ckeray's editorship, in December 1859. Mrs. Browning's poem, 'A
Musical Instrument' (_Poetical Works_, v. 10), was published in the
number for July 1860.

[86] His 'Framley Parsonage' was then appearing in the _Cornhill_.

[87] The championship trophy of the prize ring. The great fight between
Sayers and Heenan had just taken place (April 17, 1860), and had
engrossed the interest of all England, to say nothing of America.

[88] It is not clear what this can be. Browning published nothing
between 1855 ('Men and Women') and 1864 ('Dramatis Personae'), and there
is no long poem in the latter, unless 'A Death in the Desert' and
'Sludge the Medium' may be so described. The latter is not unlikely to
have been written now, when Home's performances were rampant. His next
really long poem was 'The Ring and the Book,' which certainly had not
yet been begun.

[89] A novel by Miss Blagden.

[90] Garibaldi was now engaged in his Neapolitan campaign. Sicily
(except Messina) had been cleared of the Neapolitan troops by the end of
July, and on August 19 Garibaldi had landed in Calabria.

[91] Now in the National Portrait Gallery. A reproduction of it is given
as the frontispiece to vol. v. of the _Poetical Works_.

[92] 'A Musical Instrument'; see p. 377, above.

[93] Gaeta, the last remaining stronghold of the Neapolitan Government,
was besieged by the Italian forces from November to January. During the
first two months of the siege the French fleet prevented the Italians
from operating against it by sea, and it was ultimately through the
intervention of the English Government that Napoleon was persuaded to
withdraw his ships.

[94] Viterbo had declared for the Italian government, but had been
occupied by French troops on behalf of the Pope. Many of the inhabitants
left it, and a body of Italian volunteers entered the country in support
of them. It is presumably to this movement that the passage in the text
refers.

[95] _Poetical Works_, v. 3. The poem evidently refers to the loss of
her brother Edward, but might be supposed (being published at this
moment) to refer to the death of her sister Henrietta, shortly after
which this letter was evidently written.

[96] Gaeta fell on January 15, 1861.

[97] Mr. Val Prinsep, R.A.

[98] Mrs. Orr's _Life_ shows that this was only a temporary phase. In
later life, especially, he was very regular in his hours of poetical
work.

[99] It is curious that these are the very words w