07Jul1874, Old Sir Anthony Panizzi

LONDON, Tuesday, July 7th, 1874.
—We dined with Uncle W. at old Sir Anthony Panizzi's [FN: An Italian patriot and refugee who became Principal Librarian of the British Museum and a K.C.B.]: he is chair-ridden and very helpless, but amazing good company. Flew at Uncle W. for having too much to say to "priests"; and would not be pacified by his rejoinder of "How comes it, then, that no man is so hated as I am by the Roman Curia?" or by his announcement that it was orders from Rome that shipwrecked the Irish Universities Bill. Capital good dinner for us four. The old fellow kept breaking out with his objurgations against "priests" at odd moments all the evening through.