choly season is not without its enjoyments; it is in the winter-time that people in the country rest, and that people in town get together. It is in Winter that society is all life that the play-houses are full-that the ball-rooms are brilliant that entertainments are more numerous and gay. Gourmands, coquettes, young people, politicians, shop-keepers, dramatic authors, gamblers, physicians, lovers, tavern-keepers, and many others, are fond of Winter; and why should we have any objections to it ? Il est des fleurs de toutes les saisons; Il est des plaisirs de tous les âges. In fine, without Winter should we enjoy the Spring? ab assuetis non fit passio. A' LONDON WINTER. OUR Winter has nothing to do with the season-So far from commencing with the fall of the leaf, Winter does not begin till Nature shall have put forth the blossoms of regeneration. No woman who values her reputation for taste ventures to come to town for the Winter till the month of May; and it is not unusual to see a family of the highest research postpone the burst of its entrée into the winter circles till after the King's birth-day. Every thing, to be fashionable, must be 'out of season. A déjeûné is suffocating if given before Three o'clock in the afternoon. A man of fashion never takes the morning air in Rotten-Row till after sun-set. No evening party begins till midnight; and it is indispensable to the character of a member of parliament that after a long debate he should go to his dinner at six o'clock in the morning. It must be dinner whatever be the hour, and however often he may have restored at Bellamy's. it is the sign of pure unadulterated simplicity to act like the herd, who eat when they are hungry, and drink when they are thirsty; and the Parisians have made no higher attainments in Ton than the Hottentots, if they regulate their hours by the diurnal sun, or their seasons by his place in the Zodiac. The London Winter begins in April, and rages in May. It is then that our women of fashion find the weather deliciously inclement; and the only remedy against its rigour is in the comfort of compression. It is only by squeezing several hundreds more into a set of rooms than they were ever destined to contain, that the severity of a London winter can be resisted. In Paris the people of fashion only s'approchent in London they dove-tail. It would be intolerable in a fashionable assembly at the west end of the town if there was room for enjoyment. Indeed the word itself is obsolete; for enjoyment belongs only to the miserable' people, whom nobody knows. It is the invariable test and criterion of high breeding to counteract the rules of common life; and therefore to be at your you enter, is a dissappointment ease in an assembly, into which To remain in one place is a sign that you are not in request; and your triumph for the night consists in the number of crowds through which you have jostled. has her nights en suite, and she A woman of supreme attraction shines par excellence, who puts her friends to the greatest degree of oppression. To be able to stir is an accident, and to get in or out you must watch for an oppor Such is LONDON FASHIONABLE WALKING AND EVENING DRESS. white chenille; the back and front of the dress made square, and edged with the same; sleeves rather full, and confined with a band; the dress worn over a soft white satin slip, with a tucker of Vandyke lace. Head-dress a fine lace veil, spotted and bordered with gold, confined round the head with a wreath of blooming myrtle; the hair ia simple curls, and a ringlet hanging on one side; necklace of emeralds: White kid shoes and gloves: Persian scarf shawl, fastened to the back of the dress, and falling carelessly over in front. PARISIAN FASHIONS. AMONG the Parisian belles of fashion, in the room of combs, all coeffures in hair have behind the head, or on one side, a garland of flowers. The new stuff is called zibelline; in effect, by the spotting, it is like the martre-zibelline (the martine-sable). The Jewellers have sold for the last week an ornament for the neck, peasant [With an Engraving, elegantly crosses, surrounded with fine coloured.] pearls, with a watch in the centre; so that the ladies carry on their bosoms a memento of the time to pray. 1. A WALKING - Dress of thick India muslin, made high to the throat a pelisse-coat of fine crimson kerseymere, made close round the neck, and a cape with pointed corners behind, and in front, edged all round with a rich fancy-spotted fur. A turban-bon- [From net of crimson velvet, turned up in front, and trimmed with the same to match. Russet shoes, or half boots; yellow Woodstock gloves. 2./A ng train-dress of white crape, ornamented round the bottom with a rich scroll; border of ANECDOTE. All the Works of Taylor the A WEALTHY lord of Ireland had a goodly faire house new built, but the broken brickes, tiles, sand,, lime, stones, and such rubbish as is commonly the remnants of such buildings, lay confusedly in heapes, and scattered here and there: the lord demanded of his surveyor wherefore the rubbish was not conveyed away; the surveyor said that he proposed to have an hundred carts for the purpose. The lord replyed that the charge of carts might be saved; for a pit might be digged in the ground, to bury it. My lord,' said the surveyor, I pray you what will wee doe with the earth which wee digge out of the said pit? Why you whoreson coxcombe,' said the lord, canst thou not digge the pit deepe enough, and bury all together?" This story may be considered as a proof of the antiquity of Irish Bulls! said one, SEIGNEUR Valdrino, (paymaster to the camp of Alphonso, king of Arragon) a man exquisite in courtship and complement, as two or three were at strife laying wagers what countryman he was, a blunt bold captaine asked, What was the matter.' Why captaine,' we are laying a wager what countryman my lord treasurer Valdrino is. Oh,' said the captaine, I can tell that; I am you sure he was born in the Land of Promise, for I have served the king in his wars these seven yeeres without pay; and ever when I petition to my lord, he payes me with no coyne but promises, which me half assured that he is that countryman.' VOL. XXXVHI. DESCRIPTION of the CITY of NICE, with an AccOUNT of the MANNERS, CHARACTER, LANGUAGE, RELIGION, and AMUSEMENTS of the INHABITANTS. [From the ancient and modern History of Nice, by Dr. Davis.] AT the Western extremity of Italy, upon the shore of the Mediterranean, and the banks of the rapid Paglion, close to the foot of Montalban, we discover Nice, remarkable for the mildness of its climate, the antiquity of its foundation, and the vicissitudes it has experienced. It commands the most extensive plain in the department