1815-1816] The Aliens at Florence 97 



hardly ever see any. The day after, we got to Bologna, 

 upon the whole the most remarkable town we have seen yet. 

 Here we rested two days; sent a letter to a M. Mezzofanti, 1 

 professor at the University, who came to us and gave us a 

 list of the things worth seeing and his company, which was 

 worth a great deal. Of Florence I cannot tell you much 

 yet, as I have only been out once at the gallery. Owing to 

 Sismondi, Madame de Stael had been on the look-out for us, 

 and the Duchess de Broglie 2 called the morning after our 

 arrival, gave us a general invitation to her mother's for 

 every evening, and a particular one to introduce us to the 

 lady of the Russian ambassador, and to as much of the 

 Florentine society as we pleased. Albertine had no longer 

 her London saucy manners but they were simple and she 

 was almost kind to us. The next evening Jessie and Fanny 

 went to her house, and she took them with her to the 

 Russian ambassador's and introduced them to a great 

 number of foreign nobility, as well as English, with which 

 Florence is at this time filled, Lord Burghersh, the English 

 ambassador, Lord A. Hamilton and several others. Fanny 

 waltzed away with great spirit with two Italian noblemen. 

 Jessie had not courage for that but remained the chief of the 

 evening on the arm of Madame de Stael. I make my first 

 appearance in the Florentine world to-morrow at Madame 

 de Stael's. By that time I hope Sismondi will be arrived. 

 His anxiety about us made him write two of the kindest 

 letters in the world to prevent our feeling forlorn on first 

 coming here. You may guess, as we did, that Madame de 

 Stael's active attentions to us have been owing to him, he 

 is so anxious to give us what he considers the best thing in 

 the world, society. He and his mother and sister have been 

 already on the look-out for a house or lodgings that we 



1 Mezzofanti (born 1774, died 1849), afterwards Cardinal and 

 Keeper of the Vatican Library and an astounding linguist. He was 

 said to know sixty-four languages and talk forty-eight. Byron 

 called him " a walking polyglot, a monster of languages and Briareua 

 of parts of speech." He amused people in Ireland by being able to 

 talk English with the brogue to his hosts as well as Erse to the 

 natives. 



2 Albertine, daughter of Madame de Stael. 



