I. S. Williams

“ Despatches from the inundated districts of Italy give a melancholy picture of their present condition. Trees lie flat on the ground, rooted up by the force of the floods. The meadows and fields are strewn with sand and stones. ”

“ One-third of the houses facing the river at Casalmaggiore are entirely covered by the water. Those which are not destroyed are abandoned. The wealthy have fled the neighbourhood; the poor wander about, trusting to charity for their subsistence. ”