ROME, 1880-1890

ROME, PALAZZO ROSPIGLIOSI, December, 1880.

Dear Mother,—­We are now almost settled in the Eternal City, after a process which has seemed to me as eternal as the city itself, and I am so far established as to be able to take up the threads of my new life.  The first of these will be this letter to you.

We found an apartment in this palace which is large and comfortable.  It looks onto the Piazza Quirinal on one side, and on the other into the courtyard, where we see the procession of tourists with red Baedekers under their arms, filing into the Palazetto to admire the famous “Aurora.”

Johan had been received by King Umberto before I arrived.  The ceremony seems to have been full of splendor and surrounded with etiquette.  A magnificent gala coach drawn by two splendid horses brought Signor Peruzzi (master of ceremonies), accompanied by an escort of carabineers, to the Hotel Bristol, where Johan was stopping, attracting a large crowd in the Piazza Barberini—­less than this is sufficient to collect gazers-on in Italy, where the natives pass most of their time in gazing at nothing at all.

As the carriage entered the grande cour of the palace, the guards presented arms and the military band played.  A second master of ceremonies met Johan at the foot of the principal staircase, while the Grand Master of Ceremonies waited for him at the head of it.  Accompanied by these gentlemen, Johan passed through the long gallery, which was lined on both sides by the civil and military members of the household.  At the extreme end of the gallery stood the prefect of the palace, Signor Visone, who preceded Johan to the King’s apartment and retired after having announced him to his Majesty.  This seems complicated, but you see it takes all these functionaries to present a Minister to a King.

Johan had prepared his obligatory speech about les bonnes relations which had always existed between Italy and Denmark, and so forth, but the King did not give him the opportunity to make any speech at all.  He held out his hand and said in a most friendly and cordial manner, “Je suis bien content de vous voir, et j’espere que vous vous plairez parmi nous.”  His Majesty then asked Johan about King Christian, and spoke about the visit he had made to Denmark some years ago.  Before the end of the audience Johan succeeded in making the King accept his lettres de creance, and presented the greetings of King Christian; but the speech remained unspoken.

The contrast seemed very striking between the ceremonious manner in which he was conducted to the King, and the simple and unconventional manner in which he was received by his Majesty.

Yesterday I asked for an audience with the Queen.  The Marquise Villamarina (the Grande Maitresse) wrote that the Queen, though desiring to see me, thought it better to defer the audience until after the reception of the Corps Diplomatique, which was to take place in a few days.  I am rather glad of the few days of rest before the first of January, as I am completely tired out.