of the maritime Alps, and abundantly produces all the necessaries of life. The mountains, which overhang Nice to the East, defend Villefranche. It presents, from its situation, a most formidable barrier, and which takes its course through bounds the chain of mountains of Nice faces the South, but by Piedmont. A part of the town far the greater part is to the North. It extends to the North on the Turin road, and on the East is barricadoed with rocks that have set at defiance the efforts of the most potent states in Europe. Its greatest length is from North to South, the latter extremity forming an angle by its communication with the ramparts, the port, and the Paglion. It is at the Western angle that the Paglion, after pursuing its usually devious and lengthened course through the adjacent country, rushes with impetuosity, when swelled with rain, into the sea, and presents a noble coup d'œil to the spectator. Nice is closely encircled on its Eastern side by mountains, which, 4 R The as they retreat from the Mediterranean, slope geutly to the North, until becoming more and more advanced, they form a semi-circle, which is completed beyond the Var, and upon that surprising mountain, the Esterelles. plain thus formed is encroached on by the sea, which, meeting no obstacle, has produced a most delightful bay, extending as far as Antibes to the West, and to a corresponding prominence on the shores of Italy to the East. Nice, in its present state, does not exceed a mile and a half in length, and about a mile in breadth. The suburbs and the town are divided by the Paglion; but in the Summer months the waters are so low that the inhabitants pass and re-pass on a bridge of planks, which they construct in order to obviate the circuit they are obliged to make by traversing the stone bridge. The Paglion may be considered a very dangerous neighbour for Nice. If the ramparts be not raised, or some other precaution taken, it is much to be apprehended it will inundate the town, particularly the new end of it. This accident had nearly happened in November 1803. The bridge was rebuilt in 1531, at the expense of the town, in consequence of its having been carried away by the impetuosity of this river. Upon a stone placed near the bottom of the bridge are inscribed the following lines: Pons sacer! exhaustas celsis de montibus undas, Respuit et rapidas hic Paglionis aquas. It is recorded likewise that the fall of waters had been so considerable, and the Paglion so ex tremely augmented, that, in 1744, some thousands of French and Spanish troops were lost in attempting to cross it during an engagement with some Peidmontese soldiers. The ancient splendour of Nice has suffered greatly from the many sieges it has been exposed to. The triumphant army of Francis I, and the fleet of the Ottoman pirate, Barbarossa, almost consumed the town, and destroyed the edifices. The effects of its deterioration were, for a while, lost sight of in the repairs accomplished by the generosity of the house of Savoy; but, gradually losing its former consideration, and ever involved in war, the monastery, churches, convents, and other public buildings, have almost all since fallen into decay. Anterior to the French revolution, Nice was infinitely more interesting than at present, though its pristine magnitude and importance had already been considerably reduced. Of its ancient suburbs there only existed at that period the relics, and especially of those which ran in a North-easterly direction from the gate of Pairolera. The extensive suburbs, which equally embellished the road on the Western side of the stone bridge, are now reduced to those of the Croix de Marbre, but being of modern architecture are spacious and lofty, and the usual residence of opulent strangers. The castle, built on the summit of a steep rock, and once deemed impregnable, with all the fortifi cations which defended the town, are now but a heap of ruins. During the war of succession it was taken by marshal Berwick, fifty five days after the trenches were opened. The garrison, which was reduced to six hundred men, forced the commandant to capitulate. Berwick ordered it to be demolished in consequence of the express commands of Louis XIV. The walls of the remaining ramparts are by no means strong; though when Nice was under the sovereignty of duke Emanuel Philibert, the whole town, castle, fortifications, and walls, were in the best state of defence. Bastions were erected in several places, and many precautions taken to augment the force of the out-works. There are two fine squares at Nice. The houses which form Place Victor are regularly built, and have Piazzas. It was intended under the government of the house of Savoy, to erect the statue of the prince whose name it bears, A monument of some kind is wanting to counteract its uniformity. Since the French have added this part of the continent to their dominions, the Place Victor has taken the name of Place de la Republique. The road to Turin has its beginning here, and forms a large opening in the square: another pass leads to Villefranche, and the adjoining hills. The South-west quarter of the town is the handsomest, and of modern architecture. The streets are wide, and run in a straight line. The public walk is in this neighbourhood, and is a delightful resource in the Summer, when the sun is above the horizon. Its beautiful scenery is, however, much obscured by the terrace which stretches along the coast. In the middle of the walk a fountain has been lately constructed, whereon a paltry figure has been erected, representing Cathe The shops are well stored, but small, dark, and filthy; a number of people occupy the same house, which, added to the circumstances just mentioned, by no means render a residence in that quarter desirable. Nice possesses a theatre which awakens the hopes without realize ing the expectations of the public. The edifice, without being despicu ble, offers little to admire, and, perhaps, it is not an unfortunate circumstance, that, in such a warm climate, the valetudinarian should be so little tempted to expose his health. It is sufficiently large for the number of spectators; but a common failing in this and most provincial theatres is, that the finances of the company do not admit of an illumination sufficient to give the objects an interesting colouring. The decorations and scenery are exceedingly indiffe rent, while a sinali expense might render the house commodious and tasty, and the affluence of strangers encourage the directors to procure more worthy performers. I learn that, previously to the revolution, the theatre was well fre- quented, and the company on a better footing. [To be concluded in our Supplement.] |