vigilance of the Austrian sentinels, and the negligence of the Neapolitans!
The last time I travelled on this road, I never failed, after dusk, to hear
the shout of _Wer da?_ of the Austrian sentries, long before I came up to
them, and I always found them alert. Now that the cordon was Neapolitan, I
always found the sentries either asleep, or playing at cards with their
companion (the sentries being double), both having left their arms at the
place where they were posted. At night I have no doubt they all fall
asleep, so that three or four active _banditti_ might come and cut the
throats of the whole chain of sentries in detail.

30th October, 1818.

I have begun my course of water drinking at the fountain of Sta Lucia.
Since I was here the last time, the theatre of St Carlo has been finished
and I went to visit it the second night after my arrival. It is a noble
theatre and of immense size, larger it is said than the _Scala_ at Milan,
tho' it does not appear so. The profusion of ornament and gilding serves to
diminish the appearance of its magnitude. It is probably now the most
magnificent theatre in Europe. The performance was _Il Babiere di Siviglia_
by Rossini, and afterwards a superb _Ballo_ taken closely from Coleman's
_Blue-Beard_ and arranged as a _Ballo_ by Vestris. The only difference lies
in the costume and the scenery; for here the _Barbe Bleue,_ instead of
being a Turkish Pacha, as in Coleman's piece, is a Chinese Mandarin, and
the decorations are all Chinese. A great deal of Scotch music is introduced
in this _Ballo,_ and seems to give great satisfaction. At the little
theatre of San Carlino I witnessed the representation of Rossini's
_Cenerentola,_ a most delightful piece. The young actress who did the part
of Cenerentola acted it to perfection and sung so sweetly and correctly,
that it would seem as if the _role_ were composed on purpose for her. The
part of Don Magnifico was extremely well played, and those of the sisters
very fairly and appropriately. The three actresses who did the part of
Cenerentola and her sisters, were all handsome, but she who did Cenerentola
surpassed them all; she was a perfect beauty and a grace. I think the music
of this opera would please the public taste in England. Rossini seems to
have banished every other musical composer from the stage.

I have seen, at the Theatre of San Carlo, the _Don Giovanni_ of Mozart; but
certainly, after being accustomed to the extreme vivac