The diary gives an account of a tour through France, Switzerland, and Italy along the usual route to the principal cities and sites, especially those in Paris, Geneva, Turin, Parma, Florence, Rome, Venice, and Verona. Much attention is paid to works of art; the author cites the Classical Tour of John Chetwode Eustace but seems much more interested in the experience of the tour, and in what can be seen, than in nostalgia for Classical Antiquity. Accordingly, the descriptions of theater, festivals, fashions, and people are more lively than those of ancient monuments. Posted into the manuscript are numerous prints of palaces and buildings visited, colored fashion plates, calling cards, an invitation to a fireworks display in Florence, and watercolor drawings by the author of various local costumes, and of landscapes.
