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COXE J S TRAVELS XN RUSSIA.

and realizes the beautiful imagery in the Penferofo of Milton :

“ And when the fun begins, to flingHis flaming beams, me, goddefs bringTo arched walks of twilight groves,

And fnadows brown that Sylvan lovesOf pine, or monumental oak,

Where the rude axe with heaved ftroke *Was never heard the nymphs to daunt,

Or fright them from their hallow’d haunt.”

By Salvator Rofa, the well-known picture of the Prodigal Son from the Houghtoncolle&ion, Democritus and Protagoras , not lefs celebrated, and feyeral fine land-fcapes.

Of the Bolognefe fchool, two Guercinos, and feveral invaluable pieces by Guido.Befides the celebrated picture of the doctors confulting on the immaculate conceptionof the Virgin Mary , from the Houghton collection, I could not fufficiently admire thatdelightful painting, known by the name of Les Coufeufes, from the Crozat collection.This charming picture reprefents an aged governefs fuperintending feveral youngwomen at work, who are models of perfed beauty, unaffeded grace, and lereneinnocence. Thefe two paintings. are fufficient to exculpate Guido from the cen-fures of thofe connoifleurs, who, judging haftily from a few fpecimens, indifcriminatelyaccufe him of always facrificing too much to'the graces, and of introducing affededattitudes.

The cabinet contains alfo a few pictures by Battoni and Mengs, with whom the geniusof the Roman fchool feems to have expired. Of Battoni, Thetis approaching Charonwith her infant Achilles afleep is not without merit.

Three pidures by Mengs deferve notice: Perfeus and Andromeda, in which thepainter has erred againft coftume , by reprefenting the hero naked, and Andromeda halfclothed. The Judgment o: Paris , a fine pidure. and St. John preaching in the wilder-nefs, a fingle figure ; the air and motion are dignified.

The ordinary diftribution of the Emprefs’s time at Peterfburgh, as it concerns fogreat a Princefs, cannot be unacceptable to the reader.

Catherine ufually rifes at fix, and is engaged till eight or nine in public bufinefs withher fecretary. At ten {he generally begins her toilet, and while her hair is drefling, theminifters of {fate and aid-de-camps in waiting, receive their orders. Being d refled abouteleven, {he fends for her grand-children the young Princes Alexander and Conftantine,or vifits them in their own apartment. Before dinner fh’e receives the Great Duke andDuchefs, and fits down to table rather before one. She has always company at dinner,ufually nine perfons, confiding of the generals and lords in waiting, a lady of the bed-chamber, a maid of honour, 1 and two or three of the Ruffian nobles, whom flie invites.Their Imperial Highnefles dine with her three times in the week, on which days theparty is increafed to eighteen. The Lord of the bed-cfiamber in waiting, who fits op-pofiteto the Emprefs, carves one difh and prefents it to her; a ceremony, which havingonce politely accepted, fhe afterwards difpenfes with. Ider Majefty is remarkably tem-perate, and is feldom at table more than an hour. From thence {he retires to her ownapartment, and at three frequently repairs to her library in the Hermitage. At five fhevifits the theatre *, or a private concert; and when there is no court in ,the evening,

* An Italian opera, a company of Ruffian and another of French players were, in 1778, maintained atHer Majefty’s expence, at which the fpectators were admitted gratis.

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