| Description | Letter from Amelia Nyasa Laws, 7 Via Venti Settembre, Rome, to her relatives, regarding arrival of a copy of Outlook from Mrs. Rossi, detailing arrangements made for American soldiers on leave; Aix-les-Bains, Chambéry and Challes-les-Eaux have been selected as suitable places; she quotes an address prepared for the locals by the Chambéry Committee asking them to welcome the troops, which contains a reference to the Joffre-Viviani Mission to the U.S.A. in 1917); the Americans have in return given a concert in the theatre at Chambéry; more rain and scirocco; Aunt is more and more tired by food-shopping; Maria has been washing blankets, Ernesta has been cleaning, and Amelia has been repairing Uncle's clothes; she has been too busy sewing to do any organ practice; the director at the Mission Sanitaire has been helpful again, though no reply has yet come from Paris; letter from her patient Lavier, hoping she is back in France and in a nicer place than Aix; his mother has died; his hands are tired but much better - he had a right thumb and left index finger amputated; visit of Messrs. Huston, Burt Smith and Cust, all Y.M.C.A., who had hoped to set up a branch in Rome but were told by Miss Jazdowska that there was no need for it [There were Jazdowskis associated with teaching and art in Aberdeen: James Bronislas Jazdowski, son of John, teacher in Aberdeen, graduated from Marischal College in 1856 and according to an annotation of the Search Room student list died in Rome in 1902]; Austin, the head of the Y.M.C.A. in Italy, is 'an impossible person'; all the visitors are leaving discontented or ill, as the food, though plentiful, is bad, and they are suffering from indigestion, diarrhoea, or dysentery; Cust has had a quarrel with Austin over the matter but has now made it up; he is aiming the Roman club at officers as Miss Jazdowska deals with the men, but the officers have the English Club and the Italo-Britannico; Cust has Roman Catholic sympathies, knows Italian well and is related to the De Salis family (ambassadors to the Vatican), so is unlikely to go down well amongst the British in Rome; another drive around the sites with Mr. Huston; he visited the Palatine after tea with Uncle, then caught a sleeper to Genoa, as his doctor has advised him to take the journey very slowly for the sake of his lungs; Uncle's visit to Miss Forster Walker and Mr. Bragg - he is much the same, but her disease is advancing; thanks for letters; censorship is now on the increase again, particularly with regard to any references to the Irish or army activities; Uncle is delaying again about the summer, though the hotels have written back with good rates; Amelia is very sorry for Aunt; letter from Mlle. Vernaz; the hospital has become wholly one for medical cases; she hopes to recommend Amelia to some other hospital; she wants Amelia to visit if she is passing through Modane; Mr. Huston has given her two photograph frames as a thank you for all her guiding and their hospitality. |