a fortnight ago she sent me a written exercise, in which I corrected a few
grammatical faults, and then copied it out to transmit it to you, with my
translation into English. I should like you to see a specimen of my
_Roman_ (?) character, and also to hear what you think of the capacity and
power of the modern language as compared with the ancient.... I hope you
are hitherto well satisfied with Italian affairs. The pamphlet of Napoleon
III on Italy shows that in 1857 he definitely proposed to Austria a scheme
for the total secularization of the Papacy. I now feel sure he will not
stop at that. It also advocates a federation of all Italy--a wonderful
proposal from a French ruler. No democrat would have proposed that."


In September he writes from Aberystwith, and relates how he is busy
translating _Robinson Crusoe_ from the Arabic.


"I am constantly reminded of you by the study which I have been rather
closely pursuing here for nearly eight weeks, viz. the reading of
_Robinson Crusoe_ in Arabic. It is to me often difficult from several
causes: (1) It is not pointed, nor even the _Teshdied_ added; (2) I could
not bring Golin's with me, and the dictionaries which I have are very
imperfect; (3) the writer has most arbitrarily changed the details of
Robinson's story, and makes it often incoherent and stupidly impossible;
so that neither does the original help me much, nor can I rest on internal
congruity to help me out."

It should perhaps be remembered here that the Arabs had a great contempt
for the Grecian and Roman languages. Their own language was only printed
in ancient classical form, of which the Koran is the most famous example,
and the characters and symbols proceeded from right to left. In its most