beautiful and valuable paintings. I must not omit to mention, although the fentiment which it infpires is not very pleasant, the reprefentation of the capture of an English frigate, by la Bayonne, a French corvette, after a defperate engagement, in which victory for once decided in favor of the enemy, who oppofed, on this occafion, an inferior force. This is a picture of infinite merit, and poffeffes a novelty of arrangement, and ftrength of coloring, which I never faw equalled in any other naval reprefentation. The fubject feldom admits of much variety. The French, of course, are very much pleased with it. There are!! here alfo, fome curious old clocks.

It was in one of these apartments, that Prior, the celebrated poet, when fecretary to the earl of Portland, who was appointed ambaffador to the French Court, in the year 1698, made the following memorable answer.

One of the French king's household was showing the bard the royal apartments and curiofities of this palace, and particularly pointed out to his notice, the paintings of le Brun, now removed to the muf eum of the arts, in which the victories of Lewis the XIV. are defcribed, and afked him whether the actions of king William were to be feen in his palace? No, fir, replied the loyal wit, the monuments "of my mafter's glory are to be seen every where but "in his own house."

Through the intereft of Monfieur S, we were

admitted into a private room below ftairs, in which feveral portraits of the late royal family have been preferved from deftruction, during the late revolution. That which reprefents the queen and her young family, is very fine, and difplays all the bewitching beauty and vivacity of that lovely and unfortunate perfonage, Into this room no one was admitted with us. Here is a very curious piece of mechanism : it is a painting, containing two hundred little figures, in the act of enjoying the various pleafures of rural fport, which are feparated from the back ground of the picture, and are fet in motion by springs; and admirably imitate all the movements natural to their different occupations. A fisherman throws in his line and draws up a little fifh, a regular chafe is displayed and a nuptial proceffion appears, in which little figures, riding in tiny carriages, nod to the fpectators. There are also many other curious figures. It is glazed and framed, and at a distance, when its motion has ceafed, it has the appearance of a tolerably good painting. We next quitted the palace, and entered upon the grand terrace, from which it makes the finest appearance.hut

This enormous pile of building is here united by a centre, and correfponding wings, of great extent and magnificence..

From this elevated fpot, the beholder contemplates the different water works, walks and gardens, which cover feveral miles.

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The orangery is a beautiful fpecimen of Tufcan architecture, defigned by le Maitre, and finished by Manfart. It is filled with lofty orange trees in full bearing many of which, in their tubs, measure from twenty to thirty feet high. Amongst them is an orange tree which is upwards of four hundred years old. The cafcades, fountains, and jets d'eau, are too numerous to admit of minute defcription. They are all very fine, and are fupplied by prodigious engines acrofs the Seine, at Marli, about three miles diftant. The Trianon is a little marble palace, of much beauty and embellished with the richest decoration.

It stands at the end of the great lake, in front of the palace; and was by its late royal owners, confidered as a fummer houfe to the gardens of Verfailles. The whole of this vaft building and its grounds, were improved and beautified by Lewis XIV. for the well known purpose of impreffing his fubjects, and particularly his courtiers, with the highest opinion of his greatness, and the lowest of their comparative littlenefs. Amongst the lords of his court he easily effected his wifhes, by accommodating them in a manner unfuitable to their dignity.

After being aftonished at fuch a difplay of gorgeous magnificence, I approached, with increased delight, the enchanting little palace and grounds, of the late queen, diftant from Verfailles about two miles, called the Petit Trianon, to which the very justly gave the appellation of her "little Palace of Tafte." Here fa

tigued with the fplendors of royalty, she threw afide ? all its appearances, and gave herself up to the elegant pleasures of rural life. It is a princely establishment in miniature. It confifts of a fmall palace, a chapel an opera house, outoffices and stables, a little park, › and pleasure grounds; the latter of which are still charming, although the fafcinating eye, and tafteful hand of their lovely but too volatile miftrefs, no lon ger pervade, cherish and direct their growth and beauty. By that reverse of fortune, which the revolution has familiarized, the Petit Trianon is let out by the government to a reftaurateur. All the rooms but one in this houfe were preoccupied, on the day of our vifit, in confequence of which we were obliged to dine in the former little bed room of the queen, where like the Idalian goddefs, fhe used to fleep in a fufpended basket of rofes. The appertures in the ceiling and wainscot, to which the elegant furniture of this little room of repofe had once adhered, are still visible.

After dinner we haftened through our coffee, and proceeded to the gardens. After winding through gravelled walks, embowered by the most exquifite and costly shrubs, we entered the elegant temple of Cupid, from which the little favorite of mankind had been unwillingly, and rudely expelled, as appeared by the fragments of his pedestal.

Thy wrongs little god! fhall be revenged by thy fair friend pity. Those who treated thee thus, fhall fuffer in their turn, and fhe fhall not confole them!

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From this temple we paffed through the most rồmantic avenues, to a range of rural buildings, called the queen's farm, the dairy, the mill, and the wood'men's cottages; which, during the queen's refidence at the Trianon, were occupied by the most elegant and accomplished young noblemen of the court. In front of them, a lake terminated on one fide by a ruftic tower, fpreads itself. Thefe buildings are neglected, and are falling into rapid ruin.

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In other times, when neatnefs and order reigned. throughout this Elyfian fcenery, and gracefully spread its luxuriant beauties at the feet of its former captivating owner, upon the mirror of that lake, now filled with reeds and fedges, in elegant little pleasure boats, the illuftrious party was accustomed to enjoy the freshness of the evening, to fill the furrounding groves with the melody of the fong, which was faintly anfwered by the tender flute, whofe musician was concealed in that ruftic tower, whofe graceful bafe the honeyfuckle and eglantine no longer encircle, and whofe winding accefs, once decorated with flowers of the richest beauty and perfume, is now overgrown with mofs, decayed, and falling piecemeal to the ground.

Near the farm, in correfponding pleafure grounds, the miller's houfe particularly impreffed us with delight. All its characteristics were elegantly obferved. A rivulet ftill runs on one fide of it, which formerly. ufed to turn a little wheel to complete the illufion.