appointed regent. Since the people had risen proclaiming a republic, the French Third Republic, Nigra helped them escape and save themselves. Having become a friend of Virginia Oldoini, Countess of Castiglione, through Cavour, he was later her lover in Paris. In 1876, Nigra was transferred to St. Petersburg with the rank of ambassador, in 1882 to London, and in 1885 to Vienna. In 1899, he represented Italy at the first Hague Peace Conference. He was created count in 1882 and senator in 1890. Having retired in 1904, he died at Rapallo on 1 July 1907. He was a sound classical scholar, and published translations of many Greek and Latin poems with valuable comments; he was also a poet and the author of several works of folklore and popular poetry, of which the most important is his Canti popolari del Piemonte. Shortly after Cavour's death in 1861, he was elected as Great Master of the Grand Orient of Italy. In February 1860, Nigra had joined the regular Masonic Lodge Ausonia of Turin. Honuors Italy Knight of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation, 1892. Grand Cordon of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, 1892. Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Italy, 1892. Foreign Knight of the Imperial Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky, Russian Empire. Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Military Order of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Kingdom of Portugal. Knight Grand Star of the Order of the Lion and the Sun, Qajar Empire. Knight Class I of the Order of the Iron Crown, Austro–Hungarian Empire. Grand Official of the National Order of the Legion of Honour, Second French Empire. Commander of the Order of Isabella the Catholic, Kingdom of Spain. Knight IV Class of the Order of the Red Eagle, German Empire. Knight II Class of the Order of the Dannebrog, Kingdom of Denmark. Honourary degrees Honourary degree for studies in literature and applied philology, related to the collection of popular songs, University of Edinburgh. Honourary degree for studies in literature and applied philology, related to the collection of popular songs, University of Kraków. Works Nigra's work included La rassegna di Novara (1861), published in 1875; La gondola Veneziana (barcarola) (1863); Le reliquie Celtiche (1872); Canti popolari del Piemonte in 1888; La chioma di Berenice (Callimaco), a 1891 elegy by Callimachus with text in Latin by Catullus; Inni di Callimaco su Diana e sui