C H A P . III.
Arrival at Warfaw.— Befcription o f the city.— Journal o f occurrences.—
Prefentation to the king o f Poland.— Palace.
— Portraits o f the kings of Poland.— Literary fociety.'—
Entertainment at the king's villa.— Supper in prince Po-
niatouiki’s garden.— Befcription o f a fête champêtre given
at Povoniki by the princefs Zartonilka, &c. &c.
B<n*K n P H E iituation of Warfaw is not unpleafant : it is built
^ p a r t l y in a plain, and partly upon a gentle afcent riling
from the banks of the ViftUla, which is about as broad as the
Thames at Weitminfter-Bridge, but very ihallow in fummer.
The city and its fuburbs occupy a vail extent of ground ;
and are fuppofed to contain between fixty and feventy thou-
fand inhabitants, among whom are a prodigious number of
foreigners. The whole town has a melancholy appearance,
exhibiting that itrong contrail of wealth and poverty, luxury
and diitrefs, which pervades every part of this unhappy
country. The ftreets are fpacious, but ill-paved; the
churches and public buildings are large and magnificent ;
the palaces of the nobility are numerous and fplendid ; but
the greateil part of the houfes, particularly in the fuburbs,
are mean and ill-conftru£ted wooden hovels.
Auguil 2. The Englilh minifter being abfent in the
country, we carried our letters of recommendation to Count
Rzewufki great-marihal of the crown, who received us with
much civility, and appointed Sunday morning to prefent us
l to