| Description | Letter from Amelia Nyasa Laws, 7 Via Venti Settembre, Rome, to her relatives, regarding poor weather; Miss Jazdowska's continued tenancy; Uncle has offered her a decreased rent, which it seems she expected, rather than intending to move; she has told Amelia off for continuing to have lessons with Mme. B., a German; she then gave Uncle the same scolding; she has clouded Amelia's character with the Flemings by telling them she was giving money to the Germans; Mr. Green has had to change her lessons because he has had to become secretary to Lord Monson; Uncle was not invited to a Red Cross meeting at the Embassy; as Miss Jazdowska and Mrs. Ashby both refused to send the bandages Amelia has prepared, she asked Mr. Green if he knew of a central depot for despatch; Mr. Green edited this request and passed it on to Lord Monson, who announced that Lady Monson would be brought in as an outsider to overcome the cliques in local society, lay down firm regulations for sterilisation and despatch of bandages, and other duties; Uncle's lack of invitation to the Red Cross meeting was also due to cliquery and Lord Monson regretted it in the extreme; he is against using the Red Cross for social advancement and personal prominence; Amelia looks forward to Mrs. Brock running up against Lord Monson; those who organised the bandage-making circle were keen to keep control of it for their own sakes; Mrs. Brock is to stay with Miss Jazdowska after all [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]; she is no longer needed as housekeeper at Udine; Bastianelli is to give a course of lectures on either first aid or nursing; Amelia will go if it is nursing; Paul Rossi has visited and is still very self-confident; he looks well, but most of his handsomeness is his uniform; the Italians must have greater numbers in order to oppose the Austrians' better organisation; many Austrian soldiers were chained to their mitrailleuses to stop them escaping; the Austrian sharpshooters are scattered through the army and are well-equipped with magnifying sights on their rifles; their artillery is very strong; the Italians lost around 70,000 at Col di Lana last week; six ships have been sunk in the Mediterranean but the losses are not made public; Mr. Burns' brother is a nerve case and cannot be left on his own; the Presbytery is to meet on Wednesday but that is only Uncle, Mr. Blake, and Mr. Irving; the procedure is a farce; the Finance Committee has written begging the Continental stations to exert themselves, but they cannot, with diminished congregations and expensive travel. |