The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1884-02-13
4 MAGNIFICENT EDIFICE.
DESCRIPTION OF THE wINTER PAL
ACE IN ST. PETERSBURG.

An Americnn's visit 10 the Homo OF
the Russian Czar-Hts Dazzling
SplendOr-The Crown Jewels
A st. Petersburg correspondent of the
San Francisco Chronicle furnishes that
paper a description of the czar's regal
winter palace, as follows: Scarce as
money is and poor as are the mass of
people, there is enough to keep up a
certain style, especially in the royal
palaces and public buildings Thanks
to the courtesy Of G.. M. Hutton, the
United States vice consul general, who
was in charge of the consulate, we OBJ
tanned permission to go over the winter
palace, a favor not always granted to
strangers. It is q huge building of
brownstone, and covers a large area,
each of the sides Gt is nearly sQuare)
measuring some 450 feet; but it is not
more than ninety feet high, and the
heavy cornice that forms an almost un-
broken line around the top still further
detracts from the height. Placed on
this cornice is large number of statues,
which it requires no great stretch of i'm
agination to conceive to be persons en-
deavoring to escape from destruction by
way of the roof, so jumbled up are
they with the chimneys. The
general effect of the the building, which
only dates from 1889, would be poor
were it not for its size, which, to some
extent, makes up for want of architec-
tural grandeur. The interior is also de-
void of any special architectural features,
and there is no grand staircase. 1t is
simply huge square box, divided up
into rooms. but some of these are truly
magnificent, and when filled with the
flower of Russian society, as they are at
state receptions during the winter sea-
son, must look grand indeed. Peters
throne-room, with silver chandeliers,
red tinted walls, and highly decorated
dome; union hall, with gilded columns /;
the throne-room, with its massive marble
pillars and gold chandeliers, and the
plate-room, with crystal chandeliers and
trophies of gold and silver plate against
the walls and stands .sloping up to the
very ceiling, are all imperial apartments
in every sense. The succession of re-
ception-rooms and corridors is also most
imposing, although the paintings of bat
tie scenes, where carnage and rapine are
depicted in all their horrors with a
monotony that becomes almost nauseat-
ing, seem to be hardly adapted for the
exclusive adornment of rooms intended
for gay assemblages, and they must form
CHASTITY contrast to bright toilets and
glittering jewels, and fair womanly
forms.
The visitor is escorted through hall
after hall decorated with almost barbaric
magnlticence, and at each one is taken
under the charge of fresh attendant, at
tired in gorgeous imperial livery. The
palace, which at present is quite unoccu-
pied-as the emperor resides in another
palace some distance up the Newski pros
pect-fairly swarms with servants, who
are all well dressed and courteous and ex-
tremely idle, having apparently nothing
on earth to do except to stand or walk
about in the empty apartments, which are
seldom trodden by any other feet. Here
and there is to be seen superior officer,
In full uniform, evidently in charge of
some part of the building, and at one
point we suddenly came upon two Cos
sack sentinels, armed to the teeth, and
standing motionless on each side of a
doorway This was the entrance to the
room containing the crown Jewels. Our
attendant inserted key, two heavy iron
doors swung open, and we were ushered
in.
The central stands bore the crown re-
gala. The emperor's crown, huge mass
of diamonds of the purest water sur
rounded by an extraordinary uncut ruby
the empress crown, somewhat smaller, if
possible, more brilliant, and the scepter,
bearing on its top the celebrated Lazaroff
diamond, of which the story is told that
1t was stolen from an Indian temple, and
carried off concealed in cut in the leg
of its purloiner. Compared with these
Muscovite gems all others that / have
ever looked on are dull and small One
thing in the picture gallery of the palace
was remarkable, and that is the absence
of peculiarly Russian worthless whose
portraits covered the walls. There were
faces of strictly English type, Swedish
faces in small number and German faces
in any quantity, but Russian faces none,
and no one could guess that he was sur
rounded by the likenesses of the men by
whom the great northern power had been
built up. 1t is very much the same to-
day. The leading men here are quite
different In appearance from the mass of
the people, so different that they might
well belong to another race. They have,
many of them, fine features and noble
forms.