what has been before observed, the whole of this enormous pile was built by an Italian, of red Dutch brick, which at a distance has an animating appearance, upon a basement of hewn granite, that resembles a foundation of rock. The grand entrance from the great perspective through the riding-room and office is very handsome. Upon the architrave is written in Russ characters, as it was translated to me, the following singular motto: May my house endure like the Lord's." The Russians observe, with their accustomed superstition, that the number of letters of this inscription correspond with the number of Paul's years, and that out of them an anagram may be composed, denoting, that he who raised the building would perish by a violent death. The interior is vast, but very gloomy. The chambers which were shewn were stripped of their furniture and all their moveable decorations, which are lodged in the cabinet of jewels, but the ornaments which remained exhibited a style of costly magnificence; the doors, some of which were of various-coloured glass, and richly gilded, were uncommonly superb. We saw the room in which the unfortunate sovereign perished, and his private staircase before mentioned.

From the palace of St. Michael, we went, by a special appointment and permission, obtained after much trouble, to the academy of arts, and in our way stopped at the marble church of St. Isaac, which was erected, but not finished, by the late empress: it is entirely built of Siberian marble, porphyry, and jasper, at an immense cost, has a vast copper dome gilded, and is the most magnificent place of worship in Petersburg; yet, after all, it has a very sombre appearance without.

The interior of this building is truly magnificent, being entirely composed of the most precious Siberian marble. Near the altar was an elegant pulpit, the only one that I saw in any of the Greek churches: it was built by the orders of the late Empress, who was de

sirous of enlightening her people in their faith by devotional discourses.

The academy of arts is an enormous pile of quadrangular brick building, in the Vassili Ostroff. In the council-room we were shewn a beautiful golden medal of the head of Paul, by the present empressdowager, which at once proves the taste of her mind, and the powerful affections of her heart. In the hall of statues were a great number of fine casts from the antique, particularly a beautiful one of the Belvidere Apollo: the original in the imperial museum at Paris, afforded me the greatest delight I ever experienced in contemplating any work of art, and which I greatly preferred to the Laocoon. Amongst the pictures was a perfect and precious piece of painting, in fresco, from Herculaneum. As we passed through a suite of rooms, in which the youngest class of students, from the age of eight or nine years, were drawing (all of whom, as well as the rest of the pupils, are clothed, educated, and maintained at the expense, of the crown), we saw some promising works of art; but, strange to relate, they were principally confined to the younger artists: the tree looks healthy towards the roots, but weakens as it spreads. I could not help observing, that most of the adult students were occupied in painting whole and half length likenesses of the emperor, in his regimentals, instead of attending to the works of the ancient masters, several of whose productions adorn their galleries.

As we turned up the little Nevka, we saw several beautiful country houses and grounds: the chateau of count Narishkin was of this description; it had a centre, surmounted by a vast copper dome painted green, and very extensive wings upon a ground floor; a flight of steps led to the principal entrance, shaded from the sun by a vast projecting awning of canvas; the whole edifice was built of wood, and painted of a light yellow. Several elegant yachts and pleasure barges with gay streamers, floating green-houses and

baths, were moored before it; the whole had an Asiatic appearance. A superb pleasure, barge with twelve rowers, covered with a rich awning from stem to stern, passed us, in which was a lady of rank, and a little hump-backed female ideot, who had the good fortune of being her pet! The Russian nobility, whether from whim, genuine compassion, or superstition, I know not, are uncommonly fond of these little sickly, shapeless, blighted beings: uniting man to monster, and apparently formed by Heaven to mock the proud presuming nature of those whom he has made after his own image. The imperial chateau is sinall, has a terrace in front towards the water, and a wood behind.

We went on board one of the imperial yachts, a beautiful vessel, the state-roon of which was most elegantly fitted up. Soon after leaving KammenoiOstroff, we passed Count Stroganoff's gardens, which were prettily laid out, and embellished with the customary decorations of hillocks, rustic temples, artificial rocks, and waterfalls.

