From St.***

Ihave made acquaintance, Madame, with a person you often met with at Narbonne in the Winter you spent there: it is Mons. the Count de Retel. He gave me the pleasure of talking of you, which was sufficient to make him agreeable. He has, besides great knowledge and understanding, a little roughness and singularity, but an excellent character and an air of freedom which pleases me much. He has a charming house about three quarters of a league from mine: he gives us the liberty of walking in his garden; which has been the means of bringing us acquainted. He has no great opinion of the knowledge or talents of women. He smiled when he saw the plan of my garden raised by Adelaide, as well as at the landscapes, flowers, and miniatures of her drawing. I suspect he may more than once have been deceived in this way, and that experience has made him incredulous. Rousseau says, ‘At Paris the rich understand every thing; the poor only are ignorant. This capital is full of artists of rank, particularly females, who finish their works, as Monsieur Guiallaum invented his colours. I only know three fair exceptions to this rule among the men, though there may be more, but I know not one among the Ladies, and I doubt whether there is any.’

For my part, I know two exceptions already, which are Madame d’ Ostalis and Adelaide, and therefore I believe there may be more; though I have not seen any other female artists draw landscapes from Nature, or make good and correct likenesses in their portraits. But at length Monsieur de Retel has seen Adelaide drawing in a garden: he has seen her paint from Nature; he has examined into her improvements, and is now convinced there is no treachery. This discovery has made him go from one extreme to another; for he is become one of Adelaide's greatest admirers.