for extraordinary occasions, they have, indeed the satisfaction of knowing who their visitors are, as each person on entering, inscribes his name on the porter's book. As I was advancing up to Marlborough house, I observed the ladies of the family examining us from the window in one of the wings.

There is an air of ostentation in this custom, but whatever may be the motive, it must be confessed, that the practice answers many useful purposes for a stranger. All the most opulent men of the country plume themselves upon their collections of paintings and books, and while the taste of the visitor is improved, he is enabled to judge of their general style of living. In France, wherever an object of curiosity is lodged the door flies open spontaneously, at the voice of a stranger, but there are few private accumulations of this kind, the revolution having dispersed those which adorned the palaces of the cidevant noblesse. That immense unrivalled granary of the arts as the Louvre may be styled, is, however, a subject of as much complacency and elation to each individual Frenchman, as any private store can possibly be to the possessor in this country.

The interior of Blenhiem house did not altogether answer my expectations. I thought the rooms too small, with the exception of the vestibule and library, both of which are upon a grand scale. They are covered with a multitude of fine paintings and busts, not well arranged however, and exhibit some tapestry exceedingly good for the time, commemorating the exploits of the great duke: the one who now enjoys the title and estate is altogether superannuated, with a family of four children. The domestics are to the number of eighty, and paid, I should conjecture, out of the fees given by visitors, for I was compelled to disburse largely to the attendants in livery, who, at every door, handed us over to each other with a profound bow, and a tax-gathering countenance. Some noblemen have attempted to correct this abuse, but such exactions are but too common, and connived at undoubtedly by the majority of owners.

Let me transport you for a moment to Hagley, the seat of lord L-, on the borders of Wales. I strayed over it for many hours in the progress of my excursion of last summer, and the mention of Blenhiem revives some pleasing and analogous recollections concerning this rival paradise. You who are so well versed in the writings of "Father and Son" will comprehend the degree of interest which Hagley inspired, and as you know my character will readily believe, that the figure of Fame with her trumpet, surrounded by military trophies, which constitutes one of the bas-reliefs over the entrance of Marlborough house, did not communicate half the magic to the surrounding objects as did a volume of the Persian letters, which I found open in the porter's lodge of Hagley.

If I were permitted to select from all the seats which I have visited in this country, and in France, that of the L-family would certainly be my choice. The varieties of the ground are in the highest degree striking and beautiful; the park extensive and stocked with innumerable game; the plantations or clusters of trees distributed in such a manner, as to afford the finest views, and produce the happiest effect. The mansion, more handsome but less spacious than that of › Blenheim, is seated not far from the road, and the approach to it ⚫ through a noble avenue of old oaks; behind it, rises a lofty hill crowned with forest trees, from one side of which there issues a stream, which, after forming some fine cascades over the rocks, waters an extensive meadow on the left. As you emerge from the thickets of the first hill on the right, you find another still higher, of regular and easy ascent, on the top of which, there are some venerable ruins of the fourteenth century covered with ivy and moss, and where you are offered refreshments of goats' milk, &c. by a family lodged in one of the old towers: beyond this again stands one of the most elevated hills of the west of England, with an aclivity more difficult and steep, but which opens to the eye a prospect of the greatest variety and extent, embracing the Leasowes, Shenstone's villa, Birmingham and Manchester, the whole manufacturing country clouded with fire and smoke, the mountains of Wales, &c.

It required many hours to inspect the grounds of Hagley; I therefore did not solicit admission to the house, wishing to get into Wales as soon as possible. On a seat erected on the brow of the first hill, I left however with my name, a tribute of respect to the memory of the elder lord L in three appropriate quotations in Latin, Italian and French. Returning by the same route, a few weeks afterwards, I found, at the tavern of a charming hamlet which lies at the gate of the park, a note, addressed to me by name, from the present lord L-, couched in terms of acknowledgment for the compliments I had paid his venerable ancestor, and requesting me to partake of the

hospitality of his board" in case I should revisit the spot; my time did not permit me to avail myself of this invitation, but I remember the occurrence with gratitude, and relate it with pleasure.

We are now in Wales, my dear - and I cannot escape from it without mentioning Powis-castle, belonging to lord Clive, now earl Powis. I never witnessed any thing verifying more completely the description of romance, or so forcibly recalling to the mind, the legends of old. It is in the most wild and romantic part of Wales, was built in the thirteenth century, moated, with its battlements and towers, and fortifications, once strong but now rapidly decaying, and still bearing the traces of many a siege: the site of the castle is an emiVOL. III.

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nence well adapted to the purposes of security, and from the terrace you contemplate, immediately below, a valley richly cultivated, a fine stream of water, and a neat comfortable village called Welch Pool. At no great distance, the mountains of Wales, among the rest Snowden, and Cader-Idris, show themselves in all their majesty, with their shagged sides and cloud-capt tops, incrusted with hanging rocks of enormous size and most terrific aspect for those who wind along the roads beneath.

In the interior of the castle, every thing corresponds to the promises of "the mouldering turret and ponderous portal;" you find all the appendages which a novelist's fancy could have grouped together. Furniture unmolested for centuries by any other than the meddling hand of Time; tapestry of the same date; bed-quilts of the reign of queen Bess; and on the walls the grotesque figure of " many a lady fair and baron bold," such as the days of chivalry produced; a fine library adorned with original busts of the Roman emperors and orators, a gallery of paintings by the best masters, numerous corridors and an old loquacious housekeeper, with a single servant, complete the attractions and conveniences of this establishment. I was informed by the housekeeper that her lord visited the castle once a year, with about forty guests; that he remained for a fortnight to hunt; that every thing was thrown into confusion during his stay, and that his town servants were troublesome and impertinent, so that she was always glad to get rid both of him and them. He has another noble seat about thirty miles from this, at which he chiefly resides during

the summer.

