Some of the families here put me in mind of our own domestic system. The prince of Refuttana, his wife and daughter, are always together; but it is because they chufe to be fo, and there appears the strongest affection, without the least diffidence on the one fide, or restraint on the other. The young princess Donna Rofolia is one of the most amiable young ladies I have feen; she was of our little party last night, and indeed made one of its greatest ornaments. It would appear vain and partial, after this to fay, that in countenance, fentiment, and behaviour, the feems altogether English; but it is true and this perhaps may have contributed to advance her still higher in our esteem; for in fpite of all our philosophy, these unphilofophical prejudices will ftill exist, and no man, I believe, has entirely divested himself of them. We had lately a noble entertainment at her father's country house, and had reason to be much pleased with the unexpected hofpitality and eafy politeness of the whole family. This palace is reckoned the most magnificent in the neighbourhood of Palermo. It lies about fix or feven miles to the weft of the city, in the country called II Colle; in the oppofite direction from the Bagaria, which I have already mentioned. The viceroy and his family, with the greatest part of the nobility, were of this party, which lafted till about two. in the morning. At midnight a curious set of fire-works were played off, from the leads of the

palace, which had a fine effect from the garden below.

Farewell. I had no time to write yesterday, and though we did not break up till near three this morning, I have got up at eight, I was fo eager to give you fome account of the Sirocc wind.

We are now going to be very bufy: The feaft of St. Rofolia begins to-morrow; and all the world are on the very tip-toe of expectation: perhaps they may be disappointed. I often wish that you were with us, particularly when we are happy : Though you know it is by no means feasts and fhews that make us fo. However, as this is perhaps the most remarkable one in Europe; that you may enjoy as much of it as poffible, I fhall fit down every night, and give you a short account of the transactions of the day. We are now going to breakfast; after which we are engaged to play at Ballon, an exercise I suppose you are well acquainted with; but as the day promises to be extremely hot, I believe I shall desert the party and go a swimming. But I fee F. and G. have already attacked the figs and peaches, fo I must appear for my interest.Farewell.

LETTER

XXX.

Palermo, July 12th,

ABOUT

BOUT five in the afternoon, the festival began by the triumph of St. Rofolia, who was drawn with great pomp through the center of the city, from the Marino to the Porto Nuovo. The triumphal car was preceded by a troop of horse, with trumpets and kettle-drums; and all the city officers in their gala uniforms. It is indeed a most enormous machine: It meafures seventy feet long, thirty wide, and upwards of eighty high; and, as it paffed along, overtopped the loftieft houfes of Palermo. The form of its underpart is like that of the Roman gallies, but it fwells as it advances in height; and the front affumes an oval fhape like an amphitheatre, with feats placed in the theatrical manner. This is the great orchestra, which was filled with a numerous band of musicians placed in rows, one above the other: Over this orchestra and a little behind it, there is a large dome fupported by fix Corinthian columns, and adorned with a number of figures of faints and angels; and on the fummit of the dome there is a gigantic filver ftatue of St. Rofolia. The whole machine is dreffed out with orange-trees, flower-pots, and trees of artificial coral. The car stopped every fifty or fixty yards, when the orchestra performed

a piece of mufic, with fongs in honour of the faint. It appeared a moving caftle, and completely filled the great street from side to fide. This indeed was its greatest disadvantage, for the fpace it had to move in was in no wife proportioned to its fize, and the houfes feemed to dwindle away to nothing as it passed along. This vaft fabric was drawn by fifty-fix huge mules, in two rows, curiously caparisoned, and mounted by twenty-eight poftillions, dreffed in gold and filver ftuffs, with great plumes of oftrich feathers in their hats. Every window and balcony, on both fides of the street, were full of well-dreffed people, and the car was followed by many thoufands of the lower fort. The triumph was finished in about three hours; and was fucceeded by the beautiful illumination of the Marino.

I believe I have already mentioned, that there is a range of arches and pyramids extending from end to end of this noble walk: thefe are painted and adorned with artificial flowers, and are entirely covered with lamps, placed fo very thick, that at a little distance the whole appears fo many pyramids and arches of flame. The whole chain of this illumination was about a mile in length, and indeed you can hardly conceive any thing more fplendid. There was no break or imperfection any where; the night being so still that not a fingle lamp was extinguished.

Oppofite to the center of this great line of light, there was a magnificent pavilion erected for the viceroy and his company, which confifted of the whole nobility of Palermo: and on the front of this, at fome little diftance in the fea, stood the great fire-works, reprefenting the front of a palace, adorned with columns, arches, trophies, and every ornament of architecture. All the chebecks, galleys, galliots and other shipping, were ranged around this palace, and formed a kind of amphitheatre in the fea, inclosing it in the center. These began the fhew by a discharge of the whole of their artillery, the found of which re-echoed from the mountains, produced a very noble effect; they then played off a variety of water rockets,and bombs of a curious construction, that often burst below water. This continued for half an hour, when, in an inftant, the whole of the palace was beautifully illuminated. This was the fignal for the shipping to cease, and appeared indeed like a piece of enchantment, as it was done altogether instantaneously, and without the appearance of any agent. At the fame time the fountains that were reprefented in the court before the palace, began to fpout up fire, and made a representation of fome of the great jet d'eaus of Versailles and Marly. As foon as these were extinguished, the court affumed the form of a great parterre; adorned with a variety of palm-trees of fire, interfperfed with orange-trees, flower-pots, vases, and other ornaments. On