CARACTERÍSTICAS

o f Southern Italy to join hands with a German Power which has been pleased to announce its determination o f not suffering Italians to organize themselves for their own protection. The cause o f Austria can never be the cause o f any kingdom o f Italy.” On 21 September 1847, The Times reported that “further letters from Naples o f the 9th inst. state that that city and Messina on the 6th inst. were ‘materially tranquil,’ meaning that nothing in the shape o f actual revolt existed in them respectively; for that every disposition to insurrection prevailed in each.”

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[Florence] Oct. 4, ’47. Ba has been writing a long letter to her dear Sisters,' who are also m in e— and i f I did not know that they love her as she loves them, I should make sure that nothing I could tell them would be listened to after her— for how I remember what her letters are!— but I also know that any little piece o f news about the writer, w ill always be affectionately received by those o f whom .. only yesterday .. I w ill tell you what she said: w e had just got a note ( o f w hich, very likely, B a ’s letter may speak) from Mrs. Jameson’s niece— goodnatured and full o f kind feeling, but rather abundant in sentimentalities about the Coliseum, St Peters & c - Upon w hich I remarked to B a— “How much more it would interest you if she had described the dresses your sisters wore .. since she speaks o f their calling at Ealing”- “Their dresses?”— said B a— “what I would give to hear o f their shoes!”- And, dear Henrietta and Arabel, be quite sure that she w as entirely true in that, as in every other utterance she is capable o f .. the longer I have the happiness o f living with her, the more do I understand and venerate her perfectly loving nature— but all this you know, and my only chance o f interesting you is in telling you what news I can. I hope and believe that at this moment Ba is better than she has been for som e weeks, or even longer. She looked so decidedly better and stronger yesterday that w e took advantage o f the lo vely weather— and walked out—

with no ill effects. I must tell you, that she is the most tractable a n d d o cile creature in the world—

keeping in the house, when fatigue seem s properly avoided, and observing all regulations o f diet &c just as if her own good were not concerned in it— as it certainly is not, in her thought. She always retains that sweetest o f all imaginable sw eet tempers, making it a blessing to be near her— and I see every day fresh reason to admire yowr generous kindness to me, who have taken such a blessing away from you — tho’ only for a time, I trust, and to return it to you with increased powers both for your good and her own. I wonder i f she tells you anything about her good looks—

her rounded cheeks with not a little colour on them, and her general comparative .. shall I dare to write i t .. plumpness? It surely is so, or my eyes are very faithless. She w ill have told you about our interrupted journey to Rome: I know it w ill be difficult, or, indeed, im possible for you to

make yourselves quite easy about the dangers or inconveniences o f our m ovem ents,— but you

may rely upon one thing— that w e do nothing without a great deal o f deliberation,— and whatever

poor human sagacity can foresee,— we endeavour not to m iss seeing: but unluckily there is no

plan, that w e have yet hit on, without disadvantage in som e degree, to counterbalance the advantage— to travel,—to stay still and be overtaken by the winter in a bad wintering place,—to stop short, with little fatigue, but in som e city where the comforts are less certainly attainable,— or to go further, for the purpose o f faring better, but with a great increase o f trouble in the going,— all these considerations have to be weighed carefully. Depend on it, w e shall do the best we can, trusting in providence that has hitherto interfered so signally in our behalf. O f one matter, which looks formidable in the English papers, you need have very little fear indeed. One would suppose, to read som e o f these accounts, particularly those extracted from the French gazettes, that we were in open insurrection, with all the horrors o f mobs, riots, noises and dangers:^ w hile there is

not a symptom o f anything o f the kind— indeed, there is no mob in this admirably civilized

country,— much less in this renowned city, where you tw o young ladies might walk alone in the evening without the least fear o f an impertinent word or look. We certainly find it very delightful to be in Italy just at this time, when it is so thoroughly alive— and our pleasure w ill not be greatly diminished, if all those rumours operate as they are said to do in keeping away the flocks o f travellers— however accounts differ, and we know nothing positively as yet. M eanw hile, we are (a s) happy here as the day is long— and it w ill be no great misfortune i f w e are for(ced to) take up our quarters in Florence for som e six months longer. On another (im )portant point, too, we have been reassured lately— there appears to be no (ca u se) to doubt that one o f the Physicians

here is an able and desirable man^— (unfortunately, this “one” is not Mrs Jam eson’s old friend,

Herbert'*— who may be getting too old a friend.) Mrs J., by the way, is a kind, good, sympathizing

friend o f ours— but dont take her notions o f Florence, and the life there, without a little allowance— for she found Florence the gayest o f gay cities, distracting from its routine o f visits, given & received, &c. and gave us the notion o f a place where w e should be teazed to death .. quite a mistake; for (as I dare say it happens in most other gay cities)— you must seek out these dissipations or they w ill never seek out you — the world being quite able to amuse itse lf without either Mrs. J. or Mr & Mrs B: so that, where she felt unable to read or write for an hour by herself, w e enjoy exactly as much solitude as w e like— not receiving six visits in six months. I have got to the end o f my piece o f paper,— and what have I told you, after all? Whereas, what true, truest delight your affectionate congratulations gave me when Ba & I got your letters so fortunately the day

before our great day!— for on the day itself it was im possible to go thro’ the streets for the

procession. God bless you both for your goodness to her and to me. B elieve me ever with the deepest love and most earnest w ishes for your happiness,

your RB Address, on integral page: Miss Barrett.

Publication: BC, 14, 315-318.

1. This letter was accompanied by a letter from EBB, no longer extant, in which she apparently referred to