_Mr. B._ To speak honestly, I entertain a very high respect for Mr. Matthews as an intelligent and agreeable tourist, but he is the very last authority upon which I could repose my confidence, with regard to the salubrity of a climate; his observations upon this head are too fretful and petulant to afford satisfaction. _Dr. A._ His remarks upon Nice and Pisa will certainly justify the opinion you have formed; for there does not exist such a striking difference in the climate of these places as he has been induced to believe; although the latter town is certainly milder than Nice, and possesses the advantage of having good roads leading to it from all parts of Italy, so that the invalid may leave it with safety much earlier than he could Nice. _Mr. B._ Are the spring winds less violent than at Nice? _Dr. A._ Scarcely. The site of the houses, however, is better calculated to defend you from their influence. On the northern bank of the Arno, there is a crescent which faces the south, and is well protected from the north winds; this situation ought always to be selected by invalids who winter at Pisa. _Mr. B._ If I resolve to winter in Italy, I shall probably prefer Pisa. I confess that I have received a prejudice against Rome, as well as Naples, from the reports of some friends who have lately returned from those places; but I should be glad to hear your opinion upon the subject. _Dr. A._ Rome and Naples ought not to be named in the same breath, unless indeed for the sake of contrast. Rome possesses many points of excellence as a winter residence, but as to Naples at this season, I would not recommend an invalid, on any account, to try its climate:--conceive the effects of a hot sun with a winter wind of piercing bitterness! "_Vedi Napoli e po' mori_," says the proverb, and no wonder that it has received so many illustrations from the English. Upon this one point at least we must all concur with Mr. Matthews: "If," says he, "a man be tired of the slow lingering progress of consumption, let him repair to Naples; and the _denouement_ will be much more rapid." _Mr. B._ But what of Rome--of the Eternal City? _Dr. A._ That vehemence of expression, my good friend, betrays your polarity; in spite of your avowal I see clearly that your wishes point to the ancient Mistress of the world. _Mr. B._ You really mistake me;--depend upon it that I shall undertake no pilgrimage but to the temple of Hygeia. _Dr. A._ Rome has, by far, too many temptations for the invalid, and I confess that from the accounts which I have received from my patients, I am unable to discover any advantages equivalent to the risks. _Mr. B._ I am even told that the climate of Rome is much colder than that of Nice in the winter. _Dr. A._ You have been rightly informed; in addition to which, the streets are damp and chilly, and so variable in temperature, that there is not unfrequently a difference of twenty degrees between one street and another.