Travels in Turkey, Asia Minor, Syria, and across the desert into Egypt ...

SYRIA, EGYPT, GERMANY, &C. 'j ~>,
which had been attended with the most complete success. In the
afternoon I visited tne cathedral church of St. Stephen, a very neat
and compact building. A party was made in the evening
for ths
Widden theatre, situated without the town, where the French
opera of Alccste was well performed. The price of admission to
this theatre, which is a very handsome edifice, is one florin only, a
much more reasonable rate of entrance than at our theatres.
On the 22d I went to the church of St. Michael, and thence to
the imperial library, a verv fine building, containing a commodious
suite of apartments, supplied, it is said, with upwards of two hun-
dred thousand volumes, comprehending
the most rare books m
every language. Adjacent to the great hall there is a reading-room,
which is opened daily at certain hours to the public: an individual
can have the use of any book within this room. I proceeded thence
to the menage, where everv one is at liberty to enter and ride at
certain hours. In the evening I visited the imperial theatre, or, as
it is styled, Theatre de la Cour, where an Italian opera was per-
formed, and followed by a ballet. Like ail the German theatres,
this edifice has a very gloomy appearance, on account of the want
of lights withinside.
Colonel Ilollczcai/ and Major Hope, having arrived at Vienna
in the course of the preceding night, I dined in their company on
the 23d with Mr. Paget, the British minister, at Dibling, a small
village near Vienna, very pleasingly
situated at the side of the Ddnube.
The party was entirely English. In the evening we went
to the theatre to see an Italian opera.
On the 24th I visited the library and beautiful and choice cabi-
net of medals. I was shewn several very ancient manuscripts, and
rolls of papyrus. Among the books of antique date were an edi-
tion of the Psalms in Gothic characters, printed at Menlz in 14 37,
and Plinifs Natural History, printed at Venice on vellum in 1468.
I accompanied Dr. Carro in the afternoon to the general hospital,
a very extensive building, kept in the best order. In the evening
I went to the Widden theatre to see the performance of Richard
Ceeur dc Lion.
On the morning of the 25th I visited the cabinet of natural his-
tory, which contains a fine
very
and extensive collection of mineralogy.
Dr. Gall, a at
physician Vienna, in a this
party day, at
which I was present, gave
a
singular opinion on the brain and its
functions, in which he broached a new but dangerous doctrine. In
expatiating on the functions of this organ, he argued the possibility