b o o k efteemed one of the moft agreeable and polite gentlemen fo,
' Europe he has a furprizing fund of interefting converfation
; and I never yet had the honour of accefs to his company
without being both informed and delighted. His ma-
jefty did not retire until one o’clock, when the company ft-
parate'd, and we returned to Warfaw, highly pleafed with
our evening’s entertainment.
I- have had frequent occafion to mention the elegance and
luxury of the Tolifti nobility in their houfes and villas ; in
their decorations and furniture they feem to have happily
blended the Englifti and French, modes ; in their entertainments
they are exquiiitely refined; and as they fparfe no
expence, and have a natural good tafte, they generally fuc-
ceed in creating pleafure and furprize. We every day experienced
the agreeable effefts of their hofpitality and polite-
nefs; but by none were we fo elegantly regaled as by, the-
princefs SJartonfka in a fete cbajrfetre>o i which I ihall attempt
a deicription.
Povoniki,, the villa: of prince Adam Zsartoriiki, is about
three miles from Warfaw in. the midft of a forefl : the litu-
ation is almpft level, with here and there a gentle Hope,,
which produces-an agreeable variety. A river runs through
the grounds, which are laid out. in the Englifti tafte, with a
beautiful intermixture of lawn arrd wood ; walks are cut
through the wood,, and carried along the fide of. the water.
The houfe, which ftands upon a gentle rife,,has the appearance
of-a cottage, conftrufted like thofe of the peafants,,
with trunks of trees piled upon each other; and; thatched,
with ftraw : befide the principal building, inhabited by the
prince and princefs, there are feparate cottages for the chib
disen and attendants, each of which has its inclofures and
fmall garden ; this group of ftr.uftures bears the refemblance
df a village, compofed of huts fcattered at a fmall diftance
from each other. Other buildings, fuch as fummer houfes,'—
pavilions, ruftic ilieds, and ruins, are difperfed throughout
the grounds ; the ftables are conftrufted in the form of an
half demoliihed amphitheatre. Several romantic bridges,
rudely compofed o f the trunks and bent branches of trees,
contribute to heighten the rufticity of the fcenery.
Upon our arrival we repaired to the principal cottage,
where the princefs was ready to receive u s : we expected the
infide to. be furniihed in the fimple ftyle of a peafant’s hovel,
but were furprized to find every fpecies of elegant magnificence
which riches and tafte could col left. All the apartments
are decorated in the moft coftly manner; but the
fplendour o f the bath-room was peculiarly ftriking: the
fides are covered from top to bottom, with fmall fquare pieces
of the fineft Drefden china, each ornamented with an elegant
fprig; and the border and deling are painted with
beautiful fettoons. The expence of fitting Up this apartment
muft have been prodigious; as I was informed that
there were at leaft three thoufand fquare pieces of china,
employed, each of which coft at Drefden three ducats*-. After
we had furveyed all the apartments, we proceeded to an en-
clofure near the houfe, furrounded with large blocks of granite
heaped one upon another, and fallen trees placed in the
moft natural and pifturefque fhapes; here we drank tea'
upon the lawn. From thence we repaired to the feveral ’
cottages inhabited by the children ; each of which is fitted
up in different ftyles, but with equal elegance. Every thing
without doors gives one the idea of an happy peafant’s family
; within all is coftlinefs and tafte : I never faW fuch a
contrail of fimplicity and magnificence*
• About iU 7st6<3.
A a a We