Volume II Part 31 (1/2)

268

VENICE, September 12th, 1858

DEAR FRANZ,

I have just received your letter, dated 26th ult, which had lain at Geneva all that time I see from it that you are very near me, and I hope I need only tell you that I am here in order to be able to expect your visit Descend the Tyrolese mountains on this side, and you are with me I should likeyour ns on Italy

Let s from

Your

R W

Canal GRANDE, PALAZZO GIUSTINIANI,

CAMPIELLO SQUILLINI, No 3228, VENICE

269

VENICE, September 27th, 1858

PALAZZO GIUSTINIANI,

CAMPIELLO SQUILLINI, 3228

DEAREST FRANZ,

Your letter of 23rd ult was forwarded to me from Geneva very late, and I saw from it that you were near me,--”in the Tyrolese mountains,” you said,--and this raised the hope in me that I should see you and speak to you soon I must doubt, however, whether my letter to that effect, addressed to you ”Hotel de Baviere”, Munich, reached you in ti of you I feel that my desire of personal communication with you will not be realised, and I therefore write to you as to certain points, in connection hich I owe you an explanation

Altogether this cannot amount to much; you had to attend to University celebrations, etc, which, pardonso, appeared extremely trivial to me I did not press you any more, but I must confess that when at last I received the news of your intended arrival on the 20th, it did not i Venice for ave you a full account in my last letter from Geneva, in which I also informed you of the satisfactory news I had had from the Austrian minister at Berne I am in quest of repose and absolute retireer town can offer to s ative one; in that ain leisure and the proper s and admonitions not to rely on the perforiven you the curious and mistaken notion that my journey to Italy had this ambitious, artistic purpose, I fail to see I have selected an Italian town because I hate Paris, and because here in Venice I am certain to be removed from any possible contact with artistic publicity This was not the case even at Zurich, which for that reason had long since becoreeable to me That newspaper writers explain radually to open Germany to me, is quite in accordance with the spirit and intellect of such people I hope you will soon divest yourself of the idea that anything similar was in my mind As an Austrian city, Venice exists forto the German Confederacy, and as I may consequently live there in security This has proved to be true

Unfortunately I could not preventabout my stay here, which in consequence was made public sooner than I desired The police which, once more, asked for my passport, has, however, returned it to ainst my undisturbed stay at Venice Whether this was the result of the intercession of the Grand Duke, for which I had asked, I cannot tell

You will be pleased to hear that Venice has not disappointed my expectations The melancholy silence of the Grand Canal, on the banks of which I live in a stately palace with large rooreeable diversion of the mind is afforded by a daily walk in the square of St Mark, a trip in a gondola to the islands, walks there, etc It will be the turn of the art treasures later on The entirely new and interesting character of the surroundings is very pleasant to rand piano, and hope to resuht is of co else

Farewell; accept my corrections in the benevolent spirit of a true friend Pardon the seriousness which pervadeskind from you, and, before all, answer this letter soon