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panions, either on their account or our own for in the first place, we confidered it rather a happinefs than a misfortune to be deprived of life in our prefent wretched fituation, and, in the fecond, because there became the fewer mouths to confume our little flock of provifions: indeed, had not fome paid the debt of nature, we fhould in the end have been reduced to the fhocking neceffity of killing and devouring one another. Though not yet reduced to this neceflity, our condition was fo miferable, that it feemed fcarcely poffible for any new diftrefs to make a fenfible addition to it. Beides the profpect of perishing through want in that defolate place, and the pain arifing from a perpetual fence of hunger and cold, the agony that the greateft part were in, from the fores occafioned by the froft, was beyond expreffion, while their groans were almoft equally diftreffing to the remainder but what affected me more than all our other miferies, was the quantity of vermin, proceeding from the men's fores, and continually increafing, which infefted us in every part, and rendered us difgufting even to ourselves. Several, however who had been but flightly frozen, recovered in a fhort time, with the lofs of a few toes and fingers; no one having entirely efcaped the front but myself. On the 20th another failor died, after having been like the others, fome time in a delirium, and was buried, or rather cover ed in the fame manner. Our num. ber was now reduced to fourteen perfons; yet we did not think it prudent to increase the allowance of provifions, but ftill kept it at the rate originally fixed on, of a quarter of a pound of beef per diem.

The mate and I had frequently gone out together, fince we were fhip wrecked, to try if we could difcover any traces of inhabitants, but hitherto without fuccefs. About a fortnight after we had fixed ourselves In the but, we took the opportunity, of a fine day to walk ten or twelve miles up a river, upon the ice where we obferved many tracks of moofe, deer and other animals, fome of which we might have killed, had we been provided with arms and ammunition. In our progrefs up the river we dif

covered feveral trees cut on one fide, as we imagined, by an ax, which gave us reafon to think there might be ladians near at hand. On going up to the place we could plainly perceive that there had been fome there lately, by their wigwam, which ftill remained with fome fresh bark about it. We likewife found the skin of a moole deer hanging acrofs a pole. We travelled a good way further, in hopes of making fome more difcoveries of this nature; but to no purpofe. It gave us nevertheless fome fatisfaction to find, that we were in a place where inhabitants had been lately, as it was probable they might again return there. In cafe this fhould happen, I cut a long pole and fuck it in the ice upon the river; then with my kaife, which I always took care to preserve, as it was the only one amongft us, cut a piece of bark from a birch tree, and forming it into the shape of a hand, with the fore finger extended and pointing towards our hut, fixed it on the top of the pole, and took away the moofe fkin, in order that they might perceive that fome perfons had been or the fpot fince they left it, and the route they had taken on their return. We then pyrfued the way to our hab.tat.on, and communicated this agreeable information to our companions, who were not yet able to move about: trifling af the hopes were which we could in reafon derive from this difcovery, yet it gave them confiderable fatisfaction, Twenty days being elapfed fince our fhipwreck, and our provifions being very much reduced, I began to entertain a fufpicion, that there was fome foul play during my abfence at different times from the hut in search of inhabitants. I was therefore determined to find out the truth, if poffible by keeping a constant watch at night; by which means I at length discovered, that the depredators were now no other than the captain and two failors, who had confumed no less than leven-. ty pounds, befides a quantity of oni-, ons, in fo thort a fpace of time, To prevent fuch unfair practices for the future, the mate and I never went out together, one of us conflantly remaining in the but,

(To be Continued.).

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A Defcription of the ROYAL
PALACE of Verfailles.

ERSAILLES is about twelve miles from Paris, on an artificial Eminence in the midst of a valley. Before Louis XIV. came to the throne, neither the town, nor the palace, had any thing to recommend them, being only a hunting-feat: but there are now three noble avenues leading to the palace,from fo many towns: the middle walk of the grand avenue is fifty yards wide, and thofe on each fide twenty: on the upper end of it, on the right and left, are the ftables, in form of a crefcent, fo magnificently built, that few royal palaces excel them ; in which the king has five hundred horfes, the fineft the world can produce.

