263

CHAPTER XII.

GENEVA The Museum-Reading Rooms—Public Library—Society of Arts-Hospital-Cathedral-Roman Catholicism-Bones of St. Nemesion-Hotel de Ville-Steam Boats-View from St. Peter's Church-Meridian Line-Village of Chene-Visit to the Grave of a Friend-Evening Walk-The Lake.

AUGUST 1st.

RAIN descended in torrents: yet so much of the

inconvenience of long-continued drought had been seen and felt by us, that we hailed with joy and gratitude the salutary change: nor did we suffer it to confine us within the walls of the Hotel-de-la-Couronne; but the occupations of the day were divided between calls on our respective friends, and visits to public institutions, which, in addition to their varied sources of attraction, offered the no less acceptable shelter of their roofs.

The Museum dates its rise as a distinct and independent establishment at so late a period as the year 1819; but already in its valuable accumulations, mainly contributed by private individuals, it confers that credit and advantage upon the city, which during fifteen years of forced union with grinding and monopolizing France, the Genevese had neither means to acquire nor spirits to enjoy.-There are some curious Egyptian Antiquities, among the rest a female mummy, recently brought from Thebes, and presented by M. Fleurot: it is completely

unwrapped and exposed. I have never seen any in such a state of preservation, except one that was exhibited with poor Belzoni's model of the Tomb of Psammis, a few years ago in London. Part of the cloth, in which the body (said to be that of a Princess) was enfolded, is laid on the glass case that encloses the latter, and is also astonishingly well preserved. I remarked a piece of hieroglyphics, on papyrus, of extraordinary length and elaborateness of writing; presented by M. Boissier, professor of Belles Lettres in the Academy of Geneva, who has likewise given a great many figures of Deities of Egypt.-Among the Roman Antiquities, is a round silver dish, of the weight of 34 ounces, which formed part of a Largitas of Valentinian II, and has been erroneously described as a votive shield, both by Abauzit the Genevan and by Montfaucon the French Antiquary. It is covered with figures in relief, of that inferior executorial merit that meets its counterpart in the medals of the Lower Empire. This relic was found in 1721 in the bed of the Arve; and till the formation of the present museum had been deposited in the public library. In an adjoining cabinet is another piece of silver carving, presented by the Syndic Calendrini. It is labelled "bouclier," and is charged with sculpture of great force and beauty. The stile and design made me regard it, not as Roman, but as a cinque-cento. A fine head of Vespasian, in marble, bas relief, found at Tennayhen in the Maurienne, has this year been added to the collection, by M. Boissier. Arranged with other opima spolia of Savoyard warfare, is a huge lantern, that was left under the walls of the town at the time of the famous Escalade, when the troops of the Duke of Savoy were defeated in their treacherous attempt on the 12th of

Dec. 1602, to take by surprise, an independent city, which they attacked without declaration of war.-Of the medals the exhibited portion is chiefly modern: those of John Huss, John of Leyden, and Calvin claim observation. There is a finely executed model of the Pantheon at Rome, presented by Monsieur Saladin de Budé.

The Cabinet of Natural History is rich and brilliant in the mineralogy and ornithology of Switzerland. A most beautiful Argus Pheasant, stuffed and displayed with admirable skill, has been given to the museum by M. Saladin de Crantz.-A substance, half mineral half metallic, (Jaret) from the island of Elba, by its splendid colours attracted my particular though unscientific notice.-A very accurate model (in relief) of Mont Blanc, executed in Gen. Pfyffer's manner, representing all the aiguilles and glaciers; and with the route of M. De Saussure traced upon it, deserves to be attentively studied by every one who comes to Geneva, with an intention to visit that mountain. The skin of an elephant, which was two or three years ago brought to the neighbourhood of this city in a travelling menagerie, shews on the chest the perforation of a cannon-shot, by which the animal was killed, on account of its having been seized with madness; but neither that, nor the Elk, nor the Cameleopard, can be spoken of as good specimens. The collection, it was expected, would soon be enriched with a living Ostrich, and several other animals, given by M. Delessert.

In a part of the premises connected with the Museum, the Societé-de-Lecture holds its daily meetings. To a stranger's admission the introduction of a member is indispensable, and that advantage I had in the company of a resident friend. It forms a suite of very commo

M m

dious and well-regulated reading rooms, where the French and German papers are taken: except Galignani's Anglogallican compilation I saw no English journals; but there is a good supply of our periodical publications. The windows of the principal apartment afford a fine view of the lake.

In a capacious edifice within the precincts of the Academy (or University) is the Public Library, which, according to Mr. Coxe, owes its origin to Bonnivard-the mild, the wise, the suffering Bonnivard, who promoted the reformation, gave to Geneva his valuable manuscripts and books, and bequeathed his fortune towards the establishment and support of the college.-Among the manuscripts is a superb Sallust, written in the 13th century, and illustrated with paintings in body-colours at the head of each chapter of the historian's work, by a Monk, who, clothing his figures in the dresses, and grouping them together with buildings in the stile, of his own age, has made the Roman Senate assembled to debate on Catiline's Conspiracy, look like a consistory of the Pope and his Cardinals; and given to the heroes of the Jugurthine War, the panoply and badge of Christian chivalry.*—To a most curious manuscript, on Egyptian

* Mrs. BRAY (late Mrs. CHARLES STOTHARD) in her ingenious, instructive, and highly entertaining Historical Romance, makes the following accurate observations on the MSS. of the middle ages:-" They were decorated in a magnificent style, and every figure introduced in their illuminations, whatever might be the date of their story, was seen dressed in the costume of the time of the illuminator: so that the heroes of Greece and Rome, a Leonidas or a Cæsar, appeared attired like knights and esquires, adorned with the emblems of the Romish Church. These delineations were faithfully minute, carefully pencilled and decorated with the most brilliant colouring, intermixed with ultra-marine, and richly embossed gold, in lavish profusion."-See DE Foix, or sketches of the manners and customs of the Fourteenth Century.

papyrus so early a date is assigned as that of the 6th century: its contents are the Homilies of St. Augustine. The most magnificent relic in the collection is an illuminated MS. of the 15th century, taken from among the booty of the Burgundian camp, at the battle of Morat, on the 1st of January, 1477, when Charles-leTéméraire was defeated and lost his life by the hands of the confederated Swiss, whose country he had so unjustly invaded and so cruelly ravaged. The subjects of the book are the actions of Alexander the Great, by Quintus Curtius; and it contains a numerous series of paintings allusive to the principal passages in that Prince's life, quite in the stile, and not improbably after the designs, of Van Eyck, Hemling, or some other master of the early German or Flemish school: with a ludicrous degree of incorrectness as to costume, and with the usual dryness in the contours and draperies of the figures, they are most splendid patterns of colouring and high finish. The soldiers had despoiled the volume of the gold clasps and corners once attached to its cover, which still retains in an almost unsullied state a rich binding of crimson velvet. The fragment of Philippe-le-Bel's household account book consists of only five or six small narrow tablets of wood covered with a preparation of wax, on which the writing has been done with a stylus, after the manner of the Romans; the first date of these memoranda of royal expenditure is in 1314.—Among the early printed works are those of Cicero, the Mentz edition of 1495, by John Fust, a capital piece of typography, in imitation of manuscript.

This Library, said to contain 50,000 volumes, is par. ticularly rich in collected letters of the Reformers. I