New-York daily tribune., 1858-12-03
Bayard Taylor inNorthernEurop
No. IXXIll.
VARIETIES OF TIE RUSSIAN CAPITAL.

YAKlElIEC w lflb hbpscLh-s NIh AA@
Correspondence Of Tie N. y. rnburs. ,o,o
ST. PETERsBvRG, July, looo'
Before leaving Russia, let me add few dct"cho'
sketches to the general picture which na'o e''
deavored TO give you OF St. Petersburg anu 40 q"
yirons. Ny description, however, VIII Oo iai i'o'.,
~,hau,tiye. because / have purposey re'raihed
from making my visit 90. l nope 70 see hu'Sa
again in the course Of few years, less hurnedly
and better prepared than now.
IN. snsst building in Russia-in all Northern
ru,one ipdeed--is the Cathedral Of 81. Izsak.
Commenced in the year le26, IN the place oil "
former structure erected by Catharine III. and
Paul il received its final conservation only month
ago. Thirty-two years of uninterrupted labor,
backed by the unlimited resources of the Empire,
were required TO complete this gigantic work. Its
cost is estimated at 90 600 rubes, or S67 oO0,
900, but large slice out Of this sum Gas in our
own Government contracts) may be put under the
head Of "pickings and sieaings.' To make arm
foundation in the swsmpy SOIL piles 10 the value OF
a million of dollars were driven. Upon them rose
Q basement Of granite, supporting mighty granite
structure, in the form of Greek cross, crowned
By huge dome Of gllded iron. The design Is siIn-
pie and majestic, and the various parts are 30 nicely
balanced and harmonzed that at first sight, the
Cathedral appears smaller than is really the case.
1t grows upon the eye with each VISIT but can only
be seen in its full magnitude at considerable dis
tance.
The four sides are fronts Of exactly similar de-
8gn and dimensions--a Grecian pediment resting
on sixteen monolth columns of red Finnish granite
60 feet in hight and seven feet in diameter, with
COriDtbian capitals in bronze. These tremendous
shafts emulate the marvels Of Dendera and Karnak.
In fact the great ball of columns in the latter tenn
pie does not represent as much art labor and
wealth The dome, which is little less taan that
of st. Paufs, in London rests upon circular col
onpade Of similar monoltbs, Of smaller dimensions.
The body of the edfce is of gray granite, and upon
each of the four corners are groups of kneeng an
gels, with candelabrs, in bronze. Growing this
sublime pile is the golden hemisphere Of the dome,
which so flashes 10 the sunlight that the eye can
scarcely bear its splendor. Far out on the Gulf of
Finland, it glitters over the evening horzOn Ike
rising star.
The interior is divided into five vaulted halls, the
central one, under the dome, soaring TO hight oi
292 feet. The nlsssive piers which support them,
the walls, the ceiling, and the recesses for shrines,
art lined with the most precious marbles, whose
exquisite beauty of coloring reconces the eye to
their somewhat Ostentatious magni6cence. Tho
richest and lOreliest tints are here cOmbinedpink
lilac, pale-green, purple, dark-blue brown, orange
and yiolet-and with SO much skill that the lavish
display of gold loses half its disagreeable glare. The
ikonsstast, or screen before the Holy of Hoies is
giant wall of wealth. Eight pillars of malachite,
fifty feet high, bear aoft it's golden cornice and d.
vide IFS surface of gilded silver into compartments,
whereou are painted the fayorite saints Of Russia
The altar canopy is supported by two pillars of
hps lazuIi, blucr than the ice Of Polar seas. But
wealth, uncombined with taste, can only .upress
vulgar mnd you are overwhelmed by the glare,
not touched by the beauty. Alsddin's Palace may
he built Of clay, when the genie is Ictinus or Pa!
lsdio.
Across the Neva, on the eastern point Of Vassil
Ostrov, are two immense plastered buildngs-she
Academy of Arts aud the Academy Of Sciences.
Before visiting them, however, let US pause mo-
ment before Falconets famous statue OF Peter the
Great After having seen Clark Mills's statue OF
Gen. Jackson rearing on bis hind legs, which our
enlightened legislators have pronounced TO be the
greatest thing Of the kind in the world, had very
limited expectations of Peter, seeing that the latter
does not rear so high, and that his horses tail
touches the grOund-which is great fault, accord
ing to the aforesaid judges Of Art When found,
however, that Peter sits his horse like man, and
not like wooden efigy, and that the horse is ar
rested in a position which he can aintain for an
instant without tumbling backward, decided that
had been little too hasty in forming my conclu-
sons. The long tail of the horse, and the writing
serpent upon which he tramples, are obviously in
troduced for the purpose of maintaining the equli-
briuc of the figure, which is thus secured without
too great exaggerstiOn. Gen. Jackson, on the
other hand, disdains any such aid. Having bor-
rowed one Of Franconi's horses, trained to walk on
it's hind legs, ne needs neither serpent nor long
tail. And yet, fear, Peter will be pronounced the
better rider by every impartial judge.
The Academy Of Sciences is only open TO the
public on Mondays Not being aware of this,
timed my visit so unfortunately that shall not be
able to see it's interesting geological collections,
which contain, among other things the remains Of
the Siberian mammoth, found imbedded in the ice
Of the Lens. In the geological cabinet at Moscow
there is also the entire skeleton Of mastodon, but
Of rather smaller size than that which was formerly
In Peale's Museum, in Philadelphia. The Russian
Academy of Sciences is Government institution,
and is intrusted with the organization and superin-
teDdence Of all geological, Typographical and sstro-
DoUcal undertakings Its President is Count
BludoH, to whom have letter of Introduction,
but az be is absent on his travels, shall not be able
10 make his acquaintance.
The Academy of Arts has hccomnls Al led but LII.