y the late Lord Lovelace,
containing the documents and letters relating to Byron's separation
from his wife, has now made it quite clear that the grounds for
separation were real.

[74] The second volume of "Life and Letters of Sir Gilbert Elliot,
First Earl of Minto."

_Lady Russell to Lady Dunfermline_

SAN REMO, _December_ 1, 1869

Your letter of November 24th found the Amberleys here.... They were
preceded by the Crown Princess of Prussia and Princess Louis of
Hesse, announced by telegram in the morning, and a young Prince
Albert of Prussia, son of the Prince Albert of our Berlin days, and
a suite of two gentlemen and a lady, who came from Cannes, where
they are living, on Friday, to pay us a visit, dined with us, slept
at the nearest hotel, and were off again Saturday morning, we going
With them as far as Bordighera; and on Monday arrived the Odos [75]
for one night only, sleeping at an hotel. You see that our usual
quiet life was for a while exchanged for one of--... Well, I beg
pardon for this interruption and go back to our illustrious and
non-illustrious visitors. The illustrious were as merry as if they
had no royalty about them, and as simple, too, dining in their
travelling garments, brushing and washing in my room and John's,
enjoying their dinner, of which happily there was enough (although
the suite was unexpected owing to my not having received a letter
giving details), chatting and laughing afterwards till half-past
eight, when they walked in darkness, and strange to say, mud! but
with glorious stars overhead, the five minute' distance to their
hotel, accompanied by Agatha and me. The drive to Bordighera next
morning was the pleasantest part of the visit to us all--John,
Princess Louis, and Prince Albert in their carriage, Crown
Princess, Agatha, and I in ours. It is wonderful to hear Princesses
express such widely liberal opinions and feelings on education,
religion, nationality, and if we had talked politics I dare-say I
should add that too. Their strong love for their Vaterland in spite
of their early transplantation is also very agreeable.

The Amberleys had been ten days with Mill at Avignon--a good
fortification, I should imagine, against the wiles and
blandishments of priests of all degree to which they will be
exposed at Rome.... Little Rachel [76]is as swee