The Portland daily press., 1878-02-20
A Russian Letter.
Winter in -. Petersburg Royal Jewels
"Reminiscences of Catherine.
GRAND HOTEL D'EURoPE, !
SAINT PETERSBURG, Jan. 23d. (

SAINT PETERSBURG, Jan. 23d.
We came to Russia expecting to find il as
cold as Lapland, and brought furs and wraps
enough to give us the appearance of Esqui-
maux, but when we left the blanketless, pillow
less, comfortless sleeping COACH the evening
OF the eighteenth of this month, we found it
was only five degrees below Zero and SO invig-
Grating that it made US all of a glow instead O
benumbed as we had been for some days pref
vious 10 Germany.
This hotel gives US the comforts of an Ameri-
can house at rather less rates, and now we ars
domestcated we turn our thoughts homeward
with the desire to inform our friends there has
been no shrinkage in the value of our dreams
of Petersburg. All the city seem gone mad
with "sledging," SO we took the fever and hired
a low, box-like little sleigh and went too. The
route is in the vicinity of mob lity, round the
Cathedral of ST. Isascs, by the Admiralty, the
front OF which is nearly half an Eoglish mile
in length, and its two sides running down to
the river are six hundred and fifty English feet
long. 1t is used for schools for naval cadets
and for the civil departments of the navy and
museum. Then past the Hermitage, across
little canal along the banks Of the Neya
where one catches glmpses of Royalty watch
log us and, may be, wishing their care as light
and hearts as free as ours. The Palace is on
the left bank of the Iiver5 and was completed
in 1862 10 the Reign of the Empress Cathar-
inc. Its frontage is four hundred and fifty-fiye
feet and breadth three hundred and fifty, the
throne room being the most magnificent There
the diplomatic corps present their New Years.
congratulations. We were amused at the door
of the portrait gallery with the rules enforced
by Catherine at her coauersazionRs Wa had to
refer to our guide for the translation which
reads:
'1-Lsave your rank outside, as well as your
hat. aud especially your sword
2nd.-Leave your right of l., ecedence your
pride and any similar feeling outside the door
3d-Be gay, but do not spoil anything. Do
not break or gnaw anything.
4th.-St, stand, WALK as you will, without
reference to anybody.
5th.-Tslk moderately and not very loud, so
as not to make the ears and heads Of others
ache.
6tb.-Argue without anger and without ex-
cttement.
7,b.--Neither sigh nor yawn nor make any,
body dull or heavy.
9th.-In all innocent games, whatever one
proposes, let all join
9sh.-Eat Whatever is sweet and ssvory, but
drink with moderation, so that each NAV find
his legs on leaving the room
IOtb.-fell no tales out of school; whatever
goes 10 at one ear must go out OF the other
before leaving tue room.
A transgressOr against these rules shall on
the testimony of two witnesses, for every
offence drink lass of cold water
Whoever ofends against the 10th rule shall
not again be admitted"
We were next entertained by portraits and
war pictures, but not impressed till we cot to
the crown jewels. Things seen are indeed
better than things heard Of Tue great Orloff
diamond surmounts the Imperial sceptre.
AS we listened to the many stories sf
be made from its worth, and OF what ex-
altaton it might not be the emblem
Then it came our turn to ses the largest of
al, crown diamonds; the lesser lights
tempted our cup dity where this couli
not. We tried to count the gems 10 the
Crowd, but somehow they dazzeled us and be-
cams double, as the sun when at its height
makes US turn away and hug the knowledge
that it will shoe as long as the world moves
rhe Sultan of Turkey once gave to the Conquer
ing Russian general the "plume Of Survaroff"
an aisrette entirely of diamonds which led us
to wonder if Rassia's weak neighbor will give
her kingdom az a memorial of respect after
this war is overi
From all these splendors we went to the bare
little loom in which Nicholas /. died, iu 1855.
Riches are foolshness if one NAV not spend
them and greatness undesirable since It's not
Immortal. Adjoining the palace is the Her
mitsge which Catherine III. intended as a re-
treat from duty. 1t was built in 1865, bat ten
years later she ordered an addition to be made
for the reception of paintings which is now one
OF the richest galleries in Europe, having no
less than twenty Murillos, six Valasquez, sixty
Rubens, Thirty-four Van Dykes, forty
Teniers, ten Van der Helsts, forty-one Rem
b-andts, which surprised as as jew faces have
not been tolerated here ii | within a few years,
and fifty Wouwermans, b,sdes enough from
various artists to swell the number to one
thousand six hundred and thirty-ive We were
moved to laughter and to tears-a foot clog yed
horse can never race with the wind, nor a
wing-clipped BIRD pierce the Bral heights of
heaven, nor more can we criticise. The c5llec-
tions OF Camel we're nearly all othistorical faces
with external youth Everywhere thought
shakes hands with the past. The horses of St.
Petersburg are very handsome aud swift. Ladies
correspondingly beautiful having the fresh pink
faces of the nortb Tue men ara nearly all officers
10 red and gold with starry decorations. They
are as raight as the colonnade of Blalbec,
and their vanity puts them at their ease ia all
cases. Each has had his day in the Balkans,
and success is stamped in their bearing. Shall
we rake the emoers of Renaissance and tell
the number OF monuments the Great Catherine
had erected to the memory of her favoriteg, or
ali that Peter the Great did to improve the
couptrS?
This Slavonc language is exssperating to say
the least They use the old Greek aloha bet.
so we know what 1t is to creep aud doubt If we
ever walk in Russian. Not csbman knows a
"0.o v. "uJ OSnor sousue, duu Gil the servants
IN hotels are welded to it, save two here, one
English and one French. There is tone and
cadence, though, that even dull Americans rec
ogniz', as we did when We walked behind a
Strephon and his Chlos.
Nine. Nilsson sways the powers that be with
the mesmerism of her voice. At no price cond
we get seats for last night We felt that we
were at a a"Bsrmecids banquet" after all our
boasted freedom.
We are at present puzz'ing over the art to
find the minds construction 10 the human face,
when two men embrace and kiss each other as
we ofleu see them do. They are more like
chestnut burs sticking together than the sweet
| and bitter philopena almond.
We conclude to take "droike" and see
more before we continue ths description Of this
city in the sea.
AN AMERICAN TRAVELLER.
To the late Gideon Wellas was dne tho cradis