Letter from Emma Evans to her cousin, Arthur Phelps.
Transcribed from a scan of the original in March 2015 by Penelope
Forrest, born Phelps, great granddaughter of Arthur.
The Down House
Portishead
Bristol
July 8th [1852]
My dear Pumpy,
I beg your pardon for treating your
last two letters with such heartless neglect, but I assure you my letters are
too good for you to expect many of them.
I am glad you enjoyed your Canterbury
visit so much. You would admire Gloucester Cath., especially the exterior, &
Tewkesbury Abbey, which has perhaps more single points of interest, & reminds
one of St Alban's on a large scale. I should think the architecture of your
proposed Church in Australia resembled very much that of the Châteaux en
Espagne, does it not? You were stupid in answering as you did what I said about
a characteristic architecture for this age, but you probably see that yourself
now.
The kind Honnywills took us yesterday
to see Cadbury Camp – a very perfect encampment on the top of a hill in the
neighbourhood, said to be Roman but Bassy rather thinks it British or Celtic as
it is hardly regular enough for Roman.
Give our love to Mamma, & tell her
that B & I have accepted Uncle Tom's invitation to go & stay with him –
when, I do not know. Anne is pretty well, & rather likes being
here, though it is too hot for her to get out. I enjoy this weather much. Had
you a thunderstorm on Monday? I never knew so severe a one last so long as it
did here. It went on for hours most fearfully. For a long time the thunder was
quite continuous. The lightning was of a beautiful amethyst colour & towards the
end of the storm, nearly blue. Bassy was out in part of it, but took refuge in a
cottage.
Goodbye; it is too warm to write much,
& I have written two long letters already.
Give our best love to Papa & Mamma &
believe me dear Pumpy your affectionate coz
Emma.