Faraday to Robert G. Abbott   12 January 1815

Rome. Jany. 12th. 1815

Dear Friend

I hasten to make use of another opportunity, which the kindness of Sir Humphry Davy offers to me, to pay you a letter which I have long but unwillingly owed you but the number I have written to England lately by favour & by post made me fearful of being called an intruder and I at once was afraid to add and afraid to delay adding to those I had written, but the pleasure I find in writing letters has determined me to run the risk of gaining the title which I am almost confident I shall never receive from you[.] In writing to a friend I actually talk to him and I see no reason why I should not talk as often as possible and if neither you nor I complain of the sterling value of our questions & answers I do not see why others should and therefore I shall make no scruple of writing letters to you and also to Ben whenever the fit takes me and though they may perhaps not always come as cheap as this yet I trust you will never burn the paper before reading it though the fate may be good enough for them afterwards[.]

I acknowledge with thanks the receipt of your last kind letter at Geneva but as I left it there in a large parcel of books & papers I cannot write you a formal answer[.] Soon after arriving at Rome I wrote four or five letters to my Mother¹ my brother & Ben² and after receiving one from my Brother Robert & one from Benjamin³ I wrote to my Sister⁴ & to your brother in acknowledgement and three days ago I sent one of[f] by Post to my old Master Mr. Riebau⁵[.] In these several of which I suppose you have received I have given short sketches of our last journey from Geneva through Switzerland a part of Germany across the Tyrol and along Italy to this Place this City of Rome and as I suppose you have heard those accounts it would be tiresome to you to repeat them here. I shall therefore give mere observations upon present circumstances. Rome is far more amusing pleasant & interesting now than it was the last time we were here[.] We have now swarms of English about us who keep this part of the world constantly in motion the season is more interesting the weather is very mild & fine & the Carnival approaches added to which time has added a little more to my stock of Italian & I find myself more capable of searching out & enquiring for things & information[.] Christmas would have passed very dull here had it not been for the foreigners that is the English and a few French & Germans that are here as it was cheerful and we kept Christmas day Christmas week & twelfth day with a Ball, feastings & other games suited to the season & the place[.] The inhabitants kept it in an hypocritical religious way and you would have smiled to see the midnight ceremonies at Santa Maria Maggiore[.]

It happened about 3 weeks ago that a Senator was elected & upon the addition of a member to that august body the Senate of Rome it was said that fine doings would take place a procession was promised to please the mob & give them a high opinion of their new director but as the weather happened to be bad on the day fixed it was very unceremoniously put off as a thing of little importance now this opinion of it may be correct for I should think twas of no importance at all but for such an arrangement to be altered which had been made by the government tended to give very light ideas of the government itself. The procession however took place on the first day of the year when the weather was beautiful & the town shone forth in great splendour[.] In the morning preparations were made by spreading mould along the streets through which the procession was to pass in its way from Monte Cavallo the Popes⁶ palace to the Campidoglio or Capitol where the Senate house stands about 12 o clk the fronts of the houses in those streets were highly decorated by tapestry & hangings suspended from the windows many pieces of which had moved from the floors & many from the beds about 3 o clk the procession moved & made a pretty sight enough but certainly not what I expected for a Roman Senator[.] It was clean & in good order but short & neither the Pope or the cardinals were there[.]

I went a few days ago to see the Gallery & part of the Museum at the Capitol and was very well entertained by them they showed me there an ancient bronze figure of a wolf suckling Romulus & Remus[.] It is said that when Caesar was assassinated this was struck by lightning and two places in the hind legs are shown where the bronze has by some means been melted or destroyed[.] There were many other things in the Museum extremely interesting as antique bronze statues casts & some stupendous fragments of Collossi but these things must be described by amateurs and judges more accurate than me[.]

It is now 1/2 past 12 o’clk at night and both the hour & the paper tell me to make an end and I do not as yet know who will bring this letter to you but I hope it will go safe[.] If I have time I shall put it with one to my Brother but I am not certain of that[.] I have not forgot your Commission & the first opportunity that occurs I shall send it home to you[.] In return I must beg you to give my warmest love to My Mother Brother Sister[.] To Mr. & Mrs. Abbott to your Sister & to Benjamin & my remembrances to Boyer Magrath Castle &c. I shall soon write Ben an answer to his letter & tell him what I have seen of water falls[.] Adieu Dear Friend till I read you next letter

Yours Ever & sincerely | M. Faraday

Endorsed: With R.F. compliments | This came yesterday | Barlow Buildings | Recd 7th Feby

Address: Mr. R. Abbott | Opposite 44 Long Lane | Bermondsey | London | Ingleterra