Friday, 7 June 1861
Fine: hot.
Read W. Collins’s Woman in White ― late & early. At 5 rose, & at 6 got some coffee ― & went up to S. Miniato, ― & back by 8. Breakfast.
Letters from
C.M. Church.
Lord Clermont.
E. Drummond.
Mr. Rose ― with dearest Ann’s Doctor’s bill.
o Ann! My dear dear Ann!
Mrs. Straham.
Mr. Morier &
George Kokali ― date 27 May, & unable to start on account of Spiro’s being very ill. He however was better.
9. Went in a carriage to Petraija:1 it is a little disappointing, ― the foliage being meagre, & little at command. Yet it must be done. Afterwards to Careggi ― wh. is not drawable either. It does not seem to me possible to paint the Petraija, but go constantly in a carriage & draw all I can. ― I doubt painting her at all. ― Meanwhile poor George may not come for weeks. ― There is no help for it, & on Monday, I must begin somehow or other. Returned at 12 & wrote to G. & to the Master of the Aquila Nera of at Leghorn.
The noia2 of this place bullies me horribly: & I look for no quiet this summer somehow. ― Read Papers.
Slept awhile, & woke better. At 3 walked to the wondrous Duomo & back. 4. Table d’hôte ― agreable Singapore man & bride, saith tigers at S. eat one Chinaman a day: 80,000 are there. Mr. & Mrs. Kearney ― Mr. Moore’s fellow traveller. ― Dinner tolerably good. ― At 5.30 carriage again ― up to V. Mazzi. ― Lo! it is now called Villa Spence! ― Old Spence’s son ― Kirby Spence. By luck, I had Sir James Hudson’s letter with me, & I went in, & found Mrs. Spence, who amiably asked me to stay, so I shall go on Monday. He knows Lady W. well. ―
The sunset was grand tho’ dim: ― for the day has been cloudy & gray after 2 P.M. Went up to Fiesole, & the Cappuccini Garden. (All day long how nightingales have sung: some at Petraija were amazing ― “θαμάζουσα αἠδόνες”3 ―. ―― Left a letter of Lacäita’s at Paolo Capponi, & home at 9. ―――
[Transcribed by Marco Graziosi from Houghton Library, Harvard University, MS Eng. 797.3.]
