MKS. SOMERWLLE. 37 



the last person in the world who needed to deplore her 

 own " deficiencies." Yet it is a proof of her modesty 

 that she did so ; and one of her chief anxieties when 

 her children were young was to engage foreign 

 nurses and governesses for them, so that " they never 

 might have to undergo the embarrassment and 

 mortification from which she had suffered from ig- 

 norance of the common European languages." Yet 

 it will be remembered that the lady had taken great 

 pains to learn French, and that she read nearly all her 

 scientific works in that language, though she could 

 not speak it fluently. Also, when in Italy she en- 

 gaged a lady to converse with her in Italian every 

 day, and so was able to understand it when spoken, 

 and to be able to keep up a conversation in the 

 language, though not to speak it well. One of the 

 " mortifications " which were caused by her supposed 

 " ignorance " is worth recording. When in Florence, 

 Mrs. Somerville was on one occasion presented to 

 the Countess of Albany, the widow of Prince Charles 

 Edward Stuart, the Pretender. After talking a little, 

 the countess said, " So you don't speak Italian. You 

 must have had a very bad education." oeeing that 

 this remark was addressed to the woman who was 

 perhaps more highly educated than ever woman had 

 been before, it may be pronounced amusing as well 

 as impertinent. 



About this time Mrs. Somerville had the great 

 grief to lose her father. He was a good man, of a 



