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we fee In France ; but decoration is carried much higher. Marble bafons, with fine-fta ues, too good for the fituation : jets d’eau, temples, colonades, and buildings, with,out end, almofl conneded with the houfe; latticed, and clipped bowers and walks;miles of clipped hedges - terraces and gravel walks, never welkkept, with abundance oforange-trees, are the features ; and they are all in profuficn The expence enormous,both to form and to keep. There is a pinery, and not more than five or fix others in'the whole duchy of Milan. Reach Mozzate. The countefs appeared what we call agenteel good fort of woman, with nothing of that fpecies of foppery and affedation thatforms the fine lady. The moment I faw the Count de Caftiglione, I was prejudiced inhis favour; his phyfiognomy is pleafing ; and the inftantaneous eafy affability, mixedwith gfe.1t quicknefs and vivacity, tells one in a moment, that time would not be loft inhis company. I was not deceived; He entered prefently on the objed of my travels ;and I was highly pleafed to find, that he was a practical farmer. After dinner, we madean excurfion to a confiderable plantation he has executed with great judgment and fpirit.The count {hewed me a part of his farm alfo,—but this is not equally fuccefsful. Inthe evening, while the reft of the company were at cards, he fatisfied my numerous en-quiries concerning the hufbandry, &c. of the neighbourhood, in a manner that left melittle to wifh. After breakfaft, the next morning I returned to Milan. The feature which{truck me mod in this vifit to an Italian noblfcman, at his country-feat, is the great fimila-rity of living, and of manners in different countries. There are few circumftances in thetable, attendance, houfe, and mode of living, that vary from a mhn of fimilar rank andfortune in England or France. Only French cuftoms, however, predominate. I fuppofeonemuft go for new manners to the Turks and Tartars; for Spain itfelf, among peo-ple of rank, has them not to give: and this circumftance throws travellers, who regif-ter their remarks, into a fituation that fhould meet with the candour of readers : thofewho record faithfully, mult note things that are common, and 'fuch are not formed togratify curiofity. Thofe who deal much in adventures, fo contrary to our own man-ners as to excite furprife, muft be of queftionable authority ; for the fimilarity of Euro-pean manners, among people of rank or large fortune, can hardly be doubted: andthe difference among their inferiors is, in many cafes, more apparent than real. I ammuch pleafed with this family : the Countefs is a good woman, for Ihe loves her chil-dren, her hufband, and the country. Her hufband has life, animation, quicknefs ofconception, and that attention to agriculture, which made me wifti him for a neigh-bour. In our return, flop at Defio, the villa of the Marquis of Cufino, which is in aftyle that pleafes me. The houfe is not upon too great a fcale, and therefore finifhedand furniftied : the rooms are more elegant than fplendid—and more comfortablethan fhewy. There is one apartment, in encauftic painting, faid to be the firft execu-ted in Italy . The fecond floor contains thirteen bed-chambers, with each a fmall fer-vant’s room, and light clofet: and they have all fuch a comfortable, clean, Englifhair; and are fo neat, without any finery, that, had the floors been deal, inftead ofbrick, I fhould have thought myfelf in my own country. I have read travels thatwould make us believe, that a clean houfe is not to be met with in Italy ; if that wereonce true, things are abundantly changed. I like this villa much better than the maf-ter does, for he is rarely here for a fortnight at a time, and that not often. The gardensare fplendid in their kind ; lattice-frames of lemons twenty feet high, with efpaliers oforanges, both full hung with fruit, have, to northern eyes, an uncommon effed ; butthey are all covered with glafs in the winter. Here is a pinery alfo. Dine in the vil-lage on tre ut, frefh from the lake of Como, at 3 livres the pound, of twenty-eightounces. In the evening return to Milan, after an excurfion inftrudive in my princi-
1° pal.