mself to serious study and foreign travel. After
sundry journeys in Italy he again visited Paris in 1818, and then went
to England. He became deeply interested in English institutions, and
carefully studied the constitution, the electoral system, university
life, industrial organization, &c. At Edinburgh he met Francis Jeffrey,
the editor of the _Edinburgh Review_, and conceived a desire to found a
similar review in Italy. Besides knowing Jeffrey he made the
acquaintance of many prominent statesmen and men of letters, including
Lord John Russell, the duke of Bedford, Dugald Stewart, Ugo Foscolo, &c.
This visit had a great effect in forming his character, and while it
made him an ardent Anglophil, he realized more and more the distressing
conditions of his own country. He returned to Italy in 1820, and on
reaching Florence he set to work to found a review on the lines of the
_Edinburgh_, which should attract the best literary talent. This he
achieved with the help of the Swiss G.P. Vieusseux, and the result was
the _Antologia_. He contributed largely to its columns, as well as to
those of the _Archivio Storico_, another of Vieusseux's ventures.
Capponi began to take a more active interest in politics, and entered
into communication with the Liberals of all parts of Italy. He had
discussed the possibility of liberating Italy with Prince Charles Albert
of Savoy-Carignano, to whom he had introduced the Milanese revolutionist
Count Confalonieri (q.v.). But the collapse of the rising of 1821 and
the imprisonment of Confalonieri made Capponi despair of achieving
anything by revolution, and he devoted himself to the economic
development of Tuscany and to study. At his beautiful villa of
Varramista he collected materials for a history of the Church; his work
was interrupted by family troubles and by increasing blindness, but
although by 1844 he had completely lost his sight he continued to work
by means of amanuenses. In 1847 he again plunged into politics and
discussed plans for an Italian alliance against Austria. When the grand
duke Leopold II. decided in 1848 to grant his people a constitution,
Capponi was made a member of the commission to draw it up, and he
eventually became prime minister. During his short tenure of office he
conducted foreign affairs with great skill, and made every effort to
save the Italian situation after the defeat of Charles Albert on the
Mincio. In October 1848 he resigned; soon afterwards the grand