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palace were, however, polite, and in his Majesty's absence, conducted us over every part of the establishment. One of them had a written list or inventory of all the objects to be seen; and as an English family happened in at the same moment, and went the rounds with us, he read aloud for the benefit of the whole party. He appeared to be a novice in the business, and often laughed at the awkwardness of his own functions.

Our examination began with the theatre, which is neat but not splendid. Thence opened a long suite of comparatively vacant apartments, with fresco ceilings, and brick or composition floors, painted of a bright red colour and highly varnished. It is almost as difficult

to stand upon them as upon ice, and the royal family have doubtless had many a fall, even since the days of Napoleon. The saloons generally will bear no comparison with those of the Grand Duke of Tuscany at Florence, either in fixtures or furniture. In the audience chamber, or hall of the throne, there is some display of splendour. The walls and seat of majesty are hung with crimson tapestry, richly embroidered with gold, and bearing the national arms of Naples and Sicily-the former a horse, and the latter three legs with a head in the centre, a symbol worthy of the fabled monsters of Trinacria. The royal bed-chamber and the late Queen's cabinet are both pretty rooms. From the latter, a door opens upon a terrace, commanding a fine view of the bay and the distant mountains. Adjacent to the bed-chamber is the bath, which is said to have been constructed by Murat. A slightly veiled Venus, with an old woman in the attitude of throwing a mantle over the goddess, is among the frescos on the walls.

In one of the rooms miniatures of the present king and queen are suspended by blue ribbons from the candelabra. His Majesty is a rosy-cheeked, chubbed-faced man, with small, round, light-blue eyes. He has a dull, stupid countenance, which from all we could learn is expressive of his character. He is now ill at Portici, and in one of his sick dreams, he fancied the ghost of his father appeared to him, and accused him of being unfit for the throne! He was so frightened by the spectre, as to call out to the servants in attendance. Many of his subjects believe, that there was much truth revealed in the vision. The present factotum of the government is the Secretary of State, the Chevalier de Medici, a Sicilian nobleman of moderate talents, and immense fortune accumulated from his office. He pretends to be a fortieth cousin to the great Medicean family of Florence. The pretensions of some of the Neapolitan nobility are ludicrous enough. It was told to me as a fact, that the family of Gaeta (anciently Caieta) claim origin from the nurse of Æneas!

But to return from this digression: the paintings in the palace are not numerous, and with few exceptions, do not possess extraordinary merit. Among the most prominent are two historical pieces, the assassination of Cæsar and the death of Virginia-by Camuccini, a Roman artist, who is now perhaps the first in Italy. Both of these are classical productions, chaste in composition and colouring. In the former the figure of Cæsar is admirable. Brutus is not so well: his attitude is bad, having a sabre raised as if to strike rather than to stab. Besides these historical pictures, there are some others worthy of notice. The head of St. Francis, by Carlo Dolce, is in his finest style, with all his finish and softness of colouring. His Majesty has a lot of Venuses, which are ugly enough; but perhaps it is best they should not eclipse his royal spouse, who has the coarseness of a washer-woman, and is said to be prodigal of her amatory favours, waiving rank !* If he looks at these gross images of the goddess, hanging about the walls of his palace, before going to bed, no wonder he has troubled dreams. Among works of more merit are portraits of the late king, and the Dutchess of Orleans with a child. The drapery of the latter is peculiarly fine. The statues are few in number, chiefly of bronze, and beneath notice. In point of architecture, the Palazzo Reale has little grandeur and no beauty.

* I would not calumniate a woman-not even a queen-but the reports of her own subjects justify more than I have said,

LETTER LXIV.

NAPLES CONTINUED-CAPO DI MONTE-ALBERGO DE' POVERI-CHINESE SANTO-THEATRES-EXCURSION TO

COLLEGE-CATACOMBS-CAMPO

CAPRI.

May, 1826.

To the Royal Palace at Capo di Monte, a woody eminence two miles to the north of the town, we made a delightful excursion on a bright afternoon, in company with one of our friends. A magnificent road, the Strada Napoleon, leads to the hill; but its excellence was not very highly relished after receiving the information, that the expense of constructing it came out of the purses of American merchants. The proceeds of the sales of vessels to the amount of three or four millions of dollars, treacherously confiscated by Murat, were partly appropriated to this purpose. Although the king and his court feel no compunctions in enjoying the princely revenue; yet they refuse to recognize the legitimacy of the government, under whose auspices it was opened, and upon that ground withhold indemnity for their spoliations upon our commerce. Will such contemptible quibbles satisfy the straight-forward policy of our country? But I leave these topics to abler pens.

