the solemn decrees of that august body of emperors, kings, and ministers! How flimsy are all human laws, however multitudinous the armies and the sanctions by which they are supported, when the tide of circumstance, impelled by the inscrutable ordinances of Providence, dashes with its winds and waves against them!

But the author forbids such reflections for the present, although he is sufficiently prone to them, in consequence, perhaps, of the lessons which he daily received from his Mentor, the Prince de Ligne, who had the happy faculty of mixing a profound and philosophical knowledge of human nature with a vein of sparkling wit and inoffensive satire. The Prince, by the bye, was not one of the least conspicuous of the personages crowded together at Vienna by the Congress. His society was much sought after, and, old as he was, he seemed to enjoy the scenes around him with peculiar zest. They did not, however, interfere with his usual habits of writing. His library was his bed-room; his desk was his pillow. He used to sit in his bed writing the greater part of the morning, with a number of books, to which he might have occasion to refer, piled around him. "The extraordinary events," he would say, "now passing in the world, seem to inspire me; and perhaps a thought may arise in my mind which will be useful or amusing to somebody. I am more of an observer than an actor in the busy scene that is passing around me, which I cannot help comparing to an ant-hill disturbed by a kick. We hope that his memoranda, during this period, have been preserved, and that they will not long remain in their present state of obscurity.-Among other sights to which he introduced the author, we must not omit that of young Napoleon, then a mere child, at Schoenbrun, under the care of Madame de Montesquieu.

"We proceeded to the apartments of Madame de Montesquieu, who received us with the most lady-like politeness. As soon as we entered the young prince jumped from the chair in which he was sitting, and ran to embrace the Prince le Ligne. He was certainly the loveliest child imaginable. His brilliant complexion, his bright and intelligent eyes, his beautiful fair hair, falling in large curls over his shoulders-all rendered him an admirable subject for the elegant pencil of Isabey. He was dressed in a hussar uniform, and wore the star of the Legion of Honour. On the Prince introducing me, bearing in mind Rousseau's remark, that nobody likes to be questioned, and least of all children, I contented myself with stooping down to embrace him. He then ran into a corner of the apartment in quest of a little regiment of houlans made of wood, which the Archduke Charles had given him, and he made them manœuvre, while the marshal drew his sword and commanded the evolutions.

'Madame de Montesquieu, who, by her fondness for her interesting charge, well justified Napoleon's choice, related several clever remarks made by the child, which were calculated to confirm the idea that talent is hereditary. "A striking instance of his presence of mind," said she, "occurred yesterday, when Commodore, who accompanied the Emperor to Elba, came to visit us. Are you not glad,' said I, presenting the

commodore, to see this gentleman, who left your papa only the other day?'-O yes,' he replied, I am very happy to see him; but,' laying his finger on his lip, I must not say so. Your papa,' said the commodore, taking him in his arms, 'desired me to embrace you.' The child, who happened to have a toy in his hand, threw it down on the ground and broke it. Then bursting into tears, he exclaimed, Poor papa!' What was passing in his mind at that moment? added Madame de Montesquieu. Doubtless the same train of ideas which suggested the resistance he evinced when about to be removed from the Tuileries. He exclaimed that his father was betrayed, and that he would not quit the palace. He held by the curtains and clung to the furniture, saying it was his father's house, and he would not leave it. I was obliged to exert all my authority in order to get him away, and I succeeded at last only by promising to take him back again."

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'We stepped up to Isabey, who had nearly finished the portrait. The likeness was striking, and the picture possessed all the grace which characterises the works of that distinguished artist.* "What particularly interests me in this portrait," observed the Prince de Ligne, is its remarkable resemblance to that of Joseph II. when a boy. I should like to compare it with the portrait of Joseph, which was presented to me by Maria Theresa. This similarity, though merely a matter of accident, nevertheless affords a happy presage for the future." He then paid some wellmerited compliments to the artist.

"I have come to Vienna," said Isabey," in the hope of painting all the celebrated personages who are here, and I ought to have commenced with you."-" Why certainly," replied the prince, "in my rank of seniority."— "Not so," resumed Isabey, "but as the model of all that is illustrious in the present age."

The Empress Maria Louisa was now announced, and we made our obeisance and withdrew, leaving Isabey, who wished to shew her the portrait.'-vol. ii. pp. 46-49.

From this scene the reader will not be displeased to find himself removed to the Prater of Vienna, which the author describes in his usual picturesque and lively style.

