eeing in Rome; the columns, if freed from the modern church,
would present as perfect a front as the temples in the Forum. To
Monte Aventino to see the view of Rome and the Chapel of the
Order of Malta, where Cardinal Zurla as Grand Prior has a most
agreeable residence. The garden contains immense orange-trees and
a very large palm. To San Gregorio to see the famous rival
frescoes of Guido and Domenichino, which are much impaired. I
began by liking Guido's and ended by liking the other best. The
view of the Palatine from this convent is magnificent. To San
Gregorio and San Paolo, and saw the ruins, which must have
belonged to the Coliseum, for the architecture is exactly
similar, and they have every appearance of having been the
Vivarium from their shape. To the Corsini Palace, containing one
of the best collections of pictures, of which the finest are two
portraits of cardinals by Raphael and Domenichino. The palace is
very fine, and the villa joins it on the opposite hill of the
Janiculum, but both are affected by the malaria. Then to the
Vatican and saw all the frescoes and pictures; the collection of
pictures is very small, but they are all masterpieces. To the
gallery below to see the mosaics and the process of copying the
great pictures. The coloured bits are numbered, and though there
are not above six or seven colours, the sub-divisions of various
shades amount to 18,000. This art is in a great degree mechanical,
but requires ingenuity, attention, and some knowledge of
painting. On the large pictures, such as those which are in
St. Peter's, several men are employed at the same time, but on
the lesser only one. It is very tedious, requiring years to copy
one of the largest size. All the pictures in St. Peter's are in
mosaic, except one, and they are at work on one which is to
replace this single oil-piece. The studio appeared in good order,
but there were only two men at work, as the Government spends
very little money upon it at present. From one of the open
galleries we (Morier and I) saw a thunderstorm, with gusts of
wind, flashes of lightning, and rain. It was amazingly grand from
that place as it swept over the city and made us 'sharers in its
fierce delight.' Then to the Borghese Gardens, and back to one of
those sunsets from the Pincian which will long be remembered
among the smoke and fogs in which I am destined to live.

CHAPTER IX.

Lake of Albano--Velletri--Naples--