The inhabitants saw with little pleasure a French
army take possession of the place & drive away the English. They still
have a strong force in the town--upwards of 2,000--and its
fortifications have been dismantled. It is singular enough to see the
French and Tuscan colours flying together on the same staff. When we
entered the port the Tuscan Ensign was becalmed & the French flag was
flying _by itself_. I was much grieved not to be able to visit Florence
when so near it, but as the Squadron was in daily expectation of sailing
I did not venture to be absent for 4 days, which the Journey would have
required. I was therefore obliged to content myself with a view of Pisa,
which I would not have missed on any account. The leaning Tower is a
curiosity in itself sufficient to induce a stranger to make a long
journey to visit it. Here the King of Etruria lived and was hourly
expected to set out for Leghorn. But his health, as it was believed, was
in so precarious a State that it was sometimes reported that he would
not go at all. The Queen, indeed, was in a very critical state, and were
it not that her children, she being an Infanta of Spain, are entitled to
a certain sum of money by no means small, provided they were born in
Spain, it would have been madness in her to have undertaken the voyage;
indeed, I think it highly probable that a young Prince will make his
appearance ere we arrive at Barcelona. After having spent a longer time
than I liked at Leghorn, which has nothing curious to recommend it, at
length it was given out that on the 26th the K. would certainly arrive
from Pisa and embark as soon as possible. Accordingly at 6 o'Clock on
that day all the houses were ornamented in the Italian style by a
display of different coloured Streamers, etc., from the windows, & His
Majesty entered the Town. Had I been a King I should have been not
altogether pleased with my reception. He appeared in the Balcony of the
Grand Duke's Palace, no one cried, "Viva Ludovico I!" He went to the
Theatre the same Evening, which was illuminated on the occasion, &, of
course, much crowded. I do not think our opera could have boasted a
finer display of Diamonds than I saw that Evening in the Ladies' heads,
but, be it remembered, that there are 7,000 Jews in Leghorn, not one of
whom is poor; some are reported to be worth a million. Many of the
Italians are also very rich. Next day we were informed that it was
necessary to repair on board our ship