasant with bright sunshine, today a very thick fog all day – Miss Gibson Craig ^<2> called from Hermiston and brought us most beautiful spring flowers, I wish Wilkins ^<3> could have seen them. She contrives to reunite in her garden many things that are very rare such as white hepaticas, large white Sisyrinchium, Adonis vernalis &c. The news from Paris ^<4> is very distressing, the World seems going to the bad, I am afraid the mischief will reach England in a greater or lesser degree. We have had some good experiments at Professor Tait’s ^<5> today, they were chiefly on Aniline Colours, ^<6> which do not admit of explanation from the ordinary theories of light. He is going to read a short paper of mine at the Royal Society ^<7> next Monday week, on ‘anomalous Spectra’ –

Saturday March 25

Tilly ^<8> has just left us, and gone home to Dabton. ^<9> I got your 2nd letter this morning, and am willing to subscribe five pounds to the fund in lieu of Church Rate

It is difficult for me to decide upon the proper amount of subscription without knowing what others mean to do, but if five pounds is not enough I can augment it at a later period – If you know what Sir J Awdry ^<10> and Mr H. Awdry ^<11> propose to give, let me know – Splendid weather today for Tilly’s journey.

Your aff^te
Papa

Mushet ^<12> has had no applications yet for the house except one gentleman who would have bought it had he known but has just bought another, not so good, in Moray place.

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Envelope:

C. H. Talbot
Lacock Abbey
Chippenham
Wilts

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Notes:

1. Letter not located.

2. Margaret Christian Gibson-Craig (d. 1871), daughter of Sir James Gibson Craig, Scottish politician.

3. George Wilkins (b. 1814), gardener at Lacock.

4. The Commune of Paris declared, 18 March 1871, which reigned until 28 May 1871.

5. Prof Peter Guthrie Tait (1831–1901), Scottish mathematician.

6. Organic colour derived from coal tar derivatives.

7. Royal Society of London.

8. Matilda Caroline Gilchrist-Clark, ‘Tilly’, née Talbot (1839–1927), WHFT’s 3^rd daughter.

9. Dabton, Dumfriesshire: home of WHFT’s daughter Matilda.

10. Sir John Wither Awdry (1795–1878), JP & Chief Justice, Bombay Supreme Court.

11. Henry Goddard Awdry (1804–1881), solicitor, Chippenham.

12. John Mushet & Son, property agent, Edinburgh.