The principal street at Naples is the Strada di Toledo.  It resembles the Rue St Honore and can boast of as much wealth in its shops.  The houses are good, solid and extremely lofty, and the streets are paved with lava.  There are two excellent restaurants at Naples, one in the Largo del Palazzo, nearly opposite the Royal Palace, called the Villa di Napoli; the other not far from it in the Strada di Toledo, called La Corona di Ferro.  Naples is renowned for the excellency of its ices.  You have them in the shape of all kinds of fruit and wonderfully cheap.  Many of the ice houses and caffes remain open day and night; as do some of the gaming tables, which are much frequented by the upper classes.  The theatre of St Carlo, which was consumed last year by fire, is rising rapidly from its ashes and will soon be finished.  In the mean time Operas are performed at the Teatro Fondi, a moderate sized theatre.  I here saw performed the opera of Don Giovanni of Mozart, with the ballo of La pazza per amore.  Mme Colbran, a Spanish lady, is the Prima Donna and an excellent singer.

In all the private societies at Naples a great deal of gaming goes on, and at some houses those visitors, who do not play, are coolly received.  The following may be considered as a very fair specimen of the life of a young man of rank and fashion at Naples.  He rises about two p.m., takes his chocolate, saunters about in the Strada di Toledo or in the Largo del Palazzo for an hour or two, then takes a promenade a cheval on the Chiaia; dines between six and seven; goes to the Opera where he remains till eleven or half-past eleven; he then saunters about in the different Cafes for an hour or two; and then repairs to the gaming table at the Ridotto, which he does not quit till broad daylight.  The ladies find a great resource in going to church, which serves to pass away the time that is not spent in bed, or at the Opera, or at the promenade en voiture.  The ladies seldom take exercise on foot at Naples.  There being very little taste for litterature in this vast metropolis, the most pleasant society is among the foreign families who inhabit Naples or at the houses of the Corps diplomatique.  There is, however, a good cabinet litteraire and library in the Strada di San Giacomo, where various French and Italian newspapers may be read.  The Austrians occupy the greater part of the military posts at Naples; at the Royal Palace however the Sicilian guards do duty; they are clothed in scarlet and a anglaise.

NAPLES, 8th Octr.