Tivoli, Veii, &c. 255 



We constantly made expeditions to the country, to 

 Tivoli, Veii, Ostia, &c., and my daughters rode on the 

 Campagna. One day they rode to Albano, and on 

 returning after dark they told me they had seen a 

 most curious cloud which never altered its position ; 

 it was a very long narrow stripe reaching from the 

 horizon till nearly over head it was the tail of the 

 magnificent comet of 1843. 



We met with a great temptation in an invitation 

 from Lady Stratford Canning, to go and visit them 

 at Buyukdere', near Constantinople, but res arcta 

 prevented us from accepting what would have been 

 so desirable in every respect. At this time I sat to 

 our good friend Mr. Macdonald for my bust, which 

 was much liked.* 



* * * 



One early summer we went to Loreto and Ancona, 

 where we embarked for Trieste ; the weather seemed 

 fine when we set off, but a storm came on, with 

 thunder and lightning, very high sea and several 

 waterspouts. The vessel rolled and pitched, and we 

 were carried far out of our course to the Dalmatian 

 coast. I was obliged to remain a couple of days at 

 Trieste to rest, and was very glad when we arrived 



* The vessel on board which this bust was shipped for England ran 

 on a shoal and sank, but as the accident happened in shallow water, the 

 bust was recovered, none the worse for its immersion in salt water. 



