round a manager the moment he entered. I passed much of my time there, and there first saw and heard the two extraordinary blind brothers, called "Le bravi Orbi." They were natives of Bologna, and during the spring and summer travelled to Rome, Naples, Venice, &c.; their talents were everywhere held in the highest estimation: the one played the violin with exquisite taste, the other the violoncello with such wonderful execution, as to have obtained from the Bolognese the additional cognomen of " Spacca note"-" Split note." I never missed an opportunity of hearing them.

Signor Lovatini took me to see the Specola Museum, which the Bolognese consider the finest in the world. I was astonished to hear that the wax figures there, were the work of a female, a native of the town. I also saw the church of La Madona della Santa Lucia, where she is to be seen as large as life; the church stands on a hill, and, to guard La Madona from bad weather, when she is carried in procession, a covered way, nearly six miles in length, has been built as an approach to it.

I had a letter to deliver to a Bolognese nobleman, Signor Ferussini, a singular character, though a very worthy man; he was frightfully ugly and hump-backed, yet he was afflicted with the disease of supposing every woman who saw him

in love with him; as he was rich, he spared no expense in adorning himself, in order to set off his charms to the best advantage. I was waiting for him one morning, when he came from his toilette, dressed in a new suit of the richest and most expensive quality-painted, patched, and made up in every possible way. He placed himself before a large mirror, and indulged himself thus "I am handsome, young, and amiable; the women follow me, and I am healthy and rich-what on earth do I want?"-"Common sense, you rascal," said his father (who had just entered the room) in a fury, and immediately knocked him down. Even the immortal Liston might take a lesson in the ludicrous, from my astonished Adonis !

I found here by accident Signora Palmini, the prima donna, who was engaged to sing with me at Venice. We agreed to travel together. She was a very handsome woman, though on a large scale; her husband, au contraire, was a diminutive, shrivelled old man, and jealous in the extreme: he, with her mother (an ugly old body), a little black boy, a servant, and a lap dog, composed her suite. With these rational and pleasing companions did I embark in the canal passage-boat from Bologna to Ferrara; it was drawn by horses, and nearly half the time employed in getting through the locks.

When we arrived at Ferrara, we determined on remaining there a day, to look about us: and accordingly left our boat, and went to the Hôtel de St. Marc; we had a very good dinner, and a very merry landlord. He told us many stories in his talkative way: amongst others, one of the mad poet, Ariosto, as he chose to call him.

It appears that Ariosto, one day passing a potter's shop in Ferrara, heard the owner singing a stanza of the Orlando Furioso. Attracted by his own poetry, he listened, and found that the potter mangled it most miserably, rendering a most beautiful passage rank nonsense. This so enraged the poet, that, having a stick in his hand, he laid about him lustily, and broke every thing he could reach. When the poor devil of a potter expostulated with him for destroying the property of a man who had never done him any injury, he replied ""Tis false, you have done me the deepest injury; you have murdered my verses;-I have caught you in the very fact." When pressed to When pressed to pay the poor man for some of his property, his only answer was-" Let him learn to sing my poetry, and I will leave alone his pottery."

Ferrara, called Ferrara la Civile, had some noble buildings in it, and fine wide streets, but so thinly peopled that the grass actually grew in many of them. The greater part of the inha

bitants wore long swords, which they still call Andrea Ferraras, and were in general expert swordsmen. The place was so miserably dull, that I was glad when the morning came, and we set off in a coach for La Ponte del Lago Scuro, where we arrived in the evening, and embarked again in an excellent barge on the river Po. We had a number of passengers on board-friars, Jews, singers, dancers, &c. &c. all mirth and jollity. A good dinner and supper were provided on board, and each found good spirits, dancing and singing. From the Po we got into the Adigo, and from that river entered the Laguno leading to Venice.

Venice! dear, beautiful Venice! never shall I forget the sensations of surprise and delight which I experienced when I first caught sight of thee! thy noble palaces! thy magnificent churches, with their cloud-capt spires! appearing as if just arisen from the sea, and floating on its surface! Years and years have passed away, yet I still call thee, dear, beautiful Venice.

On our arrival, we anchored near the bridge of the Rialto; I and my travelling companions took up our abode at the Hotel, called the Queen of England. After dinner, the caro sposo of my prima donna went to inform the manager of our arrival. He soon returned with the face of him who "drew Priam's curtains in the dead of night,"

and told us that our manager, he by whom we

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were to live, or have no life," was not to be found! That not being able to make his deposit, he was unable to make his appearance, and that we had "all the world before us where to choose."

Here was a pretty coup for a man with five zecchinos in his pocket. To render the destruction of our hopes intelligible, I must explain, that so many needy speculators had taken the theatre, and failed, leaving their performers destitute, that the Senate had felt it necessary to interfere, and had appointed a person, under whom the following regulations were to be strictly observed:-The person proposing to take the theatre, was compelled to give in a list of his performers, their salaries, &c. together with every estimated expense attending his proposed arrangements; and then was forced to give security, or actually deposit money to the amount so stated, before he could procure a licence to open the doors!

My prima donna, her caro sposo, mamma, little black boy, lap-dog, &c. returned to Bologna, as the most likely place to procure another engagement. And here was I left in Venice with the cheering prospect of being six months, (the period for which I was engaged) without employment! I was pennyless! It is true I had a few good clothes, and a small stock of linen; but then I