[Florence—Friday, 10 February 1860]

Friday 10th A lowering sky dropping gently from time to time. All this accorded well with our own state. We were very sorry to say good bye to Florence. Miss Blagden sent us a little good bye note to the cars and we were soon spinning along the rails quietly enough except that as far as Pisa we were carrying a regiment of soldiers who were cheered lustily at each station. Once at Leghorn it began to rain, the sea roared and rolled and we looked unhappy. Mrs Stowe with her large party and some Boston people we[re] unable to engage state-rooms and therefore stayed behind but the Howards and ourselves pressed on in the little “Isère” to have about as sick and miserable a time as travellers with determined spades often dig through. The Lascia Passare did us excellent service at Civita Vecchia. It entailed upon us a visit too from the little Vice-Consul as long as the moral law. He was a good intelligent fellow however and spoke English remarkably. It was almost dark as we approached Rome. The grey oxen were feeding on the hills and the ravens resting undisturbed upon the meadows as we flashed by rousing them from their apathy.


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