Noel Blakiston

Noel Blakiston describes the actions of an ebullient British Consul in the Papal State during the final stages of Italian unification.

From 1858 to 1870, a privileged and gifted English observer, Odo Russell, watched the declining fortunes of the Papal government. Russell reported in his strong and lucid style, writes Noel Blakiston, “as though they formed a chapter of medieval history.”