From the parade you immediately pals into the first court,through an iron pallifade, in which are offices for migifters of flate; then you afcend three fteps, and pals an iron gate, adorned with trophies, to the fecond court, which is fomewhat lefs than the firft, in which is a noble fountain in the middle, and a magnificient building in the wings then you pafs into a third, fill lefs than the fecond, to which you afcend by five fleps; this court is paved with black and white marble; has a marble bafon and fountain in the middle, and is terminated by a noble pile of buildings, which, with the wings, confiitute the royal apartments. The principal faircafe therein is ten yards wide, and confifts of the choiceft marble that could be procured. The grand apartments confift of a long fucceffion of large lofty rooms exquifitely furnifhed. In the cabinet of rarities, are an infinite number of curiofities in agate, cryftal, and precious flones; medals, coins, and other antiquities; with feveral admirable paintings. The gallery (efteemed the fineft in Europe) is feventy two yards long, and fourteen broad; having feventeen windows towards the gardens; from whence there is a moft delightful profpe&t.

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On the ceilings are painted the battles fought in the late king's reign, and done in the most high finished tafte; the finest, front is next the

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gardens, on which fide there is a magnificent portico, fupported by marble pillars, and floored with the fame. 100 yards in length; and the gardens are not to be paralleled as all the beautiful models that Italy, or the world could produce, were confulted to make them complete; the table; here marble and copper ftatues water works, especially, are inimiSpout up water in different forms, which falls into marble bafons of exquifite workmanfup The fountain of the pyramid, the cafcades, the water-alley, the water-bower,the triumphal arch, the pavilion fountain, the theatre, and Apollo's bafon, where Louis XIV. is reprefented under the character of that god, juft come out ladies affifting him with linen, &c. of the bath, and fix of his favourite are fo exquifite, that nothing but a view can raise an adequate idea of their various beauties: the groves, grottos, labyrinth, and orangery, are all finely contrived.

The great canal is 1600 yards long, lies and pleasure boats upon it; and and 64 broad; there are feveral gal towards the middle, it is crossed by another canal, at one end of which is the menagery, well ftocked with all manner of wild beafts, birds, and all forts of exotic animals; and at the other, the beautiful little palace of Trianon, built entirely of marble.

palace, the middle one leads to Paris, There are three fine avenues to the and is five and twenty toifes in breadth; as to the other two, one leads to St. Cloud, and the other to Sceau; they all three terminate in a kind of parade, called the Royal Square. The park lodge, a fpacious building, intended for his majefty's head-huntfmin, and the other officers under his direction, ftands on the fide of the avenue leading to Paris, oppofite the hotel de Conti, which formerly belonged to the duke of Vermandois. The defign of the fables was given by Julius Harduin Mansart; they are built in the form of a crefcent at the upper end of the grand avenue, on the right and left, the whole fo regular and beautiful, that few royal palaces exceed them From hence the caftic appears like a magni

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472

Defcription of the Royal Palace of Verfailles.

ficent theatre; and you mu? afcend to come at it. The outer gate is all wrought iron gilt, and about twelve feet ingh; it is terminated by two Janthorns, formounted by two groups of figures; the one carved by Marfy, and the other by Girardon. A fecond gate, adorned with groups, feparate the two court yards; the figure of peace was done by Tuby, and plenty by Coifevox. The two large piles of buildings belonging to the wings, each terminated by a pavilion, are defigned for the officers of the kitchen. After that, you see the fore-front and the wings of the old cafile or palace; the front has a balcony, fupported by eight marble columns; there are two ranges of apartments that join the two palaces.

The new palace is a range of magnificent apartments, which, together with its wings, forms a front of above three hundred fathom. The ridge is decorated with ftatues, vafes, and trophies, ranged on ballifters, which run along the whole building. It is built fo as to front the garden, and it is on this fide that Versailles makes

the fiueft appearance. The great marble flair cafe furpaffes any thing of the kind that antiquity can boaft of. The fresco paintings were done by Le Brun; and the buft of Louis XIV, was carved by the famous Coi. fevox. This is the entrance into the grand apartments, the furniture of which is immenfely rich and magnificent.

Firft you pass into the hall of plenty, painted by Houalle. Thence you proceed to the cabiner of antiquities and jewels, which is of an octagon figure, and enlightened by a roof in the form of a dome, and painted allo by Houaffe. Here, among other preCious curiofities, they have the fioeft agate in Europe, bemg of three colours, and four or five inches in diameter, reprefenting the figure of a naked emperor, carried on the back of an eagle, and crowned with victory. The efcritoir, in the middle of this chamber, contains a moft magnificent collection of ancient and modern medals. The first pieces were given to Louis XIV. by his uncle the duke of Orleans, and afterwards, by much fearch and expence, it was made

