The times., 1898-06-20

By an admirable little guidebook to Perugia.
in the compilation of which she has been as
sisted by the granddaughter Of Lady Duff Cor
dom of Egyptian letter fame Miss Margaret
SymOnds has shown that she IS the worthy
daughter of John Addington Symonds living
up TO his traditions OF making known 10 the
English-speaking world the beauties and art
treasures Of Italy. This Young ladv an at
trsctive brunette, who, since her fathers death
has resided constantly in Italy. and who il
was thought, would devote herself entirely to
literature, has just surprised he friends by
announcing her forthcoming marriage to the
son Of Canon Vaughan of St Paui's England
But perhaps she will not lay literature en-
tirely on the shelf, for, after all, she comes Of
literary stock from both sides for her mother
was North and her aunt was the Miss Marian
North to whose flower pictures a special mu-
scum has been consigned at Kew Gardens Lon
don.
Miss Symonds has lately written most inter-
estlng book upon q subject which cannot but
be OF interest TO English and American read
ers, because OF its relations to a question which
is constantly becoming more and more inter
estlng from many points OF view. This Is the
ever-increaSiag and thus far always-successf1l
purchase by Anglo-Saxon of after another Of
the old patriarchal anl patrimonaI estates belong
ing 70 the aristOcracy and clergy of Italy and
the brilliant manner in which some a these
rlch old teRures have been revived and Ger
ried forward on modern principles Especially
in Yeneto. that fertile province which sur
rounds the queen of the Adriatic. are the me.ii-
eY3l farInS OF the now vanished QOgfS Of Venice
either lying in a state of utter ruin being
sold in succession to foreigners Miss Sv-
mondss book treats of of these farms called
Gromboola. which formerly was the possession
of the Psani doge and was called Vescovana
BY virtue of her marriage into the family. an
English woman came into possession of all these
broad and productive acres. and here she lives
and runs the farm. she is pleased 10 call
her estate, which. however. in Western American
parlance would assume the more fitting title OF
ranch. for on its wide stretching plains roam
tIa ctparS of north It@lx- Iar
and cattle are tended by what should call
cowboys, and the little shaggy. loose-buiIt
ponies which are the sole means OF locomotion
are as nearly comparable TO our own bronchos as
though they nurtured on the same prairie
and not products of the other side of the globe
As time passes the Italian Gabrielle d'Annun-
zio sells more and more of his priceless birth
right for such a price as a few cleverly fish
ioned lines of a newspaper article can supply
him. His latest is what he called 'The Spring
time of Blood" which he published in a New
York paper In this article D'Annunzio de-
scribes the recent bread riots as the saddest
hour ever passed in the history of Florence and
her sister cities D'Annunzio by clever man.
nerisms. OF which he is past master, implies
horrors supposed 10 have taken place in Flor
ence and TO have been witnessed by him. Al
though he does not state exact facts he has
succeeded in conveying impressions TO those
who naturally give all credence TO a letter writ
ten by an Italian and eyewitness which will
remain in spite OF all that can or will be said
by those who have more patriotism than conceit
to be appeased.
The events which D'Annunzio recounts did
not take place. and when he speaks Of the mob
having rushed at the ancient and world
famous loggia where the art treasures of
statuary Of 0rcagnia. Benvenuto Cellini. Dona-
tello and Verccchio. he en- have referred to moth
ing else than the attempt of a band of street
urchins to throw stones in the Piazza della
Signoria, which had no more importance than has
ever the unaecountabe action of a mob of ex-
cited boys.
DIR. Charles Baldwin, the celebrated American
physician. for many years located in Florence
the medical adviser of the Astor family and
the physician who went to America TO attend