playing on the lyre is the finest.

In the gallery of busts those of Menelaus and Jupiter pre-eminently
attract attention.

The name of the Laocoon cabinet indicates the masterpiece it
contains, as also the cabinet of the Apollo Belvidere. The latter
statue was found in Nero's baths at Porto d'Anzio.

The celebrated torso of the Belvidere, a fragment of Greek art,
which Michael partly used as his model, is placed in the square
vestibule. Never was flesh so pliably counterfeited in stone as in
this masterpiece.

A long gallery contains a series of tapestries, the designs for
which were drawn by Raphael.

The Vatican contains ten thousand rooms, twenty large halls, eight
large and about two hundred small staircases.

The Quirinal palace, the summer residence of the Pope, lies on the
hill of the same name (Monte Cavallo), which is quite covered with
villas and beautiful houses, on account of the salubrity of the air.

I visited most of the private palaces and picture-galleries. The
principal are, the Colonna palace, on the Quirinal hill; and the
Barberini palace, where we find a portrait of Raphael's mistress,
Fornarina, painted by himself, and an original picture of Beatrice
Cenci by Guidosteri.

The finest of all the Roman palaces is that of Borghese; from its
form, which resembles a piano, this building has obtained the name
of "il Cembalo di Borghese." The gallery contains sixteen hundred
paintings, most of them masterpieces by celebrated artists.

The Farnese palace is remarkable for its architecture, and the
Stoppani for its architect, Raphael. Besides these there are many
other palaces. I saw but few villas, for the weather was generally
bad, and it rained almost every day.

I visited the Villa Borghese on a Sunday, when there is a great
bustle here; for a stream of people on foot, on horseback, and in
carriages, sets in towards its beautiful park, situate just beyond
the Piazza del Popolo, in the same way that the crowds flock to our
beloved "Prater" on a fine day in spring. I also saw the Villa
Medicis and the Villa Pamfili. The latter boasts a very extensive
park.

I took care to visit most of the churches. My plan was to go out
early in the morning, and to inspect several churches until about
eleven o'clock, when it was time to repair to the galleries. When I
went to the principal churches,--for instance, those of St. John of
Lateran, St. Paul, St. Maria Maggiore, St. Lawrence, and St.