May 20th, 1873. Cloudy; rain in the evening.

At five o'clock in the morning we arrived at the town of Caserta, twenty miles short of Naples, where the king has a palace [Reggia di Caserta]. Today we were entertained there by royal household officers and palace officials at the express desire of His Majesty. Accordingly, when we descended from our train at the station, palace guards were there to meet us with horse-drawn carriages. We followed a road which ran directly from the station and the palace was at the end of it. They furnished each of us with a separate room for washing and gargling. After tea, we boarded carriages and toured the gardens.

We walked along a path among the trees where the shady foliage hid the sky from view. One path descended into a hollow, and the air there was refreshing. At the end of the path was a pavilion and a pond. Before us stood Mt. Vesuvius, the volcano, conspicuously thrusting its smoking peak into the sky. There, this side of the Bay of Naples, were the houses and bustling streets of the city. Before our eyes we beheld a view which is famous throughout Europe, and how spectacular it was! Then we returned to the palace, where luncheon was provided for us. After lunch we toured the palace itself, where countless excellent paintings and other fine things were on display.