1315-1816J The Journey to Italy 95 



way, without being anxious to know whether you have fallen 

 upon the most favourable current. . . . 



Emma Allen to her sister Mrs Josiah Wedgwood. 



QUATTRO NAZIONI, FLORENCE, March 19th [1816]. 



. . . You will be almost as much surprised by the date of 

 my letter as I am to find myself here. It appears to be very 

 much like a dream, but I must tell you how it came to pass. 

 After the flatness of Sismondi's departure and with feelings 

 of despair about ever accomplishing our journey into Italy, 

 at least during the year he was there, we put our names 

 down with a voiturier for company into Italy this spring. 

 Much sooner than we expected a voiturier, by name Populus, 

 much recommended to us for the care he took of ladies, 

 offered to convey us to Florence with a Mr Cunningham, a 

 young man about your Joe's age, of very respectable char- 

 acter and good manners, who also took an old servant with 

 him, who might be of service to us, as he spoke all the 

 languages. We consulted our friends, the Welds, on this 

 offer and they thought it too good an opportunity for us not 

 to take advantage of. We were therefore introduced to our 

 compagnon de voyage, whom we found out to be a nephew 

 of Mrs Dugald Stewart's and brother of Lady Ashburnham. 

 We were much pleased with his manners, which are remark- 

 ably gentle and polished, and tho' he is thought very hand- 

 some, and in two years' time comes into possession of several 

 thousands a year, we agreed to go with him, fearless of any 

 scandal attaching to our doing so, for when it was known 

 that he was only of the age of our nephew, it couldn't be 

 supposed we had any designs of marrying him. We agreed 

 therefore with Populus to take us to Florence for 44, feeding 

 and lodging us all the way except at those towns where we 

 chose to stop for our own pleasure, and there we were to pay 

 15 francs a day for him and his horses. 



On Monday the 26th of February we left Geneva in a 

 coach and six good horses. Our Harry, with a sociableness 

 that so much reminded me of his mother, got up at 5 to send 



