[Venice—Saturday, 14 November 1885]
Mr. Browning, here in evening, said that, as I had suggested, he had taken the Graf Montecuculi to Baschiera, my lawyer, where their agreement was formally & legally confirmed. Mr B. much elated & he & his son full of projects for improving the property, buyg houses in the rear & pulling them down &c. &c. He read several poems aloud to about 20 people we had: Lippi, Ratisbon, A. del Sarto, Twins & Villa &c.
He said that when a distinguished Frenchman visited Balliol, Oxford, Mr Jowett & the Dons could not talk with him at all, & his son had to translate.
Mr. Cyril Graham, Oriental traveller & scholar tells me that (having read the original) Capt. Burton’s Version of the Arabian Nights is even fouler, and could not be tolerated by Ld. Campbell’s Act.
He mentioned having examined the Field of Waterloo (on June 18th) together with Ld. Dufferin, now Gov. India.
