Baron Plana. 801 



by the Count during his long residence in the East, and 

 is now treated like one of the family. I obtained much 

 information which will be useful in my next edition of 



the Physical Geography 



Your affectionate mother, 



MAHY SOMERVELLE. 



[After my mother's death, our old friend Count Minis- 

 calchi made a beautiful and touching " eloge " on her 

 at a meeting of the Royal Italian Geographical Society, 

 to a numerous audience assembled in the great hall of 

 the Collegio Romano at Rome. 



My mother was an honorary member of this Society, 

 besides which the first gold medal granted by them was 

 voted by acclamation to her. Her Recollections con- 

 tinue as follows : 



From Colil we went to Turin, where I became 

 personally acquainted with Baron Plana, Director 

 of the Observatory. He had married a niece of the 

 illustrious mathematician La Grange, who proved 

 the stability of the solar system. Plana, himself, 

 was a very great analyst ; his volume on the Lunar 

 Perturbations is a work of enormous labour. He 

 gave me a copy of it and of all his works ; for I 

 continued to have friendly intercourse with him as 

 long as he lived. As soon as he heard of our arrival, 

 he came to take us out to drive. I never shall 

 forget the beauty of the Alps, and the broad valley 