What could induce Catherine to call one of the most costly and elegant palaces in Europe by the name of the Hermitage I cannot imagine; not more preposterous would it be to hear Windsor Castle denominated the Nut-shell. Its situation on the banks of the Neva is very beautiful; the apartments are still magnificent, although much of their rich furniture has been removed, and are embellished with the Houghton and other choice collections, to which artists have free access to copy. One room was entirely filled with some of the finest productions of Vernet; there is also a great number by Teniers. Upon the same floor with the picture galleries, which, with the state-rooms, occupy the second story, is a spacious covered winter garden, filled with orange trees, and foreign singing birds, opening into a summer garden upon the top of the palace, in which there is a beautiful long gravelled walk, lined with shrubs and large

graceful birch trees, whose roots I should think must have for some time threatened make their way through the ceiling of the drawing-rooms below. The whole is adorned with statues, elegant garden sophas, and temples, and on each side are magnificent galleries. In the cabinet of curiosities I was much pleased with a faithful and exquisite model of a Russian boor's farm-house in wax. In the music-room adjoining to this are some large and admirable pictures, by Sneyder, representing fish, fowl, and fruit. In the cabinet of jewels there is a rich display of all sorts of jewellery; and amongst others, under a great glass case, are the celebrated mechanical peacock, owl, cock, and grasshopper, of the size of life, which was made in England, at a vast expense, and presented by Potemkin to the late cipress. The ma chinery is damaged the cock, mounted on a tree of gold, no longer crows, nor hoots the owl, nor does the peacock spread his tail, at the expiration of the hour, but the grasshopper still skips round to denote the moments. This animal is nearly the size of his more animated brethren in Russian Finland, which are said to be an inch and a half long. There were also several ivory cups, the fruits of the ingenuity of Peter the Great, whose versatility was such, that apparently with equal ease, he could bend from the founding of cities, leading arinies into the field, and fighting battles, to building boats, turning wooden spoons and platters, and carving in ivory. Raphael's hall, one of the galleries running parallel with the garden, is superbly painted and decorated, and has a fine collection of minerals: its inlaid floor is uncommonly rich and exquisite.

I searched in vain for Sir Joshua Reynolds's celebrated Infant Hercules, purchased by the late Empress for the Hermitage. Upon inquiry I found that it had been removed into a private apartment below, and was seldom shewn; the reason assigned was, that the Russians have a superstitious horror of death, and

that as the subject was the strangling of the serpent by the infant god it was on that account unpopular.

Not far from the hermitage, and upon a line with it, is the magnificent palace raised by Catherine II. for Gregory Orloff, and afterwards allotted, by the late emperor, to the last of the kings of Poland: it is built of grey Siberian marble, and adorned with columns and pilasters of the same stone, of brown and reddish colours. The balustrades of the balconies, and the frames of the windows, are of brass richly gild. ed. All the splendid furniture and moveable decorations have been removed, and the whole is now occupied by persons belonging to the court.

In consequence of the gracious ofders of the empress-dowager to that effect, we visited a very interesting institution under her immediate protection, the convent des demoiselles. This imperial seminary, which has no equal in Europe, contains three hundred and seventy-two young ladies of nobility; and two hundred and forty daughters of citizens. There is also another institution under the same roof, called that of Saint Catherine, in which there one hundred and eighty-eight children, of the inferior orders of nobility. The age of admission is six years. The noble young ladies are taught German, French, Italian, drawing, music, dancing, geography, embroidery, and every other elegant pursuit. The daughters of the bourgeois are instructed in what is useful alone, and can conduce to their making good tradesmen's wives. Their genius, or bias of mind, whenever it can be ascertained, is always consulted in their pursuits. The building is like a great town; it was formerly occupied by the monks of Sinolnoi, who have been removed to accommodate much more useful and lovely members of society. In the centre is a vast neglected church, surmounted with a dome in the centre of four small cupolas, all of copper gilded. This edifice forms a venerable and prominent feature in the city. We were first conducted to the kitchen,