We will now retrace our steps to Bath; you will probably ask when we shall get back to London at this rate, but I must be permitted to travel in my own way, or I should make no progress at all. Bath then, I shall undertake to describe, not comprehending its external appearance, upon which I have already touched in a former letter, but simply detailing some of the amusements and occupations of a city, that is, at once, the seat of health, and the mart of pleasure. I placed myself in a boarding-house where I found an agreeable society of well-informed men, and no less than seven old maids, a tribe abounding here for very obvious reasons. Bath is the constant residence of the latter, and of half-pay officers, and the temporary resort of every one, who has any pretensions to the ton in either of the three kingdoms. A fountain of water has raised it from a village to the dignity of a city, which ranks among the most beautiful of the universe, and this fountain is indeed extraordinary. The spring is perennial, and so copious as to afford an inexhaustible supply to innumerable baths, reservoirs, pumps, &c. The water sparkles in

the glass when drawn from the pump, and the mean temperature of it about 107; this natural warmth confounds the physicians, who have published many ingenious theories, without furnishing any conclusive explanation of so singular a phenomenon. The waters must be taken with extreme caution, and being a powerful stimulant are fatal in cases of weak breast, and local inflammation. The father of the present lord Clive, affecting to despise them as mere common water, died at the principal pump while drinking a second glass, and many persons have expired in convulsions after using them for some time. They are, however, sovereign in various complaints, if moderately taken. When a stranger arrives he inserts his name in the books of the pump-room, and is waited upon by the master of the ceremonies, who expects to receive a guinea as a tribute to his government. In this way he collects a revenue of about twelve thousand dollars per annum, which enables him to maintain an appearance, suitable to the dignity of his station, and calculated to inspire respect for his authority. A guinea is also paid per month for the use of the waters, and as a compensation to the decent females who constantly attend at each fountain, to serve the visitors. The fashionable season commences in October and terminates in March or April. During this period, every room of this great place is occupied, and the wheel of dissipation turns round with accelerated velocity. Until the middle of May, however, the company is still numerous, and the same amusements continue, but every thing is more calm, the effervescence appears to have subsided, and Bath is then more interesting, as you can enjoy the walks in its neighbourhood. A remark may be applied to Bath, which cannot, perhaps, be extended to any other city in the world. It literally contains no vulgar, and can collect no other mob, than that which frequents the concert and the ball. All the habitations are large, and the tradesmen, in ministering to the wants real and factitious, of their opulent guests, insensibly learn the language, and contract the manners of polished life. There is but one extreme here. The disparity of conditions is not felt, although the highest is exhibited every where. You have never reason to blush at vour own image, or lament the degradation of your nature, as you must do, in walking through the streets of London. The ascent is from decency to refinement, from competence to affluence, from elegance to splendor.

In the month of May, there is no spot which so eminently combines the advantages of town and country. A walk of minutes places you in the midst of cultivated fields, surrounded by an enchanting scenery, on the borders of a fine canal, or on the rich banks of the poetical Avon. In every street, there are circulating libraries, fur

nished with the literature of various languages, and with all the periodical publications and daily papers. Between the hours of twelve and two, ladies and gentlemen assemble pêle-mêle in the reading-rooms, to learn the current news, and whisper the prevailing scandal. Before breakfast, at nine or ten, they crowd in elegant morning dresses to the great pump-room-the valetudinarians to take the water, the mere votaries of pleasure to lounge gracefully, to see and be seen, to give and receive a salutation, to bestow a smile and interchange a nod. Because all are in some degree strangers, a stranger mingles intimately and easily with the society of Bath, so that the vacant hours before dinner are filled up, in excursions to the neighbourhood, morning visits, or with the ladies in shopping and gossipping." The latter are so far exempted from restraint, that they walk unattended even by a servant, which would be quite outré in London. In good weather, the streets are crowded by faces of the most exquisite beauty, which I observed, however, to be accompanied by a bold stare and a gauntiness of carriage, not generally characteristic of English women. On investigating the cause of this peculiarity, I was told, that this system of manners was now traditional, as having the attractions of convenience as well as the immunities of prescription, was immediately adopted by every succession of beauties; that in fact, the most sensitive modesty or fastidious reserve must soon give way, in the promiscuous intercourse of their public rendezvous; that a young lady who had been two seasons 66 upon the town," that is to say, engaged during that period, in the fashionable amusements of Bath, was confidently sent forth to the world, a thorough-bred coquette. Fortune hunters abound here, and the object of half the transitory visitors, is said to be marriage. Matches are nevertheless astonishingly rare in proportion to the number of candidates. Each individual is known to put on the best appearances, and all are, therefore, suspected of a design to impose, or rather, of a wish to better their condition. I was informed by the master of the ceremonies, that he has occasion to notice, every year, a confluence or new flight of at least two thousand marriageable girls!

As many of the nobility and opulent men of the country have fixed their permanent residence at Bath, dinners, routs and private balls are enjoyed alternately with the public entertainments. Twice a week the monarch of this capital of pleasure displays his power, in the assembly rooms, which are adorned with the portraits of his predecessors, and the peculiar sphere of his authority, in splendour and amplitude, is not unworthy of his station. He presides at the fancy and the dress or cotillion ball; the first on Tuesday, the second on Thursday, more formal