On the 27th of March, I left Florence for Rome, by way of Sienna, in company with an English gentleman, Mr. W. S⸺, and two Italians. It rained very hard, and the roads were consequently heavy, but our coach was large and comfortable; the horses were indifferent ones, and I observed one of our Italian companions express his dissatisfaction, on finding that we were not to be carried forward by mules, which are more capable of undergoing fatigue, and, I believe, in this country, twice as valuable as horses. We did not halt for breakfast until two o’clock in the afternoon, and as I had taken nothing before leaving Florence, I was really so unwell about twelve o’clock, that I entreated the driver to allow me to partake of a piece of bread, which I heard him eating, but he told me he had just finished it; I felt however sufficiently revived after a hearty breakfast of mutton-chops, coffee, &c. to be able to walk a few miles, which we could do at times, as the weather in the afternoon cleared up. One of our Italian companions was a Roman, and professed himself attached to mineralogy, and a great traveller, having been amongst the Turks, Greeks, Egyptians, Persians, and also over the greater part of Europe: he had, however, yet to visit England, from which he promised himself great gratification. The plain English of this probably was, that he was an itinerant dealer in precious stones. Towards evening the rain came on again, and we had a very heavy journey to Sienna, which we did not reach until after nine o’clock, when we made a hearty supper, and retired to bed. Sienna is described as a pleasant summer residence, but it must from its vicinity to the Apennines be very wet and cold in winter. There are several good public as well as private buildings; the streets are tolerably handsome, but many of them exceedingly steep. The inhabitants are stated to be hospitable and polished, and to speak the purest Italian of any modern state. There are said to be many English residents. The present pope Pius VII. is a native of this place. The cathedral is magnificent, and particularly famous for its pavement of white marble, inlaid with Scripture pieces of grey marble, amongst which is Abraham’s intended sacrifice of his son Isaac. Another piece, representing Moses striking the Rock, is also greatly admired: the whole, indeed, are of exquisite workmanship, which it took ages to complete. But as I can give little other personal account of this place, than what I might derive from my _dreams_, having passed nearly the whole of the short time I continued here in bed, I shall say no more respecting it. At six in the morning we recommenced our journey, notwithstanding which early hour, our good and pious coachman had been to mass to pray for a safe journey. We breakfasted at Buono Convento, where the Emperor Henry VII. was poisoned by a monk with the sacramental wafer, in the year 1314.