, and when
they are, not to be recognised as such. To the Pitti Palace, of
which one part is under repair and not visible, but I saw most of
the best pictures. I like pictures better than statues. It is a
beautiful palace, and well furnished for show. Nobody knows what
Vandyke was without coming here. To the Gabinetto Fisico, and
saw all the wax-works, the progress of gestation, and the
representation of the plague, incomparably clever and well
executed. I saw nothing disgusting in the wax-works in the
museum, which many people are so squeamish about.

Before dinner yesterday called upon Thorwaldsen, who was in the
inn, to tell him Lord Gower likes his 'Ganymede.' He was mighty
polite, squeezed my hand, and reconducted me to my own door. At
night went to the Opera and heard David and Grisi in 'Ricciardo e
Zoraida.' She is like Pasta in face and figure, but much
handsomer, though with less expression. She is only eighteen. He
has lost much of his voice, and embroiders to make up for it, but
every now and then he appears to find it again, and his taste and
expression are exquisite. To-night at a child's ball at Lady
Williamson's, where I was introduced to Lord Cochrane, and had a
great deal of talk with him; told him I thought things would
explode at last in England, which he concurred in, and seemed to
like the idea of it, in which we differ, owing probably to the
difference of our positions; he has nothing, and I everything, to
lose by such an event.

[Page Head: FLORENCE]

March 25th, 1830 {p.301}

Went yesterday morning to Santa Croce to hear a Mass on the
completion of a monument which has been erected to Dante; very
crowded and the music indifferent. Afterwards to the Gallery and
saw all the cabinets, but we were hurried through them too
rapidly. I began to like the 'Venus' better, best of all the
statues. The 'Niobe'[12] cannot have been a group, nor the
children have belonged to the mother. Rode to Normanby's villa at
Sesto, five miles from Florence; a large and agreeable house,
gardens full of fountains, statues, busts, orange and lemon
trees, shrubs and flowers. He pays 600 dollars a year for it,
exclusive of the race-ground. In the evening to Burghersh's
opera, which was very well performed; pretty theatre, crowded to
suffocation. All the actors amateurs;[13] chorus composed of
divers ladies and gentlemen of Florence, principally English.
Here all the society of Florence was assembled in nearly equal