In this room there are five paintings by Guido, and all of them excellent. One, in particular, we were very much struck with. It is a female figure, coloured in a very cold style, and with a blue curtain behind the head.

This collection is rich in fine paintings by Vandyke. One is of a little boy, dressed in white satin, and leaning against a red chair. The chair has red fringe on

the bottom, and a blackbird stands upon it. There is fruit in one corner of the picture. Another painting, by the same artist, is of a boy dressed in blue satin, and I did not consider it so well managed as that in white. A third picture, also by Vandyke, contains portraits of three children of the Durazzo family. One of them is dressed in crimson, another in white, and a third in black. There is a dog, also, introduced into the composition. To make such opposite colours harmonize, when seen as principal objects in the same painting, requires first-rate powers; and this work of art shows Vandyke's talents to great advantage. There is another painting by him,-portraits of a lady and two children of the Durazzo family. It is a fine specimen of his talents as a portrait painter.

The Palazzo Brignole also contains some valuable paintings. Vandyke's portrait of the Marchese A. G. Brignole, on horseback, is a splendid production. The attitude is very spirited. The Marchese appears to be riding into the room, and taking off his cap to the spectator. His dress is black, and the horse is grey. This fine painting may be pronounced a perfect specimen of the higher branch of portraiture. It is correct and natural; finished in every part; rich in detail, and effective as a whole. The head and the face of the Marchese appear as vital as though they were real flesh; and every moment you expect to hear the snorting of a high-mettled charger.

There are two paintings by Carravaggio,-one, Christ driving the buyers and sellers from the temple; and the other, the resurrection of Lazarus. They are very strongly coloured. Their character is force and energy

F

of chiaro-oscuro, with a vividness and abruptness of effect. A portrait of Rubens, by himself, is a very good picture. He has introduced his wife and a satyr. It is painted in the florid style of that master. Judith giving the head of Holofernes to a slave, painted by Paul Veronese, is the best picture I have seen since leaving Milan, or even since I left Paris. Here is, also, a fine picture, by Guercino, of Cleopatra with the asp; and a small one, the martyrdom of a saint, by Paul Veronese. Both of them are very good.

Although the Palazzo Pallavincini is the smallest we have yet visited, it contains the best selection of paintings that we have seen in this city. The interior decorations of this palace are in a superb style, and the furniture is of the most beautiful description. Fine old china vases are supported by cupids in marble; and, in some of the rooms, the bookcases and the ornaments are of very superior workmanship. Bathsheba bathing, painted by Franceschina; Mutius Scævola holding his right hand over the fire, in the presence of Porsenna, painted by Guercino; and Veturia entreating Coriolanus to save Rome, painted by Vandyke, are fine pictures.

In the Palazzo Spinola, one of the greatest ornaments of the gallery is a Madonna and child, by Vandyke. It is a very fine picture; and I remember seeing a copy of it, a few years ago, in the Leeds Exhibition. A Bacchanalian scene, by Rubens, is painted with all the voluptuous effects of that artist's general manner. A crucifixion, by Vandyke, is a very superior production. The expression in the countenances is extremely fine, particularly in that of the Saviour. The tone of colour, throughout the picture, is in accordance with the awful event, when darkness came over the earth: and the white drapery at the right hand of Christ is painted so as not to attract the spectator's eye, which is intended to be kept on the Saviour, as a principal object. The gradation of the other figures is admirable, and a beautiful harmony is kept up throughout. In the distant horizon are the spires and buildings

of Jerusalem; they are very indistinctly made out, but sufficiently so for every purpose of good painting.

Amongst the other buildings at Genoa is the Albergo, a magnificent hospital, affording an asylum to more than a thousand of the infirm poor. In the chapel is a basso-relievo, by Michael Angelo, of the Virgin and dead Saviour. It is justly considered a work of the highest merit.

The Grand Hospital is another considerable building, for the sick of every nation. It has contained a thousand patients, hesides as many as two thousand foundlings; and it is, perhaps, the most magnificent establishment of the kind in Europe.

We left Genoa, by the packet; and, after a pleasant sail of twelve hours, arrived safe in Leghorn. This city contains more than 50,000 inhabitants. Many of the streets and houses are handsome; and, from its bustling appearance, it must be a place of considerable

trade.

The Duomo is a handsome specimen of architecture. It was designed by Vasari, and is built of black and white marble. The interior is rich; but the ceiling is finished with too much gilding, which gives it the appearance of a town-hall.

In the dock-yard is Giovanni's statue of Ferdinand the First, with four slaves, in bronze, chained to the pedestal. As a work of art it possesses great merit.

The Jews' Synagogue here is considered the finest building used for that purpose in Europe. We could not see the interior; as we found the door closed, when we got to it.

We made an excursion to Pisa, and saw the Duomo, which is a very rich architectural structure. The entrance to the Baptistry has a remarkably echo. The man who shows it sang a few notes; and we heard them distinctly, after a few seconds, as if they were at a considerable distance.

We went to the top of the leaning tower, which excites the astonishment of all travellers. It is circular; it has an elevation of 180 feet, and overhangs its base fifteen feet.

It is composed of eight galleries, each surrounded by columns of marble and granite, whence spring the arches that support the entablatures of each gallery. From the summit of the tower there is a good view of Pisa, and of the surrounding country, which is flat, for many miles. In the distance we saw Leghorn, and

the sea.

The Campo Santo is surrounded by a cloister of sixtytwo arcades, built of marble. The walls are adorned with paintings in fresco. In the centre of the quadrangle is placed the earth which was brought from Mount Calvary, in the year 1189, by Archbishop Ubaldo Lanfranci. The statues over the principal door are by Giovanni Pisano; and amongst them is a figure of the sculptor himself, kneeling to the Madonna. In this ancient burial ground there are very many antiquities. On the sarcophagi are basso-relievos of excellent workmanship; and the tombs of many celebrated persons are placed around the cloisters; being arranged with the greatest care and attention. It is said that there are more than five hundred marble tombs, containing the ashes of the noble and the learned who have here found a resting place. Our stay was too short to allow us to examine these beautiful sculptures, frescoes, and other memorials of the departed; but we were highly gratified with our trip.

The next morning we left Leghorn for Florence, and arrived here in about twelve hours.

The chief employment of the peasantry, in the district between Leghorn and Florence, is the manufacture of straw used for hats and bonnets, and known by the name of the Leghorn plait; but the article is one so governed by fashion, that the people are not always in employment.

The inhabitants of some of the villages make terra cotta vases; and boast of having manufactured them ever since the days of the Etruscans; but I must leave this to be settled by the antiquary.

The road winds along the Val d' Arno, and we did not see much of the city, until we came near to it,

when the cupola of the Duomo made its appearance, towering above the other buildings. The Campanile, too, and the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio, rose above the trees; and other buildings came in sight, having a fine back-ground in the distant Appenines.

We entered the city at the Porta di Santo Fridiano, where the custom-house is situated. We are very quiet here. The streets are not so noisy and bustling as in many other places. They are paved, too, with flagstones, and that prevents, in some measure, the endless and disagreeable jolting we too often are subjected to. It also makes them more pleasant for pedestrians.

I am, Dear Sir, yours truly,

J. H.