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THROUGH SWEDEN. 163
‘where ignorance, and cabal, and envy, have borne him down, per-
haps never to rife again. If Guftavus ITI. had lived, this man would
have probably coft Sweden feveral millions of rix-dollars. It was
he who finifhed the defign of the new palace at Haga; the ground-
work alone, on which it is now built, has coft an enormous fum to
fo poor a country. Project was concerted after project, and the
reftlefs and exalted imaginations of thofe two enthufiafts (the king
and Deprez) muft have exhaufted the public treafury. Mr. De-
prez, ‘perceiving the impoffibility of finding employment in a
country where the finances are fo narrow as in Sweden, and where
every thing is under the reign of intrigue, gives himfelf up for the
prefent to the reveries of imagination ; and the greater part of his
defigns in architecture are truly caftles in the air. He amufes his
leifure with drawing plans of edifices, more magnificent and
{umptuous than the ancient pyramids of Egypt: he forms projedts
of piles and monuments a thoufand times more expenfive than
any recorded in the hiftory of the world. He has lately conceived
theeidea of a pyramid, the bafe of which could not be fixed any
where elfe than in the deferts of Arabia, in. which ftatues of all
the great men in the world, of every poffible kind of celebrity or
diftinction, are to be depofited: He admits himfelf, that in order
to:carry this defign into execution, it would be indifpenfibly ne-
ceflary for all fovereign powers to join in one fociety, or club, for
defraying the expences. Mr. Deprez is alfo an hiftorical painter ;
but his colours are wretched. I have feen feveral of his pictures
of naval engagements; in fome of which you perceive nothing
Yi2 but
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