42 THE ROYAL INSTITUTION. L^HAP. I. 



aware of it. I wish exceedingly to be personally acquainted 

 with my daughter. I wish to know her real character, and 

 how I must go to work to lay a solid foundation for her 

 future happiness. I wish once more to have the satisfac- 

 tion of seeing my most kind and affectionate mother. I 

 wish to prove to her how dear she is to me, and how grate- 

 ful I am for all her goodness to me. My dear, beloved 

 parent ! What would I give to see her, were it but for 

 one hour ! I should be much obliged to you for any ac- 

 counts you may from time to time send me of her situation, 

 and of others, my friends, in your neighbourhood. Desir- 

 ing to be remembered to all those of my old acquaintance 

 who interest themselves in my welfare, I am, my dear Sir, 

 with unfeigned regard and much esteem, yours most affec- 

 tionately. 



Count Eumford, in theepringof 17 93, left Munich for 

 Italy on account of his health. He was absent sixteen 

 months. At Verona the directors of the two great 

 hospitals La Pieta and La Misericordia, containing 350 

 and 500 poor, accepted his offer to rebuild the kitchens. 

 Seven-eighths of the fire-wood were saved, and he made 

 arrangements to supply the poor with clothing from 

 the Munich House of Industry at a saving of twenty 

 per cent. 



On May 11, 1793, Sir C. Blagden, who was travelling 

 with Lord Palmerston, wrote to Sir Joseph Banks from 

 Eome : 



Count Rumford is come into Italy. I have just received 

 a very friendly letter from him, in which he desires me to 

 appoint a meeting. It will probably be at Milan. 



Three months later he wrote from Augsburg : 

 Thompson, now Count Rumford, met me by appoint- 

 ment at Pavia. Volta showed us his experiments on 



