258 Mary Somerville. 



of primogeniture has injured the noble families more 

 than anything else. We rise early, and are busy indoors 

 all morning, except the girls, who go to the Academy of 

 the Belle Arti, and paint from ten till three. We dine at 

 four, and embark in our gondola at six or seven, and row 

 about on the glassy sea till nine, when we go to the 

 Piazza of San Marco, listen to a very fine military band, 

 and sit gossiping till eleven or twelve, and then row home 

 by the Grand Canal, or make a visit in one of the various 

 houses that are open to us. One of the most remarkable 

 of tLose is that of the Countess Mocenigo's, who has in 

 one of her drawing-rooms the portraits of six doges of the 

 Mocenigo name. I was presented by her to the Due de 

 Bordeaux, the other evening, a fat good-natured looking 

 person. I was presented also to the Archduke I forget 

 what son of the Archduke Charles, and admiral of the 

 fleet here ; a nice youth, but not clever. We meet him 

 everywhere, and Somerville dined with him a few days 

 ago. The only strangers of note are the Prince of Tour 

 and Taxis, and Marshal Marmont. The Venetian ladies 

 are very ladylike and agreeable, and speak beautifully. 

 We have received uncommon kindness from Mr. Rawdon 

 Brown ; he has made us acquainted with everybody, as 

 he is quite at home here, having been settled in Venice 

 for several years, and has got a most beautiful house 

 fitted up, in rococo style, with great taste ; he is an adept 

 at Venetian history. He supplies us with books, which 



are a great comfort The other evening we were 



surprised by a perfect fleet of gondolas stopping under 

 our windows, from one of which we had the most beau- 

 tiful serenade ; the moonlight was like day, and the effect 

 was admirable. There was a fcsta the other night in a 

 church on the water's edge ; the shore was illuminated 



