The life and correspondence of Sir Anthony Panizzi, K.C.B., Vol. 2 (of 2): Late principal librarian of the British museum, senator of Italy, etc.Fagan, Louis
History
The life and correspondence of Sir Anthony Panizzi, K.C.B., Vol. 2 (of 2): Late principal librarian of the British museum, senator of Italy, etc.
Fagan, Louis
Panizzi, Anthony, Sir, 1797-1879
The following note of invitation from Lord Palmerston must not be
omitted:—
“94, Piccadilly,
April 1st, 1859.
“My dear Panizzi,
Come and dine here to-morrow at eight, and bring Baron
Poerio and Settembrini if he likes to come; and don’t mind the
date of this note.
Yours sincerely,
PALMERSTON.”
And Mr. Gladstone wrote on Poerio’s behalf as follows:—
“April 12th.
“My dear Panizzi,
Lady Charlotte Egerton asks, through me, Baron Poerio and
any one of his friends to her party to-night. Pray let them appear
if possible. They will find me there at 10.15.
Yours, &c., &c.,
W. E. GLADSTONE.”
This continued dissipation, and the cold of the English climate,
from which he suffered intensely, began to weigh heavily on Poerio.
He was forced by his state of health to refuse many invitations, and
the only other amusement of which we have any record is a visit to
the House of Commons on the 18th of April, under the auspices of
Lord Shaftesbury.
It would be too much to expect that amongst the large number of
sixty-six prisoners, however exalted the political creed which they
might profess, there should not be at least one or two black sheep.
There were certainly some amongst the lower order of these exiles,
with whom Panizzi had a good deal of trouble. Notwithstanding all
his rigid justice in apportioning the money of which he had the
charge, they vexed him much by claiming more than their share, by
accusations of unfairness, and, in some cases, even by the vilest
ingratitude and abuse. Nor did they confine their annoyance to him
alone. Poerio, writing subsequently (3rd of June, 1859,) from Turin,
gives anything but a pleasing account of these gentry who had
accompanied him to Italy:—“I have had a great deal of trouble here
on account of the English subscription in favour of the exiles. One
of them who was destined to receive 250 francs told a great many in
secret that this terrible injustice of classification was all my
work,” with a good deal more to the same effect, on which it is
needless to expend time and space.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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