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HINTS of OCCURRENCES, &c.
part of the town and a very fmall part of the cattle, in the thirteenth plate. The grandeur of this objedt, indepen-dent of other circumftances, was fufficient to attradl my attention; but there was a ttngularity in its appearance,that claimed particular notice. The fide which faces the town is extremely craggy; and broken into an infinitevariety of forms, from which a fanciful obferver might colled ample fubjed for the exercife of his imagination.The prominent parts of its furface were tinted with colours, as various as the forms it exhibited; the receffes richlyplanted with vines, and a red herbage interfperfed, formed a rich and pleafing contrail to the barren appearance,and lefs lively colouring of its craggy projedlions ; the whole compofing an affemblage of tints, which, faithfully re-prefented in a pidlure, might pleafe the eye, but would never induce a belief that any fcene exifts, in which theyare fo united by the hand of Nature.
This view was taken from the centre of a vineyard, reprefented in the fore-ground, from whence a corner onlyof the cattle could be feen; but there was no other fituation fo advantageous to a juft reprefentation of the rock,on which it Hands; an objedl which, in my judgment, well deferved to be the principal figure of a diftindt fubjedl.
On my return to my lodging, I enquired of my interpreter, if he could procure me a violin; he faid he wouldendeavour, and in this inftance acquitted himfelf to my fatisfadlion. My performance was attended with the fameinconvenience I had experienced from the favages of Ober-wefel. The operation of tuning my inftrument, affif-ted (as I apprehend) by the officioufnefs of my interpreter, colledled a mob about the houfe, and before I had a-mufed myfelf many minutes, the door of my apartment was fuddenly forced open ; forms arranged on the outfide,were occupied by a numerous audience, who appeared to be as much charmed with the notes of my crazy fiddle,as were the beafts of yore with the harp of Orpheus. I defifted as foon as I poilibly could without the hazard ofgiving offence, and perhaps expofing myfelf to infult. This interruption of my amufement fent me early to bed,where I had the mortification to find that I was no better lodged than fed. What I lay upon was compofed offtraw, and inftead of blankets, a thin feather-bed was laid over me, but too fhort to cover my feet.
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I arose at the firft appearance of day-light, and leaving my companion (who was faft afleep) to his repofe, wentin fearch of a fituation from whence the cattle might be taken in the beft point of view. The fourteenth and fif-teenth plates defcribe what I found to be the moft beautiful and pidurefque view of it. At the time I delineatedthe fourteenth plate, the fun fhone full on the cattle, which added very much to the beauty of its natural appear-ance ; and, as will always be the cafe when an artift makes a judicious choice of the moment of delineation, ren-dered the reprefentation more perfed, the execution of it more eafy, and the produdion, when finilhed, infinitelymore pleafing.
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