INSURRECTION OF GENOA 49 



Fleeming's enthusiasm and earnestness — and cour- 

 age, I may say — for we are among the small minority 

 of English who side with the ItaHans. The other 

 day, at dinner at the Consul's, boy as he is, and in 

 spite of my admonitions, Fleeming defended the 

 Italian cause, and so well that he " tripped up the 

 heels of his adversary " simply from being well- 

 informed on the subject and honest. He is as true 

 as steel, and for no one will he bend right or left. , . . 

 Do not fancy him a Bobadil,' she adds, ' he is only 

 a very true, candid boy. I am so glad he remains 

 in all respects but information a great child.' 



If this letter is correctly dated, the cause was The insur- 

 already lost and the King had already abdicated Genoa. 

 when these lines were written. No sooner did the 

 news reach Genoa, than there began ' tumultuous 

 movements ' ; and the Jenkins received hints it 

 would be wise to leave the city. But they had 

 friends and interests ; even the captain had English 

 officers to keep him company, for Lord Hardwicke's 

 ship, the Vengeance, lay in port ; and supposing 

 the danger to be real, I cannot but suspect the 

 whole family of a divided purpose, prudence being 

 possibly weaker than curiosity. Stay, at least, 

 they did, and thus rounded their experience of the 

 revolutionary year. On Sunday, April 1, Fleeming 

 and the captain went for a ramble beyond the walls, 

 leaving Aunt Anna and Mrs. Jenkin to walk on the 

 bastions with some friends. On the way back, 



