ith people who had fully expected to see the boat go
down. Twice after this we were overtaken by these squalls, which are
very dangerous. I shall never forget the magnificence of the lightning
and the grandeur of the thunder, which was echoed by the mountains
during the storms on the Lake of Como.

We saw the fishermen spear the fish by torchlight, as they did on the
Tweed. The fish were plenty and the water so clear that they were seen
at a great depth. There are very large red-fleshed trout in the lake,
and a small very delicious fish called _agoni_, caught in multitudes by
fine silk nets, to which bells are attached on floats, that keep up a
constant tinkling to let the fishermen know where to find their nets
when floated away by the wind.

[We now crossed the Alps, by the St. Gothard, to Basle and Baden
Baden, where we passed the summer, intending to return to England in
autumn, but as soon as the rains began my father had so serious a
return of his illness that my mother was much alarmed. When he was
well enough to travel, we once more crossed the Alps, and reached
Florence, where we remained for the winter. My mother resumed her
work there.]

* * * * *

Through the kindness of the Grand Duke, I was allowed to have books at
home from his private library in the Pitti Palace, a favour only granted
to the four Directors. This gave me courage to collect materials for my
long neglected Physical Geography, still in embryo. As I took an
interest in every branch of science I became acquainted with Professor
Amici, whose microscopes were unrivalled at that time, and as he had
made many remarkable microscopic discoveries in natural history, he took
us to the Museum to see them magnified and modelled in wax. I had the
honour of being elected a member of the Academy of Natural Science at
Florence.

There were many agreeable people at Florence that winter and a good deal
of gaiety. The Marchese Antinori presented Somerville and me to the
Grand Duke, who had expressed a wish to know me. He received us very
graciously, and conversed with us for more than an hour on general
subjects. He afterwards wrote me a polite letter, accompanied by a work
on the drainage of the Maremma, and gave directions about our being
invited to a scientific meeting which was to be held at Pisa. We were
presented to the Grand Duchess, who was very civil. We spent the summer
at Siena, and had a chee