Later Letters of Edward Lear Book

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III July, 1870, to May, 1872 SAN REMO IT is hardly necessary to point out that Lear had always an extreme difficulty in making up his mind about his movements. He was for ever drawing up elaborate plans for the future which seldom saw completion. But as he grew older and less inclined for travel, the necessity for having some fixed residence began to press insistently. At last, in the spring of 1870, he decided to build a house, as he found it impossible to get rooms or rent a villa in any convenient situation on the Riviera coast with a suitable studio. For this purpose he proposed to draw upon part of his small invested capital of ,£3,000, and he bought a piece of land near San Remo, and set the builders to work. The new house, which was not finally ready until the March of the following year, was christened Villa Emily, after aNew Zealand grand-niece.1 It was the painter's home for many years. To Lady Wdldegrave. Messrs. Asqcasciati Italia | San Remo. July 6. 1870. I wish you and C. to know that on June 22 I finally left Cannes, and the pigeon shooting swell community thereof?for San Remo?all my things coming in a Van?Vanity of Vanity?I may indeed say a Carry- van?by way of Nice to San Remo where, as above, is now my future address. My Pantechnicon things, (C.F's table and all2) are to come out by sea. I have taken lodgings, see address above, for six months, for though I hope to paint in my new room in December I don't get in till March to sleep. The house is already fast rising, and the roof is to be on by end of July. (I am writing this from Certosa del Pesio, a Mountain Pension twenty-four hours above S. Remo, to which I can run down when wanted?a place near Cuneo, (Turin) to which I have come for a week or two to be out of the great heat by t...Read More