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In: Biographies·Travel Writing·History - European
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #54846.
The work is a biographical memoir of the explorer Sir Richard Francis Burton, written by his wife Isabel Burton. As the second volume of a two‑part account, it continues the chronicle of Burton’s later years, beginning with his appointment to the consulate at Trieste in 1872 and the couple’s ensuing travels through Europe, the Mediterranean and North Africa. The opening passages list a succession of places, Cannes, the Riviera, Trieste, Montreux, Malta, Algiers, and intersperse personal episodes such as the loss of a doctor, the death of Burton, and the handling of his papers. Interleaved with these itineraries are the author’s reflections on telegrams, social gatherings, and the practicalities of consular life, all anchored in the detailed index of Burton’s own works and the accompanying illustrations of his homes and travels.
Isabel Burton’s voice is that of a Victorian lady intimately acquainted with her husband’s adventures, blending meticulous travel reportage with candid domestic commentary. The prose is richly descriptive, peppered with period‑specific references to newspapers, societies, and the customs of 19th‑century European travel. Readers who enjoy scholarly biographies, historical travel narratives, or insight into the personal world of a famed explorer will find this memoir rewarding, especially those interested in the social and cultural backdrop of the late‑Victorian era.
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TRIESTE--HIS FOURTH AND LAST CONSULATE.
We meet by accident in Venice and go to Trieste--Richard as a "Celebrity at Home"--Articles by Alfred Bates Richards--Cicci--A wild race--Opçina--Trieste life--And environs--Rome and the Tiber--Vienna--The Imperial family--Fiume--_Castellieri_--Duino--Venice--Good-bye to Charley Drake--Excursions--Proselytizing--Richard is very ill--Charley Drake's death--Travelling for his health--The Nile on the tapis again--My Arab girl goes home to be married--Gordon--Winwood Reade's death--K.C.B.--Meeting Mr. Gladstone--Incidents of London life--Excursions--More London life--Leave England.
Jeddah--Bazars of Jeddah--Experiences on a crowded pilgrim-ship--Bombay--Sind--Travelling in Sind--Richard's remarks on changes in Indian army--The Indian army--And Sind--The Muhárram--Richard's old Persian _moonshee_--Mátherán--Karla Caves.
Hyderabad in the Deccan--Elephant riding--Ostrich race--Hospitality--Eastern hospitality at Hyderabad--Golconda--The famous Koh-i-noor--Regret at leaving the Deccan--Towers of Silence--Sects--The Hindu _Smáshán_--The Pinjrapole--Bhendi Bazar--Máhábáleshwar--Goa and West India--Life there--What to see--The Inquisition--Xavier's death--The Inquisition perishes--Sea journey to Suez--After a stay in Egypt, to Trieste.
Delightful Trieste life--Henri V. of France--Bertoldstein--Midian--Akkas--Waiting and working--I go out to join him--Richard's triumphant return--We go home--The British Association for Science--Society and amusement.
Spiritualism--A memorable meeting on the subject--Richard's lecture--Some very amusing and instructive speeches--Interesting discussions--And letters.
A remarkable visit--On leave in London--We leave London--I get a bad fall--The Austrian Scientific Congress--A ghost story--Excursions--Richard sends me home to a bone-setter--Richard meets with foul play--Camoens--A little anecdote about a Capuchin--The Passion Play--Ober-Ammergau--Celebrating a Vice-Consul's jubilee--Monfalcone--Richard's metal and colour.
Richard's three letters to Lord Granville--His application to be made Slave-Commissioner--How to deal with the slave scandal in Egypt.
Duino--Our Squadron--Our Squadron leaves--We go to Veldes--We part company--I am sent to Maríenbad--The Scientific Congress at Venice--Life and incidents of Trieste--Gold in West Africa--Mining--African mines.
London and back--The Great Trieste Exhibition--_Émeute_ at Trieste--We lose an old Vice-Consul--Lord Wolseley--Richard is sent to find Palmer--Trieste life--Count Mattei's cure--Count Mattei--We get the house we wanted--Scorpions--"Gup".
Richard's first bad attack of gout--His leave of absence--We return to Trieste--Streams of visitors--Richard's second attack of gout--Gordon's death--Colonel Primrose's death--Leave to England--"Arabian Nights"--London again--Richard's programme for Egypt--He asks for Tangier--Parts with my father--Goes to Marocco--What the world said--He waits for me at Tangier.
Diet for Ireland--Another postscript--Treatment of Catholics and loyalty--We winter in Marocco--Richard made a K.C.M.G.--A bad hurricane at sea--I have another fall--Naples--The great Chinese move--We get leave again to England--Oxford--His last appeal to Government--What the world thought about it--Chow-chow--His third bad attack of gout without danger.
Cannes and Society--The earthquakes--Riviera--Richard becomes an invalid--His own account of it--Our journey with Dr. Leslie--Drains--The Queen's Jubilee--Richard's speech--_Ally Sloper_--We think of a caravan--He gets much better--We go for our summer trip--Some of our Royalties come to Trieste--We lose Dr. Leslie, and Dr. Baker comes to us.
Programme of our day--Abbazia--We return to Trieste--His notes on his Swiss summer--Aigle--Our last visit to England--Richard leaves it for ever--His advice about Suákin--Discussing about Ludlow--Richard's remarks on Lausanne.
M. Elisée Réclus--Our Swiss outing--Trieste again--Maria-Zell--Austrian Lourdes--Semmering--Home again--Malta--Tunis--Carthage--Constantine--Sétif-- Bouira--Algiers--Hammam R'irha--Things one would rather have left unsaid--Marseilles--Hyères--Nice--Home--Our last trip--Switzerland--Davos-Platz--Ragatz--St. Moritz--Maloja--We descend into Italy homewards.
Our last happy day--The sword falls--He is called away--The sixty hours between death and funeral--The funeral at Trieste--The dreadful time that followed--Colonel Grant attacks Richard after his death--I answer directly to the Graphic in two parts--My answer--The beloved remains are removed to England--I leave Trieste and go to Liverpool--I fall ill--The mausoleum tent complete--The funeral in England at Mortlake--"It" confesses: too late.
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