To an inhabitant of Vienna the prater must possess, in a high degree, the charm of reviving pleasing recollections. It must be the mirror of the past at every period of life, reflecting alike the diversions of childhood, the pleasures of youth, and the dreams of early love. Where else shall we find, in a great capital, a place so rich in the beauties of wild and cultivated nature?

The majestic forest which extends to the banks of the Danube is inhabited by deer, who, sportively bounding from place to place, animate the delicious solitude.

How delightful is the picture, when the whole population of the city is seen assembled beneath the shade of the magnificent trees, or pursuing their various amusements on the grass, to which the Danube imparts constant freshness and verdure !

* It was this same miniature which Isabey presented to Napoleon on his return from Elba in 1815.'

The

'It is a high treat to enter on a holiday one of the redoubts which border. the grand alley of the prater. Nothing is more amusing than to see a minuet danced in the style of ludicrous gravity, by a few stately couples, who, in spite of the interruptions they continually experience from the surrounding bystanders, continue the dance with the most imperturbable solemnity, as though every step were a serious affair of conscience. dull monotonous minuet is at length succeeded by the animated and graceful waltz, and the couples frequently wheel round for an hour without stopping. At another part of the prater a sort of carousal is got up, and some worthy citizen, seated on a wooden horse, adroitly carries off the ring, without losing his equilibrium in the saddle. Then there are abundance of swings, which are a favourite amusement in all countries, parties of itinerant actors, &c.

'Amidst this motley assemblage, a stranger cannot help being struck with the obvious comfort and prosperity of the population of Vienna. The families of the trades-people and artisans collected round the tables testify at once, by the expence in which they indulge, their own industry, and the light burdens imposed on them by the government. No quarrelling or uproar disturbs the tranquillity of the multitude. Scarcely a voice is heard; and this silence is not the effect of gloomy melancholy, but the result of a happy physical temperament, which in this country produces a dreaming of the senses, instead of the mental wandering so common in the more northern parts of Germany.

'On our arrival at the prater, we found an immense number of persons of distinction, some on horseback, and some in carriages. Resides the number of carriages, which, as I have before mentioned, were provided for the use of the sovereigns and their suites, there was a throng of equipages belonging to the different foreigners who had come to Vienna, from all parts of Europe. Lord Stewart, the English ambassador, drove four superb horses, which would have been the admiration of Newmarket. The Emperor Alexander and his interesting sister, the Duchess of Oldenburgh, were taking their airing in an elegant curricle. Prince Eugene Beauharnais on the one side, and the Prince Royal of Wirtembergh on the other, paid their court to the illustrious pair from very different motives. In a large berline, richly emblazoned with armorial bearings, appeared Sir Sidney Smith. Next came the calèche of the Pacha of Widin, entangled in a file of hackney-coaches, and followed by the carriages of the archdukes, who, in all their amusements, adopted the rank of private individuals, availing themselves of the privileges of their illustrious rank only in the fulfilment of their duties.

The gay scene was enlivened by a variety of interesting costumes,— Oriental, Hungarian, and Polish; and, above all, the becoming cap worn by the wives and daughters of the citizens of Vienna, resembling the Phrygian head-dress, and displaying to the greatest advantage the fair hair and pretty features of the wearers.

'Bands of music, paid by the keepers of the different coffee-houses, are stationed here and there, so that the prater daily presents the aspect of a tranquil festival, where every one appears intent on present enjoyment, and free from all anxiety for the future.'-vol. ii. pp. 64–67.

A very extraordinary story is told in this volume of the Count and Countess Pletenberg, whose appearance of constraint on one

