From H. E. Darwin to Emma Darwin 23 February 1870

I left off at Alassio after our first day— It felt so nice to sit out again by the

Munchausenish stories I ever heard—wh. stories he told sitting round facing us in the [⁠⟨⁠⁠⟨⁠]⁠⟩⁠⁠⟩⁠ leaving the horses to go as they like [⁠⟨⁠⁠⟨⁠] several missing words⁠⟩⁠⁠⟩⁠ to go just

the deep interest of the questions till we have done driving & Marie's talking of nothing else my head is rather full of them— Marie [mayen't] like dining with english coachman but she enjoys her large acquaintance with foreign ones—only it is annoying that they will ask her if she has been to Rome & she has to confess only Genoa. Her importance is also enhanced by having witnessed a fight at Oneglia which has caused g^t. excitement all along the road—& when u are asked if u have entendu [dired] something, to say you saw it is a g^t. feather in ur cap— We got up at 6—being determined not to lose any early sun—& we find by experience he often shows till 9 & never again—& we were rewarded by a most lovely sunrise— First of all there was a most rich amber band under black clouds above & dying moon in the west, & a long chain of mountains cut out against the sky. It was another of those wonderfully clear days like our Corsica day— We saw Elba & Caprasia & & all of the Spezia mountains— That effect ⁠⟨⁠⁠⟨⁠of⁠⟩⁠⁠⟩⁠ their not resting on the water was most curious—some of the most distant ones looked as if you c^d. put a pin betw them & the horizon. Then our amber band faded & a cone of fire began to appear over the point of sunrise & our black cloud became all [fretted] with crimson which was reflected in every wave & made a dancing crimson path all across the sea—& then that faded, & the cone became m. & m. brilliant & up came the sun with a burst & we quite understood the worship of the Druids. It was a glorious sight—but I fear that excessive clearness of atmosphere foretells settled bad weather, begun today with warm drizzle. Then to our [briffusts] & off by 8— The clouds already had begun to spread all over the sky—but partially lifted when we got to Capo di Male—when one has a far finer view of the coast & where you also see some of the near snowy mountains

Journal | 2

tht I saw the day before in my walk above Maglio. We saw range after range of the mountains each marked out by its differently tinted violet grey coat of mist—& the sun lighting up the nearer snowy peaks. The water was smooth as glass—& a tender grey colour & the little towns seemed to be sleeping on its very edge. It was such a [pactic] scene I felt quite lifted out of the world. It was like music—& that is the highest thg I can say—we also saw Corsica but looking so different later on we saw the coast as far as the island of Hyères, which made a good stretch in one day. We have been lucky so far, what we saw ugly one way we have seen in fine lights the other—but at the same time I sh^d. like to shut my eyes coming home at the ugly lights not to see how diff^t. the places look. I had such a lovely picture of Oneglia & St [Morizio] in my mind & they looked so uninteresting when we got there at 11 o'clk with dull grey sky. We got to San Remo in early afternoon & set out for a walk in the olives in such a hot sun we hadn't felt since Monaco. I can't thk where A^t. Eliz & Ed's eyes were gone to, when they saw nothing to admire in San Remo. It is a most wonderful conglomeration of picturesque old houses climbing up a v. steep hill, & you walk in olive gardens—like a sea of olives—& get all sorts of picturesque views of it. This morning we have had a long & successful walk in it [poking] into the queerest [dirtiest] holes—in & out of arches & up & down steps—full of picturesque groups of handsome women with yellow handkerchiefs, & dirty brown eyed little gamins— I don't thk they are qu so handsome as our Alassio people tho' we met one beautiful girl—such beautiful colouring & statuesque features. We regret bitterly that we didn't ask our way so as to delay her—but it was so horridly plain before us, we had none of us presence of mind to thk of it till too late. I only had wit eno' to smile when I said, Bon jour & so got the prettiest lighting up of her great black eyes & the sight of her teeth whiter than ivory— Why does nature generally do a g^t. beauty by wholes? Why sh^d.n't it have given her yellow teeth or a clumsy figure—instead of the walk of a princess & the teeth of an arabian nights beauty. These yellow handkerchiefs are so becoming to their black hair & rich colouring. The rain this afternoon makes us feel the beginning of the end.

Thursday 24^th

I am sitting now at 3.30 with no fire & window wide open & only little red [colly] on, so our weather is better than yours. If only it will keep warm I can bear the rain— We've howled abt cold—but I have never [illeg] driving from Menton to Oneglia & one walk at Savona felt [pinched] with cold. All the rest has been weather tht [do'] make one quite conf in— I have never had tht aversion to get up & out into the cold one knos so well in England.

Poor dear people what weather you seem to have been having. It must have been a regular jubilee for all the skaters. I have rec. a letter from B. [Spec] letter from W^m.—which I have begun to answer but have written my 6^d of journal which is to be kept for me as please do with any specially descriptive letters.