son, the useful Eye-witness cited already, "is one of the
most celebrated Generals of the present age. So great are his military
talents, that his Brother, who is not apt to pay compliments, says of
him,--That, in commanding an army, he was never known to commit a fault.
This, however, is but a negative kind of praise. He [the King] reserves
to himself the glory of superior genius, which, though capable of
brilliant achievements, is yet liable to unwary mistakes: and allows him
no other than the praise of correctness.

"To judge of Prince Henri by his appearance, I should form no high
estimate of his abilities. But the Scythian Ambassadors judged in the
same manner of Alexander the Great. He is under the middle size; very
thin; he walks firmly enough, or rather struts, as if he wanted to
walk firmly; and has little dignity in his air or gesture. He is
dark-complexioned; and he wears his hair, which is remarkably thick,
clubbed, and dressed with a high toupee. His forehead is high; his eyes
large and blue, with a little squint; and when he smiles, his upper
lip is drawn up a little in the middle. His look expresses sagacity and
observation, but nothing very amiable; and his manner is grave and
stiff rather than affable. He was dressed, when I first saw him, in a
light-blue frock with silver frogs; and wore a red waistcoat and blue
breeches. He is not very popular among the Russians; and accordingly
their wits are disposed to amuse themselves with his appearance, and
particularly with his toupee. They say he resembles Samson; that all his
strength lies in his hair; and that, conscious of this, and recollecting
the fate of the son of Manoah, he suffers not the nigh approaches of any
deceitful Delilah. They say he is like the Comet, which, about fifteen
months ago, appeared so formidable in the Russian hemisphere; and which,
exhibiting a small watery body, but a most enormous train, dismayed the
Northern and Eastern Potentates with 'fear of change.'

"I saw him a few nights ago [on or about New-year's Day, 1771; come
back to us, from his Tour to Moscow, three weeks before; and nothing
but galas ever since] at a Masquerade in the Palace, said to be the most
magnificent thing of the kind ever seen at the Russian Court. Fourteen
large rooms and galleries were opened for the accommodation of the
masks; and I was informed that there were present several thousand
people. A great part of the company wore dominos, or capuchin dress