The Emperor's ordinary Pastime (when he has a Desire to unbend his Mind from Affairs of State, to which he applies with all the Earnestness of a Monarch that loves his People) is Hunting, or Shooting at a Mark; and the Empress is generally a Sharer in his Diversions. His Imperial Majesty goes sometimes also to the Riding-House, where he exercises himself in Riding: At other times Music is his Amusement, which the Monarch not only performs by Book, but is also a Composer; and some Years ago an Opera was acted here of his composing. All the Actors as well as the Dancers and the Musicians of the Orchestre were Persons of Quality. The Emperor himself made one, and the two eldest Archduchesses his Daughters danced. The Spectators were the Empress Regent and the Empress Dowager, and every Actor had the Liberty
of carrying two of his Kindred or intimate Friends.
Tho' their Imperial Majesties are very fond of Music they have seldom more than two Operas in a Year, viz. on the Days of St. Charles and St. Elizabeth, and sometimes the same Operas are play'd again during the Carnival. At this time, which is devoted to Mirth, there is a Ball at Court, and on the Flesh-days there is commonly a great Masquerade representing a Country-Wedding. In the Palace there is a very magnificent Theatre, which indeed is almost the only thing there that is worth seeing, for the Imperial Palace is so wretched a Mansion that few Monarchs are lodged worse than the Emperor. The Furniture too is old-fashion'd and not very rich, which is somewhat unaccountable, because the Wardrobes are full of costly Pieces of Tapestry, stately Pictures, and other fine Goods which probably they are restrained from making use of by the Etiquette. The Emperor's Pleasure-Houses are no better than his Palace in the City. The Castle of the Favorita which is in one of the Suburbs, is a great Building full of Turnings and Windings like the Street which it looks into, and has more of the Appearance of a great Convent of Capuchin Fryars than of the Dwelling of a Prince who is the Head of so many Sovereigns. The Gardens are as mean as the House, and only considerable for their Extent. Laxembourg is still very much inferior to the Favorita; but the Court is there no more than a Month or six Weeks, during the Hunting of the Heron. The Ministers that are obliged to attend the Emperor thither have Houses there, which though not very grand, are commodious. When a Person goes to Laxembourg to pay a Visit to the Court he is under a Necessity of returning to Vienna for a Bed, which is a very great Inconveniency.
The Emperor Joseph had begun a very fine House at Schonborn about a League from Vienna, but did not live to finish it; and the Empress Amelia to whom the Emperor gave it, instead of carrying on the Works which her Husband had begun, lets it run to ruin; which is great pity, for if that Building had been finish'd the Emperor wou'd not have had a Versailles, but he wou'd at least have had a Mansion-House suitable to his Dignity. 'Tis said that a new Palace is going to be built for the Emperor; which, if true, 'twere to be wish'd that better Architects may be employ'd in it than those who have had the Direction of the new Stables and of St. Charles's Church, which are Buildings lately erected with very great Expence, but without any Taste. The Stables are a Range of Buildings of a vast Length, divided into seven Pavilions which appear at first sight to be so many different Houses. The middlemost Pavilion which is design'd to lodge the Master of the Horse is much higher than the other six, which sink gradually on the two sides. Nor are the inner Rooms better contriv'd; for the Horses stand all in one Row, and the Stable is so narrow withal, that one is every Minute in danger from the Horses Heels; which is purely owing to the Indiscretion of the Architect, who having ground enough and to spare might for the same Expence have made something grand and noble.
Whether the same Architect that built the Stables had the Direction likewise of St. Charles's Church, is what I know not; but if they are two different Men their Head-pieces are very much alike. This Church would perhaps have been admir'd in the Days of the Goths, but in so refined an Age as the present, one cannot look on it without being sorry for the Sums of Money laid out in it.
This bad Taste as to Buildings prevails too much at Vienna, not but that there are Hotels and even
Palaces in which the Rules of Architecture are observ'd, but then the Builders are got into such a way of ornamenting and charging their Houses with Sculpture as is altogether contrary to the noble Simplicity of the ancient Architecture. The Palace of Prince Eugene of Savoy is stately, but situate in a narrow Street with a very little Court before it. The Stair-case is very well contriv'd were it not too much confin'd. The Apartments of the first Story are as well laid out as the Ground wou'd admit of. We enter first into a spacious Salon adorn'd with great Pictures representing the chief Victories of Prince Eugene over the French and the Turks. In the two Rooms next to this are very rich Hangings wherein the Maker Devos at Brussels has very correctly delineated the whole Military Science. The Bed-chamber beyond that has a Set of Furniture of green Velvet richly embroider'd with Gold and Silk. In the same Room there is a Lustre of Rock Crystal which is said to have cost 40,000 Florins. All the other Furniture is extraordinary magnificent, and wou'd be cry'd up at Paris it self, where it must be allow'd a Taste for fine Furniture prevails more than any where.
The Palace of Lichtenstein is bigger than that of Savoy, and not less magnificent. 'Tis worth seeing were it only for its Paintings. I pass over the Hotels of Schwartzenberg, Daun, Diedrichstein, Harrach, and several other noble Edifices, lest my Letter shou'd swell into a Volume.
The Palaces of the Suburbs are infinitely more grand than those of the City, and they have both Court-yards and Gardens. The most noble are the Palaces of Trautsheim, Rofrano, Schwartzenberg, Altheim, and Eugene of Savoy. This last especially is a superb Structure with magnificent Gardens, a fine Orangery, and a Menagery stor'd with the most uncommon Creatures that the four Parts of
the World can furnish. 'Tis in this fine great House that Prince Eugene passes the beautiful Season of the Year. There is not so fine a Sight as an Assembly at this Prince's House, for not only the outer Court, in which there's a fine Piece of Water, but the Gardens are illuminated by an infinite Number of Lanthorns made in form of a Bowl of extraordinary white Glass, which cast a very great Light and make a glorious appearance. The Assembles at this Prince's House are always very numerous; for his Birth, Employments and Interest, draw a great Court to him.