side, and of romantic attention on the other, in every society in which they mixed, attracted the notice of the author. The mystery was solved by the Baron Ompteda, (a name not unknown in the annals of the late Queen of England,) who stated, that the Count's father, having imposed by will an obligation upon him to marry a lady of undoubted noble descent, before the age of twenty-five, a Mademoiselle de Gallemberg was fixed upon for that purpose. She was extremely beautiful, and in her fifteenth year, yet the idea of being compelled to marry in order to preserve his estates, rendered the union so disagreeable to the Count that he soon deserted her, and sought for pleasure in dissipation. The wife, thus neglected, retired to one of her husband's estates in Bohemia, and gave herself up to complete solitude during a period of fourteen years, at the end of which the Count, jaded and disgusted with the course of vice he had so long pursued, once more visited her, and was struck with her still blooming beauty and amiable manners. Such was the impression which her presence produced upon his mind, that he sued for forgiveness and reconciliation. No entreaty could prevail upon the lady to relent in the resolution which his previous conduct had caused her to adopt; he became her admirer, her enthusiastic lover, notwithstanding her coldness; but nothing would do, she preferred her single blessedness to all his flattery and devotion. Thinking that change of scene might operate in favour of his views, he persuaded her to accompany him to Vienna, where, according to Ompteda's account, matters remained just the same as they were between this husband and wife in the wilds of Bohemia. Here is a charming subject for an opera or a comedy! Some of our readers may have seen that very interesting exhibition of "Living Pictures," which was presented at the King's Theatre a season or two ago. It has long been a favourite amusement upon the continent, and formed one of the many entertainments which the "committee " provided for the gratification of the sovereigns. We observe from the author's description, however, that the "pictures" were not confined to the imitation by living characters of celebrated paintings, but that they followed in pantomime the course of a poem or a romance. We can imagine nothing more fascinating than such an entertainment as this; and are apt to think that if well executed, a similar exhibition would draw to it all the gay crowd of London at this season of the year.

'The commencement of the performances was now announced by all the lights being put out. After an appropriate overture, executed by an orchestra composed only of harps and French horns, the curtain was drawn, and presented a scene called the Spanish Conversation. The second was the subject of a picture drawn by a youg French_artist, representing Louis XIV. at the fête of Madame de la Valière. This scene was executed by the young Count Trantmansdorff and the beautiful Countess Fichi. They were both of them possessed of superior attractions; and there was such an expression of emotion in the features of the count, and

of innocence and alarm in that of the countess, that the illusion was rendered complete. The third scene was taken from Le Gros' picture, representing Hippolytus justifying himself to Theseus against the accusation of Phædra.

The subjects of these pictures, represented by the most distinguished persons at court, with costumes so magnificent and appropriate, with shades and lights disposed in the most masterly manner by Isabey, necessarily excited great admiration. It is impossible, however, to judge of the species of magic effect produced, without having witnessed the exhibition. The immobility of the figures was maintained in a surprising manner; but there were attitudes so extremely fatiguing that they could not be kept up for more than a few minutes, and the curtain dropped on them sooner than the spectators could have wished.

The lights were now restored, and whilst the dramatic romances were being prepared, refreshments of all kinds were served round to the audience. "The first performance was the well-known romance, Partant pour la Syrie, composed by the Queen Hortense. It was executed by Mademoiselle Goubault, daughter of the Dutch minister, Baron Goubault, who is now governor of Brussels. Her voice was extremely melodious, and she sang the air with an exquisite expression; whilst the young Count Schaenfeldt and the young Princess Philipstadt expressed the meaning of the words through mimic action. They were seconded by a full chorus of both sexes, and the variety of grouping, the figures especially, during the marriage stanza, the perfection of the chorus,-all produced an effect perfectly enthusiastic among the spectators.

'I was seated too far away from the Emperor Alexander to hear what he said to the Prince Eugene, who sat between him and his father-in-law, the King of Bavaria. But it was evident, from the expression of the Prince's countenance, that the Emperor was paying a just tribute of praise to the merit of his sister's composition.

'The second performance was that of Coupigni's romance, Le Troubadour qui chante et fait la guerre. It was executed by the Count Schaenbor and Countess Marassi. The third was again a composition of the ExQueen of Holland, Fais ce que doit, advienne que pourra. It was as well sung and as well expressed as the others, by the young Prince Radzivil and the Countess Zamoiska, the beautiful and accomplished daughter of Marshal Prince Czartorinsky. The author's name was demanded, and its announcement elicited loud and universal applause.

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Indeed," observed the Prince de Ligne, "Mademoiselle Beauharnais wields a sceptre which will never break in her hands. She remains a Queen by the grace of her own talents, after having ceased to be one by the grace of God. For my part, I most cordially add my applause to these traits of genius. I take pleasure in paying homage to fallen greatness, especially when persons in that situation have proved themselves so worthy of the high station to which circumstances had raised them."

"I have seen so much of the Queen Hortense," said Prince Leopold, "during my frequent visits to Paris, that I can bear full testimony to the truth of your remark, so far as it may apply to her. She was extremely young when suddenly transferred to a court resplendent with military glory. Her amiable disposition was not in the remotest manner affected by the brilliant turn of her prospects. Neither imperial pomp nor regal honours