this treasure; that all expenses would be
gladly borne by the society; that should anything be found, we
would either leave the paintings untouched, or have them removed at
our expense to the gallery of the Uffizi, and that we begged of the
Grand Duke the necessary sanction to begin our operations. The
answer was favorable, and I was referred to Marchese Nerli, and to
the Director of the Academy, to make the necessary arrangements.
Then the real difficulties began: first, I was put off on account
of the precautions that were to be taken in working in a prison;
then, the Director was ill, or unavoidably engaged, or absent; I
found, in short, that the object was to tire me out, and that I had
to contend with the same power that had defeated Moreni and my
other predecessors in the attempt. This battle continued many
months. I have already spoken too much of my share in the pursuit
of this object, and I will not enter into further details--some of
them ludicrous--of this contention; but I will say explicitly,
that, besides his encouragement, and his repeated offers of money,
(which were not accepted because money was not wanted, at least not
to any amount, and what was wanted I furnished myself,) Mr. Kirkup
did not afford me any assistance. At this stage of the business, I
met indeed with a most valuable ally, without whom I believe I
should have been beaten; and that was Paolo Feroni, a Florentine
nobleman and artist, to whom I have before expressed and now repeat
my best acknowledgments. At the end of this long contention against
obstacles which often eluded my grasp, the Grand Duke, in
consequence of a second memorial I presented to him, issued a
decree appointing a commission to carry out the proposed
experiments. This commission was composed of two members I had
myself proposed, viz. the sculptor Bartolini, and the Marchese
Feroni, of myself, of the Direttore of the Edifizi Pubblici Machese
Nerli, and of the Direttore of the Accademia delle Arti, the two
latter ex-officio: further, the decree declines the proposed
voluntary subscriptions, and places at the disposal of the
Commissioners a sum of money which proved more than sufficient to
cover all the expenses of the restoration of the fresco. The
Commissioners employed the painter Marini, and the ha