| Description | Letter from Amelia Nyasa Laws, 7 Via Venti Settembre, Rome, to her relatives, regarding looking forward to a change of moral and physical atmosphere in the north; Aunt is finding housekeeping very hard, with the rise in prices, the cheating and the excuses; list of prices; problems with the cabs not running, because of the prices of oats; rumour of an Allied victory in the Corso but it might not be able to be held; rates of the loan from Britain to Italy; Mr. Bath is trying to make the Italians make use of their own resources, particularly oil from old molluscus beds; he was a minister but seems to have the backing of the Canadian government for this; his problems in trying to do this; visit of the Dutch secretary to tea; Uncle wants to go to Naples or Vallombrosa for the summer, his usual efforts not to leave Italy; he does not wish to go to Lyon but neither do they, unless Amelia's work takes her there, except to buy clothes; Uncle's heavy flannels are unsatisfactory but he will not let her order new ones; he has other clothing needs which they must deal with in Lyon; he has gone off the idea of Chamonix; he prefers to have his decisions made for him; Dr. Jacod has written to say that he has been at the front and is now ill; she will not be able to work for the Service de Santé Militaire unless she undertakes to stay with them for the duration; she may be able to work for the two Red Cross organisations, the Secours de Blessés Militaires and the Société des Dames de France; Dr. Françon, according to Dr. Jacod, is the doctor now at the Bristol at Aix and she should apply to him, but Uncle is reluctant to let her return there; she might do so if Lyon does not turn out well, or she might try Grenoble; Mr. Robertson at Nice wants to go to Chamonix and to know their plans; the Riviera visitors will be going to hill resorts such as St. Martin de Vésubie in the Maritime Alps; Uncle was quite interested in the idea; men expect women to down everything to help them when they are interested in something, but will not co-operate when it is the other way around; his plan probably involves going by the coast route so that he can see the church at Bordighera which the Continental Committee wishes to sell; Miller and Somerville are against this but the building has always been too big and the committee is in debt; Uncle would like to see a replacement promised, but it is unlikely; Amelia does not think that St. Martin would be as good as Chamonix, but Uncle dismisses the effects of the scirocco, despite the fact that every year he praises the snow-air he has during the summer; he always makes difficulties over the summer and she is fed up with it; visit to Miss Forster Walker, who is becoming worse and will probably not last long; pleasant evening drive with Mrs. Polkinghorne to the Coelian, then across to the Janiculum, the Villa Pamphili-Doria and through the Villa Borghese; mention of Comm. Lamberto Vannutelli, one of the minor mission sent to America, who has just escaped being torpedoed. |