Cardiff Castle,
Cardiff,
December 16, 1868.
MY DEAR MRS. SCOTT MURRAY,
Circumstances have induced me to come to the resolution of making the pilgrimage to the Holy Land a third time. Lady Loudoun and myself are going together in my yacht, which is coming round, with her in it, to Nice in January.
I am going abroad on Monday next, and expect to arrive at Nice on Wednesday, this day week. I venture on your kindness to propose myself as your guest.
I will give no further information at present, but to say that thanks to the grace of God I am what I am. You are so kind, I believe you will be glad to see me.
Mr. Capel has been having most extraordinary success at Oxford. He leaves it to-day, as the colleges are going down, and will be at Nice some time soon. His health is giving way from the perpetual physical and mental toil. He is not going to return till May, when he will recommence. For the present he has received some converts, is preparing some more, has awakened a great many, and, partially at least, sanctified the congregation, and reclaimed the wandering. The mission has received an infusion of life. On Saturday night he heard confessions till 11.30, and again in the morning. They had general Communion, and renewal of baptismal vows; at 10.30 High Mass and sermon. During the afternoon he operated privately on some rationalists: in the evening they had a very long sermon, and Benediction, with an immense congregation, among whom were a vast number of Protestants, several Dons, and the President of Trinity College!
Yours ever very sincerely,
BUTE.
1868, Christmas at Nice
One of the Scott Murray family writes of Bute at this time:
Lord Bute was with us at Nice from December 24, 1868, until February 3, 1869. He was very shy, and refused all invitations to dances and picnics. At one afternoon dance at our house we all insisted he should appear; and then he made himself charming, but he fled as soon as he possibly could. He used to amuse us all at breakfast by reading out some of the wonderful begging-letters he received—from French girls asking him for a dot so as to enable them to marry, curés asking him to rebuild their churches, and many more wonderful requests. I think most of the English begging-letters were seen to in England, and only a few of them sent on. The numbers addressed to him every day, and by every post, were, I believe, quite incredible.