residence of his ancestors, so long the boast of the family and of Rome in general, has been thus deprived of its chief attraction. Among the paintings were many of the most admired productions of Titian, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio, and others of the great masters. In smaller rooms belonging to the same apartment were two fountains of alabaster, various busts of the ancient Cæsars in porphyry, and a number of minute paintings, regarded by amateurs as the most precious relics of Italian genius. The friezes of the rooms in the principal apartments are decorated with designs from the hand of Cosmo Piazza; and the richness of the drapery and golden ornaments with which the walls are in many parts covered dazzle and astonish the spectator. Among the chief curiosities of the latter kind is a beautiful ivory cabinet, splendidly embossed with golden basso-relievos, and covered with jewels of the most costly description. The private oratory is another portion of the edifice which wins admiration by the richness of its decorations; while in a different quarter of this magnificent palace the eye is attracted by a superb gallery, ornamented with gold, crystals, and paintings of the most admirable kind; the pavement throughout being formed of various precious woods, and the attention every where attracted by marbles and the valuable porcelain of Saxony. The Villa Borghese is as celebrated for its extensive gardens as the palace is for its noble apartments, its sculptures, and paintings. This beautiful retreat is situated just beyond the walls, and extends to a considerable distance over the Pincian Hill. The manner in which it is laid out is professedly English, the trees being uncut, and the walks left shaded on each side by the luxurious foliage of noble evergreens. The drive through the grounds, which are usually considered rather a park than a garden, as they are called, is said to be one of the most pleasant about Rome; and as they are always open to the public, they form the usual promenade on Sundays and other holidays. At the extremity of the garden is the casino, the usual ornament of Roman villas; and the splendour of its decorations, its numerous specimens of sculpture-among others a Curtius on horseback, and two groups by Bernini-render this peculiarly attractive. Some degree of bad taste, however, is evident in the ornaments of these gardens, otherwise so excellent a copy of the champaign estates of rural England. Artificial ruins and mythological temples destroy the simple beauty of its thick shades; and fountains and waterfalls, left neglected, and choked up with weeds and rubbish, give an air of desertion and decay to some parts of the grounds which ill agrees with the life and freshness of nature. But few persons find themselves in a humour to criticise the arrangements of this extensive garden if once fairly surrounded by its bowers and labyrinths, almost impenetrable even to southern suns. Nothing can exceed their beauty when the varied foliage of the plantations is seen under the strong light of a summer's day. Every tint to be found in the forest or the garden meets the eye; and the graceful disposition of the trees-of pines, laurels, and cypresses-is as refreshing to the fancy as the coolness they breathe around is to the heated frame. The Borghese Villa was founded by the Cardinal Borghesi, nephew of Pope Paul the Fifth, who expended upon it a large portion of his princely revenue; and succeeding members of his noble house continued to add new treasures of art to those he had already collected, till the present possessor left Rome to reside in Florence, and resigned it, consequently, to comparative neglect. The palace was occupied by the favourite sister of Napoleon till her death; and it is a curious circumstance, that in one of the chambers of the edifice is a statue of this beautiful woman by Canova; but the prince never suffers it to be seen, and keeps the key of the apartment with him at Florence. : When that amusing old traveller Lassels visited Rome, the Borghese Palace and Villa were in their splendour, and called forth a full share of his wonder and criticism :"From hence I went to see the palace of Borghesi, which is hard by. This is one of the noblest palaces in Rome. It gives you a fair broadside of windows, three stories one over another; and its length is prodigious. Mounting up to the chambers, I found a fair open gallery built upon arches and pillars round about the court. This gallery lets you into several apartments; and on that side which overlooks the piazza I saw a row of ten or twelve great chambers, through which I looked at once. In these chambers and the other rooms I observed these things:-1. Rich hangings, and over them rare painting made by a Capuchin lay-brother. The history of the Queen of Sheba coming to visit Solomon's court, and the rape of the Sabines, which make this fregio over the hangings, are so rarely well done, that |