Revolutions,
we have over and over again been told, "cannot be made with
rose-water." The Tuscan revolution may have "proved the rule by the
exception," but it assuredly proved it in no other way. The revolution
by which poor old Ciuco lost this throne was essentially a rose-water
revolution. The history of that day, of the negotiations respecting
the proposed abdication of the duke, of the conduct and bearing of the
people, has already been told by the present writer, when he was fresh
from witnessing the events, in a little volume published in 1859. He
will not therefore repeat them now, but will conclude this paper with
an account of the manner of the last grand duke's farewell to Florence
which is not given in the volume spoken of.
It was at six o'clock in the evening that the carriages containing the
grand duke and his family passed through the Porta San Gallo, from
which proceeds the road to Bologna, and thence to Vienna. The main
preoccupation of the people at that moment was to assure themselves by
the evidence of their own senses that the duke and dukelings were
really gone. An immense crowd of people assembled round the gate and
lined the road immediately outside it. Along the living line thus
formed the cortege of carriages proceeded at a slow pace. There was no
fear of violence.
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