They hold their meetings in the magnificent
hall of the Palazzo Vecchio--the Sala Dei Cinquecento. The first two
or three days were employed in choosing a president &c., &c.; then a
day was named to determine the fate of the house of Lorraine. I
could not go, but Martha went with a Tuscan friend. There was no
speaking; the vote was by ballot, and each member separately went up
to a table before the president, and silently put his ball into a
large vase. Two members poured the balls into a tray, and on
examination, said, "No division is necessary; they are _all_
black,"--which was followed by long and loud cheering. They have
been equally unanimous in the Legations in Parma and Modena; and the
wish of the people is to form one kingdom of these four states under
an Italian prince, excluding all Austrians for ever. The union is
perfect, and the determination quiet but deep and unalterable. If
the Archduke is forced upon them, it must be by armed force, which
the French emperor will not likely permit, after the Archduke was
fool enough to fight against him at Solferino. All the four states
have unanimously voted union with Piedmont; but they do not expect
it to be granted. The destinies of Europe are now dependent on the
two emperors....

* * * * *

FROM MRS. SOMERVILLE TO W. GREIG, ESQ.

FLORENCE, _23rd April, 1860_.

You would have had this letter sooner, my dearest Woronzow, if I had
not been prevented from writing to you yesterday evening.... The
weather has been atrocious; deluges of rain night and day, and so
cold that I have been obliged to lay in a second supply of wood. The
only good day, and the only one I have been out, was that on which
the king arrived. It fortunately was fine, and the sight was
magnificent; quite worthy of so great an historical event. No
carriages were allowed after the guns fired announcing that the king
had left Leghorn; so we should have been ill off, had it not been
for the kindness of our friend the Marchesa Lajatico, who invited us
to her balcony, which is now very large, as they have built an
addition to their house for the eldest son and his pretty wife. We
were there some hours before the king arrived; but as all the
Florentine society was there, and many of our friends from Turin and
Genoa, we found it very agreeab