Cheltenham
June 30^th

My dear Henry

I had a letter from Jane ^<1> today in which she tells me they shall cross from Havre to Southampton, so I am afraid you will miss her after all which will be very provoking, she is to be at Southampton on the 17 or 18 but does not intend staying there. – How I wish you were coming to Penrice ^<2>; I hope you will not let much time pass over our heads before we meet again & next time you come to England, mind you set down Penrice as the place best worth going to! – We are to set out homewards on Tuesday but as we pay a visit by the way I suppose we shall not be there before Saturday. Charlotte ^<3> is not so well today but on the whole she is much better than when we left Town & the others are quite well & merry as grigs. – Pray send me word if you thought Kit ^<4> much altered, of course I see him always the same as when he was quite little, only that he seems to grow taller every time he comes home to us! – Your account of Cap^t Orme[?] amused us very much indeed, what a dreadful thunder storm ^<5> it must have been, we had none in London you know, the day before we set out from thence. – I think the epigram you sent me on D^r Marsh ^<6> is not only severe but illnatured for whilst he was Bishop of Llandaff I heard nothing against him that I can recollect except that he was proud.–

You never said a word in your letter, about the vetch I sent you, ^<7> was it the V. sylvatica? or what was it, pray send me word, if you can remember. I hav[e]^<8> more if you forget what it like [sic]. – Jane sends me word met with such a beautiful pea (crimson) in the forest of Mezière, ^<9> I quite long to see her dried flowers she tells me she has such beauties I hope she will not lose them, tho she has been careless enough to lose her work bag containing all sorts of things. –

Give our love to Aunt Lily. ^<10> – All send their love to you. –

I am your aff^ate coz
Mary

Your Primula flourishes very much, Scrub[? thought too much I suppose for he bit off the leaves in one or two places but has none [sic] no harm. – We have got a most beautiful dwarf double oleander coming to blow, it came from Paris, M^rs Scott gave it to Mamma ^<11> & we carry it with us because it is so precious. We sent home a bundle of plants from hence, but Mamma could not bring herself to move the primula so it travells with us. –

W. H. F. Talbot Esq^re
31 Sackville Street
London

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Notes:

1. Jane Harriot Nicholl, née Talbot (1796–1874).

2. Penrice Castle and Penrice House, Gower, Glamorgan, 10 mi SW of Swansea: home of Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot.

3. Charlotte Louisa 'Charry' Traherne, née Talbot (1800–1880), WHFT’s cousin.

4. Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot (1803–1890), immensely wealthy landowner, mathematician & politician; WHFT’s Welsh cousin.

5. See Doc. No: 00983.

6. Herbert Marsh (1757–1839), Bishop of Llandaff (1816–1819), then Bishop of Peterborough.

7. See Doc. No: 00982.

8. Page torn away under seal.

9. Mezières-sur-Seine, approximately 40 km from Paris.

10. Lady Elisabeth Theresa Feilding, née Fox Strangways, first m Talbot (1773–1846), WHFT’s mother.

11. Lady Mary Lucy Cole, née Strangways, first m. Talbot (1776–1855), WHFT’s aunt.