Harrow <1>
Sunday Evening March 8th
My dear Father,
I am afraid I have been very long in writing to thank you for the trouble you took about my exeat. In your first letter you said you had written to Mr Steel, <2> and though I thought I would be impossible to get such an exeat & knew it to be against the rules of the School I should have been too late in telling you so. Since that I have thought that I might arrange to go with Pepys by the South Western but I have not been able to see him in fact I cant think where he is got to. I intended to Arrange about this before I wrote to you to tell you the results. I don't see any chance of my going this quarter, particularly as I believe that there will be no Exeat holiday. When I have seen Pepys and spoken to him I will tell you what he says. I daresay we shall manage it next quarter. I don't know whether you know the [illegible deletion] news from here. That Lord Ebrington <3> has presented some fine cups of silver gilt in side to the School to be contended for in [illegible deletion] batting, bowling, running, jumping, swimming, fielding & Racquets. I suppose they will not become the property of the gamer but that he will hold them fo for not more than 3 quarters, and exhibit the the cup in his room, so as to let every body know that he is the best batter or bowler &c, at Harrow.
Next Tuesday the 10th is the day fix'ed for the examination of Natural Science. I dont like the subject at all & am not confident of doing well.
I hope we shall have something better next quarter.
Trials will be set now soon. I shall be low not higher than 20 in quarter marks, it is the Greek & Latin composition, particularly Latin prose & Greek Prose & Iambics.
I have been planning operations for next holidays. If you have time I should like next holidays to do some Greek & Latin prose, & Greek Iambics. Also I propose to occupy myself in private with Algebra.
I believe that the Easter holidays will probably being on the Tuesday before Easter the 7th of April.
I have also got some private plans of my own to do when at home provided you will supply me with a little gutta percha <4> of which you used to have a big roll.
Goodbye My dear Father
Your Affect. son
Charles Talbot
Notes:
1. Harrow School: WHFT attended from 1811-1815 and his son Charles from 1855-1859.
2. Rev Thomas Henry Steel (1806-1881), tutor.
3. Hugh Fortescue, Viscount Ebrington and 2nd Earl Fortescue (1783-1861), politician.
4. A stiff natural rubber, easily moulded, made chiefly from the latex of Malaysian trees of the Sapotaceae. Used for various purposes in the 19th century, including bindings, photographic trays and cases, and golf balls.