1885 LETTERS FROM SIENA 401 



earn that pleasure. I could give you some capital 

 wrinkles about the physical geography and prehistoric 

 history (excuse bull) of Italy for a Roman History primer ! 

 Joking apart, I believe that history might be, and ought 

 to be, taught in a new fashion so as to make the meaning 

 of it as a process of evolution intelligible to the young. 

 The Italians have been doing wonders in the last twenty 

 years in prehistoric archaeology, and I have been greatly 

 interested in acquainting myself with the general results 

 of their work. 



We moved here last Friday, and only regret that the 

 reports of the weather prevented us from coming sooner. 

 More than 1000 ft. above the sea, in the midst of a 

 beautiful hill country, and with the clearest and purest 

 air we have met with in Italy, Siena is perfectly charm- 

 ing. The window is wide open and I look out upon a 

 vast panorama, something like that of the Surrey hills, 

 only on a larger scale " Raw Siena," " Burnt Siena," in 

 the foreground, where the colour of the soil is not hidden 

 by the sage green olive foliage, purple mountains in the 

 distance. 



The old town itself is a marvel of picturesque crooked- 

 ness, and the cathedral a marvel. M. and I have been 

 devoting ourselves this morning to St. Catarina and 

 Sodoma's pictures. 



I am reading a very interesting life of her by Cape- 

 celatro, and, if my liver continues out of order, may yet 

 turn Dominican. 



However, the place seems to be doing me good, and I 

 may yet, like another person, decline to be a monk. 



To HIS DAUGHTER, MRS. ROLLER 



March 8. 



The great merit of Rome is that you have never seen 

 the end of it. M. and I have not worked very hard at 

 VOL. II 2 D 



