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9 October 1904 — Ca’ Capello, Venice | |
Sunday. 9th [October 1904]. I went to morning service & walked home. Decided to go off to pay Mr Kennedy a visit at Cettinje & telegraphed to ask him if it wd suit. Directly after lunch went with the Count to the station & took the 2 P.M. train to Mestre– Cavaliere S. Arbib met us with Signor Volpi who went with us. At Mestre Sr Volpi’s carriage met him & he drove us to Morocco to show us his villa there. It is an old Morosini villa & had belonged to the gt Morosini conqueror of the Peloponnesos. When the last Morosini (Gattenburg) died it was sold & bought by Sr Arbib. He has now resold it to Sr Volpi who is a young man who is making himself rich by “affare.” He is manager of a Co in Montenegro formed in Venice to buy up tobacco & wood. By chance he is also going there next Friday. In the Mestre train I found dear old Genl de Horsey going away to Hyères & took leave of him. He seemed rather dazed & bewildered—poor old gentleman. It was a treacherous day & rather cold. The drive to Morocco took about 1 hour– The villa stands near the road & looks imposing from outside. There is a fine Morosini coat of arms in the centre—the rest is plain. Inside the rooms are small & the staircase insignificant. The gardens are the best part—long alleys of hornbeams trees high & overarching. A stream runs almost against the wall of the house & turns a large water wheel– The furniture is all bad & common Empire time. The good things that were in the house when Arbib bought it have all been dispersed. The first floor was evidently only used as sitting rooms—the 2nd floor is divided queerly into apartments—one large room & 2 smaller ones. Sr Volpi gave us coffee & then drove us back to the station & we got back to Venice at 5. We went to Arbib’s house to see his little Museum & then to see some antique statues he had been offered for sale but wh the Count says are not worth the price asked & then home. Dined at 8 & at 10.30 Count Seckendorff took leave of me & left by the night train for Verona en route for Munich. The Count is a very pleasant companion & had plenty of interesting things to tell me about Bismarck & the Kaiser. He always speaks of Bismarck as “our great man” & recognises his genius but after censured his prepotente way of treating people—especially the poor Empress Frederick—& then when he wanted to keep this Kaiser in subjection his pupil rose against him & put him on one side. Bismarck wanted to prevent the Kaiser from seeing the other Ministers & wished that all should reach H.M. through his hands—on the contrary the Kaiser likes to talk to everyone & have his own way. The present burning question of the Regency of Detmold is a proof of the Kaiser’s self will—he having forbidden the army to swear to the son of the late Regent. | |
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