Sent letter to E. Tennyson.

X9

Bad wicked life.

Rose fervently ― nonostante. & Worked at S. Sabbas more or less all day.

Going out at 12 to Macbeans, ― heard of the row in the Corso last night. ― The was a great “demonstration” of young men ― 4 a 4 abreast ― (Garibaldi’s birthday,) ― & much fuss thereby. At the P. Colonna, 2 or 3 it seems called out V. Manuello,1 & were arrested: but the gendarms let them go, on F. persuasion, whereat the populace hissed the Gendarms. ― Shortly after, some 10 or 20 G. rode out of the M. Citorio, & down the Corso, ― stabbing & “a casa, canaglia,”2 ― on all sides. 3 F. soldiers, & 1 F. officer, & some 10 or 15 Romans were wounded. ― The excitement is great to day.3

Worked at home till 5. Dessoulany called, & cheered me by his natural & straight way’d admiration of my paintings. ―― Called on the Knights ― on Helen K. & walked a bit in the Borghese.

Dined alone.

Cholmondeley came, an excitable & enthusiastic fellow, ―: I had called on him at 1 or 2 & saw his brother, a R.C. Priest.

also called on P. Williams.

George is livelier & more studious to day.

[Transcribed by Marco Graziosi from Houghton Library, Harvard University, MS Eng. 797.3.]

  1. Vittorio Emanuele II, king of Sardinia and Piedmont, who was operating for a unification of Italy. [↩]
  2. Go home, scoundrels. [↩]
  3. For the Roman events of 19 March 1860, see R. Ambrosi de Magistris and I. Ghiron. Roma nella storia dell’unità italiana. Studio storico. Roma-Torino-Firenze: Fratelli Bocca, 1884, Vol. 2, pp. 372-6. [↩]