TALBOT6219

Rome
Saturday April 14^th 1849

My dear Henry

It is so very long since we have heard from any of you, that we are almost beginning to feel uneasy at such a continued silence - & now that we are actually beginning to think of departing, we shall not be able to hear unless you write very soon indeed. I wrote to you last on the 24^th Feb^y - & heard from Amandier ¹ but since her's of the 6^th I have not received a line from any soul in England, except M^r Montgomerie, ² who has been much better this winter he says. I hope dear Constance ³ has been improving since the winter was over, & that Amandier has not had any of her bad attacks again - & I also hope you have had some London advice for C. That is a point which ought never to be neglected, especially when people have been going on long with the same opinions. I long to hear - & if you will write directly, I am sure the letter will still reach me - but direct to the care of Mess^rs Macbean ⁴ 93 Piazza di Spagna for fear of accident - as he will forward it - But we shall not move I think till the beginning of May - & shall most likely go by sea to Marseilles - & thence perhaps by the South of France to Paris - But of course will let you duly know - only please write subito ⁵ - that we may ensure hearing once more before we go.

The news today is that in consequence of the National Guard of Florence having had a collision with, & having beat the Guardia Mobilizzita of Leghorn, a new Provisional Gov^t has been appointed with powers to act in the G^d Duke's ⁶ name; & that the trees of liberty & Republican arms have been torn town. The cry now is " morte a Guerrazzi, viva il Gran Duca. ⁷" I am delighted at this re-action if it was only to prevent the Austrians entering Tuscany. - Do not you pity the poor new King of Sardinia? ⁸ Our liberal friends here, not the Republicans, but the moderates, think Carlo Alberto ⁹ has acted heroically in abdicating I do not perhaps understand the case - but I cannot see his conduct in that light. - Here we are all quiet - though they seem to expect a re-action shortly too.

The Gov^t are employing immense numbers of labourers, who w^d otherwise be idle & consequently troublesome if not dangerous characters, in public works - most of them useful - One of them is a new road to avoid an excessively steep hill on the Via Flaminia, w^h being ordered by Sterbini ¹⁰ I call the Via Sterbinia - the meadows thereabouts are literally white with lovely narcissus Tazzetta. There must have been more than a thousand men at work in a very short space. They are also excavating in the Forum, & have cut down half the trees planted by the French 50 years ago. I always regret seeing trees cut down - but if they really clear out the whole Forum, it will be an interesting undertaking. They are now busy near the pillar of Phocas, & have discovered some remains supposed to be the Basilica Giulia ¹¹ -

We made a charming expedition the other day with Jane & C^{o 12} & a pleasant party to Ostia - The ruined Castle is delightfully picturesque & very curious, with a single Stone Pine close to it. From thence we drove two miles to Castel Fusano an old fortified house of the Chigi family in the middle of a Stone Pine Forest! The Staircase is as steep & narrow as a ladder, in order to push down the pirates when they attempted to enter. The drive to the sea is charming - thro' a wilderness of Stone pines, old Ilex, oaks, bays, myrtles Arbutus, Erica arborea, Daphne Collinum Narcissus & such Cyclamens!!!

Good bye dear Henry - Love to Constance & all - please write now - as if you delay we may miss the letter -

Y^rs aff^ly in haste
Caroline

Annie ¹³ is gone to Trifari, as her husband is named Commandant. We heard f^m Captⁿ Key ¹⁴ that nothing c^d exceed the enthusiasm at Palermo - women, priests & children even worked at the fortifications - We hear alas! that Catania has already fallen - but the Swiss decline serving again or forlorn hopes, as the Neapolitans instead of supporting them leave them to be massacred¹⁵ - Addio -