Of this description there were far too many pictures possessing merit than I can afford room to cite, but amongst the portraits there were some such wretched daubs, that they would have been a disgrace to any country; in fact this is a branch in which the French are peculiarly deficient, and in which we far surpass them.  The portrait painter who has now the greatest vogue is Winterhatter, who certainly has a great degree of merit, but rather sacrifices the face to the drapery; his picture of the Queen was very justly admired in many respects, but the laboured accuracy with which the lace was given, was rendered so conspicuous, that the eye fell upon the costume before it lighted upon the features; this pleases the ladies, I am aware, who like to have an exact map of their blonde and guipure, and it certainly is too much the case that an artist is obliged to be more or less the slave of his sitters and their friends; his miscellaneous pieces, where his pencil roves freely, are all that is delightful.  His portrait of the Comte de Paris and the Duchess de Nemours, certainly display considerable talent.  Two favourite and fashionable portrait painters are Dubuffe and Court, the works of the former are well known in England, they are exceedingly attractive from their softness and brilliance, but they want the crispness and tone of nature, the drawing also is sometimes defective.  These observations equally apply to both these artists.  The younger Dubuffe is rising rapidly in the estimation of artists.  I have seen some portraits very true to life by Coignet, Roller, Laure, Rouilliard, and Vinchon; one of Sebastiani, by the latter, was quite nature itself.  There are several very clever painters of marine subjects, amongst others Gudin and Isabey, and there is not any department which is more encouraged by the King and the government; for the last several years the former has had orders for at least a dozen each year, of naval combats between France and her enemies, but those subjects which he paints from his own spontaneous suggestions, are infinitely superior to such as he executes to order.  Fruits and flowers are branches of the art in which the French artists particularly excel, one piece of flowers by Bergon I think was one of the most perfect I have met with.

Latterly they have much advanced in their representation of cattle, their sheep and cows are particularly good; some draught horses by Casey were executed with infinite spirit, as also some wild horses by Lepoitevin.  Some delightful domestic pieces must excite admiration, of fishermen, their wives and children, by Colin, very much in the style of our own Collins, but not quite so good, as also others by Le Camus Duval.  Several interesting subjects attracted much of my attention, by Henry Scheffer, Meissonnier, Bouchot, Dupre, Steuben, Rubio, Signol, Charlet, Storelli, and a few others; in water colours the French are now advancing with rapid strides, this year there were some exquisite