The Palace at Capo di Monte is an enormous pile, two stories high with an attic, built of lava, with its exterior walls stuccoed and painted in imitation of brick. It has no pillars, but heavy Doric pilasters, and is entirely destitute of architectural ornament. A terrace extends quite round the building at the height of the first story, affording a charming walk, as well as a wide view of the bay, islands, mountains, the city and its splendid environs. A custode, who was viceroy for the time being, took us the usual rounds. The fresco ceilings and painted floors are in the same style as those in the Palazzo Reale. A few pretty marble ornaments, and some good pictures are among the decorations. Of the latter, the school of Athens, Socrates, Alcibiades, and Aspasia-Ulysses and the Minstrel-and the seventy wise men collating the Septuagint, are the most celebrated. The most interesting room in the Palace is that which contains the presents made to the royal family by different individuals. Here may be seen furbelows and trinkets of all descriptions, labelled with flattering mottoes and loyal sonnets. Beautiful medallions of the family hang round the walls. The king has nine children. A full length likeness of one of

the daughters makes a handsome picture. This palace is not yet finished.

The royal domains at Capo di Monte are very extensive, and laid out in the style of Park scenery in England. They constitute the sole charm of the hill, and form the finest retreat in the vicinity of Naples. Passing under a long arch of evergreen, impervious to the sun at noonday, we pursued one by-path after another carpeted with white clover, and were soon lost in woods, having all the wildness and freshness of nature. A deep, picturesque dell opens to the north in the depth of which are seen a few scattered huts and three little chapels buried in foliage. The scenery is in the highest degree romantic. Partridges stalked across the road, and rose on whizzing wings. A heedless ramble fairly bewildered us. At length a convent bell, in the very depth of the forest, tolled for vespers. Crossing an old bridge mantled with ivy, we directed our course towards the sound, and pilgrim-like sued for admission at the gate, to which the game-keeper conducted us, and which was readily thrown open by an old monk. He was of the order of St. Francis, wearing a long black beard, a coarse woollen robe, and sandals clouted upon his feet. The situa tion of the small convent and chapel is delightful, entirely secluded from the world. An inscription states, that it was erected by the late king, for seven brothers of the order. A pretty flower garden, all in bloom, spreads in front. The monk showed us the cloisters, and the relics of St. Clement under the altar of the church. After listening to the chant of the evening hymn by the few inmates of this delicious retreat, we bade adieu to the kind-hearted brother and hastened back, charmed with the adventures of the ramble.

Beautiful as the grounds are at Capo di Monte, it is said the king cannot endure the retirement, vastly preferring the hot lava roads of Portici and the crowded streets of Naples. The fact is not perhaps remarkable, as he has neither taste nor intellectual resources to render seclusion tolerable. A theatre and a Corso are indispensable requisites to the happiness of the Italians, who have not the least relish for rural quiet. We visited a charming country seat, called the English Villa, in the vicinity of Capo di Monte, and enriched with the same description of scenery. Its gardens, fountains, grottoes, and refreshing shades are now absolutely deserted and cannot find a purchaser, while the wealthy proprietor probably hears fish and macaroni cried every morning under his window, in some dirty part of Naples.

With the exterior of the Albergo de' Poveri my readers are already acquainted. We paid a visit to the inside, as furnishing a specimen of

the numerous similar institutions, with which the city, much to its credit, abounds. There is, in truth, a good deal of active benevolence among the Neapolitans, and never, never was a finer field presented for its display. The French gave the impulse to nearly all the recent improvements at Naples, as well as in other parts of Italy. Murat enlarged the Albergo de' Poveri, (founded by Charles V.) and it is not yet entirely completed. Its situation is eligible, in a healthy part of the town, flanked on one side by a large botanic garden, with wooded hills in the rear. The superintendent conducted us through the establishment, which is almost a town in itself. Its present number of inmates is between three and four thousand, consisting of both sexes and all ages. Some of them are sent hither by the police, as to a sort of penitentiary for the punishment of minor of fences; but the greater proportion solicit admission, such as orphans and persons having no means of support. The revenue amounts to $250,000 annually, of which, the sum of $40,000 is a contribution from the government.

The whole of the interior is neatly painted of a brick colour, and the comfortable beds in the dormitories are of the same complexion, manifesting some taste as well as cleanliness. Paintings decorate the walls, and nine hundred of the paupers sit down at one table, to enjoy coarse but wholesome fare, served up on marble slabs. The police appeared to me judicious. Corporal punishment is seldom or never inflicted. The inmates are all kept busy. They commence their daily labours, consisting of all kinds of trades and manufactures, at 5 o'clock in the morning. At 11 they take breakfast, and dine at 5 P. M. One third of the profits of their industry goes to themselves, and the remainder for the support of the institution. We visited the school rooms, where the children are instructed in reading, writing, arithmetic, the elements of the Italian language, vocal and instrumental music, and dancing. In addition to these branches, females are taught plain and ornamental needle work. Groups of the pupils were observed engaged with their books during the intermission, in conning their tasks. One of the little bronze-faced, black-eyed girls, the daughter, probably of a lazzarone, ran to the garden and brought each of us a cluster of fresh roses, dripping with dew. In the true Italian style, a theatre is attached to the institution, where the paupers on gala days enact Punch and the Beggar's Opera for their amusement. They have also a chapel, and, in fact, all the resources of a town within themselves. The residents are infinitely better off, than a majority of the inhabitants of the city.

Our visit to the Chinese college, for the education of missionaries, was interesting. It stands on an eminence upon the southern declivi

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