252 KEW : 1879-1885 



he did what he could ' to stop the insane project of moving the 

 Herbarium and Garden from their present unique position to 

 the horrible stables at the other end of the town.' At Rome, 

 he tells Prof. Oliver, the collections and herbaria were good, but 



the new Botanic Garden is a complete fiasco ; a dry 

 rounded pile of brick rubbish on the tip top of the ' Mons 

 Viminalis ' without shade or water ! There is however a 

 scheme for making a new one on a capital site on the baths 

 of Caracalla and to unite with it a Zoological and acclima- 

 titative one. The Italians are a wonderfully go-ahead people ; 

 but they have a great deal of leeway to make up yet. Mr. 

 Newton, whom I met at Eome, and who had attended the 

 meetings of the Lyncei Academy and of the Senate, was 

 much impressed with the practical businesslike way in 

 which they conducted affairs in both. 



The impressions of so great a traveller as regards scenery 

 are worth recording. In the same letter to Prof. Oliver (April 

 15, 1881) dated Florence, he writes of his delight in Cortona 

 and Orvieto, and their fine situation ; adding, 



though as far as scenery is concerned, Italy is, I think, 

 far behind many others parts of Europe ; and but for its 

 atmosphere would be considered quite third-rate ; of the 

 picturesque there is no end, but little of the grand or beau- 

 tiful in so far as I have seen. Naples I thought greatly 

 overrated. 



As regards Roman sightseeing, he remarks to Bent-ham : 



Rome as a whole, in its antiquarian aspect, is a headache 

 and a nightmare ; the comparatively modem Churches 

 are a great relief ; one is thankful that the ancient Romans 

 were not Christians to have burthened these with their 

 ' ancient history,' their endless gods, Censors, Senators, 

 Kings and Emperors. The history of Rome is too convulsive. 

 History, it is said, repeats itself ! any schoolboy will tell you 

 the contrary, were it so it would be easily learnt ! History is 

 the curse of modern Education ; it not only doubles itself 

 as time goes on, as population increases and as people segre- 

 gate, but not content with this it burrows in the past for 

 new (and best forgotten) facts for boys to be crammed with. 