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the completeft collection in the world.
The nall of Venus has fome beautiful
paintings, and an ancient Aatue of
Cincinnatus. The hall of the billiard-
table is likewife adorned with fine
paintings, and with Louis XIV's buft,
by cavalier Bernini. The hall of
Mars has a great number of exquifite
paintings, and among the reft, the fa-
mily o Darius at Alexander's feet,
one of Le Brun's beft pieces. On the
ceiling, the god Mars is reprefented
in a chariot drawn by wolves.
hall of Mercury is painted by Cham-
pagne, where you may fee feveral
other pieces by the fame hand, and
likewife fome by Raphael, Titian, and
other eminent maflers. The hall of
Apollo has fome excellent pieces, and
among the reft the four feafons, by
La Fosse, and several pi&ures by Gui-
do. The halls of war and peace are
at both ends of the gallery; the for-
mer has fome fine paintings, repre-
fenting the actions of Louis XIV. by

Le Brun.

From the hall of war you pass to the great gallery, the moйt beautiful and magnificent in Europe. It is thirty feven fathom long, and seven broad, ending with a great arch,which leads into the forementioned balls, and adorned with two marble pillars. On the garden-fide there are leventeen windows which look into it; and on the fide of the king's apartments as many arches, filled with large pierglaffes. Thefe arches and windows are feperated by twenty four pilafters.

The roof is excellently painted by Le Brun, and reprefents, in allegorical or emblematical figures, part of the memorable tranfactions of the late king's reign, froin the Pyrenean treaty to the peace of Nimeguen. The reft of the galleryis adorned with bufts, veffels, tables of porphyry and alabaster, and with eight ancient flatues, among which, thofe of Bacchus, Venus, Germanicus, and Diana, are most esteemed.

From the great gallery you may proceed directly to the queen's apartment, which is of the fame dimenfions as the king's, but of different workmanship, adorned with paintings of very great value, chiefly by Vignon and Coy pel. Paffing to the landingplace of the great marble fair cafe ;

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you come to the king's apartment, diftributed into feveral chambers. First you enter into the hall of guards, adorned with gilding and looking glaffes. The next is the hall where the king dines in públick, embellished with pictures of feveral battles. From thence you país to the great hall, which is worthy of admiration for its riches and beauty; particularly for the cornices, with the Mofaic work and baffo relievos, The king's bedchamber is ornamented with a great deal of magnificence, and good order, His bed is of crimson velvet, with a beautiful and rich embroidery (fometimes of damask, and other times of gold tiffue, according to the feafon) placed in an alcove, and inclofed with a gilded balustrade. The mofi exquifite pictures adorn this royal Chamber; and the rest of the furni ture is magnificently elegant. The billiard room has a noble fine billiard. table, at which Louis XIV. used to play very often; it is likewife embellithed with a great many excellent picfures, and with a clock of very curious workmanship. From this room you proceed to feveral other chambers, all finely adorned with painting; in one of them there is a globe, whose circles move juft as those in the heavens do. At length you come to the little gallery, which is the laft piece of the king's apartment. The ceil ings of this gallery, and of the two halls at the end of it, were painted by Miguard. This gallery is likewife full of fome of the best performances of painters of the firft rank. Thence you proceed to the apartments belonging to the Dauphin, and the reft of the royal family, which confift of thambers, cabinets, balls, &c. laid but with a great deal of art.

The chape! belonging to the palace. is an exceeding fiue piece of architecture, built of free ftone, in the Corinthian order, twenty-two fathom long, twelve broad, and about fourteen high. On the top there is a fine baluftrade, with eight-and-twenty fatues. Nothing can be more beautiful or richer than the inward embellishments of this chapel. The great altar is of the fineft marble. The facrifty is very neat. You afcend to the galleries by two ftair-cafes with

iron rails, richly gilt. The king's gallery faces the great altar, over the great door, and is thirteen feet and a half wide. The two lamps are gilt in an exquifite tafte, and the glafes are exceeding beautiful. The queen's gallery is on the right; and the gallery that runs round the chapel is nine feet and a quarter wide, fupported by fixteen pillars, and fome pilafters of the Corinthian order. The baluftrade is very rich and elegant. The roof is elegantly painted by emi nent hands.

