Dabton <1>
Thursday
Dec. 31st 1874.
My dear Papa
I was intending to write to you by the early post to wish you a very happy New Year, but unfortunately Tilly <2> found herself in immediate want of a cheese so proposed a walk to Holstane, the home farm of the Duke and we only got back in time to see the Postman walking away from the door Willie <3> also was contemplating a letter, but his production was thought not sufficiently well written and had to be recopied – so he also has missed the post. I see by the accounts in the Newspaper that we are enjoying a far greater degree of cold than London and perhaps Bath – whereas in London the thermometer falls to 28 degrees at night or 4 degrees of frost here on Tuesday night we had 28 degrees of frost, and the another gardener at Drumlanrig who is our authority says it was 21 degrees the following night – in fact we are quite in the Arctic regions and I certainly never felt it so cold before – Weather-wise people say we shall still have a month of it, but I hope they may be wrong. The last fall of snow has now lain a week on the ground without any signs of melting – and there is every appearance tonight of more coming – The Nith at Dumfries has been frozen over since last Saturday, and persons are allowed to cross it freely.
Mrs Maxwell is still here, but leaves on Saturday to pay some visits – Yesterday we went to see old Mrs Ewart – and I thought her a good deal altered since last I saw her, and much more feeble – She enquired very particularly after your health and Mama’s <4> and the family generally – she still gets out occasionally in her carriage – but dislikes this cold.
I hope you sometimes look at the Garden (newspaper) at Bath, before it gets forwarded on here – there are some articles which I think would interest you – In the last number there was great praise of the gros Còlman grape from Drumlanrig – John <5> had some sent to him and we found it delicious It is a winter grape and in perfection just now.
You would be interested in Tilly’s astronomy lessons with her children – She tried reading <Guillernir’s?> Heavens to them, but that was found too difficult – so she has adopted a more elementary book: – but she was becoming quite shocked at Jack’s <6> perfect ignorance of the subject, nothing of the kind being taught at his school – not even the most elementary ideas – for instance Jack says he thought Jupiter and Saturn (which he knew to be planets) had a Sun of their own and had nothing to do with ours! – Willie’s ideas are not quite so primitive, and he takes more interest in the subject.
Good-bye dear Papa
love from all
Your affecte daughter,
Ela
Please to tell Mamie, I will write to her tomorrow –
Glad to hear so good an account of old Mr Menteath <7>
Notes:
1. Dabton, Dumfriesshire: home of WHFT’s daughter Matilda.
2. Matilda Caroline Gilchrist-Clark, ‘Tilly’, née Talbot (1839–1927), WHFT’s 3rd daughter.
3. William ‘Willie’ Gilchrist-Clark-Maxwell (1865–1935), WHFT’s grandson.
4. Constance Talbot, née Mundy (1811–1880), WHFT’s wife.
5. Probably John Gilchrist-Clark (1830–1881), Scottish JP; WHFT’s son-in-law.
6. John Henry Gilchrist-Clark, ‘Jack’ (1861–1902), WHFT’s grandson.
7. Possibly Charles Granville Stuart Menteath (1800–1880), barrister.