MT. 70.] TO MESSRS. CANBY AND REDFIELD. 723 



TO MESSES. CANBY AND REDFIELD. 



Kew, July 15, 1881. 



My dear old friends, Canbt and Eedfield, — 

 How very long it is since you have heard, at least 

 directly, from your Old World wanderers ! How long 

 and from whence, is more than I can tell. I use now 

 an enforced half hour before an engagement, and 

 when it is, would you believe it for England ? too hot 

 to go across the Green to use the half hour at the 

 herbarium, where I have sweltered all the morning, 

 regular Philadelphia heat, and this is the third day of 

 this the second heated term. 



I wrote you from Italy, I think. 



... It is hopeless now to try to give any narration 

 of our doings. The flavor would have all evaporated 

 in the attempt to recall and review the past spring. 



I think you know our routes, from Paris in March 

 to Turin, to Genoa, Pisa, Rome, Naples, and the 

 country around, Amalfi and Psestum our most south- 

 ern points ; then Rome again and a twelve days' stay, 

 then a run to Orvieto and Cortona on the route to 

 Florence, a visit to Siena from Florence, a detour 

 from Bologna to Ravenna, most old-world of towns, 

 thence to Venice, a week only. And as we left it, the 

 Hookers, whose furlough was running out, dropped 

 us at Padua, whence, passing Verona, where we had 

 been before, we had a day at Brescia, thence to Milan, 

 Como and up the lake, and over to Lugano, and back 

 to Milan. Thence to Arona at foot of Lake Mag- 

 giore, and a drive aU the way up to Domo d' Ossola, 

 and then diligence over the Simplon pass and through 

 the snow, and down to Brieg, and on to Martigny 

 to sleep, and then on to Geneva, where we passed a 