The gardens abound with mafterpieces of every kind. The orangery. is one of the faireft pieces of Tufcan architecture to be feen at Verfailles. The defign is by Le Maitre; but it was revifed and finished by Manfart, though indeed with greater elegance than folidity. The eight groups of bronze which you fee in the parterre. of water, and which reprefent eight rivers of France, were caft by the two Kellers. The vafe of Latona has two fheafs thirty feet high; the group of marble is by Marfy. The flower garden is by Le Notre, and the parterre of the orangery is by Quintinie. The equenrian flatue at the bead of the Swifs piece, or bafon, on the other fide of the orangery, was made by cavalier Bernini for Louis XIV. but not finding the work fo complete as he could with, he changed the features of Louis XIV. and made a Curtius of it. figure of Autumn in the bafon of Bacchus is by Marfy, and the vase of Saturn by Girardon. The colonnade is a periftyle of thirty-two columns, fupported by as many pilafters in the Ionic order. The roofs are of white marble, embellished with beautiful baffo relievos; in the middle is a beautiful group of marble by Giraz. don, reprefenting the rape of Pro ferpine. The group of metal in the large bafon of Apollo is by Tuby, and reckoned one of his best pieces.. The Enceladus is a very fine group, fet up in an octagon bafon; from the mouth of this giant (oppreffed by the weight of mountains) flows a Jet d'eau, or fpout of water, that rifes feventyeight feet high. Tuby made the bafon of Flora, and Renaudon that of Ceres. Of the three excellent groups

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in the baths of Apollo, Girardon made the middle one, and Marly and Guerin the other two. The fountain of the pyramid, is executed in bronze by Girardon: Tuby and Le Hongre made the two bafons be low the vafes you fee there were Carved at Rome. The cafcade of the Canal where the nymphs are bathing, is a fquare, where feveral mafks feem to fpout out water for the ufe of thofe nymphs. The work is by Girardon, and the rivers were executed by Le Hongre and Le Gros. The dragon of the fountain that bears that name, was made by Marly; the group of the bafon of Neptune is by Dominic Gendi, a difciple of Algardi. Thefe two laft pieces furpass all the other figures at Verfailles. The triumphal arch remains to be feen; it is built of marble of different colours, and adorned with three fine foun; tains. The figures are by Tuby and Cofevox; the fountain of Victory, and Glory, both by Mafeline, have a great number of decorations, which produce a very good effect.

The Menagery is a fmall palace built by Manfart. The two apartments for winter and fummer, are adorned with excellent paintings, and finely furnished with pier glaffes in gilded frames. There are a va number of little fountains, which fprinkle thofe who are not upon their guard. The volery, or bird cote, is the finest nall Erance, and best flocked Several apartments in this pa lace are appointed for the breeding of moft

a thousand crowns in money, or one of thofe places which the king has the difpofal of in feveral convents. The building is extremely fine: the architect was Manfart, who Enifhed it in 1686.

Trianon was built after the defigns J. H. Manfart. This little palace may be looked upon as a kind of fummer house to the gardens of Verfailles; it is built in an excellent taffe, and is moreover embellished with the richeft decorations. The front is fix. ty four fathoms in length, and has two returning wings, terminated by two pavilions. The fireft views of the palace and park of Versailles are in the great gallery, and were painted chiefly by Cottel, Allegrin has painted the fame fubjects, and the ketch of a portico in the great faloon. There are alfo fome of Houaffe's pictures in the billiard-hall. group of children, in the upper parterre, are by Girardon. Tuby carv ed Laocoon and his fons, which fand in the garden of Maroniers: This is an admirable group, copied after the antique. The vafes and dragons of gilt lead, which are upon the large piece of water that terminates the gardens, are extremely well wrought and finished.

The

Mr. THE. CIBBER. From GOLDSMITH'S Effays.

A N is a most frail being, inca;

animais of all kindle, from the muff M pable of directing his fieps, a Mpable va

Common to the raref.

From the menacery, there are fe veral alleys that lead to the royal and magni ent abbey of St Cyr, of the order of St. Auguftin. It is fitu ate in the park, about three miles from Verles, and. was founded by Ls XIV. for the education of two hundred and hfty young ladies. The number of nuns is forty. The king has referved the nomdation of the, young ladies to himself. To obtain adin fion, they must prove. four degrees of nobility on the father's fide. No girl can enter under (even years of age, nor itay there after the age of twenty years and three months. When they go out, they have either

acquainted with what is to happen in this life; and perhaps no man is a more manifeft inftance of the truth of this maxim, than Mr. The. Cibber, juft now gone out of the world. Such a variety of turns of fortune, yet fuch a perfevering uniformity of conduct, appears in all that happened in his fhort fpan, that the whole may be looked upon as one regular confufion, every action of his life was matter of wonder and furprize, and his death was an aftonishment.

This gentleman was born of creditable parents, who gave him a very good education, and a great deal of good learning fo that he could read and write af fixteen. However,he early dif

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