| Description | Letter from Amelia Nyasa Laws, 7 Via Venti Settembre, Rome, to her relatives, regarding Aunt's illness because of heat and fatigue; strong scirocco; busy visiting schedule thanks to Uncle; men who are devoted to their work are not considerate of their helpers; Uncle is reluctant to close the church as it will leave the Hodges without a pastor, but Mrs. Hodges was ill for three weeks without telling him, and now they are off to Fiuggi; Uncle no longer wants to go to Naples; he is also reluctant now to visit Dr. Miller at Bordighera, though he would still like to go to Leghorn to sort out transport for some cases of scriptures; he tried to persuade them to go to Vallombrosa, but the Countess Wedel Jarlsberg has had to pay a lot for accommodation and now hears she may not have enough to eat; they have received details about Chamonix, but this includes information about stale bread and unreliable supplies of perishable food, so this is eliminated; their passports are late because Uncle made them wait for his, despite the fact that he does not need his so quickly; Uncle would like to be sent north as a chaplain to British troops; there are 10 batteries of 4 guns each, comprising 3,000 men, with no chaplain; the War Office approached Lowrie about the work and he volunteered to do it himself; Mr. Smith heard about this and has now inveigled his way into the post, neglecting his Bible Society work; Walker with all his faults did far more; Uncle is like Mr. Micawber, waiting for something to turn up and a decision to be made for him; he never makes a move for himself, so no one knows that he is available; Mr. Smith broke down as chaplain in France, but is restless and ambitious; he was annoyed at not having been invited to the Empire Day garden party, which went well, and was addressed by Sir Rennell Rodd 'admirably and much more freely than Uncle expected': the King's message, about being pleased that the British were fighting with the Italians, compelled a response from the Italian King and it was printed in the newspapers, which otherwise censored the whole thing; Uncle has been at the Embassy, where the naval attaché, Captain Larking, has been decorated, and came back with the message that the Admiralty was so pleased with the facilities for visiting sailors in Rome that it was to grant £200 each year for expenses; a committee has therefore been formed, of Lady Rodd, Colonel Lamb, Captain Larking, Archdeacon Sissons, and Uncle; Lady Rodd is being firm with the Archdeacon; the ladies are to run the canteen, and Mr, Irwin is cut out; he has gone to England on duty, and his business with providing tea was possibly only a commercial one for him; the Admiralty will send out tea and sugar, which will save a huge amount of money; it costs a great deal locally and cannot be sent to individuals from outwith the country; Mrs. Miller is against the use of the Methodist building by the sailors, and is fighting with Mrs. Brock again; Mrs. Brock is to speak to Archdeacon Sissons about his 'unChristian' conduct; Mrs. Polkinghorne says that Society is amused by the fight between Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Brock, though Mrs. Hossle Henderson is likely to join in, too; Mrs. Brock is to leave for the front soon; the Bishop of Gibraltar has appointed a chaplain to St. Martin de Vésubie, possibly to forestall Uncle as he may have heard rumours that Uncle was to work there, rather than simply holiday; visits of Mr. Irving and Mr. Erickson - the latter is on his way to Switzerland to see his children at Geneva; he has a scheme for acquiring Red Cross equipment for Albania after the war, but he has made no provisions for staff to use it; he is anxious to get back to Albania, but Amelia is critical that he has not found himself something useful to do while waiting, instead of just drawing his salary; his mission board would not give him permission to lecture on the Balkans when asked, as it was not relevant and 'Albania itself might not exist after the war'; he is a sponger and his wife must have trouble putting up with him; Aunt has been busy again with Miss van Deman who has been ill; she wants someone to cook for her and see to her fomentations and personal needs; Aunt did what she could; visit to Miss Forster Walker, who is still declining; visit to the Piggotts followed, and Aunt returned with her hand 'white and burning with the brachial nerve plexus all inflamed', resulting in Amelia telling Uncle to limit his visiting; they have been cleaning and mending in preparation for going away, and Uncle must lessen his demands on her; Mrs. Polkinghorne does not limp now and she can just manage stairs; Amelia has been to the dentist who has been replacing fillings; death of John Geddes of wounds, and sympathy to family. |