Bologna 289 



magazine of vital air uniting with it, and at one explosion blow- 

 ing up the economical edifice. On the whole, the idea is rather 

 too volcanic for Bradfield : Italy has things better worth import- 

 ing than burning mountains. The King of Poland's brother, the 

 primate, stopping at Pietra Mala a day for illness (the 25th or 

 26th November), the weather was so severe that it froze his 

 C^'prus wine; milk was as hard as stone, and burst all the 

 vessels that contained it. On whatever account Englishmen 

 may travel to Tuscany, let not a warm winter be among their 

 inducements. — Sleep at that hideous hole Loiano, which would 

 be too bad for hogs accustomed to a clean sty. — 26 miles. 



4/A. The passage of the Apennines has been a cold and com- 

 fortless journey to me, and would have been much worse if I had 

 not taken refuge in walking. The hills are almost covered with 

 snow; and the road, in many descents, a sheet of ice. At the 

 St. Marco, at Bologna, they brought me, according to custom, 

 the book to write my name for the commandante. and there I 

 see Lady Erne and sua figlia, and Mr. Hervey, October 14. Had 

 my stars been lucky enough to have given me more of the society 

 of that cultivated family, during my stay in Italy, it would have 

 smoothed some of my difficulties. I missed Lord Bristol at 

 Nice, and again at Padua. He has travelled and lived in Italy 

 till he knows it as well aS Derr}'; and, unfortunately for the 

 society of Suffolk, ten times better than Ickworth. Call on Mr. 

 Taylor and find, to my great concern, two of his children very 

 ill. Abbate Amoretti, who left Florence a few days ago, is here 

 to my comfort, and we shall continue together till we come to 

 Parma. This is indeed fortunate, for one can hardly wish for 

 a better fellow-traveller. — 20 miles. 



$th. Visit the Institute, which has acquired a greater reputa- 

 tion than it merits. Whoever has read anything about modern 

 Italy knows what it contains. I never view museums of natural 

 history, and cabinets of machines for experimental philosophy, 

 but with a species of disgust. I hate expense and time thrown 

 away for vanity and show more than utility. A well arranged 

 laboratory, clean, and everj'thing in order, in a holiday dress, is 

 detestable; but I found a combination of many pleasures in the 

 disorderly dirty laboratories of i\Iessrs. de Morveau and la 

 Voisier. There is a face of business; there is evidently work 

 going forwards ; and if so, there is use. ^Vhy move here and at 

 Florence through rooms well garnished with pneumatical instru- 

 ments that are never used? Why are not experiments going 

 forward? If the professors have not time or inclination for 



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