untravelled beholder, it has points of attraction. He may probably be
struck with the vast extent of some of the structures when compared with
the puny buildings of our own country and times; and the space occupied
by the palaces will but remind him of the mistaken magnificence of
Buckingham, or the gloomy grandeur of St. James's. Again, the plastered
and fancifully coloured fronts of the dwelling-houses, their gay
draperies, &c. but ill-assort with the heavy red-brick exteriors of our
metropolis; although this contrast is to be sought elsewhere than in
externals. Mr. Burford's summary, or characteristics of the city may be
quoted:

"The form of the city is nearly circular, about ten miles in
circumference, although perhaps the thickly built and more densely
populated part may be confined to an area of half that size. There are
several large and handsome squares, but the streets, with very few
exceptions, are neither wide nor regular; the pavement is formed like
that of Paris, of small, sharp pebbles, with occasionally a narrow
footway on each side, and the addition of two (or in the wider streets
four) strips of flat stones in the centre, forming a sort of railway, on
which the carriage wheels run with great smoothness and very little
noise. The churches, hospitals, establishments for the poor, and other
public institutions, are numerous, and display all the richness and
magnificence of Italian architecture, and are at the same time endowed
on a most liberal scale; the ancient palaces of the nobles, vast and
rude, bear stamp of the importance of the city in the middle ages, when
they served as domestic fortresses and lodged well-appointed and
numerous retinues; and although they cannot at present vie with those of
Rome or Genoa, yet they display considerable architectural luxury, and
contain fine collections of works of art; attached to many are large and
well-stocked gardens, which add much to the beauty of the city. Very