ring the mischief as fast as possible,
and the fields are already well cultivated. The Count is a man of
great learning and is occupied in the comparison of languages,
especially the Eastern; he knows twenty-four and speaks Arabic as
fluently as Italian. He is in the habit of speaking both Arabic and
Chaldee every day, as there is a most learned Chaldean priest living
with them, whose conversation gave me great pleasure and much
information. The Count has moreover a black servant who speaks these
languages, having been bought by the Count during his long
residence in the East, and is now treated like one of the family. I
obtained much information which will be useful in my next edition of
the Physical Geography....

Your affectionate mother,
MARY SOMERVILLE.

[After my mother's death, our old friend Count Miniscalchi made a
beautiful and touching "eloge" on her at a meeting of the Royal
Italian Geographical Society, to a numerous audience assembled in
the great hall of the Collegio Romano at Rome.

My mother was an honorary member of this Society, besides which the
first gold medal granted by them was voted by acclamation to her.
Her Recollections continue as follows:--]

* * * * *

From Cola we went to Turin, where I became personally acquainted with
Baron Plana, Director of the Observatory. He had married a niece of the
illustrious mathematician La Grange, who proved the stability of the
solar system. Plana, himself, was a very great analyst; his volume on
the Lunar Perturbations is a work of enormous labour. He gave me a copy
of it and of all his works; for I continued to have friendly intercourse
with him as long as he lived. As soon as he heard of our arrival, he
came to take us out to drive. I never shall forget the beauty of the
Alps, and the broad valley of the Po and Dora, deeply covered with
snow, and sparkling in bright sunshine. Another day the Baron took us to
a church, from the cupola of which a very long pendulum was swinging,
that we might see the rotation of the earth visibly proved by its action
on the pendulum, according to M. Foucault's experiment. He devoted his
time to get us established, and we found a handsome apartment in Casa
Cavour, and became acquainted with both the brothers to whom it
belonged. Count Ca